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Comment: Published by Scroll Versions from space FUNCTDEV and version SOAVIRT_9.10.3_CTP_3.1.0

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Introduction

This extension provides support for COBOL copybook—enabling you to use Parasoft solutions to configure, send, validate, and virtualize copybook messages. The artifact you download from the Parasoft Marketplace is a builder executable. Run the executable to generate a JAR file that will be installed into SOAtest and/or Virtualize. The builder jar file that you downloaded is not the copybook jar that you will install into Virtualize/ SOAtest. The builder can be used to produce any number of copybook jar files. You can install multiple copybook jar files into Virtualize/SOAtest.

When the builder executes, it produces a consumable jar file that includes:Parasoft Copybook Builder provides a way for Parasoft SOAtest and Virtualize users to generate SOAtest messages and Virtualize responders based on COBOL copybooks. The output of the tool is a single jar file that can be imported into Parasoft products. The jar file contains:

  • An XML schema of each copybook.
  • Java classes to manipulate copybook data.
  • XML files to integrate copybooks as message types in Parasoft SOAtest and Virtualize.

After generating and installing the copybook JAR, you will be able to create Copybook Responders (for Virtualize) and Copybook Clients (for SOAtest)—both of which allow you to work with copybook messages in Parasoft's standard graphical message trees, as well as in "literal" (plain text) mode. 

This tool supports syntactically correct copybooks and includes:

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The tool does not support OCCURS DEPENDING ON statements or COPY REPLACING statements.

Requirements

  • Java 6 or 7 (not Java 8)
  • An appropriate JDK 
  • Parasoft Virtualize or Parasoft SOAtest 9.9.4 or higher 1.5 or higher installed.Parasoft SOAtest and/or Virtualize installed.

Preparing Copybook Files

The Copybook tool searches for copybook files in a list of directories provided at runtime. Within each directory, the tool searches a list of filenames and wildcards for copybook files to process.

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Executing

Generating the

Command

Copybook JAR

Run the com.parasoft.soavirt.messages.copybook-<version>.jar file using the following command to build read the copybook files and generate the JAR file that you will integrate into the UI:

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java -jar <path [path_to_executable_jar]parasoft_copybook_builder.jar executable copybook.jar> -copybookinput directory_list - filenames filename_list <path to copybook directory> -filenames <filename1, filename2, etc.> -name <name> -apijar <path to com.parasoft.api.jar>

The command uses the following arguments:

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directory_list: A comma
-jarSpecify the Copybook extension from the Parasoft Marketplace
-copybookinput

Specify a copybook directory or a comma-separated list of

directories where the copybooks are located. Use quotes if the directory contains special characters.

copybook directories. If not a specified, the current directory will be used.

The builder does not recurse sub-directories. Specify subdirectories as a separate entries and use quotation marks if the directories contain spaces or special characters.

-filenamesSpecify a
filename_list: A
comma separated list of copybook files (wildcards allowed).
-nameSpecifies the name of the copybook jar extension that the builder creates. This name will also be used as a UI label in Virtualize/SOAtest. If –name is not specified, the jar file will be named copybook.jar.
-apijarSpecify the absolute or relative path to the com.parasoft.api.jar file. This is required if you use the -name argument. You can access this jar file at [INSTALL]/plugins/com.parasoft.xtest.libs.web_[version]/root/com.parasoft.api.jar.
-logSets the log level for console messages. You can use DEBUG, INFO, WARN, or ERROR.
-preprocessTells the builder to stop execution after preprocessing is completed.
-helpPrints documentation.

Example

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java -jar parasoft_copybook_builder.jar -copybookinput "C:\My Projects\proj_a\cobol_src","C:\My Projects\proj_a\cobol_src\copy books" -filenames *.cbl,*.cpy -name Ps01CommArea -apijar com.parasoft.api.jar

The example searches the following folders:

  • C:\My Projects\prog_a\cobol_src
  • C:\My Projects\proj_a\cobol_src\copy books.

Any file that matches the wildcards *.cbl or *.cpy wil be processed as a copybook.Copybook Builder doesn’t recurse sub-directories. Specify subdirectories as a separate entries in the copybookinput option. Also use quotation marks if the directories contain spaces or special characters.

When the Copybook tool finishes, there will be two files created in the directory: copybook.jar and velocity.log. Assuming there are no errors, velocity.log can be deleted. Integrate the copybook.jar file as described in Integrating the Copybook Tool into the UIExtension.

Integrating the Copybook

Tool into the UI

Extension

The Copybook tool is implemented in the SOAtest and Virtualize UI as a system JAR file, which is output by executing the JAR in Executing Generating the CommandCopybook JAR.

  1. Choose Parasoft> Preferences.
  2. Choose System Properties and remove any existing copybook.jar entries. 
  3. Click Add JARs and browse to the copybook.jar file created after executing the JAR file in Executing Generating the CommandCopybook JAR.
  4. Click Open and apply the changes
  5. Restart SOAtest/Virtualize.

You can also install extensions from the command line by adding the copybook.jar file to the system.properties.classpath property in your localsettings properties file. For example:

system.properties.classpath=<path to jar>/copybook1.jar

You also add the copybook.jar file to the VirtualAssets/system_jars folder (if this does not already exist, create it now). Make the following API call to reload the jar:

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http://<virtualize_server_host>:<virtualize_server_port>/soavirt/api/<version>/preferences/systemProperties/reload

Using a Copybook in a Responder

You can generate Copybook Responders and Copybook Clients from traffic, or you can add them manually. If you are adding them manually, be sure to select the desired copybook from the Message Type drop-down. Once a copybook is selected, the tree will be populated based on that copybook. This example demonstrates how to create a Virtualize responder from a copybook.

  1. In the Virtualize perspective, choose Parasoft> Show View> Virtual Asset Explorer
  2. Right-click the VirtualAssets folder and choose Add New> Virtual Asset (.pva) File… 
  3. Enter a file name and click Next.
  4. Choose Empty and click Finish. A new .pva file is created in the VirtualAssets folder.
  5. Right-click the Responder Suite under the new .pva and choose Add New> Responder.
  6. Choose CopyBook Message Responder and click Finish.
  7. Open the Copybook Message Responder you just created. 
  8. All available copybooks are presented in the Message Type drop-down menu. Choose a copybook and the fields for the copybook will be displayed as responder fields.

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