TTWeb is Turbosoft’s web to host terminal emulation software, allowing users to connect to a host systems directly through a web page. One of the more advanced features of TTWeb is a Javascript library offering access to the embedded session and the ability to interact and manipulate the TTWeb session through the web page. This article takes a look at what is possible with a little HTML, Javascript and TTWeb.
TTWeb is no longer supported
Turbosoft’s web deployable terminal emulator TTWeb has been retired and is no longer offered. Users looking for a web-to-host terminal emulation solution should look to our new HTML5 based, centrally managed terminal emulator for enterprise, TTerm Connect .
What is TTWeb?
TTWeb is Turbosoft’s web to host terminal emulation software, designed to run terminal emulation sessions directly within a browser or, to use that browser as a delivery mechanism to deploy and maintain a stand alone terminal emulation application for an end user. We call the latter ‘stand-alone’ mode and the web page usage 'embedded' mode. TTWeb utilizes Microsoft’s ActiveX technology to embed terminal emulation sessions within the Internet Explorer browser - because ActiveX is a Microsoft technology for all practical purposes it is limited to the Windows platform and Internet Explorer browser. For more information on ActiveX, take a look at our article on ActiveX and Terminal Emulation.
Using Javascript to Enhance TTWeb
In embedded mode, beyond the basic implementation of simply placing a terminal emulation session within a web page TTWeb offers a useful Javascript library which can greatly enhance user interaction with TTWeb through the webpage. The Javascript library allows you to access to the functions and methods of the underlying ActiveX object and the ability to manipulate TTWeb as it appears on the page.
ActiveX is a sophisticated technology widely used in software development. Javascript, on the other hand is a tool within the reach of most users who have dabbled in creating the occasional web page. It provides an easy entry point to automating an embedded TTWeb, web based terminal emulation session.
Let’s look at the example included with the TTWeb install.
This sample TTWeb page is for a fictional car part inventory and ordering system and shows TTWeb embedded on the right hand section of the page. Through TTWeb’s Javascript library the buttons and form elements on the left hand side provide the user with an easy and visually attractive way to interact with the host system.
Using the emkeys method, clickable images representative of keys are included to allow the end user to send keystrokes to the host such as the F13 and F14 keys on a DEC keyboard of which no direct equivalents are available on the PC keyboard (although TTWeb does, of course, allow them to be mapped to PC keys). Strings and TTWeb macros can also be sent to the host using this method allowing a user to click on web page element and trigger a complex action on the host system (check the post on Macros and Terminal Emulation or refer to the TTWin 4 User Manual chapter of the same name for more detail on macro capabilities). There is no reason why a button could not be included which completed the entire login process for the user, asking for or sending a stored password and username to the host system.
Print buttons using the printScreen method to enable the printing of a selected area of the terminal display or the full terminal screen to be printed. Printing dialogs and the selection of a local printer are handled by the browser.
Other controls allow the switching of terminal types such as vt100 and 3270 emulation, the selection of communications protocols like SSH and telnet and the entering of a host address along with basic connect and disconnect buttons. The small green toggle button located at the top right of the display panel enlarges or shrinks the terminal display area.
This is a very simple subset of what is available through the TTWeb Javascript library and the range of ActiveX methods that are exposed through the Javascript library are extensive.
For more information on TTWeb’s Javascript library refer to the TTWeb Quickstart documentation and the library itself included with your TTWeb install. Free, no obligation trial versions of TTWeb along with our windows terminal emulation software package TTWin are available on the Trial Software Download page. You'll find several sample webpages within the trial software which demonstrate simple and more advanced usage of the Javascript library.
