IBM's REXX for CICS Transaction Server and Transaction Gateway for Web Application Exploitation

IBM‘s REXX scripting language, (quickly becoming a programming language), provides powerful capabilities to:

• Develop REXX procedures to substitute symbolic parameters into z/OS and z/VSE JCL & PROC’s
• Develop REXX procedures to administrate, manage, and provide processing of ISPF, TSO and SDSF lists, files, and program execution.
• Develop REXX programs to run in batch mode on z/OS and z/VSE.
• Develop powerful procedures for z/VM’s CMS and XEDIT.
• Develop REXX CICS programs

However, I am really interested in what REXX can do for development of CICS Transaction Server administration and application development, as well as, building Web Application front ends to CICS applications using CICS Transaction Server Gateway and WebSphere Application Server. The IBM Education Assistant provides documentation for – CICS Transaction Server for z/OS V4.1 – Installing Version 4.1 @

http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ieduasst/stgv1r0/index.jsp?topic=/com.ibm.iea.cicsts/cicsts/4.1z/installation/cics41_installing/player.html

This will get you started for understanding how REXX can be used in IBM’s Online Transaction Processing Server and how you are able to develop JAVA Web Application Services using REXX with JAVA through the IBM CICS Transaction Server Gateway services for IBM’s WebSphere Web Application Server.

For those of you who have not been able to get properly introduced to REXX as a (programming) language because you have no access to a Mainframe or platform which supports REXX there are freeware and shareware solutions available to begin to familiarize yourself with this powerful and strategically important language to IBM.

You will find a version of Freeware Windows IDE For REXX development called “REXX Programming Center” by Jeff Glatt for Microsoft Windows @

http://texteditors.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?REXX_Programmer_Center

It requires that you install the “Reginald Lite REXX Interpreter” first! The download for Reginald Lite REXX Interpreter is @

http://home.roadrunner.com/~jgglatt/rexx/win32/rxusrw32.htm

At the same website you will find the “REXX Programming Center” download and all the add-on’s for Reginald Lite REXX Interpreter and REXX Programming Center. Follow the instructions for implementing the REXX Programming Center exactly as they are explained. You will need Window’s Administrator rights to do this implementation and all the other add-on implementations.

You must implement the REXX GUI add-on to fully implement the REXX Programming Center IDE GUI interface. Follow the implementation instructions exactly.

You will need the Reginald Lite REXX Interpreter Language Documentation and REXX Programming Center IDE GUI Documentation add-on’s as well. You will find them on this website. Follow the implementation instructions exactly.

Many other add-on’s are provided at the same website: The ones you may want to download and install will be:

Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) add-on install.

RexxInet (Internet) add-on install

RexxSock (Supports TCP/IP and FTP) add-on install.

RxZip add-on install.

RxUnZip add-on.install.

Transcendental Math called rexxmath add-on install.

RxPrint add-on install.

RxAudioCd add-on install.

RxGDI add-on install.

RxFloat add-on install.

RxCmd add-on install.

You will need the Documentation for these add-on’s as well. They may be found on the same website. Download the zip files for the documentation and follow the implementation instructions exactly.

There are many other add-on’s at this website. Review them and determine if they have value for your applications development requirements. You may install them as you see fit. Remember to download the associated Documentation add-on zip files and follow the implementation instructions exactly.

You may find other, more easily implemented, REXX Friendly Editors websites @

http://texteditors.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?REXX-Friendly_Editors

I hope this helps!

 

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