UiPath Terminal Activities Connection using .HOD file

Hello to everyone in the great UiPath Community,

I’m currently working on automating an IBM i Series AS400 terminal and so far I’m using Studio’s built in terminal emulator implementation (using the UiPath Terminal Activities package 2.5.0). This generally works well enough and is very easy to configure.

However, I have reached a point where the built-in terminal will not work. Reason is a script (written in COBOL probably) that is executed upon selecting a command throws a ‘DISPLAY’ error because it cannot display a specific screen. Of course, this doesn’t happen when a User manually connects an navigates to the same menu tree in AS400.

I have tried setting up a UiPath Terminal Connection with a .HOD file with no results. Based on my search it seems that it only supports the older ".WS" file type.

I’m wondering does anybody know of any way/workaround to use a .HOD file to connect to the terminal?

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can use the older using the older method with a “.ws" file due to the newer IBM i Access application that is currently being used which doesn’t seem to be able to read connection settings from ".ws” files anymore.

I would be most grateful if anyone could help me out.

Cheers,
Mike

Hello @MikeGR!

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Hello,

Is there anyone who can help me with this question?

@Forum_Staff I would appreciate if you could please provide any relevant info/comments on this.

Hi,

I am facing the same problem.
Our process used to work form many years very well while using .ws files, but after changing to .HOD files seems nothing is working.
I have read all prossible entries in UiPath forum, but I have finud the same: …everybody facing this problem and no solution yet.

Can anyone give us an update about this issue?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

1 Like

Have you been able to find a solution? Also in the connection there is an ID Station and I don’t know how to indicate it

Hi… sorry… no idea due to I am not working in that project anymore since last September. I don’t know if it has been solved or they decided to rollback or whatever…

The .HOD files cannot be used with any provider from the terminal activities package.
But, there are 2 possible workarounds to connect to AS400 systems:

  1. Use the Direct Connection provider. This does not need IBM i Access Client, it uses the UiPath internal emulator. Replicate the settings from IBM i Access Client Solutions. Note that Workstation ID setting is not supported. Should look something like this:
  2. Use the EHLLAPI provider together with IBM i Access Client Solutions.
    a) Download the EHLLAPI Bridge from IBM. Access client does provide this by default.
    b) Once installed, make sure IBM i Access is started and connected to AS400.
    c) configure the EHLLAPI provider as in the picture below. Make sure the path to pcshll32.dll is correct. Then press “start recorder” to test the connection.
    d) The EHLLAPI provider does not start or stop IBM i Access Client. You need to automate the launching of it and the closing when no longer needed.

This solutions is not help me to fix.

I am also waiting this solution

Which solution did you try? Direct connection or EHLLAPI?
What was is the behavior error that you are seeing?