Can Python talk to Informix 4GL Forms?

Question

I am an Informix 4GL developer. Due to maintainability I was tasked to write a wrapper to automate some tasks on a 4GL forms based command line application. Does anyone have any idea how this can be done on python ? (I‘ll take other languages too but Python is my go to). My idea was using „keyboard“ to simulate key presses...(ugly I know). Problem is that, as i had suggested, to rewrite the entire application in python or another language does not fly with my boss. (The application is about 30years old, so are the dbs...it’s messy) JavaScript questions and answers, JavaScript questions pdf, JavaScript question bank, JavaScript questions and answers pdf, mcq on JavaScript pdf, JavaScript questions and solutions, JavaScript mcq Test , Interview JavaScript questions, JavaScript Questions for Interview, JavaScript MCQ (Multiple Choice Questions)

Answer 1

20 years ago I had cron-jobs setup as fglgo program-name < keystrokes.txt where keystrokes.txt was as the name suggests was simply the keystrokes as required to be typed in to run the program manually. This was typically used to generate reports or kick off batch processes in the middle of the night. A quick text with Four Js Genero suggests that the same principal still works. My little test program was #! keystroketest.4gl MAIN DEFINE where_clause CHAR(100) OPEN FORM f FROM "keystroketest" DISPLAY FORM f MENU "" COMMAND "Query" CONSTRUCT BY NAME where_clause ON field1, field2, field3 DISPLAY where_clause EXIT MENU END MENU END MAIN #! keystroketest.per SCREEN { Field 1 [f01 ] Field 2 [f02 ] Field 3 [f03 ] } END ATTRIBUTES f01 = formonly.field1; f02 = formonly.field2; f03 = formonly.field3; od -x keystroketest.txt 0000000 3151 3030 0d1b 000a 0000007 fglrun keystroketest < keystroketest.txt field1='100' So the keystroketest.txt sends Q (to select Query), 100 (to enter some data into the field), ASCII(27) ie Escape The tricky bit is getting the ASCII(27) into the .txt file. With FourJs Genero you can still do the above with your Informix-4gl program if you have not added any GUI widgets. If you have added GUI widgets you can also use our automated testing tool (Genero Ghost Client) to execute the 4gl program using a test script to automate it. So if you don't want to rewrite these programs but you want to compile and run them on a modern server etc that might be an option.