Preformatted Text or HTML Tables
Webulator/400 allows you to choose if the AS/400 screen data should be sent as HTML
Preformatted Text or as a HTML Table.
HTML Preformatted Text
Webulator/400 Version 1.0 sent all screens using HTML Preformatted Text and is the
default method in Version 1.1. Webulator/400 will send Preformatted Text when the
Tables Enabled configuration value is set to No.
Preformatted text has the following characteristics:
- It instructs the browser to use a fixed width font. This means that all characters (including
spaces) on the screen will be the same width. This results in the characters going
across a line will have the same spacing as in a traditional emulation program.
- It produces the smallest size HTML file.
- It is fast for the browser to render on the screen.
- The width of input fields and submit buttons are larger than the number of characters
that they hold. This means that the columns of any line that have input fields or submit buttons
will not properly line up with columns on a line that have only output fields. The effects of
this vary depending on the composition of the screen. It may range anyway from a small
nuisance to having columns lining up with the wrong headings.
HTML Tables
Webulator/400 Version 1.1 allows you to specify that all 5250 screen data should be included inside
a HTML Table. Webulator/400 will send HTML tables when the
Tables Enabled configuration value is set to Yes.
HTML Tables have the following characteristics:
- Tables are able to keep track on the largest number of pixels that is needed by any
column. This means that columns that have either input fields or submit
buttons will have more pixels allocated to them than columns that only have output fields.
The result is that tables will guarantee that all fields that start in the same column
will be properly aligned but there may be extra space between fields to compensate
for the different widths of the various HTML elements used.
- Tables allow for the specification of a background color different from the body of the form.
This allows for reverse image attributes to be honored.
- Tables by default use non fixed width fonts. This will make the 5250 screen look quite a bit
different than when viewed using a traditional emulation program. You can change the font
that tables use by setting the Table Font Name configuration
entry. You may need to experiment with the font name to ensure that all of your target
browsers support it. You should be safe setting this value to
Courier.
- It produces much larger HTML files.
- It is slower for the browser to render on the screen.
- It requires a browser that supports HTML Tables.
Recommendations
You are better off using Preformatted Text if your 5250 screens do not use tabular data. It
produces smaller files that are quicker to display and is supported by more browsers than tables.
If your programs use tabular data and you are not satisfied with the way Preformatted Text aligns your
columns, then experiment with Tables.