Processing Messages › Extended Filtering Criteria

Extended Filtering Criteria

The Extended Message Filter panel lets you specify precise criteria to match:

Wildcard Character

Specifies a value other than the default value of an asterisk (*). This change is reflected in the Wildcard Character field on the Message Filter panel when you save the extended filtering criteria. This feature is useful if the message actually contains an asterisk.

Descriptor Code

Specifies one or more descriptor codes. A descriptor code determines the color that the operating system uses to display the message on a color console. The code also determines whether the message is a non-roll delete message. The descriptor codes assigned to a message are tested against the specified descriptor codes. A message matches if it contains any of the specified descriptor codes.

Route Code

Specifies one or more route codes. The operating system uses the route code to control message delivery. The route codes assigned to a message are tested against the specified route codes. A message matches if it contains any of the specified route codes.

Message ID

Specifies the first word of the message text (disregarding any flag characters, such as an asterisk, in position 1 or 2). When a secondary line of a multiline WTO message is filtered, the message ID for the line is the same as the ID for the primary line.

System Name

Specifies the name of the system from which the message originated. This field is useful if the local system reissues messages received from other systems. Messages are reissued if the system is part of a sysplex environment.

Message Text Analysis

You can analyze the text of the current message by word, phrase, or string, by specifying any combination of start position, word number, and permitted operator (such as equals, is greater than, and so on). You can specify up to five tests to perform on the message text and link these tests in an expression.

Note: EventView comparisons are text-based, that is, they are performed character by character, starting from the leftmost character of the extracted text. Text checking is done using the EBCDIC codes. Numbers are regarded as text. For example, the character string 100 is less than 99.

Message Text Analysis Criteria

You specify the message text analysis criteria on the following panels:

• Define Extended Filter Definitions panel (for a resource definition)
• Extended Message Filter panel (for a message action rule).

The panels enable you to analyze the text of the received message by specifying values in the Strt Pos, Word Num, and Opr fields. You can specify up to five tests, which are then linked in a defined, logical relationship that you specify in the Expression field.

For example, the Expression field has the entry 1 AND (2 OR 3). For the rule to be valid, Test 1 must be true and either Test 2 or Test 3 must be true.

A message consists of words. A word is a string of characters delimited by either a space or a comma. You have the option of specifying a word or part of a word for testing, or of extracting a substring for testing.

Important! ResourceView handles numeric comparisons; EventView always performs character comparisons.

Strt Pos

Specifies a position in the message where the text comparison is to start. The presence or absence of a value in the Word Num field determines the actual starting position.

If the start position is 2 and the Word Num field is blank, the comparison is on the partial message starting at the second character.

If the Strt Pos field is blank but the Word Num field has a value, then only that word is compared to the scan text. If the Strt Pos and the Word Num field are blank, the entire message is compared to the scan text.

If both Strt Pos and Word Num fields have values, the comparison narrows to a start position in a single word of the message text. The text used for comparison is the partial word. For example, if the word number is 8 and the start position is 2, the comparison starts from the second character of the eighth word.

For example, the following message arrives:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

• If the Strt Pos field has a value of 2, the string tested is as follows:

  AA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100
  

• If the Word Num field has a value of 5, the string tested is as follows:

  MESSAGE
  

• If the Strt Pos field has a value of 2 and the Word Num field has a value of 5, the string tested is as follows:

  ESSAGE
  

Default: 1

Values: 1 through 999

Lne Num

Specifies a particular line in a multiline WTO or WTOR. If blank, any value in the Word Num field is treated as if all lines in the multiline message are joined as one string.

Values: Blank and 1 through 999

Note: Lne Num is not supported in EventView message rules; it is supported in ResourceView only.

Word Num

Specifies a particular word in a specific position in the message text string. If this field is blank, the entire message text that occurs after the specified start position is compared to the scan text. If this field contains a value but the Strt Pos field is blank, only the specified word is compared to the scan text. Spaces or commas delimits words.

Values: Blank and 1 through 999

Opr

Specifies a valid operator to control the type of comparison to perform if you enter a value in the Strt Pos or the Word Num field. The following operators are valid:

• CT (ConTain)
• EQ (EQual to)
• GE (Greater than or Equal to)
• GT (Greater Than)
• LE (Less than or Equal to)
• LT (Less Than)
• NE (Not Equal to).

If you enter a question mark (?) in this field, the list of valid operators is displayed.

Scan Text

Specifies the actual text (scan text) you want to test against the message text. You must have a match in the specified position or word for the comparison to be true. If you specify either CT or EQ as the operator, you can use the wildcard in or at the end of the Scan Text field. (You cannot use the wildcard character with the other operators.)

CT Operator

The CT operator tests whether the extracted message text (after the Strt Pos and Word Num fields have been applied) contains the specified scan text. If the Strt Pos and Word Num fields are blank, then the comparison is true if the scan text appears anywhere in the message.

Example: Use CT to Test a Message

This example uses the CT operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

EQ Operator

The EQ operator tests for an exact match. That is, the (extracted) message text string must match the scan text exactly for the test to succeed.

A wildcard can be either in the scan text or at the end of the scan text.

If, for example, the message text is FREDERICK and the scan text is FRED, the test fails. If, however, the scan text is FRED*, the test succeeds.

Example: Use EQ to Test a Message

This example uses the EQ operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

GE Operator

The GE operator tests whether the value of the (extracted) message text is greater than or equal to that of the scan text. For ResourceView, if the characters to test are numeric, a numeric comparison is executed.

Example: Use GE to Test a Message

This example uses the GE operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

GT Operator

The GT operator tests whether the value of the (extracted) message text string is greater than the value of the scan text. For ResourceView, if the characters to test are numeric, a numeric comparison is executed.

Example: Use GT to Test a Message

This example uses the GT operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

LE Operator

The LE to operator tests whether the value of the (extracted) message text string is less than or equal to that of the scan text. For ResourceView, if the characters to test are numeric, a numeric comparison is executed.

Example: Use LE to Test a Message

This example uses the LE operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

LT Operator

The LT operator tests whether the value of the (extracted) message text string is less than the value of the scan text. For ResourceView, if the characters to test are numeric, a numeric comparison is executed.

Example: Use LT to Test a Message

This example uses the LT operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

NE Operator

The NE to operator tests for a mismatch between the (extracted) message text string and the scan text.

Example: Use NE to Test a Message

This example uses the NE operator to test the following message:

AAA100A THIS IS A MESSAGE NUMBERED MESSAGE 100

The following table shows the result of the tests:

Expression To Link Tests

The tests you specify in the Text Analysis box are linked in a defined relationship in the Expression field. The Boolean operators AND, OR, and NOT link the tests.

For example, you specify 1 and (2 or 3) in the Expression field. This expression indicates that the following conditions must be satisfied before the rule can be triggered:

• Test 1 must always be true.
• Either Test 2 or Test 3 must be true.

Note: If you leave the Expression field blank, all specified conditions must be true.

EventView Variables

You can use the values of EventView variables as a condition to trigger a rule. You specify the values on the Test EventView Variables panel (the second panel in the extended filter sequence). These values are compared with the values of the predefined EventView variables when the rule is validated. To trigger the rule, they must match.