x3270
x3270 is a graphical interactive IBM 3270 emulator that runs on Linux, Solaris, macOS (with XQuartz installed), FreeBSD and other POSIX-based operating systems. It uses the Xt and Xaw libraries for its user interface, which dates to 1993.
How do I configure and run it?
x3270 uses Xt as its primary configuration method. This means setting resource definitions, which can be done in a number of different ways:
- Reading a file in with the xrdb command as part of your X server start-up. This affects all of your x3270 sessions, unless overridden below.
- Putting entries in the file $HOME/.Xdefaults-workstation (replacing workstation with the name of your computer). This affects all of your x3270 sessions unless overridden. .Xdefaults overrides xrdb.
- Putting entries in the file $HOME/.x3270pro. This file is also in xrdb format, and overrides the above methods for all x3270 sessions.
- Specifying a session file (a file with resource definitions in xrdb format) on the x3270 command line. An x3270 session file has the suffix .x3270. A session file overrides the above methods, for a single instance of x3270.
- Specifying individual command-line options when you invoke x3270. These also affect just one specific instance, and override all of the above methods.
x3270 also allows a number of options to be changed from menus, key combinations and at the x3270> prompt, but these changes are not saved -- you need to use one of the above methods to make your changes permanent.
Window resizing
When the x3270 window is resized or maximized, x3270 may accommodate this by selecting a different font -- generally the largest one that will fit within the area specified. (It will not change the font if the current font is already the best fit.) Because of limitations of the 3270 protocol, it will not change the number of rows or columns on the 3270 display. It will also not automatically "snap" the window to the minimum size needed to use the new font; instead it respects the requested window dimensions. There is a menu option (Options -> Snap Window Size) to do this explicitly.
New in 4.3 If you simply want to make the font bigger or smaller, with the x3270 window at the minimum dimensions needed to display that font, use the Ctrl-+ and Ctrl-- keys.
See also
Subpages: