Create a Direct Connection shortcut

A direct connection is a connection that is established through terminal emulation.

To open the Shortcut Wizard, in the Shortcuts window, click the New button.

Shortcut Wizard page 1: Shortcut identification and Connection type

In the Shortcut identification section, specify the Name and optionally the Icon for the shortcut.

If you want to store the shortcut locally for the current user, select the Store shortcut in settings checkbox.

By default, shortcuts are saved in the &AppDataDir/config.xml file (see GDC configuration file directories for more information). Shortcuts written to this file are shared amongst all users who use this installation of the GDC. Selecting the Store shortcut in settings option is useful when the GDC is on a shared network drive and you do not want the current user to modify the common shortcuts.
Note:
When the config.xml file is read-only, the Store shortcut in settings checkbox is selected by default and you do not have the option to deselect it.

Note:
Any modification to a non-local shortcut displays a warning and creates a local copy of the shortcut.
In the Connection type section, select Direct, connection is established through terminal emulation and click Next.

Shortcut Wizard page 2: Host information

In the Name field, enter the hostname where the Runtime System is hosted. This can be omitted if you use the -Host or -H command line option.

In the Command field, enter the command line that will be executed to start the application on the Runtime System side and click Next.

Within the command line, you can use the following tags:

Table 1. Tags for use at the command line
Tag	Replaced by
`@FGL`	`FGLSERVER=<IP Address>:<serv num> export FGLSERVER; FGLGUI=1; export FGLGUI` Note: Additional environment variables are set to assist with the security key mechanism. See Security levels.

The command to start the demo application using the @FGL tag would be "@FGL; fglrun demo".

Table 2. You can use one of the @FGL variants depending on your system
Tag	Replaced by
`@FGLNT`	`set FGLSERVER=<IP Address>:<serv num>&&set FGLGUI=1` Note: Additional environment variables are set to assist with the security key mechanism. See Security levels.
`@FGLCSH`	`setenv FGLSERVER "<IP Address>:<serv num>";setenv FGLGUI 1` Note: Additional environment variables are set to assist with the security key mechanism. See Security levels.
`@FGLKSH`	`FGLSERVER="<IP Address>:<serv num>";export FGLSERVER;FGLGUI=1;export FGLGUI` Note: Additional environment variables are set to assist with the security key mechanism. See Security levels.
`@SRVNUM`	`<GDC listening port - 6400 (The second part of FGLSERVER)>`
`@PORT`	`<GDC listening port>`
`@USR`	`<Client current user name>` Note: On Windows® operating systems, `@USR` uses `GetUserNameEx` with "NameUserPrincipal" as the first argument and without the "`@domain`" part of the result string. On non-Windows operating systems, `@USR` and `@LEGACYUSR` return the same string.
`@LEGACYUSR`	`<Client current user name>` Note: On Windows operating systems, `@LEGACYUSR` uses `GetUserName`. On non-Windows operating systems, `@USR` and `@LEGACYUSR` return the same string. Tip: `@USR` should be used in most cases. `@LEGACYUSR` exists to handle issues that may arise when migrating to Genero Desktop Client 3.0 from an earlier version.
`@LUSR`	`<Client current user name, lower case version>`
`@USER`	`<User name on the remote system>`
`@IP`	`<IP address of the client computer>`
`@COMPUTER`	`<Machine host name>`
`@E_SRV`	`export FGLSERVER`
`@4GLSRVVER`	`<GDC version>`
`@FEID`	The security key set in the _FGLFEID environment variable. See Security levels.
`@FEID2`	The security key set in the _FGLFEID2 environment variable. See Security levels.

These tags will automatically be replaced when the command is sent to the Runtime System host.

Shortcut Wizard page 3: Terminal protocol and Terminal options

In the Terminal protocol section, select from the list of options and click Next.
With a direct connection type, the basic mechanism (without any port forwarding configuration) is using 2 connections:
- From GDC to server: the GDC establishes the connection to a server using either the telnet protocol, the SSH protocol or the SSH2 protocol via the fgltty terminal.
  Tip:
  The SSH2 protocol is recommended for security purposes.
- From server to GDC: the server, where the Genero environment is installed, executes a command line which starts the application on the GDC via a TCP/IP network. The IP address of the GDC is retrieved using the FGLSERVER environment variable.
  Note:
  The telnet, SSH and SSH2 protocols are only used for establishing the first connection from GDC to server.
Using SSH or SSH2, port forwarding can be established to secure your connection. When you use this option, a SSH tunnel is created. This means that, in opposition with the basic mechanism without port forwarding, there are no longer two connections, but a single connection: when the server establishes the connection to the client, it can use the existing SSH connection to tunnel the graphical connection.
In the Terminal options section, choose any of the available options and click Next.
The Backspace key sends Control-H option modifies the sequence sent by the backspace key in FGLTTY. By default, Control-?(127) is used but you may change it to Control-H. This will allow you, for instance, to use the backspace key in dbaccess.

If Show terminal window is checked, the window of FGLTTY, our Emulation Terminal Utility, will be visible. (Please refer to the Terminals section). This could help you check whether your command line is valid.
The Start command in a new shell option allows you to start a regular shell session before executing the remote host command. When selecting this option you must exit the command discussed in step 4 . For example:
```
@FGL; fglrun demo; exit
```

Shortcut Wizard page 4: Port forwarding mode

Select the port forwarding method you want from the list and click Next.
The following port forwarding options are available:
- If you select Automatic, the option to edit the Port range is provided. This option is recommended for port forwarding.
- If you select Disabled, port forwarding is disabled.
- If you select Fixed port, you must enter the port that you want to be used.
- If you select Command line port request, you must enter the command to be executed on the remote host.
  Note:
  The command must display a string in the form of port=xxx.
- If you select HTTP port request, you must enter the URL that you want to open for port forwarding port resolution.
  Note:
  The URL body must include a terminal string in the format of port=xxx.

Shortcut Wizard page 5: Login form and Authentication method

In the Login form section, enter a filepath in the Form file field.

To use your own login form, specify the login form file to use. The form file must be a .ui file, which is a Qt designer's file format. See Customizing your own login form. Check Always on Top to force the login form to always display on top.
Choose your Authentication method and click Next.
The Authentication method will either be Standard or Kerberos.
- The Standard authentication method:
  In the User field, provide the username you are using to connect to the host. This can be omitted if you use the -User or -U command line option.
  If Password required is checked, GDC will ask you for a password. If your configuration allows you to connect without a password, uncheck this option. If a password is still requested, review your configuration.
  
  Important:
  GDC will not modify your configuration to allow you to connect without a password. It is up to you or your administrator to manage this.
  
  Tip:
  If you want to prevent the end user from saving the password on login, disable the password manager in the Security configuration options panel.
  
  The SSH key file field: If you use an SSH connection, you can specify an ssh key file that contains the login information. The file format must use the PuTTY format and can be generated using PuTTY tools.
- The Kerberos authentication method:
  On Windows platforms ( all versions after Windows 2000 ) you can also use Kerberos authentication if your user and computer are registered on an ActiveDirectory that provides a Kerberos interface. Using this authentication method, you are free to Allow Ticket Forwarding; this allows the SSH server to forward the Kerberos ticket that identifies the user to other processes. You may also select a Server realm; this identifies the Kerberos domain. This field can be mandatory, depending on the ActiveDirectory / Kerberos server configuration. Ask your System administrator for further details.

Shortcut Wizard page 6: Terminal strings

Specify the terminal strings used by your GDC.

On this page, the wizard shows a default set of terminal strings and the action the GDC will take when that terminal string is received, as illustrated in Table 3.

Table 3. Connection string examples
Recognized string	Description	Action performed by GDC
`password:`	This is the string used by the telnet daemon to ask for the password.	Sends the password.
`last login:`	This is the string used by the telnet daemon to tell the user they have logged in successfully. The message may have been longer (for example, "`Last login: dd/mm/yyy at hh:mm:ss`"); however, the substring matches.	Sends the command to execute the program.
`login:`	This is the string displayed by the telnet daemon when the login has failed.	Displays a message "Authentication has failed".

The default terminal strings should be suitable in most cases, but you may have to adapt them to your system. For example, the default string to send the command that is last login: may be different on your server, or the string for a password on a German system may be "passwort:". Work with your system administrator to identify the strings that may be used when logging in. A good learning exercise is to tick the box Show Terminal Window from the Shortcut Wizard page 3; then you can see how the process is working.

You can define a new string by clicking New.

Defining strings with associated actions configures the GDC with actions to take when the runtime system host displays a given string on the terminal. For a string, the GDC can perform one of the actions in Table 4.

Table 4. Terminal string actions
Action	Description
`ask a value from the user`	Asks the user for a value. You can set a default value.
`display a message`	Displays a specified message to the user.
`ask a password from user`	Asks the user for a password.
`send password`	Sends the shortcut password.
`execute the host command`	Sends the shortcut command.
`execute local command`	Executes the command that you specify. You can choose to send the result.
`send a string`	Sends the string that you specify.
`ignore`	Ignores the Runtime System string.
`send user name`	Sends the name used for login.
`retrieve forwarding port`	Gets a free port number for Port Forwarding.
`show terminal`	Shows the terminal.
`hide terminal`	Hides the terminal. Note: The terminal is initially shown or hidden depending on the Show terminal window checkbox in page 3 of this wizard.
`end terminal`	Ends the terminal. If you select Restart, the shortcut is restarted after the terminal string is processed.

You can also select the following checkboxes:

Check only once: If selected, the string is only recognized the first time it appears. For example, you might want to send the password the first time that it appears, but not for subsequent appearances of the password.
Ignore remaining strings: If selected, the strings that appear in the list below it are ignored. For example, if Ignore remaining strings is selected for password, and the string is parsed from the terminal output, then strings defined below it in the list will not be searched in the terminal output (regardless of any option defined for those strings in the shortcut wizard).
Clear password: If selected, after the terminal string is processed, the password is deleted and is not shown in the password field.

Click Next to continue.

Shortcut Wizard page 7: Fgltty Configuration

Configure your Fgltty settings.

These options are inherited from PuTTY. If you need more details on these options, please consult the PuTTY documentation.
Click Finish to complete the setup and exit the Shortcut Wizard.