Patent ID: 7441057

Claim:
A method for character interactive input/output in a half duplex block mode environment including a client workstation and a server, comprising the steps of: connecting said client workstation to a first server application written to half-duplex block mode architecture; operating said client workstation to communicate over a half duplex block mode interface with said first server application in half-duplex block mode; connecting said client workstation to a second server application written to full duplex character interactive mode architecture; operating said client workstation to communicate over said half duplex block mode interface with said second server application in full duplex character interactive mode by: defining a workstation display at said client workstation as a 1-byte character input field that has auto-enter and non-displayable attributes operating in said half duplex block mode; receiving a keystroke into said input field; automatically transferring said keystroke from said workstation display to a server application; and said server application processing said keystroke and responding appropriate to context of said server application; thereby transferring single keystrokes as they are entered at said client workstation even though operating in said half duplex block mode environment in which character sequences are normally transferred.