Abstract: A method of operating a computer system is disclosed that facilitates the creation and testing of application system software by utilizing an autonomous environment to emulate the application system environment. The emulation environment allows the user to call into view sequences of standard input-output (I/O) screen format pairs normally used to submit information to and receive information from the application system. In the emulation mode, these screens are prepared off-line and stored until the user desires to exercise the application system. Each input format is filled with information that will serve as actual input to the application system when it is exercised. Each output format is filled with information that comprises expected results when the application system is actually exercised. The expected results are compared to actual results after execution of each I/O pair and further application system processing is controlled by the comparison results.

Abstract: A method of operating a computer system to effect user-customization, primarily foreign language translation, of standard system-supplied screen displays without the need to modify underlying system source code. A transltion environment includes an autonomous processor (250) interposed between a host system (100) and access devices (201,202). Information transmitted between the host and access device is diverted to the processor for intermediate processing. One phase of this processing generates a translation file (500) which stores a mapping relationship between a first language screen and its second language counterpart. This translation file is invoked during the secod processing phase to effect a translation from the first-to-second language upon a host response and from the second-to-first language upon a host request.