Mainframe, MVS and zOS Discussion

Posted: **Fri May 24, 2013 11:29 pm**

1. If you are in a ISPF Screen and want to know in which TSO Region ( Development,Production, or other TSO regions) you are now, try this:

Issue on the command line : SAREA
ISPF STATISTICS Pop-up window will show you the region and other info too.

Posted: **Tue May 28, 2013 8:29 pm**

2. When you try to open any member in a PDS or a File and gets "member in use" message. Press F1 twice, to know who is using the member currently.

Posted: **Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:44 pm**

3. How can I find the last 10 data-sets that I have accessed ?

GO TO ISPF 3.4 option.
On the top, there is a MENUBAR. Select REFLIST
Select Option 1 in it.

Using this option you can find out the last 30 data-sets that you have accessed.

Posted: **Fri Jun 14, 2013 11:32 am**

Please Note: There are some features that are available to ISPF version 5.0 and over. For example, you can have up to 12 logically split screens in a TSO session. Earlier versions allowed for only 8. Another one is that when you attempt a move or copy member the target data-set had to exist previously. With newer ISPF (greater than version 5.0), the copy/move option prompts to create a target data-set.

I'd request readers to keep these points in mind.

Thanks 'gain for stopping by,

Posted: **Fri Jun 14, 2013 12:55 pm**

4. Usually the PDS or PS will show the ID of the person who modified it recently.But is it possible to change these ID values without leaving trace of one’s own ID?

The answer is - Yes its possible! In the command area against the member name or PS name, by giving ‘G’. Dialog box will pop up allowing you to change the ID values.

Okay, don't misuse it and there are ways capture the misuse, fwiw!

Posted: **Sun Jun 23, 2013 9:16 pm**

5. To view two locations within an edited member at the same time, exclude the intervening lines by using the “XX” block command. Individual lines may be excluded by the line command “X”.

When a line is excluded, it is simply excluded from the display. It is not in any way modified or deleted.

Posted: **Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:35 pm**

6. HX - ISPF editor line command displays hex in a vertical format

Code: Select all

***************************** Top of Data ******************************
THIS IS TO SHOW HX LINE COMMAND.                                        
ECCE4CE4ED4ECDE4CE4DCDC4CDDDCDC44444444444444444444444444444444444444444
3892092036028660870395503644154B0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
THIS IS NOT TO SHOW HX LINE COMMAND.                                    
**************************** Bottom of Data ****************************

Posted: **Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:28 pm**

7. If you use HX 'n' -- "n" number of lines will be displayed in hexadecimal format. If you do not type a number, or if the number you type is 1, only the line on which you type HX is displayed in hexadecimal format, as shown in above example.

Posted: **Sun Aug 04, 2013 1:24 am**

8. SWAPBAR- SWAPBAR is one of the ISPF primary commands. I'm sure I'm not the only one who gets to the point of getting the dreaded "no more screens" error daily while working with ISPF. So here is a a solution for them from IBM in the form of SWAPBAR command.

The list of logical sessions can be activated by entering the SWAPBAR or SWAPBAR ON command on the command line. The list is displayed on the last line of the physical screen.

The entry for each logical session is the screen name if assigned or, if a screen name is not available, it is the panel name of the current panel displayed for the logical session. The entry for the active logical session has an asterisk (*) in the first character position and, if the name is 8 bytes long, the last character is not displayed. Also, the alternate logical session has a "-" in the first position and the 8th character is not displayed.

The list remains active until you enter the SWAPBAR or SWAPBAR OFF command. The setting for the SWAPBAR is maintained in the system profile member and applies across logons.

On some 3270 emulators, you have to tell them to allow you to click on the SWAPBAR label to jump to that screen.

And one more thing - This is applicable to users of ISPF version 1.10 or higher.

Posted: **Tue Aug 06, 2013 3:29 pm**

9. COL/COLS: The line command ‘COL’ (or ‘COLS’) inserts a column heading line in your edit display at that line location, as shown below

Code: Select all

   File  Edit  Edit_Settings  Menu  Utilities  Compilers  Test  Help            
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 VIEW       T1234AD.FIRST.FILE                              Columns 00001 00072 
 Command ===>                                                  Scroll ===> CSR  
 ****** ***************************** Top of Data ******************************
 =COLS> ----+----1----+----2----+----3----+----4----+----5----+----6----+----7--
 000001 1234                                                                    
 000002 5678                                                                    
 000003 9101                                                                    
 ****** **************************** Bottom of Data ****************************

The column line can be removed by a Delete line command (‘D’ line command), or by entering the primary command RESET.

I find the column line especially useful when editing a dataset and finding where the fields begin and end within a record or when working with SYSIN data. It is also useful for locating certain column positions when writing programs and your shop necessitates some special column positions for you.

In edit and view mode, the COLS command is a line command. In browse mode, the COLS command is entered in the primary command line.

Posted: **Wed Aug 07, 2013 12:20 am**

10. Excluding Lines of TextExcluding Lines of Text is quite handy when a user wants to view two locations within an edited member at the same time. To exclude the intervening lines one can use the “XX” block command. Individual lines may be excluded by the line command “X”.

It should be noted that -- when a line is excluded, it is simply excluded from the display, it is not modified nor deleted.

Exclusion remains in effect only for the current edit session so if you save a member while lines are excluded and then bring it up in edit or view again, you will notice that the excluded lines reappear.

As used for other commands, to remove all exclusions during an edit session, enter the primary command “RESET” and all the excluded lines will reappear.

Posted: **Wed Aug 07, 2013 1:31 am**

On the tip about Excluding Lines of Text:

Note 1: a handy adjunct to the exclude function is the FLIP primary command. FLIP reverses the exclude status of all lines (default) or selected lines (by using options) so all excluded lines display while all non-excluded lines become excluded.

Note 2: the CHANGE (C) primary command allows use of X option (to apply only to excluded lines) or NX (to apply only to non-excluded lines.

Posted: **Tue Aug 20, 2013 7:12 pm**

12. BNDSThe line command ‘BNDS’ allows you to set the bounds (boundaries) in your edited member for the FIND, CHANGE, or ‘shift’ commands.

Enter ‘BNDS’ in the line command area and press enter. Then overtype the ‘<’ and ‘>’ where you want the new left and right bounds to be, or, if you already know the column numbers, simply enter ‘BNDS xxx yyy’ where xxx and yyy are the left and right bounds. Subsequent find, change, or shift commands will then only take effect within the bounds that you have set.

Warning: You must restore the bounds when you are done; otherwise these new bound settings remain in effect indefinitely for the entire PDS, even if you log off and log back on again! To make sure that the bounds are reset to the defaults, just enter ‘BNDS’ (with no arguments) in the primary command area. If you fail to do this, your "FIND" and "CHANGE" commands will only work within the column boundaries that were set with the last BNDS command.

Click here to go to Fine Manual from IBM for BNDS.

Posted: **Wed Aug 21, 2013 4:22 pm**

13. EX Command:

Code: Select all

EX 'ANUJ' ALL

The above primary command will exclude all lines in the member/file which contain the string ‘ANUJ’.

Posted: **Wed Aug 21, 2013 4:29 pm**

14. DELete Command: In continuation with command EXclude stated in Tip-13, the phenomenon of excluding lines can also be used for selectively deleting lines from a member. You can do a "mass-delete" of lines too.

Code: Select all

DEL EX ALL

This primary command will physically delete all of the excluded lines from a file. In doing so, it leaves all displayed lines intact.

Posted: **Wed Aug 21, 2013 4:32 pm**

15. DEL NX ALL:As Robert talked about NX after Tip-10; in extension to that, for example, this primary command allows you to physically delete all of the displayed lines from a file. In doing so it leaves all excluded lines intact.

Posted: **Sun Sep 01, 2013 12:38 pm**

16. Using FIND/CHANGE Commands:

Code: Select all

F FIRST aaa

The above command, when issued on command line, finds first occurrence of string aaa. Note that the arguments are not positional and may be specified in any order desired - that means, “F FIRST aaa” and “F aaa FIRST” will behave same.

Posted: **Mon Sep 02, 2013 1:32 am**

Thanks you for sharing theses Anuj - they are very helpful.

Posted: **Mon Sep 02, 2013 3:06 pm**

Thanks for the feedback!

Posted: **Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:44 am**

17. To clear off the PF keys that are shown at the bottom of ISPF panels: Use command ‘PFSHOW OFF’ on command line. If you want to turn it on, issue ‘PFSHOW ON’.

Mainframe, MVS and zOS Discussion

ISPF Tips.

ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.

Re: ISPF Tips.