Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF)

2011 IBM Corporation

Peter Van Dyke
IBM Australia
SHARE 117, Summer 2011
[email protected]
ISPF Panels Advanced
SHARE 117
Session 9764
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 2 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Agenda
Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices
Point-and-Shoot Fields
Scrollable Areas
Dynamic Areas
Scrollable Fields
Panel Logic
Functions, Other Statements
Panel REXX
DTL - Dialog Tag Language
References
NOTE: A basic knowledge of ISPF
panel processing is assumed.
This presentation looks at a number of the more advanced features of ISPF
panels, including:
Action Bar and Pull-Down Choices
Point and Shoot fields
Dynamic areas
Scrollable areas
Scrollable fields
Advanced panel logic
Panel REXX
This session also provides a brief overview of the benefits of using Dialog Tag
Language (DTL) to develop ISPF panels.
NOTE: This session assumes you have a basic knowledge of ISPF panel
processing.
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Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices
Action Bar Choices
Pull-Down
Choices
Action Bar
Action Bars and Pull-Downs Choices support Common User Access (CUA)
guidelines. The CUA guidelines define a user interface in terms of common
elements, such as the way information appears on a screen, and interaction
techniques, such as the way users respond to what appears on a screen.
The Action Bar is the area at the top of an application panel that contains action
bar choices for the panel.
Pull-Down Choices represents a group of related choices that appear in the pull-
down associated with the action bar choice.
When the user selects an action bar choice, the associated pull-down appears
directly below the action bar choice.
Pull-Downs contain choices that, when selected by the user, perform actions that
apply to the contents of the panel.
In the example shown, the File action bar choice has been selected.
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Panel definition describes each action bar and pull-down choices
Panel language supports 3 Action Bar sections:
)ABC DESC(...) Defines action names and response
)ABCINIT Allows setup before pulldown display
)ABCPROC Allows setup after action selection
)ABC DESC(...) and )ABCINIT are required
)ABCINIT must set .ZVARS to a unique name
Action Bar must be added to the )BODY section
Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices
A panel defines action bars and pulldown choices using the )ABC, )ABCINIT, and
)ABCPROC panel sections.
)ABC DESC(...) - This section is specified after the )ATTR section. It defines the
text of the action bar choice, the location of the mnemonic character (the
underscored bit), the action names and responses. This is done with keywords
and statements:
DESC(...) - text of action bar choice. This must match the text in the )BODY
section.
PDC DESC(...) - each pull-down choice is identified by the PDC statement.
ACTION RUN(...) - defines command to be run when this choice is selected.
Must be 2-8 characters in length.
)ABCINIT - Allows setup before the pull-down display. This allows alteration of the
text of the action. For example you may want to verify that some conditions are
met and make the text of an action state that the choice is unavailable. Within the
)ABCINIT section, you must assign a value to .ZVARS of a unique name, even if
you do not use the name for anything else. This is to allow ISPF to create a field
on the action bar which will contain the name of the action.
)ABCPROC - Allows setup after action selection. This section is not required and
is only needed in special cases (e.g. verification of the pull-down entry field).
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When an action is selected ISPF sets the command line from the ACTION
RUN(...) statement and simulates an ENTER key.
Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices
)ABC desc(File)
PDC DESC('Restart Application')
ACTION RUN(RESTART)
PDC DESC('Default All Settings')
ACTION RUN(RESET)
PDC DESC('Save and Exit')
ACTION RUN(END)
PDC DESC('Cancel')
ACTION RUN(CANCEL)
)ABCINIT
.ZVARS = FILEX
Action can be handled by:
Command Table
Program logic
Panel logic
This example of an )ABC section has 4 actions, defined by the PDC (pull down
choice) statement. Each PDC has an ACTION statement which tells ISPF what
action to take when the pull-down choice is selected.
When a pull-down choice is selected, ISPF takes the value of the ACTION
RUN(...) statement (the part in the RUN() section) and logically places it on the
command line and simulates an Enter key. This allows the processing to be
handled by the command table, program logic, or panel logic.
You can use the ISRROUTE command to invoke the ISPF SELECT service
(ISRROUTE is a command defined in the ISPF command table ISPCMDS).
e.g. ACTION RUN(ISRROUTE) PARM('SELECT PGM(USERLIST)
NEWAPPL(USR)')
You can use the PARM keyword to pass parameters.
For example, you can specify ACTION RUN(CANCEL) and have the ISPF
command table handle the CANCEL command. Or you could say ACTION
RUN(XYZ) and have your panel logic and/or program handle the XYZ command
(assuming it is not in the active command table).
NOTE: The )ABCINIT section must contain a .ZVARS control variable assignment
statement to associate a variable name with the pull-down entry field.
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)ATTR section - define attribute types for AB, ABSL
Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices
)ATTR
$ TYPE(AB) /* action bar */
@ TYPE(ABSL) /* action bar sep. line */
Define )ABC sections with DESC() keyword
)ABC desc(Menu)
PDC DESC('Save') ACTION RUN(SAVE)
< additional logic here >
)ABCINIT
.zvars = 'MENUX'
)ABC desc(Help)
< additional logic here >
To create an action bar on a panel, you need to:
1. Add at least the TYPE(AB) to the )ATTR section.
2. Add )ABC and )ABCINIT sections to describe the action bar choices.
Remember to:
set the DESC value in )ABC to the corresponding text in the )BODY section
assign .ZVARS in the )ABCINIT section
Notes:
The "additional logic here" shown in the example refers to other pull-down
choices, not processing logic.
In the example the TYPE(ABSL) attribute character is used to define the action
bar separator line.
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Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices
)BODY
+$ Menu $ Help +
@------------------------------------------------------
)BODY section - define action bar & separator line at top
Use names in action bar as you want them to appear
Choice names must match value in the )ABC DESC()
3. Add an action bar to the panel using an AB attribute character ($) for each pull
down. After the attribute, place the name of the pull-down from the description in
the )ABC section.
Notes:
there must be a blank between the AB attribute and the text.
the '+' attribute character represents normal text.
4. Add an action bar separator line (optional).
Program or panel logic, or entries in a command table are required to process the
action bar selections.
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Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices - Example
)ATTR
. TYPE(PT) /* Panel title */
% TYPE(ET) /* Emphasized text */
+ TYPE(NT) /* Normal text */
_ TYPE(NEF) /* Normal entry field */
$ TYPE(AB) /* Action bar */
@ TYPE(ABSL) /* Action bar separator line */
)ABC desc(Menu)
PDC DESC('Save') ACTION RUN(SAVE)
PDC DESC('End') ACTION RUN(END)
PDC DESC('Cancel') ACTION RUN(CANCEL)
)ABCINIT
.zvars = 'MENUX'
)ABC DESC(Help)
PDC DESC('Extended Help...')
ACTION RUN(HELP)
)ABCINIT
.ZVARS = HELPX
.RESP = ENTER /* Don't even show choice */
/* This is an example and */
/* is NOT CUA.. */
)BODY WINDOW(48,6)
+$ Menu $ Help +
@----------------------------------------------+
. Panel Title
%===>_ZCMD +
+This is normal text. Right?_ANS+ (Yes, No)
)END
Demo
This is a working example of a panel which will appear in a window (if an
ADDPOP is issued). It has 2 pull-downs, Menu and Help. It shows the use of
some CUA attributes (e.g. TYPE(NEF)), overriding the defaults (&, + , and _) and
it shows an example of adding processing to the )ABCINIT section for the Help
pulldown.
If the Help pull-down is selected, ISPF will automatically simulate an extra enter
key because of the .RESP=ENTER in the )ABCINIT section. Thus the pull-down
will never be shown and since the default is for ISPF to select the first pull-down
choice when just the enter key is pressed and the pull-down is selected for the 1st
time, ISPF will run the HELP command and will never actually show the pull-
down.
This is a method you can use to have action bar choices automatically take some
action.
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Action Bars and Pull-Down Choices - Example
The panel looks like this when displayed:
When 'Menu' is selected, a pulldown is shown:
Shown here is the format of the panel when initially displayed and when the Menu
choice from the action bar is selected.
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Point-and-shoot fields are fields with an associated action that results when the
ENTER key is pressed with the cursor on the field
Define attribute
PAS(ON|OFF) - Input and output fields
TYPE(PS) - Text
Define FIELD entries in )PNTS section
FIELD(field_name|ZPSxxyyy) VAR(variable) VAL(value)
field_name is the corresponding point-and-shoot field
xx: 00 if field in )BODY section; 01-99 for )AREA number in which field is
defined
yyy: 001-999 for relative position of field within )BODY or )AREA
variable is set to value when point-and-shoot field is selected
Dialog should take an action based on the value in the variable
Point-and-Shoot Fields
Point-and-Shoot fields are areas of a panel that cause an action to take place
when the cursor is placed on the area and the ENTER key is pressed. To
create a Point-and-Shoot field you need to:
1. In the )ATTR section, define the attribute byte used for point-and-shoot
input/output fields and text
PAS(ON|OFF) defines the attribute byte for input and output point-
and-shoot field. It is not a CUA type, therefore, it can have the color,
intensity, and highlight changed.
TYPE(PS) defines the attribute byte for point-and-shoot text. It is a
CUA type, so it does not allow color, intensity, and highlight changes.
2. For each panel field defined with a point-and-shoot attribute, there must be a
corresponding FIELD entry in the )PNTS section. If there is no corresponding
entry in the )PNTS section no action is taken when the field is selected. The
)PNTS section is specified after the )BODY and )AREA sections. The name
specified in the FIELD statement is field_name for input/output fields, and
ZPSxxyyy for text fields. When a point-and-shoot field is selected, ISPF sets
variable to value. The dialog should take an appropriate action based on the
value found in variable.
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Point-and-Shoot Fields - Example
)ATTR
! TYPE(SAC)
% TYPE(NT)
+ TYPE(PS)
$ TYPE(OUTPUT) CAPS(OFF) PAS(ON)
)BODY WINDOW(50,6)
%
!0 +Settings %Terminal and user parameters%
!1 +View %Display source data or
listings%
!2 +Edit %Create or change source data%
$EXITPB%
)INIT
&ZWINTTL = 'Point-and-Shoot Fields'
&EXITPB = 'Exit'
)PROC
&ZCMDWRK = &Z
IF (&ZCMD = &Z)
&ZCMDWRK = TRUNC(&ZCMD,'.')
&ZTRAIL=.TRAIL
IF (&ZCMDWRK = &Z)
.MSG = ISRU000
&ZSEL = TRANS (TRUNC (&ZCMD,'.')
0,'PGM(ISPISM) SCRNAME(SETTINGS)'
1,'PGM(ISRBRO) PARM(ISRBRO01) SCRNAME(VIEW)'
2,'PGM(ISREDIT) PARM(P,ISREDM01)
SCRNAME(EDIT)'
*,'?')
)PNTS
FIELD(ZPS00001) VAR(ZCMD) VAL(0)
FIELD(ZPS00002) VAR(ZCMD) VAL(1)
FIELD(ZPS00003) VAR(ZCMD) VAL(2)
FIELD(EXITPB) VAR(ZCMD) VAL(EXIT)
)END
/* REXX */
ADDRESS 'ISPEXEC'
"ADDPOP"
"DISPLAY PANEL(PSFIELDS)"
"REMPOP"
if zsel = '?' then do
"SELECT " zsel
end
Panel Definition Rexx Driver
Panel Display
Point-and-Shoot Fields
Demo
This is a working example of point-and-shoot fields on a selection panel displayed
in a popup panel. The menu options "Settings", "View" and "Edit" have the PS
attribute. When the cursor is placed on the text with a PS attribute and Enter is
pressed, the corresponding value specified in the )PNTS section is assigned to
the ZCMD variable. Logic in the )PROC section of the panel then causes the
appropriate action to be taken.
The variable EXITPB is assigned to an output point-and-shoot field by using the $
attribute character which has PAS(ON) specified. When the cursor is placed on
this field the value EXIT is assigned to the variable ZCMD.
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Scrollable areas allow the application developer to define a portion of the
panel that ISPF manages for scrolling
A scrollable area can be thought of as a hole in a panel through which
another panel may be viewed:
There may be multiple scrollable areas on one panel.
When there are, scrolling is cursor sensitive.
)BODY - Scrollable Areas
ISPF allows a section of an ISPF panel to be defined as a scrollable area. A
scrollable area can be thought of as a window (or hole) in a panel through which
a larger section of data may be viewed. ISPF handles any requests by the user to
scroll the data.
ISPF supports multiple scrollable area on one ISPF panel, in which case scrolling
is cursor sensitive.
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Creating a scrollable area requires three actions:
Define the attribute character for the scrollable area
Define the "hole" in the )BODY section where the scrollable area
appears using the scrollable area attribute character
Define the area to be displayed in the "hole" in the )AREA section
The name on the first attribute defines the name of the scrollable area.
It must match the name of the area on the )AREA section.
ISPF references scrollable areas from left to right, top to bottom:
Area 1 Area 2
Area 3
Defining a Scrollable Area
Defining a scrollable area requires 3 actions:
1. Define the attribute character for the scrollable area
2. Define the hole in the )BODY section using the attribute character to delimit
the area
3. Define the format of the area to be displayed in the hole - This is the )AREA
section
The name specified after the first attribute byte of the scrollable area (in the
)BODY section) is the NAME of the area and corresponds with the name
specified on the )AREA section.
ISPF references scrollable area from left to right, top to bottom.
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Define the attribute character for the scrollable area:
$ AREA(SCRL) EXTEND(ON|OFF)
EXTEND(ON) specifies that the depth of an area can be automatically
increased, if required, so that the depth of the entire body of the panel
matches the depth of the physical screen on which it is being displayed.
Only one extendable area can be specified in a panel definition
The value for EXTEND cannot be specified as a dialog variable
Defining a Scrollable Area
The attribute byte for a scrollable area is defined with AREA(SCRL), and
optionally EXTEND(ON|OFF). This character is used to define the borders of the
scrollable area in the )BODY section.
EXTEND(ON) specifies that the depth of the AREA automatically increases to the
physical screen size. There can only be ONE extendable area on a panel and the
value for the EXTEND option cannot be a dialog variable.
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Define the "hole" in the )BODY section where the scrollable area appears
using the scrollable area attribute character
Bound the area with the attribute character
Specify the area name immediately after the first attribute character
The top line of the scrollable area is reserved for the More: -+
indicator that ISPF automatically displays
Minimum width is 20 characters, minimum depth is 2 lines
)BODY
%---------- Panel Tile ----------
+===>_ZCMD +
+Static Data +
$SCRL1 $
$ $ +Static
$ $ +Data
$ $
Defining a Scrollable Area
The area that we want to define as a scrollable area is bound with the attribute
character ($ was defined as the attribute character for the scrollable area on the
previous page).
The name of the scrollable area (in this example it is SCRL1), is specified
immediately after the first attribute character for the scrollable area.
Notes:
The first line of the scrollable area is reserved for the indicator: MORE: -+
The minimum size of a scrollable area is 20 characters by 2 lines.
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Define the area to be displayed in the "hole" in the )AREA section
Anything that can be put in a )BODY section can be put in an )AREA
section except:
Action bar lines
Graphics area
)MODEL section
Command line
Alternate message locations
Another scrollable area
Dynamic area using EXTEND(ON)
or SCROLL(ON)
The DEPTH(d) parameter may be used to specify the minimum number
of lines in the scrollable area when EXTEND(ON) is specified.
)AREA SCRL1
+Here you can have +
+field prompts, etc. +
+Enter A:_VARA +
+ B:_VARB +
+
+The Sum: &SUMAB
+ Difference:!DIFAB
+ Product:!PRODAB
Defining a Scrollable Area . . .
The )AREA section defines the format of the data displayed in the associated
scrollable area.
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)BODY - Dynamic Areas
What can I do with dynamic areas?
Dynamically built panels
Simple text
Input and output
Full color control
Fields anywhere
Dynamic parts of panels
ISPF calendar is an example
Better 'table displays'
Field level colors and input states
Full cursor control
Program controls everything in all or part of the )BODY section
Text contents and locations
Input field contents and locations
Text attributes (color and highlighting)
ISPF allows a section of an ISPF panel to be defined as a dynamic area. Dynamic
areas can contain:
Simple Text
Input fields, and
Output fields.
The Calendar on the ISPF primary menu is and example of a dynamic area.
Dynamic area could be used for a "better" table display, as is the case with the
ISPF data set list (option 3.4).
It is the application program that controls EVERYTHING within the Dynamic area,
including:
Text and where it is located
Input fields and where they are located (and how long)
Text attributes (including color and highlighting)
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Area set aside in the )BODY section of the panel
Controlled by an ISPF variable called a 'dynamic area variable'
Application Program:
Sets up the dynamic area variable
Displays the panel
Evaluates changes to the variable(s)
handle scrolling requests
What is a Dynamic Area?
A Dynamic Area is an area set aside in the )BODY section of a panel and is
controlled by an ISPF variable (called a dynamic area variable). The value of the
dynamic area variable defines the data displayed in the dynamic area.
It is the responsibility of the application program displaying the panel with the
dynamic area to:
Set up the dynamic area variable
Display the panel
Evaluate changes to the data within the dynamic area and then update any ISPF
variables
Handle any requests to scroll the dynamic area (UP, DOWN, TOP, BOTTOM)
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Long string of characters
Contains all lines to be shown in the dynamic area
Data wraps on screen to create multiple lines
Contains all attributes, text, and space for input fields
Attributes are defined in the )ATTR section by using
TYPE (DATAOUT)
TYPE (DATAIN)
The Dynamic Area Variable
A dynamic area can be thought of as a long string of characters that wraps to
create the multiple lines within the area. The string of characters contains the
attribute characters, text, and input/output fields. Attributes are defined in the
)ATTR section using TYPE(DATAOUT) and TYPE(DATAIN) options.
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The attribute section )ATTR defines all attributes used in the dynamic
area
Attributes are reserved characters given special meaning
Examples:
% TYPE(DATAOUT) COLOR(YELLOW) INTENS(HIGH)
_ TYPE(DATAIN) COLOR(PINK)
)ATTR section also defines a character to delimit the dynamic area:
@ AREA(DYNAMIC) EXTEND(OFF)
@ AREA(DYNAMIC) EXTEND(ON)
Dynamic Area - Attributes
From the example above, the % attribute character identifies in the dynamic area
an output/text area that will be yellow and high intensity. The _ (underscore)
attribute character is used for an input field that is pink.
An attribute character is also required to define the dynamic area within the
)BODY section. The examples above use the @ attribute character to define
where in the )BODY section the dynamic area is located. Like scrollable areas,
dynamic areas can be defined with either EXTEND(ON) or EXTEND(OFF).
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Dynamic Area - Shadow Variables
Provide color on a character by character basis
ISPF Edit Highlight is a good example
Required for graphic escape sequences in dynamic areas
Used to make pretty boxes and diagrams
A second variable that maps the dynamic area
Byte for byte correlation to the dynamic area variable
Uses the TYPE(CHAR) attribute from the )ATTR section
Defining a shadow variable for a Dynamic Area allows the dynamic area to be
colored on a character by character basis (eg: ISPF Edit highlighting). A shadow
variable is also required to generate graphic escape sequences in dynamic area
for generating boxes and diagrams.
The shadow variable is another dialog variable that maps the dynamic area byte
for byte. The TYPE(CHAR) attribute in the )ATTR section is used to define
attributes used in the shadow variable.
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Shadow Variable - Example
)ATTR DEFAULT(%+_)
@ AREA(DYNAMIC) SCROLL(OFF)
Y TYPE(CHAR) COLOR(YELLOW) HILITE(USCORE)
)BODY
%-------- Panel Title --------
%Command ===>_ZCMD +
+
+ Some static text
+ @DYNVAR,SHADVAR @
)INIT
&DYNVAR = 'Your Underline'
&SHADVAR= 'Y Y '
)END
-------- Panel Title --------
Command ===> _
Some static text
Your Underline
TYPE(CHAR) will not
conflict with characters in
the dynamic variable
Shadow variable maps
dynamic area variable byte
for byte
Here is a simple example showing how a dynamic area can be defined.
The @attribute byte is used to identify the location of the dynamic area. It is non-
extendable and non-scrollable.
The Y attribute character defines the character that will be used in the shadow
variable value to display data in the dynamic area as yellow and underlined.
The dynamic area variable name is DYNVAR. The shadow variable name is
SHADVAR.
The )INIT section of the panel contains logic to set values for the variables
DYNVAR and SHADVAR. Note that the position of the Y characters in the value
for SHADVAR cause the uppercase Y and U in the dynamic area to be displayed
as yellow and underlined.
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)BODY - Scrollable Fields
Support for Scrollable field new in z/OS 1.5 (ISPF 5.5)
Allow display of data larger than the panel field size
maximum field length is 32K
New )FIELD section used to define fields that are scrollable
LEFT, RIGHT and (new) ZEXPAND primary commands change display of
scrollable fields
Scrollable Fields is a feature of ISPF added with z/OS 1.5. It was also made
available to z/OS 1.2 and later via APAR OW57368 (PTF UA02839).
A scrollable field allows the display of dialog variables that are larger than the field
on an ISPF panel. In fact the maximum data length supported for a scrollable field
is 32K.
A new )FIELD section is used to define a field that is scrollable. The LEFT and
RIGHT commands are used to scroll the data displayed in a scrollable field. The
new ZEXPAND command displays the data from a scrollable field in a popup
window.
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Defining the )FIELD section
)FIELD
FIELD(field-name)
[LEN(value|field-name)]
[IND(field-name,value)]
[LIND(field-name,value)]
[RIND(field-name,value)]
[SIND(field-name,value)]
[LCOL(field-name)]
[RCOL(field-name)]
[SCALE(field-name)]
[SCROLL(value|field-name)]
Identify scrollable panel field
Length of displayed variable
Left & right scroll indicator
Left scroll indicator
Right scroll indicator
Separator scroll indicator
Left column position indicator
Right column position indicator
Scale indicator
Scroll control switch
Scrollable Fields
The Syntax of the )FIELD section is shown here. Options are provided to allow
the association of other variables with the scrollable field for:
field length
LEFT/RIGHT Scroll indicators (defaults: - +)
Separator lines (default: <->)
Left and Right displayed column values
Scale lines - ----+----1----+----2----+----3...
Scroll control - ON or OFF
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Scrollable Fields - Example
)ATTR
| TYPE(OUTPUT) CAPS(OFF) JUST(ASIS )
_ TYPE(INPUT) CAPS(OFF) JUST(ASIS ) FORMAT(MIX)
)BODY
%------ Left/Right Scroll Panel ------
%OPTION ===>_ZCMD
+ Field Value
+ -------------------------------
+ Value :_LR1 +
+ Scroll Indicator :|lr1in
+ Left & Right :|lril |lrir
+ Left/Right cols :_Lr1lf _lr1ri
+ Length :_lr1ln
+ Scale :|lr1sc +
+ Separator :|lrisp +
)FIELD
Field(LR1)
Ind(lr1in,'<>')
Lind(lril,'<') Rind(lrir,'>')
Lcol(lr1lf) Rcol(lr1ri)
Len(lr1ln)
Scale(lr1sc)
Sind(lrisp)
)END
Shown here is the source of a panel demonstrating the use of scrollable fields.
The panel has a single scrollable field for variable LR1. The panel also displays
fields for the following variables associated with current state of the scrollable
field. These associations are established through the )FIELD section definition.
LR1IN scroll indicator with value <>
LRIL & LRIR Left and Right scroll indicators with values < and >
LR1LF & LR1RI Left and Right column values
LR1LN Field data length
LR1SC Scale line
LR1SP separator line
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Scrollable Fields - Example
------ Left/Right Scroll Panel ------
OPTION ===>
Field Value
-------------------------------
Value : abcdefghijkl
Scroll Indicator : >
Left & Right : >
Left/Right cols : 1 12
Length : 36
Scale : ----+----1--
Separator : ----------->
------ Left/Right Scroll Panel ------
OPTION ===>
Field Value
-------------------------------
Value : mnopqrstuvwx
Scroll Indicator : <>
Left & Right : < >
Left/Right cols : 13 24
Length : 36
Scale : --+----2----
Separator : <---------->
Scrollable field showing first 12
characters of a 36 byte field, plus
associated indicator, column, length,
scale and separator fields
Position cursor on value and scroll
right. Display updated as shown
below
note: Left / Right columns, and Length
fields are input fields.
modifying these fields will also alter
the display
Shown here are examples of the panel display with some suitable data. The
variable LR1 is 36 characters longs initialized with the 26 letters of the alphabet
followed by 0-9. Initially the display shows the first 12 characters (abcdefghijkl)
and only the RIGHT scroll indicators (as we are at the maximum LEFT position). If
we position the cursor over the value and scroll RIGHT, the display is updated to
show the next 12 characters, both the LEFT and RIGHT scroll indicators are
shown and the separator line indicates we can scroll both directions, and the
left/right column values are updated. Also the scale line is updated to reflect the
current position.
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Panel Logic - 'Other' Statements
PANEXIT
provides a user exit to extend the panel language
REFRESH
Provides a means to refresh specified panel fields before a panel
redisplay
Valid for )REINIT and )PROC sections
REFRESH(FLD1)
TOG
Alternate the value of a variable between 2 values
TOG (S,FLD1,&VAR1,'0','1')
VGET/VPUT
Copy variables from/to the shared or application profile variable pool
VGET (FLD1,FLD2)
VPUT (FLD1,FLD2) PROFILE
Here are some 'other' panel logic statements, not covered during the Dialog
Developers Boot Camp.
PANEXIT - used to define a panel exit - we will look at this shortly
REFRESH - refreshes 1 or more panel fields before a redisplay of a panel
TOG - toggle between 2 values if the data in FLD1 is
modified
VGET/VPUT - Copy a dialog variable from/to the shared or
application profile pool
There are other statements, not shown here, and not often used
VEDIT
EXIT
GOTO
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 28 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel Logic - Functions
TRANS()
Translates
&VAL = TRANS(&VAR1 Y,YES N,NO *,*)
TRUNC()
Truncates a variable at a given position or character
&X = TRUNC(&VAR1,3)
&Y = TRUNC(&VAR2,'.')
PFK()
Provides function key assignment information
&X = PFK(HELP)
&Y = PFK(3)
/* normally results in X = F1 and Y = END */
LVLINE()
Provides the line number of the last visible line within a graphic
or dynamic area
&LVLNE = LVLINE(DYNAREA)
There are many built-in functions available for use in panel procedures. Some of
the main ones are:
TRANS - to translate values from 1 value to another. Most often used in
menu selection panels (as we saw earlier). The '*,*' as the last pair is the
anything-else condition. In the example, if &VAR1 is neither 'Y' or 'N' the value of
VAR1 is put into VAL.
TRUNC - truncates a variable. Truncation can either occur at a specified
position, or at a particular character. The remaining data after the truncation point
is stored in the .TRAIL control variable.
PFK - provides function key information
LVLINE - provides the line number of the last visible line within a graphic or
dynamic area. This is useful to determine how many lines to scroll (up or down).
(And it takes into account the presence or not of the function key display)
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 29 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel Logic - Functions (New)
Two new functions added in z/OS 1.5 (ISPF 5.5)
LENGTH()
Returns length of variable
&LEN = LENGTH(&VAR1)
UPPER()
Translates a variable to uppercase
&UVAR = UPPER(&VAR1)
Two new functions were added in z/OS 1.5 (ISPF 5.5):
LENGTH - can occur on the right side of an assignment statement to evaluate
the length of a dialog variable. The variable length returned will be the maximum
of the actual length of the variable if it exists and the length specified in the
)FIELD section.
UPPER - can occur on the right side of an assignment statement and will return
the uppercase value of a variable.
Support added to z/OS 1.2 and above via APAR OW57368 (PTF UA02839).
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 30 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX
Added in z/OS 1.6 (ISPF 5.6)
Extend the ISPF panel language
Like panel exits, but easier
Handle extra verifications that ISPF doesn't support
Special date/time formats
Special range checking
Checks requiring data base access
Naming Standards
Data set existence
Anything else you want
Can set message
Can be inline REXX or a PDS member
Invoked by *REXX statement
Can be used in )INIT, )REINIT, )PROC, )ABCINIT, and )ABCPROC
sections
With z/OS 1.6 support was added to allow REXX to be invoked from ISPF panel
procedures. This extended the processing capability in a panel procedure by
making available the many features and functions of REXX. Tasks previously
difficult or impossible to do from a panel procedure are now simple, such as
reading data from a data set or performing mathematical calculations.
While it was possible to use a panel exit to invoke REXX from a panel procedure,
using panel REXX is much simpler. The *REXX statement is used to invoke panel
REXX and identify the ISPF variables to be processed by the REXX. The REXX
can be coded directly into the panel procedure after the *REXX statement or the
name of a member containing the REXX can be specified with the *REXX
statement.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 31 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX
Restrictions
ISPF services are NOT allowed
REXX code can be interpreted REXX or, if PDS member, compiled
REXX
Compiled REXX must include initialization call to ISPPRXVP to
make ISPF dialog variables available to REXX, and termination
call to update dialog variables
Combined lengths of ISPF statements and REXX statements in
)INIT, )REINIT and )PROC cannot exceed 32K
Use PDS member option to avoid this problem
REXX code can only access dialog variables specified on the *REXX
statement
REXX coded within the panel source must be terminated by a
*ENDREXX statement
You should use REXX RETURN statement instead of the EXIT
statement in interpreted REXX
Some restrictions apply to the processing that can be done in panel REXX:
ISPF services cannot be called
Compiled REXX requires calls to module ISPPRXVP to make ISPF dialog
variables available to REXX and to update the variable back in the ISPF variable
pool.
Coding REXX in the panel procedure could result in error message ISPP321 if
the combined length of panel statements exceeds 32K.
The REXX can only process the ISPF dialog variables identified on the *REXX
statement.
The *ENDREXX statement is required to terminate REXX coded directly into a
panel procedure.
If EXIT rather than RETURN is used for interpreted REXX, the call to ISPPRXVP
generated by ISPF to update the dialog variables will not be executed. Therefore
updates to these variables from within the REXX will not be seen by ISPF.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 32 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX
Restrictions . . .
Variable values must be in character format when passed, and
must remain in character format
Variables values can be changed
Variable lengths can NOT be changed (prior to z/OS 1.9)
For implicitly defined variables that are fields on the panel, the
length of the associated REXX variable is the larger of the length
of the panel field and the length of the variable's value
For other implicitly defined variables, the variable length is
considered to be the same as the length of its value
So, if necessary, pad variables to required length before
passing them to the REXX
Dialog variables passed to panel REXX must be in character format and must
remain in character format.
On releases prior to z/OS 1.9, panel REXX cannot change the length of the value
of a dialog variable. This generally required the value of the dialog variable to be
padded to the required length before being passed to panel REXX. After changes
provided with z/OS 1.9, this is no longer necessary.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 33 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX
Return Codes
The exit should return one of the following values:
0 - Operation successful
8
- Panel REXX defined failure
ISPF sets the .MSG control variable and redisplays
the panel
20 or other - Severe error in the exit routine
Dialog variable ZRXRC is provided by ISPF for panel REXX to set a return code.
Dialog variable ZRXMSG is provided by ISPF for panel REXX to set the ID for a
message to be displayed when the panel REXX sets a return code of 8.
Note: It is not necessary to specify ZRXRC or ZRXMSG on the *REXX statement.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 34 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Invoked using *REXX statement
*REXX[([*,]value,value,...[,(member)])]
*
Specifies that all the dialog variables defined in the panel )BODY section are to
be passed to the REXX code for processing
value
Specifies the names of dialog variables passed to the REXX code for processing
member
Specifies the name of a member in the standard search sequences used to load
REXX programs
Member can contain interpreted REXX or compiled REXX
Compiled REXX can be either the output generated by the REXX compiler when
using the CEXEC option or a load module generated when link-editing the output
generated by the REXX compiler when using the OBJECT option
Invoking Panel REXX
The *REXX statement is used to invoke panel REXX. It identifies the names of the
dialog variables to be passed to the panel REXX for processing. A list of variable
names can be specified or if all dialog variables referenced in the )BODY section
may be processed by the panel REXX then just an * (asterisk) can be specified.
The REXX can be coded in the panel procedure immediately after the *REXX
statement. Alternatively if there is a large amount of REXX code or the code is
common amongst a number of panels the name of a member containing the
REXX code can be specified on the *REXX statement.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 35 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX - Example
)ATTR
% TYPE (PT)
+ TYPE (NT)
# TYPE (FP)
_ TYPE (NEF)
! TYPE (NEF) CAPS(ON)
@ AREA(DYNAMIC) EXTEND(ON)
)BODY
%---------------------------------- Panel REXX ---------------------------------
#Command ===>_MYVAR
+
#Data set name . . .!DSN +
+
+@DYNAREA @
)INIT
&DSN = ''
&PADDYNA = ' '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&PADDYNA = '&PADDYNA '
&DYNAREA = &PADDYNA
)REINIT
REFRESH(*) '
Pad DYNAREA
to required
length
This and the following page show an example of a panel using panel REXX.
The )BODY section contains some static text and 3 variables (MYVAR, DSN,
DYNAREA), 1 of which (DYNAREA) is a dynamic area.
The )INIT section initializes the DSN and the DYNAREA variables to blanks, and
pads the DYNAREA variable to the length required by the REXX code.
Note: The padding of variable DYNAREA is not required on z/OS 1.9 or later.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 36 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX Example . . .
)PROC
&DYNAREA = &PADDYNA
IF (&DSN = ' ')
VER(&DSN DSNAME)
IF (.MSG = '')
&DSNRC = '00'
*REXX(*,DSNRC)
DSNRC = LISTDSI(DSN)
If DSNRC <= 4 Then
Do
DYNAREA = ,
'Data set name: ' Left(sysdsname,44) || ,
'Volume serial ID: ' Left(sysvolume,44) || ,
'Unit on which volume resides: ' Left(sysunit,44) || ,
'Data set organisation: ' Left(sysdsorg,44) || ,
'Record format: ' Left(sysrecfm,44) || ,
'Logical record length: ' Left(syslrecl,44) || ,
'Block size: ' Left(sysblksize,44)
End
Return
*ENDREXX
IF (&DSNRC > 4) .MSG = ISRD028
)END
/* REXX */
ADDRESS 'ISPEXEC'
"DISPLAY
PANEL(PANREXX)"
panrc = rc
Do while rc < 8
"DISPLAY"
End
exit
Invoke REXX
and expose all
)BODY variables
and DSNRC
Rexx Driver
Define DSNRC
as 2 characters
long
Alternatively, you can set the system
variable ZRXMSG in the the REXX code to set
the .MSG control variable
In the )PROC section the VER statement is used to validate the user entered a
correctly formed data set name.
The dialog variable DSNRC is set to a value of "00" to cause the variable to be 2
characters in length.
The Panel REXX is invoked with the *REXX statement, exposing all variables,
including the DSN variable, defined in the )BODY section and the DSNRC
variable which was implicitly defined in the )PROC section.
The REXX code calls the TSO function LISTDSI to determine if the data set
exists, and to get the attributes of the data set returned in the REXX variables
SYSDSNAME, SYSVOLUME, and so on.
The REXX code formats the information returned by LISTDSI into the DYNAREA
variable and uses the REXX RETURN statement to return to ISPF.
The REXX code is terminated by the *ENDREXX statement.
If the REXX code returns a return code > 4, the .MSG control variable is set to
ISRD028 to cause that message to be displayed.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 37 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX Example . . .
---------------------------------- Panel REXX -------------
Command ===>
Data set name . . . CLIST
F1=HELP F2=SPLIT F3=END F4=RETURN F5=RFI
F7=UP F8=DOWN F9=SWAP F10=LEFT F11=RIG
---------------------------------- Panel REXX -------------
Command ===>
Data set name . . .
F1=HELP F2=SPLIT F3=END F4=RETURN F5=RFI
F7=UP F8=DOWN F9=SWAP F10=LEFT F11=RIG
This and the following page show an example of invoking our panel. When the
panel is displayed the user enters the name of the data set that will have its
attributes displayed.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 38 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
Panel REXX Example . . .
---------------------------------- Panel REXX ---------------------------------
Command ===>
Data set name . . . CLIST
Data set name: SIROED.CLIST
Volume serial ID: D$US18
Unit on which volume resides: 3390
Data set organisation: PO
Record format: FB
Logical record length: 80
Block size: 27920
F1=HELP F2=SPLIT F3=END F4=RETURN F5=RFIND F6=RCHANGE
F7=UP F8=DOWN F9=SWAP F10=LEFT F11=RIGHT F12=RETRIEVE
Shown here is the display of the data set attributes formatted into the dynamic
area by the panel REXX code.
Note: ISPF ships a sample of panel REXX code in the source module ISRVCHIL
in the ISPF REXX exec library (ISP.SISPEXEC). This panel REXX code is
invoked in the )INIT section of the panel ISRVCALP, which is shipped in the ISPF
panel library. This panel REXX code is used to enable color highlighting of the
entries in the trace data set generated by the ISPVCALL utility. ISPVCALL is used
by the ISPF product support team to assist in debugging customer reported
problems.
Interactive Program Development Facility (ISPF)
2011 IBM Corporation 39 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
DTL - What is it ?
DTL stands for Dialog Tag Language
A markup language based on ISO SGML
Other examples include:
BookManager, BookMaster, DCF, HTML
You use it to define:
Panels
Messages
Command tables
Keylist mapping tables
Allows for simplified creation of CUA compliant dialogs
A Conversion Utility, ISPDTLC, is shipped with ISPF
DTL is the acronym for Dialog Tag Language. It is markup language based on
ISO SGML.
ISO - International Standards Organization
SGML - Standard Generalized Markup Language
Other examples of SGML include Bookmanager, Bookmaster, DCF, HTML, ....
In ISPF you can use DTL to define:
Panels
Messages
Command Tables
Keylists
ISPF ships the conversion utility ISPDTLC to convert the DTL into standard ISPF
panels, messages, command and keylist tables.
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2011 IBM Corporation 40 ISPF Panels - Advanced | Session 9764
References
ISPF Publications
SC34-4821 Dialog Developer's Guide and Reference
SC34-4816 Reference Summary
Dialog Tag Language
SC34-4824 Dialog Tag Language Guide and Reference
S2627 SHARE presentation from Dallas (and Austin)
The main reference material to help you develop ISPF panels is the ISPF Dialog
Developer's Guide and Reference
Chapter 6 is the main reference material, while
Chapter 4 provides Common User Access (CUA) Guidelines, and
Chapter 5 provides many guidelines and examples of ISPF panels
Chapter 7 provides additional information for Help and Tutorial panels
For those wishing to venture into DTL, the Dialog Tag Language Guide will help
you.