2010/04/19 11:38
Describing a unique product that shows the mainframe in a completely different way.
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These are some of the features of SELCOPY/i I will be speaking about today, to give you a flavour of the SELCOPY Interactive Experience.
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SDE is a whole subject in its own right, so although it is a major feature of the product I will only speak briefly on this feature of the product.
I will not be discussing SELCOPY Debug, this is a development environment for the SELCOPY batch side of the product.
It allows SELCOPY batch jobs to be stepped through, line by line, tracking storage and pointers from multiple windows within in the SELCOPY/i windows environment.
SELCOPY batch is a well established utility, programming tool, used world wide by high profile customers since 1971.
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A typical ISPF screen, displayed using a larger 3270 screen of 62x160 to provide a larger desktop as will become more apparent in the next slide.
ISPF has been around for one or two years!! Maybe its time to provide some of the younger mainframe users (and older ones) something a little different as an alternative.
The idea of this presentation is to show you a unique, more modern interface to the mainframe, running on the mainframe. No PC client software is required other than a normal tn3270 client, preferably one which supports large screen sizes. They do vary!
The SELCOPY/i application is started by typing in ‘tso selcopyi’ or if so configured starting from the menu. Selcopy/i will run under TSO or iSPF and also VTAM.
Under VTAM it can provide access to files, when ISPF/TSO is unavailable, so some disaster recovery capability.
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After starting SELCOPY/i the 3270 screen is transformed into a windows style desktop, based on the Microsoft MDI (Multiple Document Interface).
On first use SELCOPY/i creates a sample file to be used as a tutorial and can be used as a basis for the users own ‘command centre’ file.
Here the user will store common files they edit, operator commands, list commands, RACF, VTAM, ISV software etc..
Each command be executed immediately ‘<‘ chevron, or passed to the command line for change ‘.>’ chevron, at set positions using ‘_’ underscore.
Using setpts, commands can be grouped by system, application, operator tasks etc…
Simply enter the setpt name at the command prompt to skip to that part of the file.
You can even open the same file in two different windows at two different points in the file.
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As each edit session is opened they cascade down similarly to a PC windows system.
Each window can be moved, re-sized, minimized and maximized very much like you would expect on a windowed system.
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Click on a windows title, it becomes hi-lighted, simply click anywhere on the desktop to move the window to that new location.
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Clicking on the window edges or corners, this hi-lights the window for re-sizing.
The re-sizing can be done by clicking in the direction you wish to re-size or use PF keys to re-size in various directions.
PF7/PF8 for up/down, PF10/PF11 for left/right.
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Here the windows have been re-arranged (of sorts). It now starts to become apparent why a larger 3270 screen is helpful when lots of windows are open.
A larger 3270 window size does improve the experience and the size can go as high as 86 x 190.
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As you run commands and edit sessions they all open their own windows and here is a typical example of some open windows:
The command Centre List Cataloged Datasets Library List window Edit session.
There are also drop down menus available to perform various tasks, all tasks have a command line interface for those who prefer them.
Please note List windows are simply lists of Datasets, Volumes, Libraries and Library Members. These can also be sorted by clicking the mouse on headings.
Move the cursor to a heading and press enter to perform the same action.
More on this a little later.
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SELCOPY/i includes its own editor, which has the capabilities of both ISPF and Xedit (for VM’ers). I’ve seen many requests on the IBM MAIN forum requesting Xedit features in z/OS. Well here it is as standard.
Standard edit allows you to open as many edit sessions as you wish, within the constraints of the users region size.
Structured edit allows opening of very large files, regardless of size, or region. I’ll talk a little more on that later.
The editor supports the use of cut/past, block copy, with multiple undo/redo per edit session. (64 undo’s per edit session).
It is very easy to hot key between windows using PF keys or menu options or just simply click on the required window on the desktop.
This will become more apparent with later slides.
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For a quick compare of files, move the windows side by side. There is a macro available to do a simple compare of two files in this way.
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Windows can be tiled Vertically.
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Or Horizontally, or Cascade as we have already seen. Select Tiling from the drop down menu option ‘Window’.
You can also select a file in the ring, directly by selecting from this list of open files in ring.
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The SELCOPY/i editor supports context sensitive editing. If there is a DSN in the JCL deck you are looking at, you can press CTRL-X and it will evaluate the DSN name, complete with translating symbolic names and edit the file.
Edited files are colour coded according to the type of file, this colour coding is customizable for local standards.
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In this section I will talk a little more about List Windows, as mentioned briefly in earlier slides.
List windows as I have said previously are simply lists of volumes, datasets, libraries or library members.
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List windows can be selected from the ‘Utilities’ drop down menu, then choosing ‘List’. They can also be run from the command centre or command line.
Characteristics of all list windows are:
Overtype 1st entry to skip to line. Find and locate also supported. Prefix commands to perform additional processing. Sort on headings SQL select and where commands to filter list. List can be saved as a library member. List commands can be quite complex. Press enter on an entry will open a dataset, library members, dataset list.
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The ‘/’ prefix will display available options for the type of list entry. Options unavailable will be greyed out.
For example, a library list entry above. Note the highlighted library is the entry referred to.
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SQL style SELECT and WHERE commands can be used to filter the list very precisely. Full and/or logic is available.
SELECT also allows you to change the order of the columns and hold columns for left/right scrolling.
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All Select statements used for the window session are stored and can be browsed using Back/Forward List window menu option.
A full list of all select (views) can be displayed and again individually selected via the View window menu option.
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As I stated before, list windows can be selected from the Utilities menu option and this is probably the easiest way to do so for new users.
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List windows provide an intuitive drill down capability through entries, to find information easily and very quickly.
Pressing enter or clicking with the mouse on a library name opens a Library member list window.
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Likewise, press enter or click with mouse on member in library list edits the file.
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Any list window contents can be changed to an edit session and saved as a library member for future reference by using the ‘Text’ window menu option.
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Dynamic SQL for DB2 is like SPUFI but is quicker and looks prettier.
This does require a bind of the DB2 plan.
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As with List windows the columns can be sorted by clicking on the column headings in ascending and descending order. Each click switches sort direction.
SQL commands can be stored in your command center file for easy execution later.
The SQL select can be further altered to refine the display information using where and sort sub commands.
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Interactive IDCAMS makes it very easy to create VSAM files.
In fact if editing a flat file, change the file name, set the DSORG to ESDS and when you save it, you will be prompted with an IDCAMS define panel.
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To create a KSDS file use the File menu drop down, and select define KSDS.
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This opens a KSDS define panel, provide the file name, set the keys, offset, free space etc.
Click the ‘Define’ panel option and the file will run an IDCAMS define immediately to create the file.
Click the ‘Job’ panel option and a new window will be opened containing the IDCAMS define deck.
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This define deck created does not yet have any job card info.
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So we use the jobcard command to add the job details and prepare it for submission.
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The ‘jobcard’ command also embeds the commands enabling you to submit the job and then go directly to the output queue for that job. Saving time!!
Otherwise the job can be saved for later execution or inclusion in another batch stream.
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IDCAMS can also be run directly from the command centre, just like a command.
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The IDCAMS output is then presented in a window.
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In this short section I will show some of the Dataset allocation capabilities.
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Execute the ‘LD’ command to list all libraries beginning ‘sys1.m’. The *.** is not necessary under SELCOPY/i but is supported.
Use the ‘C’ Copy prefix to select a library on the list window for copying.
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The IEBCOPY panel will then allow you to specify the new library name, members to copy (with wildcards) etc.
As with the IDCAMS panel, you can choose to run the copy immediately, or create the JCL deck for later execution.
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Choosing to create the JCL deck results in a job being created in an edit window.
Use ‘jobcard’ to add the job information, then save or submit to batch.
Don’t worry if you forget, a job card will be auto generated if you use the ‘sub’ command to submit it.
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In SELCOPY/i we do not differentiate between HFS & zFS, as they have the same structure. So when we talk of HFS we mean HFS or z/FS files.
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HFS/zFS files can be accessed via the ‘Utilities/ List /HFS Dir path’ drop down menu options or via the ‘LP’ command.
SELCOPY/i treats HFS/zFS files and directories the same way as other list windows. So you can drill down through directories and edit files in exactly the same way.
You can also zoom a single entry from a list into a vertical list of fields in a separate window.
You can do this as many times as you wish, and may be useful to more easily compare characteristics of two files.
There are a number of command line USS functions to manage HFS/zFS. For example MKDIR, LINK, RENAME.....
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I will only mention this subject briefly, as a very quick introduction.
SDE is a major topic in its own right.
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SELCOPY/i SDE allows you to view multiple records types concurrently. Mapped by COBOL or PL1 copy book.
SDE also has its own CBL Structured Language to define a data structure for a any file on disk without a copybook.
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Zooming a record with PF2 opens a vertical edit window for that record. Any changes to that single record view are also applied to the main file view.
Multiple zooms of different records are also supported.
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The SELECT can be used as with list windows and you can even change the order of the fields viewed by record type.
SELECT columns via the column number or
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Select via column name.
Or
Mix column name and numbers as you wish.
You can also change the order of the columns too.
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Multiple views of the same file can be displayed, record types can be shadowed out as required.
The records can be viewed in Character, binary, table etc..
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Use ‘select *’ to restore all columns for that record type.
Supports find/locate/change commands.
SDE supports editing ANY file on disk regardless of size, or region size and supports multi volume datasets.
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This feature is a very powerful tool!
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FSU allows users to search all files on the system, VSAM, HFS, PDS, SEQ etc using wildcards and even apply a copybook structure to further define the search.
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FSU reports its findings in a structured window.
Individual occurrences found can be edited directly from this window.
FSU also allows you to optionally update in place, with a dry run option to show what would have been changed, had it been run. Recommended!
FSU creates an audit trail and the audit trail is detailed enough such that if the changes made were wrong, the whole thing can be reversed using the FSUUNDO facility.
This is a very powerful command.
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Virtually every combination of keyboard key can be mapped to a command or macro including using CTRL-, SHIFT-, ALT- keys.
In many cases the PC mouse can also be configured such that Mouse 1 is select, mouse 2 execute and the scroll wheel used as page up and down during lists and edits.
With two mouse clicks a command or edit can be simply selected from the command centre and executed.
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Click a help entry to display help contents for the item.
You can also issue help subcommands. i.e. help ld
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There are WebEx recorded tutorials available from the web site which assist with transition.
They show how things are done is ISPF and then in SELCOPY/i.
We plan to add additional tutorials over time.
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There were many things I was unable to show in the time available, but I hope I gave you a good indication of the ease of use, increased productivity and modern feel that SELCOPY/i brings to the mainframe.
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New features in the next Release:
DB2 Structured Data Edit Edit a DB2 table, add, delete, inserts rows etc..
FCOPY Copy any file, to the same or new format.
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