Getting Started With ISPF

Select TSO from your NVAS Application Selection Menu. At the '***' press Enter. You will then be presented with a site-customized ISPF Primary Option Menu.

The placement of the Command Line and the appearance of both the messages and function keys can be specified in Option 0, "ISPF Settings." If you prefer to see the Command line at the top of the screen, deselect the "Command line at bottom" field.

Getting Help

ISPF product panels display short messages in the upper-right corner of the panel, or in association with a field in error. Long messages are displayed in a pop-up window directly below the Command or Option line if it is at the bottom of the panel, directly above the Command or Option line if it is at the top of the panel, or in association with a field in error. You may have questions about a menu, action bar, or pull-down choice after you have looked at the short and long messages. On most panels, panel-specific help is available on the action bar or by using F1. Within help, select the option you need from the pull-down or menu. When you have finished reading the information, use F3 to exit to the panel from which you first entered Help. You can also press F1 at the ISPF Primary Option Menu to view the ISPF Tutorial.

A Quick Introduction to IOF

IOF is used to view your job output under ISPF. A Quick Introduction to IOF should help get you started.

Exiting ISPF and TSO

At the ISPF Primary Option Menu press F3 or type "X" and press Enter. You will then be presented with the TSO Ready prompt. Type "LOGOFF" and press Enter to log off TSO and return to the NVAS Application Selection Menu.

Some Terms You Should Know

action bar. The area at the top of an ISPF panel that contains choices that give you access to actions available on that panel. When you select an action bar choice, ISPF displays an action bar pull-down menu.

pull-down menu. A list of numbered choices extending from the selection you made on the action bar. The action bar selection will be highlighted. You can select an action either by typing in its number and pressing Enter or by selecting the action with your cursor. ISPF displays the requested panel. If your choice contains an ellipsis (...), ISPF displays a pop-up window. When you exit this panel or pop-up, ISPF closes the pull-down and returns you to the panel from which you made the initial action bar selection.

ellipsis. Three dots that follow a pull-down choice. When you select a choice that contains an ellipsis, ISPF displays a pop-up window.

pop-up window. A bordered temporary window that displays over another panel.

function key. In previous releases of ISPF, a programmed function (PF) key. This is a change in terminology only.

Using Function Keys

The following function keys will help you navigate in ISPF:

	F1	Help.	   Displays Help information.  If you press F1
			   after ISPF displays a short message, a long
                           message displays in a pop-up window.
 
	F2	Split.     Divides the screen into two logical screens 		                           separated by a horizontal line.
        
	F3	End.       Ends the current task and returns to the previous 	                           panel.  
   
	F7	Backward.  Moves the screen up the scroll amount.
    
	F8	Forward.   Moves the screen down the scroll amount.
    
	F9	Swap.      Moves the cursor to where it was previously 		                           positioned on the other logical screen of a      	                           split-screen pair.
    
	F10	Actions.   Moves the cursor to the action bar.  
    
	F12	Cancel.    Issues the Cancel command.  Use this command to 	                           remove a pull-down menu if you do not want to 
                           make a selection. 
    
	F16	Return.    Returns you to the ISPF Primary Option Menu. 

Selection Fields

ISPF Version 4.1 uses the following conventions for selection fields:

A single period (.)
Member lists that use a single period in the selection field (for example, within the Edit function) recognize only a single selection.

A single underscore (_)
Selection fields marked by a single underscore prompt you to use a slash (/) to select the choice. You may use any non-blank character.

An underscored field (____)
Member lists or text fields that use underscores in the selection field recognize multiple selections.

How to Navigate in ISPF

You can make selections by typing in a selection number on the panel and pressing Enter or you may use the Action Bars.

Action bars give you an alternate way to move through ISPF Version 4.1. If the cursor is located somewhere on the panel, there are several ways to move it to the action bar:

• Use the cursor movement keys
• Enter the ACTIONS command on the panel command line
• Press F10=Actions or the Home key
• Use the tab key to move the cursor among the action bar choices.

Note: If you want the Home key to position the cursor at the first input field on an ISPF panel, type SETTINGS on any command line and press Enter to display the ISPF Settings panel. Deselect the Tab to action bar choices option.

When you select one of the choices on the action bar, ISPF displays a pull-down menu. The action bar choices available vary from panel to panel, as do the choices available from their pull-downs. However, Menu and Utilities are basic action bar choices, and the choices on their pull-down menus are always the same.

Shortcuts for Moving within ISPF Panels

ISPF Options

• Terminal characteristics
• Default options for processing the ISPF list and log data sets
• Function key assignments
• Placement of command lines
• List data set characteristics
• Keylist modifications
• Default colors

This facility can be invoked from any command line with the SETTINGS command, from the Settings choice on the Menu pull-down on any action bar where it is available, or by selecting option 0 on the ISPF Primary Option Menu.

View (Option 1).) The View option displays the View Entry Panel to allow you to view or browse source data and listings stored in partitioned or sequential data sets. View allows you to use all Edit line and primary commands to manipulate the data. View functions exactly like Edit, with the following exceptions:

SAVE primary command. When you enter the SAVE command, ISPF issues a message that you must use the CREATE or REPLACE command to save any data you have changed.

END primary command. When you enter the END command, ISPF issues a message that you must use the CREATE or REPLACE command to save any data you have changed.

You can view or browse data that has the following characteristics:

	Record Format (RECFM):
    
		-   Fixed, variable (non-spanned), or undefined
            	-   Blocked or unblocked
		-   With or without printer control characters
    
		Note:  If you try to View a data set with RECFM=U,
                the Browse function will be substituted.

	Logical Record Length (LRECL):
    
		-   For fixed-length records, up to 32,760 characters
		-   For variable-length records, up to 32,756 characters.
 

   
	Record Format (RECFM):
    
	-  Fixed or variable (non-spanned)
	-   Blocked or unblocked
	-   With or without printer control characters
    
	Logical Record Length (LRECL):
    
	-   From 10 to 32,760, inclusive, for fixed-length records
	-   From 14 to 32,756, inclusive, for variable-length records.
 

Command (Option 6). When you select this option, the ISPF Command Shell panel is displayed. You may issue TSO commands, CLISTs, and REXX EXECs on the TSO Command line of this panel.

Allocating Data Sets

To allocate a data set:

1. Select Utilities (option 3) from the ISPF Primary Option Menu or from the action bar.
2. On the Utility Selection Menu, select the Data Set Utility (option 2).
3. On the Data Set Utility panel, select option M, Enhanced data set allocation, to allocate a new SMS controlled data set, and fill in the name of the data set you wish to allocate.
4. Press Enter.
5. On the Allocation panel, enter the appropriate characteristics for the new data set.

   Note: As a general rule, you may leave the "block size" field blank and allow the system to choose an optimum blocksize for the dataset.

6. Press Enter.
7. Check to see if the message "Data set allocated" appears in the upper-right corner of the Data Set Utility panel. If the values on the Allocate New Data Set panel are not changed, they are in effect any time you create a data set.

Editing a Data set with Option 2

To edit a sequential dataset or a PDS member:

1. Select Edit (option 2) from the ISPF Primary Option Menu or from the action bar.
2. On the Edit Entry Panel, you can enter the data set name for a sequential data set and press Enter. For a PDS, you may enter just the data set name to get a member list or you can specify the member name on this panel as well. If you opt to get a member list, select the member you wish to edit with an "S".
3. You are now ready to enter/change the data. There are two kinds of commands within the Edit option:
   1. Primary commands
   2. Line commands.
   Primary commands are the ones you type in on the edit Command line at the top of your data. For example: PROFILE, CAPS OFF, UNNUM, and RESET. Line commands are commands that you enter on the edit line numbers, which are located on the left side of the data. For more information about edit primary and line commands, press F1 or select Help on the action bar menu.
4. Pressing F3 saves the member, and takes you back to the previous panel, where you see the "Member saved" message in the short message area in the upper-right corner.

Submitting A Batch Job

You can submit JCL for batch processing by using the SUBMIT primary command while browsing, viewing, or editing a member of a PDS or a sequential data set.