How to handle input entered on ISPF panel dynamically?

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

I have created a ISPF panel which displays 10 PDS names. This panel requires user to enter 3 inputs: any one of the listed PDS names, a member name (member of the selected PDS) and edit/browse option. This should take the user to the given member opened in browse/edit mode.

How can I handle these inputs entered on the panel dynamically?

ofer71 · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:03 pm

First, there is no such thing as 'REXX panel'. Panels are ISPF components, and they can be displayed using any available language (including REXX).

I don't know what do you mean by "dynamically", but yes, you can process user's input by the same REXX that was used to display the panel.

O.

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

What I mean is that the user can select any of the PDS names listed on the panel. How the code should handle this thing?

ofer71 · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 8:32 pm

If you have the dataset name, you can use (for example) the EDIT ISPF Service to edit the dataset.

O.

Pedro · Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2008 9:27 pm

How are the 10 names displayed? And how does the user select one of the names?

FYI. Assign the selected name to a fixed variable name, then use that variable to edit. Something like:

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

The 10 names are displayed as a vertical list:

1. PDS1.TEMP.SAY
2. PDS2.TEMP.QUIT
3.
.
.
10. PDS10.INPUT.TEMP

The SELECT clause would work well in this case. But the user needs to enter the member name too.
If I put the SELECT code in my REXX pgm (currently used for invoking the panel. It gives invalid statement for:
"ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('"EDIT_THIS(MEM1)"')"

The code is as follows:

MEM1=STRIP(B)
DSN1=STRIP(A1)
CHOICE=STRIP(ZCMD)
SAY CHOICE
SELECT;
WHEN (CHOICE=1) THEN
EDIT_THIS=DSN1
OTHERWISE
SAY 'INCORRECT CHOICE'
END
"ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('"EDIT_THIS(MEM1)"')"
END

Here, B holds the member name input by the user in the ISPF panel and A1 holds the PDS name associated with option 1 (in the list).

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:18 pm

looks like the dataset name is not built correctly...

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

I tried it. But it's giving the following error:

Invalid member name
Member name must be 1-8 characters and enclosed in parentheses.
Current dialog statement:
EDIT DATASET(!!EDIT_THIS!!(!! MEM1 !!))

ofer71 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:30 pm

Have you thought about using TRACE?

O.

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:35 pm

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

The REXX statement that I had mentioned above is the part of error message. It's interpreted.

The statement that I had given in my code is:
"ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET("'!!EDIT_THIS!!(!! MEM1 !!)'")"

I also tried using:
"ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET("'!!EDIT_THIS!!"("!! MEM1 !!")"'")"

Same error is coming in both the case.

ofer71 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:52 pm

The || sign should be outside the quotes, just as in Enrico's example.

O.

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:53 pm

are You sure You are using the right concatenation chars
as I already said in my previous posts it could be !! or ||

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

I have tried both the symbols !! as well as ||

"ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET("'¦¦EDIT_THIS¦¦(¦¦ MEM1 ¦¦)'")"

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 3:59 pm

before the offending statement put a

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

I used:
"ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('"!!EDIT_THIS!!"("!!MEM1!!")')"

It gave:
20 *-* "ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('"!!EDIT_THIS!!"("!!MEM1!!")')"
>L> "ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('"
>L> "!!EDIT_THIS!!"
>O> "ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('!!EDIT_THIS!!"
>L> "("
>O> "ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('!!EDIT_THIS!!("
>L> "!!MEM1!!"
>O> "ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('!!EDIT_THIS!!(!!MEM1!!"
>L> ")')"
>O> "ISPEXEC EDIT DATASET('!!EDIT_THIS!!(!!MEM1!!)')"

Data set not cataloged
'!!EDIT_THIS!!' was not found in catalog.

Current dialog statement:
EDIT DATASET('!!EDIT_THIS!!(!!MEM1!!)')

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:20 pm

try this other way ( I usually do not recommend it because it makes things less clear )

Ekta Sharma · New User Joined: 26 Feb 2008 Posts: 35 Location: pune

This one worked. Thanks enrico!

Another small query:
As I told that there is a list of PDS on the panel from where the user can select any one.
This list of PDS is editable and the user can add PDS names to it as per his requirement. I have used VPUT for retaining the PDS names on the panel. But once I logoff from TSO, this list of PDS is lost. How can I retain this list (I want that the PDS names should stay on the panel until the user himself removes them)?

ofer71 · Posted: Mon Jul 21, 2008 4:40 pm

use VPUT & VGET with PROFILE.

o.