How can I get OPCA to invoke a user tool to edit JCL?

Roy Malcomess · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Australia

ISPF panel EQQAJCLE has instructions:
"User must set a panel name to activate his own JCL edit/browse tool."

HELP for panel EQQABOPL states:
"Specify the J (jcl) command to browse the JCL (available only if edit tool was specified on the EQQXJCLP panel, option 0.6)"

However, when I created a menu panel with options to BROWSE or VIEW the required dataset and member, it was invoked as a DISPLAY panel, so the menu selections were not operative.

How can I get OPCA to SELECT the panel instead of DISPLAYing it?
I would really prefer to invoke a Rexx exec to do the work, but this does not seem to be an option.

My work around has been to create 2 ISPF commands named BJCL and VJCL to BROWSE or VIEW the JCL and then use the DISPLAY panel named in OPC option 0.6 as a pseudo-menu with these ISPF commands shown as options on the panel.

PeterHolland · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:54 pm

Maybe this will be of help :

my.safaribooksonline.com/book/operating-systems-and-server-administration/tivoli/0738491225/customizing-for-job-scan-installations/287#X2ludGVybmFsX0ZsYXNoUmVhZGVyP3htbGlkPTA3Mzg0OTEyMjUvMjg3

Roy Malcomess · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Australia

Thanks for the response.

I have already read the relevant sections in that Redbook.
Unfortunately, we do not have JOB/SCAN installed.

My basic problem is that TWS displays the panel specified at option 0.6, instead of selecting it.

I cannot see how JOB/SCAN will get around this problem either, unless they modify the code which uses the JCL edit panel as part of JOB/SCAN implementation.

My method of using a display panel which lists commands available from the ISPF command table works, but is not elegant.

What I would really like, is to be able to specify a Rexx exec to be executed for the purpose of JCL editing. Then if the user enters J to browse the JCL, it would BROWSE the JCL immediatley, instead of displaying a time wasting panel.

PeterHolland · Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 9:59 pm

Well the manual is saying displaying the panel, in other words you have to do some research how to do the selecting of the panel. But maybe the OPC/TWS people can help you out.

Roy Malcomess · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Australia

Thanks for the response.

I have already done the research and not found an answer.
That is why I posted the question here, in the hope that someone else might have implemented a solution to the problem.

Has this problem been resolved at your site?
If so, how?

PeterHolland · Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:58 am

At my company this feature was not used. So no experience here.

Roy Malcomess · New User Joined: 16 Aug 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Australia

I have developed my own solution after trawling through the TWS panels:

I changed 2 panels: EQQABOPL and EQQABSDP
I initialised &JCLLIB to the JCL library dsname in both panels.

In panel EQQABOPL, I changed the following line:
&jcl,'MOD(EQQXDSPX,&xjclpan)' /* edit jcl @01A
To:
&jcl,'CMD(%VIEWFL &JCLLIB(&OPJOBNM))' /* edit jcl RoyM

In panel EQQABSDP, I changed the following line:
8,'MOD(EQQXDSPX,&xjclpan)' /* browse jcl @01A
To:
8,'CMD(%VIEWFL &JCLLIB(&OPJOBNM))' /* browse jcl -RoyM

The net effect of the above, is to invoke the in-house Rexx exec VIEWFL to VIEW the JCL member, without the requirement to display another panel in between.

Hope this helps someone else.

Roy.

PeterHolland · Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 11:33 am

Roy, thanks for sharing.