SPF / ISPF / PDF / SPF365 / etc. ALL about editing on mainframe and PC with mainframe look-alike

[Crox]

Hi everybody,

If you are familiar with ISPF mainframe editing, I like to give anyone my ISPF mainframe quick-ref for ISPF editing.

The line commands are similar on the PC. One of the advantages of the PC mainframe-look-alike version - for example - is that the command-line is much longer and that you don't need tricks to enable a change with long values.

Perhaps you like to share your own tricks.

I like to give you one in advance:

&F 'EXEC SQL';:.F;F 'END-EXEC';:.L;RESET .F .L;

You start with

X ALL

and optional

HIDE X

After that, you use the line

&F 'EXEC SQL';:.F;F 'END-EXEC';:.L;RESET .F .L;

and you enter until all exec has become visible.

The & makes that the command stays on the commandline, if your version works as it should.

If not, also a retrieve statement at the end can help you.

Have fun! I hope to see your smart input or request for the quick reference.

Thanks!

PS Tim R. Tetiva died because of Corona. He developed SPF365. You can download it now for free. It is most of the time more powerful than the mainframe editor. For example, it clips rectangular pieces of text and you can paste the block the same way. Just one example of something that works very nice. Also P'<Alt 170>' works with P'^' instead and more. If you want to do some heavy editing, I like to help.

RIP Tim! You were the best!

 

[mikrom]

@Crox: you probably mean this editor

https://github.com/michaelknigge/spf-editor

 

[Crox]

The latest download link is:

https://github.com/michaelknigge/spf-editor/releases/tag/v365.3454.25

The icon you get after installing is SPF365.
The installed directory and path is: C:\Program Files (x86)\SPFSE365\Graphic\Bin\SPF80GE.exe

So I call it SPF365, one of the many names that type of editor got through the years.

It is a way of editing, very effective. For example: if you have 6000 variables to combine with 40 lines of code where each variable has to be filled in several times, say 6 times, because delivery of data has to be checked, then you have to create 240000 lines of code. It will take probably about 5 to 10 minutes editing, using this kind of editor, also on the mainframe. I don't see people do that with other editors.

That is the fun of SPF editing.

Looking at what Michael Knigge has to say, he does not know how to work with SPF and he is not able to do the challenge within the given time.



Bye for now!

 

[SaltyTheFrog]

It has been about thirty years since I used ISPF. I used to write ISPF dialogs, if they still exist, and modified many of the native screens to my liking. Then I'd reallocate the TSO batch session libraries to point at my modified versions. I had all that stuff backed up on those 3.5 disks but I don't seem to have them anymore. Too bad, it had lots of cool stuff. There used to be those IBM share tapes that had stuff people developed and shared. I did a lot of work with SDSF also. Does that still exist?

I'm dating my self...

 

[Crox]

SDSF is still living!

REXX is still living

CLIST is still living

IBM is more of continuing thing, not of throwing away!

So programs that are over 30 years old, can work every day, no trouble. Very different compared to Java environment where programs mostly don't live longer than 2 years...????

Think about Return On Investment. ROI That is the pleasure working with COBOL. Your programs/babies from 30 years ago can still live....