Course outline



This provides an overview of the content of the ISPF Dialogue Management (DM) Course.

There are a possible 31 exercises within the material.


ISPF Dialogue Management (DM) Course - Synopsis

  1. - ISPF Overview
    ISPF Heirarchy, Common Services, Required Libraries, Starting ISPF, Testing options, ISPF in Batch.
  2. - Basic ISPF Panels - Describing the five panel sections: )ATTR, )BODY, )INIT, )REINIT and _PROC.
  3. - Dialog Messages - Message format, Message storage, How messages can be displayed.
  4. - Developing EXECs and CLISTs
    Primary use vs Macro use, Edit Macros, Allocating alternative libraries.
  5. - ISPF Variables
    The three variable pools, Defining variables in )BODY, )INIT, )REINT and )PROC, Using VGET, VPUT and ZVARS.
  6. - Menus (aka Selection Panels)
    The SELECT Service, Using ZCMD, &ZSEL and the TRANS Built-in Function.
  7. - Enhanced Panels
    Using ISPF Built-in Functions, On Panel Decision Making and using Pop-up Windows.
  8. - File Tailoring - All aspects of tailoring skeleton files.
  9. - Tables - All aspects of table management, plus the creation and manipulation of appropriate panels.
  10. - Library Management Services
    Essentially this describes how to exploit the facilities commonly available from the Utilities Panel (3).
  11. - Program Functions (ASM, COBOL & PLI).
    A discusion about how these languages could be used as alternatives to REXX or CLIST.
  12. - Advanced Dialog Management A series of five exercises in exploiting ISPF Services, plus using REXX on a panel.
  13. - Help & Tutorial Page Navigation A series of five exercises in demonstrating the use of Help Panels.