IBM® ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS®, V7.1, operates as a seamlessly integrated front end to ISPF for z/OS to provide productivity aids to system programmers and application programmers. It can save keystrokes, time, and effort for anyone who uses ISPF.

IBM® ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS® is an ISPF application that provides significant productivity improvements and time savings to ISPF users on IBM z/OS systems. ISPF Productivity Tool operates as an integrated front end to ISPF, and it enhances and extends ISPF capabilities. This tool also delivers new batch and online functions to manipulate partitioned and sequential data set directories, and it improves performance for copy and compress operations for partitioned data sets. ISPF Productivity Tool is a productivity aid to systems and applications programmers because of the various functions it provides. For example, it includes shortcuts, navigational aids, automatic PDS compression and directory expansion, and search capabilities for volumes, data sets, members, and text within members.

Using ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS can help your z/OS installations achieve higher levels of productivity.


Figure 1. ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS


Did you know?

Many IBM z/OS users have experience in working with ISPF and know how to quickly navigate the panels, but other users who are new to the IBM System z® environment, were trained in workstation GUI tools and interfaces. Between these groups of users, one common trait is that, when they work in ISPF, they are looking for tools that offer time-saving advantages, which they now have with IBM ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS. ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS increases the productivity of existing ISPF users and attracts new users by enabling them to become efficient quickly. ISPF Productivity Tool boosts productivity for all users, including developers, system programmers, technical support, and operations and control personnel.


Business value

Time is valuable for development organizations, making productivity tools important to the overall bottom line of operations costs. IBM ISPF Productivity Tool for z/OS boosts productivity for all ISPF users who need tools that offer time-saving advantages.

By using ISPF Productivity Tool, you can increase daily performance and productivity by minimizing the amount of typing and screen navigation that are required to perform specific tasks. ISPF Productivity Tool provides shortcuts that help you to make more efficient use of your time when working on a z/OS mainframe. ISPF Productivity Tool standardizes the tools that you need to be productive with ISPF. These aids are great time savers for experienced users and are often of greater value to inexperienced users by providing them a simplified path for performing tasks. In addition to the many usability features, ISPF Productivity Tool supports the double-byte character set (DBCS).


Solution overview

IBM ISPF Productivity Tool combines a range of ISPF utilities and new functions with the standard ISPF functions, such as Browse, Edit, and View. It provides extensive search capabilities and provides drill down capabilities to locate volumes and data sets with extended functions at all levels. Programmers access these extended features by entering commands on the command line or in the selection field for a particular data set or member. They can also use hotbars, field-sensitive areas, and point-and-shoot techniques. Extensive help is available by using a simple command from any panel.

The functions of the ISPF Productivity Tool are added to a user's session through an update of the Time Sharing Option (TSO) logon procedure. These functions enhance productivity through many commands, utilities, and navigational features for commonly used activities. System and application programmers can save a substantial amount of navigation time and can get their work done more efficiently.


Solution architecture

ISPF Productivity Tool is integrated into almost every aspect of ISPF to provide numerous productivity aids and shortcuts. For example, when viewing the output from a job, you want to open a data set that you see in the output. You can enter a command, such as the edit (ed) command. Then, you point your cursor to the data set name and press Enter (Figure 2) to open the file for edit.


Figure 2. Pointing to a data set name in a point-and-shoot text field to open the file for edit

Another shortcut is opening a file for edit. You can enter the edit command (ed) by using a pattern to list all data sets that match the pattern and then select a file in the resulting list (Figure 3).


Figure 3. Shortcut for selecting a file for edit

If you have seen the “No space in directory” message when adding members to a partitioned data set (PDS), you might recall the number of panels and keystrokes that ISPF requires when allocating a new PDS, copying the members, and renaming the data set. With ISPF Productivity Tool, you see a confirmation window to expand the PDS directory (Figure 4). When you press Enter, the PDS directory is expanded, without leaving the edit session of your PDS member.


Figure 4. Expanding a directory when needed

Another time saver is the history and permanent command lists that is available in the TSO command shell. The history command list is the list of most recently executed commands, with older entries rolling off as new entries are added. The maximum number of entries in the history command list is 999 commands. You can run history commands from TSO Option 6. The permanent command list contains the commands that you intend to retain permanently. The maximum capacity of the permanent command list is 999 commands. You can run permanent commands from any ISPF panel. The history command list is displayed when you enter the TSO command shell (Figure 5). You can switch to the permanent list by entering the /p command.


Figure 5. History command list in the TSO command shell

For organizational aids, ISPF Productivity Tool introduces the concept of an object list (OLIST). An object list is a data store reference that is used to organize all of the required resources for a project into a single project folder called an OLIST. An OLIST is a list of files and objects that can include the following items and more: