Problem Analysis Guidelines › z/OS Enhanced Map Block Mode

z/OS Enhanced Map Block Mode

When you encounter a problem with the enhanced block mode map generator, these guidelines may assist in collecting information to diagnose and correct the problem. These guidelines are initial guidance only. While determining the problem, Technical Support may not ask for all of this information, and may ask for information or actions not included here.

The generator writes all diagnostic output to a log file. Under workstation toolsets that invoke the generator, the log file has the same name as the member name of the screen it is generating, with an extension of ERR. Under z/OS, the file is allocated to a file named <&userid..IEF.LOGFILE>. The TSO user ID replaces the file name's prefix. Under z/OS, since there is only one logfile, it is important to only perform generation on the failing screen and no other component. Each generation replaces the contents of the log file.

If the generator successfully generates the source file, but the file fails to execute properly, Technical Support may need the contents of the generated source file. Check the identification comment section to verify the source file was generated for the correct platform, environment, and I/O support. It is not possible to use a CICS application on TSO or IMS, or to use a TSO or IMS application on CICS. Under some conditions the application may seem to work.

Ensure that MFS format definitions successfully compile and install into your IMS format libraries when generating for MFS and that the correct version of the application load module is used. Do not mix the MFS format definitions between the enhanced and standard generators because they are not compatible. Do not use an MFS format generated by the standard generator with code produced by the enhanced generator, and do not use an MFS format generated by the enhanced generator with code produced by the standard generator. If this does not fix the problem, Technical Support may need the generated code and the MFS source file.

If you see incorrect behavior for system fields, verify the system field is only defined once. It can be defined multiple times when the system field is defined on a template, and defined on a screen that uses the template. Because a screen may use any number of templates, the definition may be repeated multiple times on different templates.

If the generator causes a program check exception, Technical Support may require the screen being generated. You may need to define the use of any of the following features:

• Template usage—one or more, including contents of each template and when they are used by other screens.
• System Field usage— including the fields used, when they are used on templates and when they are used by this screen.
• Scroll—does the screen use scrolling repeating group views? If so, what are the cardinalities, placed and max? What is the setting of the protected unused occurrences property? Are any of the system scroll fields used such as scroll location or scroll amount? If so, for which ones is the scrolling property turned on for the screen?
• Transaction file errors
• Errors related to TSO datasets
• Upload and Download messages
• Repeating group views placed on the screen—what are the structures of the various repeating groups?

Retry the generation specifying the standard map generator. This is performed on z/OS by selecting STANDARD in the map generation options, on the construction dialog. On all the workstation platforms, the definition of an environment variable, named TIMAPGEN selects the generator used. To select the standard generator, set TIMAPGEN=1. To select the enhanced generator, set the variable to TIMAPGEN=2, or omit the definition.