Advanced Techniques › Using PF Keys

Using PF Keys

Using PF keys to execute some of the more common commands helps save time and reduce keystroke errors when entering commands.

To set your PF keys, type KEYS on any CA SymDump System command line and press ENTER. A standard PF keys dialog appears, enabling you to change your PF key settings for the product.

The KEYS dialog is shown here:

                  PF Key Definitions and Labels - Primary Keys
 Command ===>
                                                                    More:     +
 Number of PF Keys . . . 24                          Terminal type  . . 3278
 Enter "/" to select . .           (Enable EURO sign)
 
 PF1 . . . HELP
 PF2 . . . SPLIT
 PF3 . . . END
 PF4 . . . DUMP
 PF5 . . . RFIND
 PF6 . . . MAP
 PF7 . . . UP
 PF8 . . . DOWN
 PF9 . . . SWAP
 PF10  . . LEFT
 PF11  . . RIGHT
 PF12  . . RETRIEVE
 
 PF1  Label  . .            PF2  Label  . .            PF3  Label  . .
 PF4  Label  . .            PF5  Label  . .            PF6  Label  . .
 PF7  Label  . .            PF8  Label  . .            PF9  Label  . .
 PF10 Label  . .            PF11 Label  . .            PF12 Label  . .    

Using the Keys dialog, you can assign any PF key to any dump viewer command. It is probably best to only reassign those keys whose functions are not used by the dump viewer.

For example, some of your PF keys may already be assigned to some of these functions, which are used by the dump viewer:

• DOWN
• HELP
• RFIND
• RETRIEVE
• SWAP
• END
• LEFT
• RIGHT
• SPLIT
• UP

However, you can replace the following keys, which are not used by CA SymDump System, without interfering with other functions:

• RCHANGE
• RETURN

The TSO/ISPF dump viewer executes under its own unique application ID, so each user maintains separate key settings that affect only the use of dump viewer.

Using PF keys to execute cursor-sensitive commands also gives you point-and-shoot access to dump information. The CA SymDump System dump viewer for TSO/ISPF offers the following cursor-sensitive commands:

CMSG

Request CICS Message Help

DUMP

Display dump storage

DISASSEM

Disassemble program storage

KEEP

Copy data to the Keep Window

MAP

Map control blocks

For any of these commands, the cursor position can be used to select the command argument required to complete the command. Simply place the cursor on any token in the data portion of any display and press the PF key assigned to the command!

You can also enter any of these commands manually on the command line without operands. The data at the current cursor location is used as the command argument.

Example

Select any dump for viewing. Then select the Abend Summary report from the Favorites folder. Place your cursor on the current TCB address shown in the report and press the PF key that you have assigned to the DUMP command. The storage for the current TCB displays.

You get the same result by typing DUMP on the command line, placing your cursor on the current TCB address and pressing ENTER.

Because the current TCB address is also a known control block, try the same example using the MAP command instead of DUMP. The same storage is displayed, but this time it is mapped using the appropriate mapping DSECT for the TCB control block.

The ability to map control blocks without specifying a MAP name on the command is called Auto-Mapping and is available for all of the known OS and CICS control blocks listed in the dump tree.