TSO
Here are some more keystroke-saving techniques you can incorporate into your own style of interaction with the mainframe. The TSO command parser is highly efficient and can determine the command you wish to use from a minimum number of characters needed to uniquely identify the command.
Many TSO commands also have short versions as an alternative to their full command name. This same syntax prediction occurs with command-keyword parameters as well as the base-command names. A couple of example commands issued many times daily by systems programmers all over the world serve to demonstrate the point:
- LISTCAT ENTRY(dataset) ALIAS, can also be issued as:
- o LISTC ENT(dataset) ALI, or the “short form” of LISTCAT below:
- ยง LC ENT(dataset) ALI – much less typing.
A RACF command as another example:
- LISTDSD DATASET(dataset) AUTH GENERIC
- LISTDSD DA(dataset) AU GE, and the short form of LISTDSD:
- o LD DA(dataset) AU GE
I know which versions I prefer to type in 20 times a day.
From the ISPF command line, issue the PROFILE command (TSO PROFILE), which will list your current PROFILE details. I set the PROFILE PREFIX(myHLQ) and PROFILE WTPMSG as default options. The first sets the default dataset-name prefix used in ISPF for unqualified dataset names, while the second ensures I receive all write-to-programmer messages sent to my terminal.
The TSO command ALTLIB is used to manage datasets containing REXX Execs or Clists allocated dynamically after logon. These datasets are usually allocated by applications within the ISPF environment. The command TSO ALTLIB DISPLAY shows these datasets in the search order ahead of the DD names SYSEXEC and SYSPROC, which is useful when debugging Clists or REXX.
Remember, almost all TSO commands have matching short forms. If you use any command more than a few times daily, it’s worthwhile experimenting to find the shortest working version (e.g., TSO PROF PRE(MyHLQ) or TSO ALTLIB DIS).
