Features and benefits
Key features include:
Panel and panel group editors: Use the panel editor to define the main components of a panel, including its format and data structure. The format describes how data is to be presented on a particular device; the data structure describes how data is to be communicated from and to the application. IBM® Screen Definition Facility II can distinguish between general panel characteristics and those specific to a target system. Use the panel group editor to define objects required by IBM CICS® BMS, IMS™ MFS, CSP/AD and GDDM®-IMD runtime services.
Partition set editor: Use the partition set editor to define how the screen of an IBM 8775, 3290 or 3180 display device is split into a number of separately controlled areas.
AID (attention identifier) table and control table editors: Use the AID table editor to map operator actions to values, which are then returned to the application. Use the control table editor to define a sequence of conditional operations and their associated control or branching functions.
Generation: Generate panels, panel groups and partition sets for use in the target system. You can generate these objects: CICS BMS macros and application data structures; IMS MFS utility control statements, application data structures (requires the optional MFS feature); ISPF panels and data structures; GDDM-IMD export data sets and CSP/AD export data sets or CSP/AD external source formats.
Import utility: Import maps, map sets and partition sets defined with CICS BMS macros into an SDF-supported library. You can also import format sets defined with IMS MFS utility control statements (requires the optional MFS feature); panels defined in the panel syntax of ISPF V2 or later; maps, map groups and AID tables defined by and exported from GDDM-IMD; maps and map groups defined by and exported from CSP/AD, by CSP/AD external source format, or by extended external source format; and maps, map sets and partition sets defined and dumped with Screen Definition Facility and CICS.
Conversion utility: Convert Screen Definition Facility II objects defined for one target system to a format suitable for another target system.
Extraction utility: Extract information about a panel and its fields and pass that to a user exit, where further processing can be done.
IBM Screen Definition Facility II provides numerous technology and business benefits:
Compatibility and flexibility: You can design, test, implement and maintain user interfaces for applications running CICS BMS, IMS MFS, CSP/AD, ISPF and GDDM-IMD. For example, you can run Screen Definition Facility II on an MVS system and still design for a target system that runs on VM.
Application prototyping: Review the flow of panels, together with the eventual end-user of the application, before anyone writes a line of code.
Minimized re-engineering: With application prototyping, you can obtain early feedback that can be incorporated into the design of the application before it is deployed.
