REXX for CICS

Incremental development is now a reality

The powerful interactive source-level debugging capability and the fast development cycle of the IBM® REXXTM interpreter helps improve productivity. The interpreter - with its fast, natural development cycle, and excellent source-based interactive debugging - facilitates the transition to an Incremental Development Methodology.

With this methodology, REXX can be used for quick and expressive prototyping. Because of the special performance techniques used and robustness of the language, REXX is also suitable for professional application development.

IBM REXX for CICS® provides an environment to develop prototypes quickly to test system feasibility. Prototyping helps reduce the chances of errors later in the development cycle. This can also help determine the feasibility of a project. An additional benefit of incremental development is that the code is tested more thoroughly during development and may result in much higher quality.

Automate Systems Management

One of the major uses of REXX is a Procedures (Scripting) Language. IBM REXX for CICS can be used to automate sequences of CICS system and application systems management activities, providing greater productivity and reliability.

Since REXX for CICS supports application development and testing directly under CICS, systems management can be simplified. For example, some CICS developers may no longer need to have a TSO user ID (in certain situations). Reducing the volume of TSO user Ids that need to be administered and managed can mean a reduction in systems management activities.

Enhanced Web data and programming

REXX for CICS is great for Web-based programming. The file systems hierarchical naming system maps well to Web naming conventions and is very convenient for Web-based applications that need to associate data in a repository with names in URL format. The excellent string handling facilities of REXX for CICS are just what is required for the presentation programs of a Web-based application.

Additional Features

* SAA Level 2 REXX (non-stream I/O) language support
* SQL DB2 commands from REXX execs
* REXX interface to OfficeVision/MVS
* CICS native text editor
* High-level, VSAM-based file system
* High-level terminal I/O pane facility
* Dynamic support for EXEC CICS commands from REXX programs
* REXX interface to CEDA and CEMT transaction programs
* Support for subcommands written in REXX
* Command definition of REXX subcommands
* CICS pseudo-conversational support
* Support for system and user-profile execs
* Shared execs in virtual storage