Version and modification level numbers

Two of the statistics that the editor creates and maintains for members of ISPF libraries and partitioned data sets (when STATS mode is on) are the version and modification level numbers. These numbers are displayed in the form VV.MM at the top of the edit panel following the data set name.

When the editor creates statistics for a new member, the default version and modification level numbers are 01 and 00, respectively. Otherwise, the values are taken from the previous statistics stored with the member.

You can change the version number with the VERSION command.

The modification level number appears in the last 2 digits of the line numbers for new or changed lines to provide a record of activity. The number is automatically incremented by one when the first change is made to the data. It can also be changed explicitly with the LEVEL command. The numbers for both can range from 00 to 99, inclusive. After the modification level number reaches 99, it does not increment by one to return to level 00.

The editor normally increments the modification level the first time that data is changed. This incrementing is suppressed if:

You have set the modification level with a LEVEL command before making the first change.
Statistics did not previously exist, and the editor has set the modification level to 0 for a new member.

If both STATS mode and standard sequence number mode are on, the current modification level replaces the last two positions of the sequence number for any lines that are changed. At the time the data is saved, it is also stored for any lines that already are marked with a modification level higher than the current modification level. If you type LEVEL 0, press Enter, and then save the data, all lines are reset to level 0. See LEVEL—Specify the Modification Level Number for more information.