This section describes the format of the JSON (Javascript Object Notation) data structures that can be exchanged between ISPF and a client to allow the client to process ISPF panels. These JSON data structures were developed for the implementation of ISPF application processing in z/OSMF (z/OS® System Management Facility). With z/OS 1.13, z/OSMF is able to display in a web browser the panels for an ISPF application.

ISPF creates and sends to the client a JSON data structure that describes the layout of an ISPF panel. The client handles the display processing for the panel and is responsible for creating and sending to ISPF a JSON data structure that describes the user response for the panel.

JSON data structures are also used by TSO to communicate any TSO messages to the client. For TSO messages that require a user response, the client is required to return a JSON data structure that describes the response.

A z/OS UNIX message queue is used to handle the exchange of JSON data structures between ISPF and the client. The TSO launcher component of CEA (Common Event Adapter) must be invoked to create the TSO address space used to run ISPF because the launcher handles the creation of the z/OS UNIX message queue and passing of the message queue identifier to TSO and ISPF. Message type identifiers are used to identify the different messages sent from ISPF, TSO and the client.

Message type

Description

2

JSON data structure sent from TSO to client

3

JSON data structure sent from ISPF to client

7

JSON data structure sent from client to TSO

8

JSON data structure sent from client to ISPF

The following sections provide JSON schemas to describe the JSON data structures used to communicate between TSO/ISPF and the client.