Finding a breakpoint

If you call a dialog function or selection panel and find a breakpoint, the Breakpoint Primary Option Panel is displayed. Figure 1 shows this selection panel at a breakpoint just after the ISPF DISPLAY service was called while processing the TEST function in application PAY.

Figure 1. Breakpoint Primary Option panel (ISPYXM1)

 ┌──────────────────────────────── Dialog Test ────────────────────────────────┐
 │   Menu  Utilities  Help                                                     │
 │ ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
 │             Breakpoint Primary Option Panel - BEFORE VDEFINE   End of field │
 │                                                                             │
 │ 1 Functions       Invoke dialog functions/selection panel                   │
 │ 2 Panels          Display panels                                            │
 │ 3 Variables       Display/set variable information                          │
 │ 4 Tables          Display/modify table information                          │
 │ 5 Log             Browse ISPF log                                           │
 │ 6 Dialog Services Invoke dialog services                                    │
 │ 7 Traces          Specify trace definitions                                 │
 │ 8 Breakpoints     Specify breakpoint definitions                            │
 │ T Tutorial        Display information about Dialog Test                     │
 │ G Go              Continue execution from breakpoint                        │
 │ C Cancel          Cancel dialog testing                                     │
 │                                                                             │
 │ Current status:                                                             │
 │ Application . : PAY      Function . : TEST      Return Code . . 8           │
 │ Breakpoint:                                                                 │
 │ FVR96 ISPFVR97 ISPFVR98 ISPFVR99 ISPFVR00,X'C1C2C3C4',X'C3C8C1D9',4,LIST )  │
 │ <                                                                           │
 │ Option ===>                                              Scroll ===> PAGE   │
 │  F1=HELP        F2=            F3=END         F4=DATASETS    F5=FIND        │
 │  F6=CHANGE      F9=SWAP       F10=LEFT       F11=RIGHT      F12=SUBMIT      │
 └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Like the Dialog Test Primary Option Panel, the Breakpoint Primary Option Panel allows you to use the RETURN command from any one of the selected test options to display the Breakpoint Primary Option Panel again. At the Breakpoint Primary Option Panel, the END and RETURN commands have no effect. You must use the Go option (G) to end processing at this breakpoint and continue processing the dialog being tested, or the Cancel option (C) to cancel the Dialog Test option (7). This protects against inadvertent loss of data.

The Breakpoint Primary Option Panel contains all the options of the Dialog Test Primary Option Panel except Exit (7.x) and, as such, presents all but one of the Dialog Test functions to you.

This panel also contains two options not shown on the Dialog Test Primary Option Panel: Go (G) and Cancel (C). When a breakpoint occurs, these options allow you to continue processing or stop processing, respectively:

G: The Go option continues dialog processing from a breakpoint. The user dialog resumes processing from the point at which it was suspended.
C: The Cancel option ends dialog testing and displays the first primary option panel you displayed at the beginning of your ISPF session again. All trace and breakpoint definitions are lost when you leave Dialog Test.

When a user dialog finds a breakpoint, the current dialog environment is saved. When you select the Go option, the environment is restored, except that:

If you change variable, table, and file tailoring data at a breakpoint, these actions are an extension of the suspended dialog; it is as though the dialog had taken all the actions itself during processing.
If you change the service return code on the Breakpoint Primary Option Panel, the new return code is passed back to the dialog as though the service had set the new return code itself.
If you process the PANELID command at the breakpoint, the last setting for displaying panel identifiers is retained.
If any CONTROL service settings for DISPLAY LINE or DISPLAY SM (Session Manager) were in effect before the breakpoint, such settings are lost.

Note that the manipulation of one dialog part can cause a change to another dialog part. For example, if a panel is displayed, variables can be set.

All trace and breakpoint definitions are lost if you select the Cancel option.

The Breakpoint Primary Option Panel also displays this information:

AFTER or BEFORE

An indication of whether the dialog has been suspended after or before the service has processed.

Service Name

The name of the service at which the dialog has been suspended. In Figure 1, the service name is DISPLAY.

Current status:

The application's current status when the breakpoint occurred. These fields show this status:

Application

The application identifier of the suspended user dialog.

Function

The program or command name of the suspended user dialog.

Return code

The dialog service return code. This field is displayed only if the breakpoint occurs after the dialog service has processed. The Return code field is modifiable; its value is passed back to the dialog (as the service's) when you select the Go option. This helps test dialog error handling.

Breakpoint

One scrollable line showing an image of the dialog service call. Place the cursor over the image and use LEFT, RIGHT, and EXPAND functions to scroll the area. < and > appear below the line to indicate in which direction more data may be available. A maximum of 2048 characters may be displayed.

ISPEXEC calls are shown as typed.

ISPLINK (ISPLNK) calls are displayed with their parameter values separated by commas. Name-lists are shown as typed in the dialog, in string format or in structure format. Structure format includes the count, element length, and list of names. For variable services parameters whose context is defined by the name-list parameter on the service call (for example, the variable value areas for a VDEFINE), the first four bytes of the parameter value are displayed in hexadecimal format (X'nnnnnnnn').

ISPEXEC calls from a program are the same as ISPEXEC calls from a command except that ISPEXEC is not displayed.