Using CICS Transaction Support
Xchange Transaction IDs
Xchange can be initiated with one of three separate CICS transactions:
- To invoke standard Xchange CICS transaction support, type XGTM on a blank CICS screen and press Enter.
- To invoke Xchange as an authorized user, type XGTS on a blank CICS screen and press Enter.
- To invoke Xchange using input from a PDS or PDSE instead of entering it on the Simulated Date Time Settings screen, type XGTN on a blank CICS screen and press Enter. For more information, see Using-CICS-Transaction-Support-with-Input-from-a-PDS-or-PDSE.
Authorized users can view and delete Xchange requests for all terminals in the CICS region. Also, an authorized user can completely shut down Xchange in the entire region by entering the STOP primary command. This can be useful when used with the NEWCOPY function of CICS to load a new copy of an Xchange module to which maintenance has been applied. The new version of the module will be loaded without cycling your CICS system.
Access to the XGTS, XGTM, and XGTN transactions can be restricted to selected users with your site's existing security package
Deleting Requests
A third Xchange transaction, XGTD, deletes all requests owned by the current terminal ID. To run the transaction, type XGTD on a blank CICS screen and press Enter. This will delete all requests for the terminal without first having to display them.
Another method of deleting the Xchange requests owned by your terminal is to enter XGTM on a blank CICS screen, then type END in the COMMAND field and press Enter.
The authorized user can delete every request in a CICS region by entering XGTS on a blank CICS screen, then typing END ALL in the COMMAND field and pressing Enter.
Deleting Messages
To delete Xchange messages owned by your terminal without affecting the running time clock for your requests, enter XGTM on a blank CICS screen, type END MESS in the COMMAND field and press Enter.
To delete Xchange messages owned by your terminal while resetting the running time clock for your requests, enter XGTM on a blank CICS screen, type END RESET in the COMMAND field and press Enter.
An authorized user can delete every Xchange message in a CICS region without affecting the running time clock for all requests. This is done by entering XGTS on a blank CICS screen, typing PREFIX ** in the Command field and pressing Enter, and then typing *END MESS in the COMMAND field and pressing Enter.
An authorized user can delete every Xchange message in a CICS region while resetting the running time clock for all requests. This is done by entering XGTS on a blank CICS screen, typing PREFIX ** in the Command field and pressing Enter, and then typing *END RESET in the COMMAND field and pressing Enter.
For more information, see END. For more information on the running time clock, see Line Commands.
Specifying the Subsystem
The first time you invoke Xchange CICS transaction support, one of the following occurs:
- If no subsystem is running, the Subsystem Identification screen is displayed with the message shown in the Subsystem Identification Screen with No Active Subsystem figure. After you have started a subsystem, you must either type the subsystem ID on this screen, or reinvoke the Xchange transaction.
- If more than one subsystem is running, the Subsystem Identification screen (Subsystem Identification Screen with Choice of Active Subsystems figure) is displayed with a list of running subsystems. You must select the subsystem you want to use. The subsystem selected will be used for all requests in this CICS region.
- If only one subsystem is running, Xchange will immediately display the Simulated Date Time Settings screen shown in the Simulated Date Time Settings Screen for CICS Transaction Support figure.
After a subsystem has been specified (if necessary), each time Xchange is invoked, the Simulated Date Time Settings screen will immediately be displayed.
Subsystem Identification Screen with No Active Subsystem
COMMAND ===>
No Xchange subsystem active - enter name when started
______
Copyright (C) 2003, 2019 by BMC Software, Inc. All rights reserved
BMC Xchange Release 17.02
Subsystem Identification Screen with Choice of Active Subsystems
COMMAND ===>
Choose subsystem to be used - enter "S" to make selection
XG40
XG4A
Copyright (C) 2003, 2019 by BMC Software, Inc. All rights reserved
BMC Xchange Release 17.02
Specifying Requests-Using CICS Transaction Support
The following Simulated Date Time Settings screen lets you specify requests for simulated system date and time scenarios for your applications.
Simulated Date Time Settings Screen for CICS Transaction Support
COMMAND ===> Scroll ===> PAGE
Line Commands: H - Set and Hold P - Permanent R - Reset D - Delete
Status Codes: H - Held P - Permanent C - Completed * - Error T - Threshold
C/S Owner UserID Async Terminal TransID Program YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS TASK NO
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==============================================================================
PF1 Help PF2 COPYRIGHT/TRADE SECRET NOTICE PF3 END PF7 BWD PF8 FWD
Each line is an entry where you can type information defining which portions of your application or applications are to be tested using Xchange. Each individual entry that you create is called a request. All the entries together constitute the request table. When you press Enter, the commands you put in the C portion of the C/S field are executed for each corresponding request.
The remainder of this section discusses five aspects of using the Simulated Date Time Settings screen:
- primary commands
- line commands
- status codes
- fields
- PF keys
Primary Commands-Using CICS Transaction Support
Type primary commands in the COMMAND field at the top of the Xchange screen. The following primary commands are available on the Simulated Date Time Settings screen:
ADVANCE
Use the ADVANCE command to display the Advance Request Settings screen. The command can be abbreviated as ADV. For more information, see Advancing-Xchange-Requests-Using-CICS-Transaction-Support.
END
The END command deletes all requests associated with the current terminal ID. If the ALL parameter is specified, all requests that have been displayed using the PREFIX command will be deleted. This allows an authorized user to selectively delete all the requests associated with a particular terminal or with all terminals in the CICS region.
The END command can also be used to delete Xchange messages. If the MESS or RESET parameter is specified, only Xchange messages that have been displayed using the PREFIX command will be deleted. This allows an authorized user to selectively delete all the Xchange messages associated with a particular terminal or with all terminals in the CICS region. It is only available from the primary Simulated Date Time Settings screen. The difference between the two parameters is that the MESS parameter leaves the running time clock for requests unaffected, while the RESET parameter resets the running time clock for requests. For more information, see Deleting-Messages. For more information on the running time clock, see Line Commands.
LIST
The LIST command without any parameters is used to display all Xchange requests that apply to the current terminal ID and user ID. Such requests may have been created by the Xchange authorized user using wildcards for term ID or user ID. Type LIST ALL and press Enter to also display messages. The requests and messages are not modifiable by a standard Xchange user unless they were created by that user. Type LIST OFF and press Enter to suppress the display of those requests. Type LIST ? and press Enter to display the current request viewing status of LIST ALL, LIST OFF associated with a particular terminal or with all terminals in the CICS region.
MAX
The MAX command is actually a scrolling parameter used with the PF7 and PF8 keys to move quickly to the top or bottom of the entries on the Simulated Date Time Settings screen. The command can be abbreviated as M.
MSG
Each time a request is completed, a message entry with a status of C is added to the request table. The MSG command can be used to suppress the display of these messages. This can reduce the need for scrolling and make it easier to view more requests on a single screen. Suppress message display by typing MSG OFF in the COMMAND field and pressing Enter. To redisplay the suppressed messages, type MSG ON — or simply MSG — in the COMMAND field and press Enter. Type MSG ? to display the status of the message display function. ON is the default.
OFFSET
Use the OFFSET command to display the Simulated Date Time Settings screen for CICS transaction support in offset format. The command can be abbreviated as OFF. For more information, see Using-CICS-Transaction-Support-with-Date-Time-Offset.
PREFIX
The PREFIX command is used to revise the display of the Xchange requests. A request is displayed if any of the following are true:
- The current prefix value matches the request's originating terminal ID (owner field).
- The current userID matches the CICS default userID and the current prefix value matches the request's terminal ID (terminal field).
- The current userID does not match the CICS default userID but does match the request's userID.
All users may issue the PREFIX and PREFIX ? commands.
Only authorized users may issue the PREFIX termid and PREFIX * commands.
PREFIX | Sets the prefix value to the current terminal ID. |
PREFIX ? | Displays the requests using the current prefix value. |
PREFIX termID | Sets the prefix value to the specified value. A trailing asterisk (*) may be used as a wildcard. If a wildcard is entered, it is used only for the match to the originating terminal ID (owner field) as in the first selection rule above. |
PREFIX * | Sets the prefix value to an asterisk (*). This will display all requests set from all terminals in the region. |
PRIMARY
Display the list of valid primary commands.
RELEASE
The RELEASE command displays the release number of Xchange you are using. If you type RELEASE in the COMMAND field and press Enter, Xchange will display the release number just above the SCROLL field. Press Enter again to toggle the release number off.
SSID
The SSID command displays the Xchange subsystem in use for your CICS region. If you type SSID in the COMMAND field and press Enter, Xchange will display the Subsystem ID just above the SCROLL field. Press Enter again to toggle the Subsystem ID off.
STOP
The STOP command is used to terminate Xchange transaction support in the current CICS region. Because the STOP command halts Xchange for every terminal in the region, it can only be used by an authorized user and should not be used just to end an Xchange session on a single terminal. To end the Xchange session on your terminal, simply clear the screen.
Line Commands-Using CICS Transaction Support
Type line commands in the C portion of the C/S field (see Fields). The following line commands are available on the Simulated Date Time Settings screen:
H | Sets and holds a request by adding it to the request table. A running time clock for the transaction/program will be started at the moment the request is first used and will run parallel to real time. This allows you to test the way your program or transaction will behave when an event such as the first second of the year 2000 occurs during processing. If the request is set for a specific program, the time and date will be exchanged only for that program — not for the entire transaction. The request, including its displacement from the real time and date, is retained until you delete it with the D (Delete) line command. |
D | Deletes an existing request and its related transactions/programs (if applicable). Only authorized users can delete requests associated with terminal IDs other than their own. |
R | Resets a request after new values have been entered in the YYYY/MM/DD and/or HH:MM:SS fields. This allows you to change the date and time for the request without having to retype every field. None of the other fields can be modified with the R command. |
P | Sets and holds a permanent-time request by adding it to the request table. This command is similar to the H line command, except that the time specified is used as the starting point for a running clock on a transaction by transaction basis. The first time the request is used by each instance of a transaction, Xchange provides the request’s specified time and starts its running clock. This differs from H requests which start a running clock the first time the request is used and maintain the request’s time on that single running clock. |
V | Advances the requested date and time or offset of all CICS transaction support Date/Time and Offset requests that match the Advance request by the time interval specified in the Advance offset forward or backward. This command deletes all matching CICS transaction support Date/Time and Offset requests along with their completed entries, then adds the requests back. Only the Line Command field is recognized when advancing a request. A request owned by a different user ID can only be advanced by an Xchange administrator. For information on designating Xchange administrators, see Task-8-3-5-Designating-Xchange-administrators. |
Status Codes-Using CICS Transaction Support
Status codes appear under the S portion of the C/S field (see Fields). Any of the following status codes can appear:
H | The request is held. |
P | The request is permanent. |
C | The request has completed. |
* | The request contains an error. |
T | Threshold has been reached. A CICS complete message has been suppressed for the request based on the threshold value specified for the CICSMAXR or CICSMAXS parameter. For more information, see Task-3-2-2-Specify-Xchange-parameters. |
Fields-Using CICS Transaction Support
The Owner and Task No. fields and the S portion of the C/S field are display-only. You can type data into all of the other fields. Completed exchanges are displayed following their corresponding requests.
Beginning with Xchange 3.1, you can specify userID and, depending on your release of CICS, asynchronous (non-terminal) transactions for date/time simulation on the same Xchange request. The following table explains the use and behavior of the UserID, Async, and Terminal fields for a normal user, a normal user not logged onto the region, and an authorized user.
UserID, Terminal, and Async Fields by User Type
User Type | Screen Field Defaults | Behavior When Setting Requests | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
UserID | Terminal | Async | ||
Normal | Logged on | * | YES | Terminal can be specified. UserID cannot be changed. |
Normal | * | Current | NO | Only current termID and NONE allowed in Terminal field. |
Authorized | Logged on | * | YES | UserID and Terminal can be specified. NONE or * forces Async YES. Async cannot be changed. |
C/S
The command and status display for each entry. You can enter line commands under the C portion of the field. For a listing and description of the line commands, see Line Commands. Status codes are displayed under the S portion of the field. For a listing and description of the status codes, see Status Codes.
Owner
The terminal ID of the user who defined the request or a four-character message code. This is a display-only field. For more information on the message codes, see Owner-Field-Messages.
UserID
The userID the request will affect. The default for this field varies by the type of user. See the UserID, Terminal, and Async Fields by User Type table.
Async
Indicates whether asynchronous transactions that meet the request criteria are to be exchanged.
Terminal
The name of the CICS terminal ID for which to simulate the system date and time. Specify NONE to exchange only asynchronous transactions. With an asterisk in the Terminal field, all terminals and asynchronous tasks in the CICS region are eligible for the specified exchange. The default for this field varies by the type of user. See UserID, Terminal, and Async Fields by User Type table.
TransID
The name of a specific or generic transaction ID for which to exchange dates. To specify a single ID, enter the exact ID in this field. You can use a wildcard feature by substituting an asterisk (*) anywhere in the transaction ID. Specifying only an asterisk in this field requests all transaction IDs in a request. The TransID field defaults to asterisks.
Program
The name of a specific or generic program for which to exchange dates. You can specify a single program by entering the exact program name in this field. To specify multiple programs, substitute an asterisk (*) anywhere in the program name. If you enter only an asterisk in this field, all programs are requested. The Program field defaults to an asterisk.
YYYY/MM/DD
The year, month, and day that you want Xchange to simulate. The following entries are valid:
YYYY | 1900 to 2041 (2099 if POSTEPOC parameter is set to YES) |
MM | 01 to 12 |
DD | 01 to 28 (Feb.) |
If you enter a value for the day (DD), the month and year are required. If you enter a value for the month (MM), the year is required. You can enter just the year. This field defaults to the current year, month, and day. If you leave the DD field blank, an error will occur if the current day of the month is invalid for the month you specified — for example, if you entered February on July 31.
HH:MM:SS
The hour, minute, and second that you want Xchange to simulate for the specified date. The following entries are valid:
HH | 00 to 23 |
MM | 00 to 59 |
SS | 00 to 59 |
If you enter a value for seconds (SS), the hour and minutes are required. If you enter a value for minutes (MM), the hour is required. You can enter just the hour in this field. If only hours or hours and minutes values are entered, the remaining fields will default to zeros. If no values are entered, this field displays all zeros and defaults to the running current hour, minute, and second at the time of task execution.
Task No.
The task number of the request. This is a display-only field.
PF Keys-Using CICS Transaction Support
The CICS transaction support feature recognizes the following function keys:
- PF2 (Copyright/Trade Secret Notice)
- PF3 (End)
- PF7 (Scroll Up)
- PF8 (Scroll Down)
- Clear (Exit Transaction)