What is the MainView API

Through the API, MainView AutoOPERATOR EXECs can explicitly request the data from a MainView product through an EXEC. The MainView API enables MainView AutoOPERATOR to gather data from the MainView databus to flow from any of the MainView products into MainView AutoOPERATOR.

MainView AutoOPERATOR EXECs process the MainView data based on how a MainView view looks during a MainView terminal session, so you see the exact output in an EXEC for a view as you see when it is displayed from a MainView terminal session.

MainView AutoOPERATOR processes MainView data as an array where data from the MainView databus (tabular and detail format views) is returned in rows and columns. An array is a table that consists of one or more rows and columns that are given names. A one-to-one relationship exists between the columns of a view and the columns in the resulting array. Refer to Customizing-MainView-views-and-connecting-BBI-SS-PAS-to-a-CAS for more information about the naming conventions for array columns.

Every command described in this chapter is prefixed by the literal MainView | MV to avoid naming conflicts with existing IMFEXEC commands. MV is a valid abbreviation in the command syntax for MainView.

BMC Software recommends that you use the IMFEXEC MV GETDATAN command because it provides the easiest method for accessing the data. The IMFEXEC MV GETDATAN command accesses the array through a REXX EXEC and returns the information in REXX stem variables.

Or you can use the IMFEXEC MV GETDATA command which returns information that you must query with IMFEXEC ARRAY commands. The array is processed one row at a time, retrieving and placing the contents of that row into TSO/E variables that are available to an EXEC. Refer to Accessing-array-data-with-MainView-AutoOPERATOR-EXECs.

BMC recommends that you use the commands in the same sequence in your EXECs as they are documented in this section.