File-AID Data Editor Data Display View

Upon entry to the data display, the window is organized to present your requested data.
One of three display modes is initially presented, depending on the type of data you have requested and the use of record layouts.

Formatted Table Mode

Upon initial entry to the data display, for relational database data, the rows are presented in Formatted Table Mode. Each column is headed by the column name, data type and length, and if the column is a primary or foreign key, one or both key icons: . Upon initial entry to the data display for MVS data with a single layout, the records are presented as rows in a matrix similar to the relational database display where column headings are elementary fields from the layout (field name, type, location). For MVS, z/OS UNIX, and IMS, a tab at the bottom of the edit window provides access to the Unformatted display modes. If no layouts are provided, the Unformatted display is the only mode available for data presentation.

In table mode, rows are organized under the column headings and the display can be scrolled down to reveal additional rows or scrolled right to reveal additional columns (if applicable). Several options are available that allow you to manipulate the data display. These options can be accessed from the icon bar or by right-clicking and selecting from the context menu.
You can change the data value in a cell by clicking in the cell and entering keystrokes or pasting data from the Windows clipboard (Ctrl+v). When pasting from the clipboard, data being pasted must not exceed the size of the field.

The column to the left of the first data column is initially formatted to contain the row number. As you make changes to your data, icons will appear notifying you of the type of change you have made (for example, bookmarks and hidden rows, etc.). Right-click in this column on the desired row to access the options that are available from a context menu. Additional options are available by right-clicking on one of the column headings and choosing options from that context menu. A third context menu is available from the left-hand column of the header row - right-click and choose from the available options.

The first line under the tab heading specifies whether you are in Edit Mode or Browse Mode. For DB2 data, it also shows the table name and the host and subsystem where the table resides. For MVS data (formatted or unformatted), it also shows the complete data set name of the MVS file. For IMS data, it shows the DBDname. Also in the first line are Page controls, the 3-line Hex toggle icon (), the Visualize DBD icon () for IMS data, and a link to help ().

The next line is a link. It returns you to the Request window. This allows you to refine your data Request. If you return to the Request and modify it, when you click Run, you will return to the Browse or Edit mode with the new request specifications applied.

Key fields are color coded with a purple background and protected. (For more information, see Highlighting Colors). For columns containing character data, mouse over the column name to reveal a tool tip showing the CCSID of the data in that column.

Context Options

The context options available are Copy, Paste, Undo and Clear Cell Warning(s).

• Copy: Copies the selected cells.
• Paste: Pastes the copied content into the selected region/cells.
• Undo: Reverts the whole selected row into its original state. This option is similar to Undo Row option in "Table Mode Context Options".
• Clear Cell Warning(s): Clears the cell warnings (from selected cells) occurred from paste operation. "Clear All Cell Warnings" option is also available on the editor section toolbar. This option clears all cell warnings irrespective of cell selection. 

These options are available for all Table, Row and Unformatted mode tables.

Table Mode Context Options

Some of the following options may not be available depending on the type of data you are working with and where you are in the program. All of the editing options are disabled while you are in Browse mode.

• Insert Row: Inserts rows into your data.
• Insert Multiple Rows: Inserts multiple rows into your data. This opens a dialog box asking for the number of rows to insert.

• Delete Row: Deletes a row or selected number of rows.
• Repeat Row(s): Repeats the currently selected row(s) one time.

• Repeat Row(s) Multiple Times: Opens the Repeat Row(s) Multiple Times dialog box. Enter the number of times to repeat the row(s) and click OK. 

  Important

  Repeat Row(s) Multiple Times is not available with IMS data.

•  Cut: Copies the selected rows to a clipboard and marks them for deletion.
•  Copy: Copies the selected rows to a clipboard.

•  Paste: Pastes the contents of the clipboard after the currently selected row. 

  Important

  When working with IMS data, Cut is not active. Copy may only be used to copy 1 row that is not a root segment. Paste is not based on the currently selected record; rather the Repeat Segment dialog appears to capture the destination of the copied segment. It is recommended that you use Repeat Row instead of Copy and Paste when working with IMS data. Use Delete to remove segments.

• Undo: Resets the selected row to its condition the last time you saved.
• Undo All: Resets everything to its condition the last time you saved.
• Bookmark: Bookmarks specific rows so that you can return to them later. When you set a bookmark, the default may be your key field identifier if your data has a primary key field with enforced uniqueness. If this is not the case, another default bookmark will be entered. If desired, you can overtype that bookmark name with something you can more easily remember. Bookmark is available as a Navigation option.
• Remove All Bookmarks: Removes the bookmarks you previously set.
• Find: Searches your current page for a specified string. Find opens a dialog box where you enter your search string. Find highlights your found search string and scrolls the display to make the field containing the result visible. There are several options provided to control the nature and scope of your search and/or replace. For complete information on how to use Find or Find/Replace, see Find-Replace.

• Navigation: Allows you to navigate through your data. (See Page Controls.) 

  Important

   Navigating pages of selected rows is available as long as the Number of rows to Display is not larger than the number specified in Maximum rows to Select (DB2 only) when the request was run. If the two numbers are equal there is only one page and there is no Next Page to navigate to thus no previous page. Paging is typically used when dealing with very large sets of rows of interest. It is recommended that Selection Criteria be used in the Request dialog to select only those rows of interest for viewing or editing with the File-AID Data Editor. This will greatly improve performance, resource utilization and operation of the Data Display and may make paging unnecessary. If you are using paging, click on Next Page to bring in a new set of rows to work with. The First page and Previous page icons activate when you are on page 2 or beyond. When the last possible page is viewed, the Next Page and Last page icons will be disabled.

  • First Page: Navigates to the first page.
  • Previous Page: Scrolls backward one page.
  • Next Page: Scrolls forward one page.
  • Last Page: Navigates to the last page.
  • Go to First Row: Navigates to the first row on the page.
  • Go to Last Row: Navigates to the last row on the page.
  • Go to Specific Row: Navigates to a specific row on the page.

  • Go to Bookmark: Navigates to the selected bookmark. 

    Important

    When accessing IMS data, additional navigation commands are available as described in IMS Navigation.

• Auto Resize Selected Columns: Adjusts the width of the selected columns to the size of the largest field in each column. Keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Alt+A.

  Important

  This context menu option differs from the similar icon bar Auto Resize button, which resizes all columns including those in the Row Mode display.

• Hide Row/Rows: Hides the selected rows for this editing session. If you hold the mouse over the marker showing that rows are hidden, it will tell you how many rows are hidden. You can unhide those rows by clicking on the (Unhide) link in the tool tip following the text indicating the number of hidden rows. Hidden rows are only kept hidden for the current editing session or the current page if multiple pages are available. If you navigate to another page or exit the table, hidden rows are restored for viewing.
• Unhide All: Redisplays all hidden rows.
• Flip: Hides all currently displayed (unhidden) rows and displays all hidden rows.
• Freeze Columns: Opens a dialog box that allows you to specify which columns to freeze. If you choose a column to freeze other than the first column, the Editor rearranges the selected column to the first column position where it remains visible while you scroll the other columns on your screen.
• Unfreeze Columns: Unfreezes the selected columns and returns columns to their original position.
• Clear All Filters: Clears the filters that you previously set.
• Hide Column: Hides the selected columns.
• Show All Columns: Redisplays all hidden columns.
• Column Chooser: Opens the Column Chooser dialog box. This dialog box contains a list of all of the currently visible columns/fields in the Formatted table. You can rearrange the column order with this option. For more information, see Column-Chooser.
• Undo all: Cancels all of the changes you made during the current  session.
• Export: Toolbar icon for exporting the contents of the data display to a local file in your choice of four different formats. With the exception of XML export, you can only export one segment when working with either IMS data or an XREF with MVS data.

To access these actions, right-click and select the desired action from the appropriate context menu.
In addition to the above tasks, you can also sort your table columns by clicking the column heading. Your rows will be sorted first in ascending order. If you click the heading again, they will be resorted in descending order. Click the heading again to return the rows to their original order.

If you have clicked a field within a row, while it is still selected, you can tab to move to the next field in that row or shift-tab to move to the previous field in the row.

Formatted Row Mode

The formatted row editor allows you to view your data one row at a time. You can change the data value in a cell by clicking in the Value cell and entering data or pasting data from the Windows clipboard (Ctrl+v). If you make a change to a value, an icon appears in the Edit pane showing that the data in that row has been modified. Information at the top of the display indicates the current row in the page and the Length of the record or segment. When editing variable length records or segments, the length is automatically updated whenever a COBOL OCCURS DEPENDING ON (ODO) or PL/I REFER value is changed. If using an XREF defining segmented records, record length can be impacted by adding or removing segments. In Unformatted Table Mode, there is a length field in the top information display to allow changes to variable length records or IMS segments for a selected row.

For relational databases, the Column Names are listed in a column on the left, followed by data Type and data Value columns.

For MVS, z/OS UNIX, and IMS, the Field Names are listed on the left, followed by Location, Data type, Length, Picture, and Value.

After selecting a row of interest in the Table Editor, you can open or close the Row Editor by clicking the toggle icon for Show/Hide Row Editor .

To change a data value within the Row Editor, double-click the Value cell and make your modifications. From the Row Editor, you can change only the Value field.

For relational database rows, KSDS records, and IMS segments, key fields are protected and color coded. See Highlighting Colors. For IMS, you may only modify a key if you have Inserted a new segment and the segment is Pending Insert. In the case of Pending Insert, you can access the IMS Modify Key dialog by clicking on the concatenated key display link.

For relational database tables and KSDS VSAM files, you may change key values for any record, but you must ensure that the new key is unique and that key modification is allowed for the file. (For MVS, must be non-selective edit of reusable VSAM).

The row editor also has a filter row. For information on how to use the filter row, see Filtering Rows.

Cell Warnings

A warning icon will be displayed when,

• data copied into a cell is exceeding the character limit
• data copied is invalid for the cell type (for example: adding alphanumeric values in the numeric field)

Also, when you hover over the cell, the tooltip will display a description of the error.

Unformatted Table Mode

For MVS unformatted mode, a ruler appears at the top, and an information display is presented at the top and bottom, showing you the cursor location in your data. The top information display, just above the ruler, also shows the record length of the selected or top row and, when in edit mode, allows you to change the length of variable length records/segments. Row number and location values are enabled for entry and will cause the cursor highlight to move to the specified location and to automatically scroll the display to make that location visible. For IMS, the concatenated key is shown in the top information display, and additional columns are provided for each row, identifying the Segment level and name of each segment. Access to Unformatted Table Mode is via the Unformatted tab in the lower left corner of the data display. With MVS and IMS data, if no record layouts are provided, Unformatted Table Mode is the default and only available data display format.

The column to the left of the first data column is initially formatted to contain the row number. It also provides access to the context menu and has the same functions as described in Formatted Table Mode Context Options.

Click on a data character to position the cursor for data entry. When editing, keystrokes you enter are inserted or overwrite the character at the cursor location depending on the status of the entry mode (Insert or Overwrite). You may also enter characters by pasting (Ctrl+V) the contents of the Windows clipboard onto one or more selected characters. You may highlight one or more data characters and copy (Ctrl+C) to the Windows clipboard. You may not copy or paste hex values from the 3-line hex display.

When editing data in variable length records or IMS segments, the record length will automatically increase if characters are inserted and decrease if characters are deleted. The data area is shaded after the last character in the record/segment to indicate the end of data. When editing, the shaded area is protected from entry. For fixed length records, inserting characters is not permitted beyond the record length. Deleting characters in a record or IMS segment in unformatted mode will cause blanks to be appended to the end of the record or segment.

Unformatted Row Mode

The unformatted row mode allows you to perform the following:

• Break the record into multiple fields based on the display width
• Show the starting position of each line as a separate field
• Display hex data for each line based on the display mode setting  
• Edit values within the unformatted mode
• Synchronize data display within all modes when data is changed