Full-screen editing

File-AID enables you to edit a file created through any standard MVS access method (except JSON/BSON files). You can edit the entire data set or a selected subset of records. You can supply record layouts and edit your data in four display modes:

Character
Formatted
Vertical formatted
Unformatted

This section discusses several of the primary commands and line commands that you can use in the Edit function. For a complete list of the primary and line commands that are supported in the Edit function.

Character mode

The character edit mode provides full-screen editing of the data. You can use line commands, similar to ISPF line commands, to move (M), copy (C), insert (I), delete (D), repeat (R), and exclude (X) records. From character mode, you can use the FMT primary command to redisplay the data in formatted mode, the VFMT primary command to redisplay the data in Vertical Formatted mode, or UNFMT primary command to redisplay the data in Unformatted mode.

Formatted mode

The formatted edit mode lets you edit data using a record layout. This mode presents data one record at a time and formats each record field-by-field. Record layouts can be either COBOL (FD: 01 level) or PL/I (Declare). Cross references (XREFs) are used to define multiple record layouts for data sets with varying record types.

From formatted mode, you can use the CHAR primary command to redisplay the data in character mode, the VFMT primary command to redisplay the data in Vertical Formatted mode, or UNFMT primary command to redisplay the data in Unformatted mode

Vertical formatted mode

The vertical formatted edit mode also provides a full-screen view of the data. This mode, however, uses the record layout fields as column headers. From vertical formatted mode, you can use the CHAR primary command to redisplay the data in character mode, the FMT primary command to redisplay the data in Formatted mode, or UNFMT primary command to redisplay the data in Unformatted mode.

Unformatted mode

The unformatted edit mode provides a full-screen display of your data one record at a time without record layout formatting. File-AID displays 70 characters of data per line until all data for the record is shown or the screen is filled.
Access Unformatted mode by selecting Browse or Edit mode U (Unformatted) or entering the UNFMT primary command from Character, Formatted, or Vertical Formatted mode of Browse or Edit. From Unformatted mode, use the CHAR primary command to redisplay the data in Character mode, the FMT primary command to redisplay the data in Formatted mode, or VFMT primary command to redisplay the data in Vertical Formatted mode.

Important

If your double byte character spans the boundary of the display line, it will not display in Unformatted mode. To view this data, switch to Character mode and scroll the record to the desired position, then return to Unformatted mode to view the character in Unformatted mode.

This section provides information about the following topics: