The Information Center Facility panels are written using Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) panel definition. Panel definitions are programmed descriptions that define the content and format of the panels. During customization, you are primarily concerned with the following types of panels: menu, non-display, tutorial, and HELP panels. The IBM-supplied panels are members of the partitioned data set named ICQ.ICQPLIB. The Application Manager panels, ICQAMED1, ICQAMED4 and ICQAMED5, reside in that data set as model panels. The models do not contain all of the information that users see on panels. Application Manager dynamically generates menu panels and the panels for the DESCRIBE option by taking information from the Application Manager tables in data set ICQ.ICQCMTAB and displaying it on the model panels.

The Information Center Facility is written in the TSO/E CLIST and REXX languages. The CLISTs and REXX execs reside in the partitioned data set ICQ.ICQCCLIB.

The Information Center Facility displays messages on its panels. The messages use the ISPF format for message definition. The messages are located in the partitioned data set ICQ.ICQMLIB. Each member of ICQ.ICQMLIB contains up to ten messages.

Application Manager dynamically creates two table data sets for each defined group level of application definitions and one data set for each defined private level of application definitions. See Naming conventions: application definition tables and installation files.

When you are using Application Manager to define products or services to the Information Center Facility, you need to describe the products or services in terms of three types of applications: panel, function, and environment. The first Application Manager panel lists the applications included in the Information Center Facility. You use the different types of applications for the following purposes:

Panel

To define the external interface that users see. Panels enable users to link to other panels, invoke functions, and display HELP text.

ICQADMIN (TSO/E - Administration) is an example of a panel application. ICQADMIN specifies the information to be displayed on the administrator's primary panel and defines the linkage to the services listed on that panel.

Function

To provide the method for invoking the product or service, such as a CLIST, command, program, or menu (excluding the menu panels that Application Manager generates). A function can also contain the support information that environments contain. However, if the support information applies to more than one function, you may want to describe the information in an environment.

ICQNEWSA (TSO/E News - Maintenance) is an example of a function application. ICQNEWSA contains the following invocation command used to invoke the news service:

CMD(%ICQANC00)

ICQNEWSA does not define any variables itself, but refers to the ICQENVIRON environment, which defines several variables.

Environment

To provide support information, such as:

• Commands for setup, invocation, and termination
• Data set allocations for associated panels, messages, tables, and load modules
• ISPF shared variables.

ICQENVIRON (TSO/E Information Center Facility environment) is an example of an environment application. ICQENVIRON defines the date and language variables that are used by products and services in the Information Center Facility.

These files are sequential data sets or members of partitioned data sets that contain the information that Application Manager needs to define an application to the Information Center Facility. The information in installation files corresponds to the input fields on the Application Manager panels used to define applications. Using Application Manager, installations have a choice of defining applications by providing information on the Application Manager panels or by providing installation files. For examples of installation files, see Example using installation files when adding a service.

Skeleton are models containing some type of data that is used repeatedly. Each skeleton is stored as a member of a partitioned data set. The Information Center Facility contains only one skeleton and that is stored in the partitioned data set, ICQ.ICQSLIB. Education services use the skeleton to create Interactive Instructional Presentation System (IIPS) registration requests. You will probably not use skeletons to customize the Information Center Facility.