Tips for testing in interactive mode with FSS

You can use certain tips when testing applications in interactive mode with full screen image support (FSS).

Subsections:

MFS bypass support without basic input-editing

No input edit is provided by IMS Batch Terminal Simulator when MFS bypass is used, but IMS Batch Terminal Simulator internally performs basic input-editing. If IMS Batch Terminal Simulator users do not want to perform basic input-editing when MFS bypass (mod name is DFS.EDTN) is used, use MFS bypass special support.

This special support performs MFS bypass without basic input-editing. When this support is used, IMS Batch Terminal Simulator internally does not perform basic input-editing, which IMS Batch Terminal Simulator normally performs, for inbound data and does not insert inbound data into the BTSPUNCH data set.

In addition, the image of the display screen or printer is not updated. This function is useful when IMS Batch Terminal Simulator users use an inbound D/T3270 data stream that cannot perform basic input-editing. GDDM cannot be used at the same time this special support is used. See Example 16 for ./P command for the details.

Entering simulator commands

Enter a simulator command with no command keywords, and IMS Batch Terminal Simulator displays a list of the commonly used keywords for that command.

If you want to enter a simulator command, you must do so from an unformatted screen image. With some releases of VTAM® or TCAM, it is not possible to tell if the data received by IMS Batch Terminal Simulator came from an unformatted screen image. To bypass this problem, an escape sequence has been defined to allow IMS Batch Terminal Simulator to recognize its commands. The escape sequence consists of the two characters &&, which must precede the simulator command. If simulator commands are entered without the proper escape sequence, they might be treated as data and passed to MFS. Try entering commands with and without the escape sequence to determine if the escape sequence is needed. To enter a simulator command from a TSO terminal, formatted with an IMS screen image, proceed as follows:

  1. Press the CLEAR key.
  2. Enter a simulator command (for example, PAX or &&PAX, CLEAR or &&CLEAR).
  3. Press Enter.

Using alternate terminals

If alternate terminals are used with FSS, the following rules apply:
  • IMS Batch Terminal Simulator attempts to display the output of an alternate terminal for a screen device on the TSO terminal. If the screen size of the TSO terminal is smaller than the simulated alternate terminal, the results are unpredictable.
  • Data cannot be entered into an IMS screen image that is an alternate terminal. FSS ignores any input that comes from such a screen image, even simulator commands, and continues by displaying the next physical page. To continue, press Enter.
  • If you press the PA1 key when multi-page output is being displayed at the alternate terminal, FSS does not receive control. To resume the processing, press the CLEAR key and then press Enter.
  • Before a physical page is transmitted to an alternate terminal, you receive a message giving the name of the alternate destination.

Generating formatted-mode simulator statements

If you specify the BTSPUNCH data set and simulate your application in interactive mode with FSS, IMS Batch Terminal Simulator converts all the inputs that were entered through the TSO terminal into the formatted-mode simulator statements and records them in the data set.

In some cases, coding the formatted-mode simulator statements from scratch can be complicated because you must specify the location of the lines and columns for input. The formatted-mode simulator statements that are generated in the BTSPUNCH data set can be used as BTSIN input in batch mode.