The resource filter

When you open a resource view and are presented with many resources, you can filter the list to show resources with similar properties, or to locate a single resource. You can filter on one or more properties at the same time.

The filter field is available in all resource views and is on the tab group icon bar as shown in the following image.

An image of the filter field for the Files view. The field next to the filter box is the name of the property being filtered. The default property is the key field for the view, in this case, Name.

If there is insufficient room on the tab group icon bar then the filter field is displayed on the next line. When the CICS® Explorer is first started, the default filter for the views key field is the only one displayed, the key field is usually the resource name or resource ID. You can add additional filter fields and filter on one or more properties.

Adding or removing filter fields

You can add or remove filter fields in a view. The fields are unique to a view and are not displayed in any other view. To add or remove filter fields in a view, perform the following steps:

With the view selected, click the Menu icon located in the view to display the view menu.
Click Choose filter attributes. A menu is displayed showing all the properties in the current view. The filter fields currently displayed are indicated by a check mark next to the property.
Click a field name to select or clear it. The menu closes and the selected filter field is added to, or removed from the view.

You can now filter the information displayed in the view using one, or a combination of the filter fields.

Using the filters

To use the filter, you enter the details you want to match in one or more of the filter fields, and press the enter key, or click the Apply filter icon A screen capture of the Apply filter icon. . If the field is mixed case, the filter is case-sensitive but if the field is uppercase, then any lowercase characters you enter are converted to uppercase. The information in the view changes to display only records that match the filter criteria.

When you enter a filter, you can use wildcard characters to improve the chances of a match. The characters you can use, and the filtering guidelines are as follows:

An asterisk (*) matches any number of characters in a file name, including none, but can only be used at the end of the filter.
A plus sign (+) matches any single character and can be used once or more anywhere in the filter.
You can use any number of plus signs in a filter, along with a single asterisk, but the asterisk, if used, must be the last character in the filter.
You can clear the filter at any time by clicking the X alongside the filter field.

Restriction: There are some restrictions with filtering in this version of the CICS Explorer®:

You cannot filter on a field containing date or time information.
There are some fields where the wildcard characters do not work. You must enter the full filter in these fields.

Here are some examples of using filters:

DFH* displays resources that begin with DFH.
In the following screen capture, the CICSplex has 1,666 programs. Using the Name filter "DFH*", the number is reduced to 347 programs.
By selecting an additional filter, for a status of "DISABLED", the number is reduced to three programs.
DFH++P displays resources that begin with DFH and are six characters in length and end with P.
Using the filter "DFH++P", 17 programs meets the criteria, and are displayed in the view.
DFH+T* displays resources that start with DFH, have any characters in position four, a T in position five, and are six or more characters in length.
Using the filter "DFH+T*", seven programs meet the criteria and are displayed in the view.