Using personal data set lists and library lists

Personal lists are named lists of data sets, z/OS® UNIX files and ISPF libraries that you can use to speed up access to frequently used data sets. You can use personal lists to fill in panel fields quickly and to create data set lists that are built from more than one level name. Personal data set lists contain data set names, volumes, and z/OS UNIX files. Personal library lists contain lists of ISPF library names and concatenations.

Reference lists are active lists of data sets, z/OS UNIX files, and libraries that you have referenced in your ISPF session. ISPF adds a data set name to the data set reference list when you enter a data set name in the Other Partitioned or Sequential Data Set Name field. ISPF also adds a z/OS UNIX file pathname to the data set reference list when you enter a pathname in the Other Partitioned or Sequential Data Set, or z/OS UNIX File Name field. A library is added to the library reference list when you enter a library in the ISPF Library field. Only data sets and libraries that are successfully allocated by ISPF's ALLOCATE routine are added to the reference lists.

Note: Reference lists can be manipulated just like any other personal list, but ISPF might dynamically change reference lists when new data sets or libraries are referenced by ISPF.

You can have a personal data set list with the same name as a personal library list. ISPF reserves the name REFLIST as the name of the reference lists, so there is a personal data set list called REFLIST, and a personal library list called REFLIST.

Current lists are the most recently opened or the last list to which something was saved from within the Personal List panels. One named data set list and one named library list are the current lists at any time. The current list is used for the NRETRIEV key and in the RefList pull-downs. The current list names are shown in the RefList pull-down choices, and in the lists of personal lists.