System Symbols panel (SYM)

The System Symbols panel (SYM) allows you to display the system dynamic and static symbols.

System symbols are elements that allow systems to share parmlib definitions while retaining unique values in those definitions. System symbols act like variables in a program; they can take on different values, based on the input to the program.

By default, the SYM panel is sorted by the system and symbol names. You can change the sort order with the SORT command.

The value of a static symbol is typically assigned through parmlib. In contrast, the value of a dynamic symbol is assigned by the system at the time the symbol is evaluated. For example, time and date symbols evaluate to the current time and date. The SYM panel shows the values of dynamic symbols at the time the panel is generated as an example of the value format. Jobs that reference a dynamic symbol may contain a different value when the symbol is evaluated.

Command keyword

Access the SYM panel with the SYM command from any SDSF panel.

Panel title information

The title line contains the following information:

SDSF SYSTEM SYMBOLS  SYS1     SYS1*               LINE 1-19 (54)           
                     |        |                   |          |             
                     |        |                   |          |             
                     |        |                   |        Total lines     
          System you are      |                   |                        
          logged on to        |              Lines displayed               
                              |                                            
                      Systems displayed                                    
                      (MVS value or                                        
                      SYSNAME value)

SYM command action characters

The action characters for the SYM command are shown in Table 1

Note: Action characters on the SYM panel generate commands to display the symbols in the syslog. Because dynamic symbols are not supported by operator commands, issuing an action against a dynamic symbol results in the message NOT VALID FOR TYPE.

Table 1. SYM command Action Characters
Action Character	Description
+(n)	Expand the NP column; n is 4-20. (Use RESET to reset.)
/	Show column values for row (ISPF only).
//	Block repeat; type // on the first row and another // on the last row to be processed.
%(exec)	Run a REXX exec. (ISPF only)
=	Repeat previous action character or overtype.
D	Display symbol.
DL	Display all symbols.

Columns on the SYM panel

The columns on the DA panel are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Columns on the SYM Panel
Column name	Title (Displayed)	Width	Description
SYMBOL	SYMBOL	16	Symbol name. This is the fixed field. It is ignored if coded on an FLD statement.
VALUE	Value	44	Symbol value. For dynamic symbols, it is the current value.
TYPE	Type	8	Symbol type (STATIC or DYNAMIC)
SYSNAME	SysName	8	System name
SYSLEVEL	SysLevel	25	Operating system level
IEASYM	IEASYM	32	IEASYMxx value
ISFEND	.END	4	End of list marker. All columns that appear after this column will be hidden. The title and width cannot be changed using the FLDENT statement or through the ARRANGE command.