Using DMS/CMS for Dialogs

The Display Management System for CMS (DMS/CMS) provides a way to implement interactive processing in z/VM®. DMS/CMS lets you design full screen images (called panels) that can be displayed from applications written in COBOL, PL/I, RPG II, assembler, REXX, EXEC 2, or CMS EXEC.

DMS/CMS has three functional parts:

1. Panel Formatter

   Panel designers use the Panel Formatter to design the content and format of panels (DMS/CMS calls designed screens panels). The word ‘screens’ is used to mean the DMS/CMS interactive screens. Panel designers use a display terminal to design panels. There are only a few basic DMS/CMS rules a panel designer must follow. Generally, anyone who can use a display terminal can design panels.

2. Panel Manager

   Programmers use the Panel Manager to associate their COBOL, PL/I, RPG II, and assembler application programs or their REXX, EXEC 2, or CMS EXEC procedures with defined panels. Programmers must know how to write programs in the language they choose to use with the Panel Manager.

3. Write Full Screen

   Assembler programmers may use the Write Full Screen to take advantage of DMS/CMS's full-screen I/O capability to a 3270-type graphics device. While this part can be very useful to a assembler programmer, it can be ignored by most DMS/CMS users.

   Note: DMS assumes that it is the only full screen panel manager running at the time of use. If DMS panels are being used with another full screen editor or writer application, it may be necessary to release the DMS panels and reset the DMS environment and buffers. DMS is not recommended to be used with any other full screen editor or writer at one time.