Browsing jobs, output, and checks

You can use the S (SDSF browse) action character to browse. However, you may find the ISPF Edit and Browse mechanisms to be more convenient.

You can use the S (SDSF browse) action character to browse the following:

Output as it is being created, consisting of data written to SPOOL and in-memory buffers (most recent data) if running on the local system or you have sysplex support.
Input data sets for jobs being processed or waiting to be processed.
Checks for IBM Health Checker for z/OS.

For example, assume that you want to browse the output for a job on the ST panel. Enter the S action character in the NP column to select the job you want.

Tip: When browsing jobs and output, instead of S, enter ? in the NP column. This option is useful when there are jobs with many files directed to SYSOUT and you want to display one associated with a specific step.

   Display  Filter  View  Print  Options  Search  Help                          
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 SDSF STATUS DISPLAY ALL CLASSES                         DATA SET DISPLAYED     
 NP   JOBNAME  JobID    Owner    Prty Queue      C  Pos  SAff  ASys Status      
      JOBB     JOB03289 TS5485      9 EXECUTION  A       RS86       HOLD        
      TS5479   TSU05884 TS5479     15 EXECUTION          RS87  RS87             
      PDSCOT   TSU05970 PDSCOT     15 EXECUTION          RS88  RS88             
 S    TS5536   TSU05972 TS5536     15 EXECUTION          RS88  RS88

The resulting panel is job-dependent, and can include the JES job log, JCL for the job, job-related messages, and so forth. The data sets are concatenated, and you can use NEXT and PREV to move between them.

ISPF Edit or Browse

Instead of SDSF browse, you can instead use ISPF mechanisms and take advantage of ISPF Edit and Browse commands or macros:

SB - Use ISPF Browse.
SE - Use ISPF Edit.
SV - Use ISPF View. ISPF View is similar to ISPF Edit and does not save any editing changes to the data set being viewed.
SJ - Use ISPF Edit to edit the JCL. You can make changes and resubmit the JCL.
Sn - Start browsing with data set n (a number).

To commit edit changes, use PF3 or save. To exit the data set without saving your changes, enter cancel on the edit command line.

Setting default browse action

The SET BROWSE command controls the default browse action character that is issued when you place the cursor in the NP column and press Enter. Under ISPF, the value is saved across sessions.

Note: When SDSF is not running under ISPF, SDSF converts an SB or SE action character to S. You can issue the SET BROWSE command from any SDSF panel, but it affects only job and output panels and the CK panel.

If you set a default browse action character, you may want to check the setting for SET CURSOR and set it to OFF.

The SET BROWSE parameters are shown in Table 1.

The parameter usage is as follows:

SET BROWSE (S|SB|SE|NONE|?)

Table 1. SET BROWSE Parameters
Parameter	Description
S	SDSF browse. This is the default.
SB	ISPF browse.
SE	ISPF edit.
NONE	Specifies that no action character is issued by default.
?	Displays the current setting on the command line or pop-up.

Using the SNAPSHOT command

You can use the SNAPSHOT command to display tabular data using browse, edit, or view. The format is as follows:

 SNAPSHOT|SNAP (S|SB|SE|SV)

The SNAPSHOT command parameters are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. SNAP Parameters
Parameter	Description
S	SDSF browse. This is the default. From here you might use the PRINT command.
SB	ISPF Browse.
SE	ISPF Edit. From here, you might use the CREATE command to copy the data to a data set.
SV	ISPF View. ISPF View is similar to ISPF Edit and does not save any editing changes to the data set being viewed.

You can change the default for the SNAPSHOT command with the SET SNAP command or from the Options pull-down menu.

SET SNAP (S|SB|SE|SV|?)

The SET SNAP command parameters are shown in Table 3.

Table 3. SET SNAP Parameters
Parameter	Description
S	SDSF browse. This is the default.
SB	ISPF browse.
SE	ISPF edit.
SV	SPF View
?	Displays a pop-up for selecting a default browse option.