How to Create an ISPF Configuration Table

Steps

You can customize ISPF settings for your site.

• Exits to customize ISPF functions
• Edit macros to customize edit sessions
• Text colors for your panels
• Whether to have ISPF do the reserve on PDSE data sets, or whether to let DFSMS manage the reserves
• Language Environment settings
• Many, many more

In this example, we show how to change the PDSE reserves so that they are done by DFSMS instead of ISPF. Here are the steps to create and use an ISPF configuration table.

1. Allocate the data sets.  You need 2 partitioned data sets.
   1. Keyword data set. It must be at least LRECL=251 for FB or LRECL=255 for VB.  In this example, the data set is called prefix.CONFIG.KEYWORD. It is a VBA library with LRECL=259.
   2. Load data set. It must be RECFM=U. In this example, the data set is called prefix.CONFIG.LOAD. It is a RECFM=U data set with BLKSIZE=6144.
2. Go to the ISPF Configuration Utility.  On the ISPF Command line, type TSO ISPCCONF.
3. On the ISPF Configuration Utility Panel, enter the name of the Keyword data set, and enter a meaningful member name.  
4. Select 1 to create a keyword file.
5. On the Create/Modify ISPF Configuration Panel, select 4 to modify site-wide defaults.
6. On the Modify ISPF Sitewide Defaults Panel, scroll down until you see ISPF PDSE Enqueue Processing. Select ISPF PDSE Enqueue Processing with a slash (/).
7. Press the End key to return to the Create/Modify ISPF Configuration Panel. Then, press the End key again to see the Keyword data set. Verify that the PDSE value is set.
8. Press the End key to return to the ISPF Configuration Utility.
9. Select 4 to build the Configuration Table Load Module.
10. On the Build Configuration Table Load Module Panel, use the keyword data set and member as the input.  In the Output Configuration Table Load Module Data Set field, enter the name of the load module data set.
11. Press the Enter key to build the load module, which has a member name of ISPCFIGU.
12. Test the configuration table load module by allocating the load module to ISPLLIB. Here’s a simple CLIST to allocate the configuration load module, assuming that there is not already an ISPLLIB ddname allocated. (If you have an ISPLLIB ddname allocated, add the configuration load module data set to the ISPLLIB concatenation.)

    PROC 0                                       
    CONTROL NOFLUSH LIST                         
    FREE FI (ISPLLIB )                           
                                                 
    ALLOC F(ISPLLIB)  SHR REUSE DA(CONFIG.LOAD)  

13. Exit ISPF and run the CLIST from TSO READY.  Test the configuration to make sure it works the way you want it.
14. When the configuration table works the way you want it to, copy the load module out of your private configuration table data set into one that can be used by whoever needs it. Then, update the logon proc or the ISPF startup CLIST to allocate the configuration table load module to ddname ISPLLIB for all intended users.