Logging on

This document describes how to log on to Natural ISPF and provides information about the online system: it introduces you to the Main Menu and explains the structure of system screens. A final subsection describes logoff procedures.

It covers the following topics:


Logging on to Natural ISPF

Since Natural ISPF is embedded in Natural, you can log on to Natural ISPF directly from the Natural menu or the NEXT prompt. Enter the command:

SPF

in the command input field of the Natural screen and press ENTER. The Natural ISPF logon screen appears:

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  COMMAND ===>                                                          11:27:03
                                                                        11/02/07
  
  
               NN        NN     SSSSSSSSSS      PPPPPPPPPP    FFFFFFFFFF
              NNNN      NN     SS              PP      PP    FF
             NN NN     NN     SS              PP      PP    FF
            NN NNNN   NN     SSSSSSSSSS      PPPPPPPPPP    FFFFFFFFFF
           NN    NNN NN             SS      PP            FF
          NN      NNNN             SS      PP            FF
         NN        NN     SSSSSSSSSS      PP            FF
  
  
  
  
            User ID   HTR
            Password
            Node
  
  
        Press  ENTER to main menu or enter direct command

Enter your user ID and password and press ENTER to display the Main Menu. You are now ready for work with Natural ISPF.

Note:
Your installation may be set up to bypass the logon screen. In this case, you are presented with the Main Menu immediately after invoking Natural ISPF.

If you are not automatically logged on to Entire System Server when logging on to Natural ISPF at your installation, Natural ISPF reminds you with a message whenever you wish to perform a function that requires a logon to Entire System Server. When this occurs, enter the command:

NATP-LOG

in the command input field in the second screen line and press ENTER. A window opens with your user ID and a prompt for your password and Entire System Server node ID. Enter your password and the required node number and press ENTER (if no security check is performed at your installation, no password is required). Natural ISPF confirms the successful logon and you can continue working as normal.

Cursor Sensitivity

All Natural ISPF screens are cursor-sensitive. You can select any menu item by either:

  • typing its name in the command line, or

  • marking the item line, or

  • placing the cursor in front of the line you want to select.

Natural ISPF Main Menu

The following screen shows an example of the Natural ISPF Main Menu.

The Main Menu displayed at your installation may provide more and/or different options, depending on your environment. Some options are provided by Software AG as a standard, others may be added by your system administrator. This documentation describes all options provided by Software AG.

   --------------------- NATURAL / NATURAL ISPF Main Menu ------------------------
   OPTION  ===>
                                                                 User ID  VMU
                                                                 Time     14:11:05
    _ 1    NATURAL    - Development Functions                    Terminal DAEETCK7
    _ 2    NATURAL    - Development Environment Settings         Library  SYSISPHU
    _ 3    NATURAL    - Maintenance and Transfer Utilities       Node     148
    _ 4    NATURAL    - Debugging and Monitoring Utilities
    _ 5    NAT/NSPF   - Example Libraries
  
    _ 6    SAG        - SAG    Products
    _ 7    SYSTEM     - System Products
  
    _ 8    NSPF       - NSPF Administration
  
    _ 9    NSPF       - NSPF Changes
  
    _ HELP HELP       - NSPF    Help System
    _ NHLP HELP       - NATURAL Help System
    _ END  EXIT       - Exit NATURAL ISPF
  
  
  Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
  Help  Split End   Suspe Rfind Rchan Up    Down  Swap  Left  Right Curso

The options on the Main Menu illustrated above and the sub-menus invoked provide the following facilities:

Natural Development Functions

  • Natural:
    Working with Natural objects means you have a full range of edit functions at your disposal for Natural members;

  • Views:
    You can use this option to display Natural view definitions and database field contents in browse mode;

  • Error:
    You can LIST, EDIT and BROWSE Natural error messages.

  • Predict:
    Use this option to edit the Predict long description of any Predict object type;

  • Workpool:
    With this facility, you can list and maintain the output of macro-type Natural programs and other objects that use the workpool as output destination;

  • Container:
    You can LIST or BROWSE database files saved in the container file.

System Products - z/OS

  • Jobs:
    This option allows you to display job SYSOUT according to selection criteria. You can hold, release and purge SYSOUT from the job entry system;

  • PDS:
    Maintenance of PDS members;

  • Datasets:
    Select this function to perform certain dataset maintenance functions such as compression, allocation, etc.

System Products - z/VSE

  • MEM:
    Maintenance of z/VSE members;

  • z/VSE Files:
    Maintenance of z/VSE files, libraries and sublibraries.

System Products - BS2000

  • BS2 Files:
    Maintenance of BS2000 files;

  • LMS:
    Maintenance of BS2000 library elements;

  • BS2 Jobs:
    Use this option to display status information for BS2000 jobs;

  • JOB-Variables:
    Maintenance of BS2000 job variables.

Other System Functions

  • Panvalet:
    Maintenance of CA Panvalet members;

  • Librarian:
    Maintenance of CA Librarian members;

  • System Operations:
    This option allows the authorized user to perform system administrator functions and issue computer operator commands;

  • NSPF Administration:
    This option allows the system programmer and administrator to customize Natural ISPF at installation time and to maintain system defaults and user definitions;

  • News:
    Provides a summary of new commands and features available with the current version of Natural ISPF.

When you select an option from the Main Menu, the facility's Entry Panel is displayed.

Note:
Not all Natural ISPF objects have Entry Panels, for example volumes, job SYSOUT, z/VSE sublibraries and previous versions of Natural, PDS or z/VSE members. These objects can be accessed through related facilities (Datasets, Jobs, z/VSE files, Natural objects, PDS objects, z/VSE files respectively) or by addressing them in commands.

Natural ISPF Screens

All Natural ISPF screens have a similar layout. Some data appear in every screen, other data are screen-dependent. Each system screen consists of four subsections:

  • A header line with the name of the screen; error messages also appear in this line; the first columns of the header line contain session information, for example:

    Apart from the current session, there are two more sessions in this subsection of the physical screen (>>> = three more sessions, etc.).

    A* A command script generated by the ALL command is currently being executed.
    P* A command script is in PAUSE mode and can be continued with the PAUSE command.
    S* There are suspended sessions besides the current session.
    Z* Denotes a zoomed session in split-screen mode.

    These can be followed by a message that identifies the current function and object, for example, LIST-PDS:MBE.COMN.SOURCE(*)/SCAN=ISPF, which means that the LIST function was invoked for all members in the PDS library MBE.COMN.SOURCE which contain the string ISPF.

  • A command input line; if the screen is an option menu, (for example the Main Menu), you can also enter the selected option code in this field;

  • A main information subsection which consists of available options, fields in which you can identify the object for processing or in which you can specify certain session or system parameters;

  • A two-line PF key subsection showing available PF keys and associated commands (optional).

The following figure illustrates a typical Natural ISPF screen: the Natural Objects Entry Panel (NATURAL option from the Main Menu):

----------------------- NATURAL OBJECTS - ENTRY PANEL -------------------------
 COMMAND ===>                                                                   
                                                                                
                                                                                
    Library       ===>                                                          
    Member        ===>                                                          
    Type          ===>            ( Blank,P,S,N,C,M,G,L,A,H,T,O,4,8,Z,3,5,7,9 ) 
    Status        ===>            ( Blank,S,C,OS,OC )                           
    Scan for      ===>                                                          
    Edit macro    ===>                                                          
    Set number    ===>                                                          
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
 Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
       Help  Split End   Suspe Rfind Rchan Up    Down  Swap  Left  Right Curso

A common way of working with Natural ISPF objects is to enter a command in the command field, enter some object parameters in the other input fields and press ENTER.

Working in a Multi-CPU Environment

If you work in a multiple CPU environment, you can use Natural ISPF to access objects located on different physical machines. Each machine is identified by a unique node number (an Entire System Server node) which you can specify when addressing an object on that machine. The Main Menu contains a field labelled Node, in which you can specify a node to be addressed in all commands entered in this session (if different from the default node, usually 148).

For a list of available node numbers and a description of the associated machine, enter a question mark (?) in the Node field. A window opens with a list of defined machines and an availability status report (ACTIVE or INACTIVE). This feature is available in every screen that contains the Node field.

The list of available nodes is maintained by the system administrator (see also the Natural ISPF Administration Guide).

Logging off from Natural ISPF Sessions

There are several commands to end or interrupt work with Natural ISPF:

RETURN

To leave a Natural ISPF screen and return directly to the Main Menu of that session.

END

To leave a Natural ISPF session from the Natural ISPF Main Menu (usually assigned to PF3). If you are in single-session mode, you leave Natural ISPF. If you are in multi-session mode, the current session terminates and you are moved back to the next Natural ISPF session in the stack. You can also deactivate Natural ISPF sessions from the list invoked with the ACTIVITY session command.

LOGOFF [IMM] ;Natural-command

The LOGOFF session command allows you to terminate Natural ISPF even if you are working with several sessions.

  • If your Editor profile has AUTOSAVE=OFF and you issue the LOGOFF command without parameters, logoff processing is interrupted if an Editor session with modified data is detected.

  • If your Editor profile has AUTOSAVE=ON and you issue the LOGOFF command without parameters, all modifications are saved during logoff processing.

If Natural ISPF is defined as user interface for Natural, LOGOFF will close all sessions and return to the Natural ISPF Main Menu.

If you wish to terminate Natural ISPF immediately, that is, regardless of any modifications, you can use the IMMEDIATE parameter. All sessions are closed without saving and Natural ISPF is terminated.

You can concatenate the LOGOFF command with any valid Natural command. Examples are:

LOGOFF;FIN

Terminates Natural ISPF as described above and terminates the Natural session.

LOGOFF IMM;FIN

Terminates Natural ISPF immediately and terminates the Natural session.

LOGOFF IMM;SYSPROF

Terminates Natural ISPF immediately and executes the Natural utility SYSPROF.

NATURAL Natural-command

To temporarily interrupt work with Natural ISPF and start a session with Natural. An unqualified NATURAL command displays the Natural menu, but you can also issue the NATURAL command followed by a command from Natural itself. For example, the command:

NATURAL SYSDDM

gives you direct access to the Natural view maintenance menu. If you leave the Natural view maintenance facility in the normal way, you are automatically returned to the Natural ISPF screen from which you invoked the Natural facility.

You can return to your suspended Natural ISPF session simply by logging on to Natural ISPF from the Natural menu.

Note:
If you do not return to Natural ISPF, all sessions are retained until a timeout occurs. It is therefore recommended that you return to Natural ISPF after using the NATURAL command.

ACTIVITY

To terminate several Natural ISPF sessions simultaneously, issue this command from the command line of any system screen. This displays a window with all active sessions. Enter a minus sign (-) in the command input line (Cmd column) for each session you wish to terminate and press ENTER.

Returning to Natural from Natural ISPF

When leaving Natural ISPF, you can concatenate Natural commands with Natural ISPF commands.

Examples:

END;SYSERR

issued from the Natural ISPF Main Menu in single-session mode ends the Natural ISPF session and invokes the Natural utility SYSERR.

RETURN;X;PROG1

issued from any screen except the Main Menu, returns to the Main Menu, terminates Natural ISPF and executes the Natural program PROG1.

LOGOFF;PROG2

logs off from Natural ISPF, even if you are in multi-session mode, returns you to Natural and executes Natural program PROG2. If you have any active EDIT sessions, the logoff is performed according to the setting of the AUTOSAVE parameter (see the description of the LOGOFF session command).

FIN

logs off from Natural ISPF and terminates Natural even if SAG Editor sessions not yet saved are open. The command corresponds to LOGOFF IMM;FIN.

You can also logon to another Natural library (change the library name) without leaving Natural ISPF by using the LOGON command with the new library name as command parameter. The new name appears in the Library field on the Natural ISPF Main Menu.