Rational Developer for System z, Version 7.6

The Design explorer view

With the Design explorer view of the Design perspective, you can view and modify the design of your applications. It enables you to work on the instances which constitute these applications: create, modify, import/export instances, search for references, generate instances....

Here is what the Design explorer view looks like:

Design explorer view

The Design explorer view displays trees.

Creating locations or instances

If you right-click on an open location, on any entity or instance, the popup menu enables you to:
  • Create a location (New > Location...).
  • Create instances (New > Pac Data Element..., or New > Pac Program..., ... or any other entity available).

Importing/exporting, copying/pasting instances

If you right-click on an open location, on any entity or instance, the popup menu enables you to:
  • Import/export a set of instances, grouped in a file.
  • Copy and paste instances, or delete instances.

Refreshing, rebuilding your workspace

If you right-click on an open location, on any entity or instance, the popup menu enables you to:
  • Refresh the workspace after updates.
  • Rebuild your workspace, to make sure that your Design perspective is consistent. All the files and projects contained in your workspace are opened and if the files contain instances, they are parsed and repaired (the existence of the instances, their references, links to keywords... are checked and updated if necessary).
  • Rebuild the mapping between the designs and the generated files.

Opening, renaming, moving an instance, searching for its references

If you right-click on an instance (whatever the entity), you can:
  • Open the instance. The instance is then displayed in its dedicated Pattern Driven Programming editor.
  • Open the selected instance with... various editors.
    • The first editor is the flat editor, which displays the instance in an xml format. You can modify the instance in this editor but it is not recommended. It is advised to modify it in its dedicated PDP formatted editor.
    • Three other editors are also available by default: text editor, system editor and in-place editor. You can also add other editors in your preferences, accessed via the Window menu, Preferences > General > Editors > File Associations.
  • Refactor the instance. You can:
    • Rename the instance. The new name is automatically propagated to all the instance's links (references, keywords, instance calls, lists...). Renaming an instance this way avoids consistency errors.
    • Move one or more selected instances to another existing project and/or package, while keeping all their links (references, keywords, instance calls...).
  • Search for the instance's References. You can search for its super references, i.e the instances in which it is called, or its sub-references, i.e. the instances it calls. Selecting one of these choices makes you switch to the References view, where the search results are displayed.

Possible generation types

You can generate:
  • The design of a selected instance:
    • A Program if you right-click on a Program and select Generate > Pac Program generation,
    • Or a Screen if you right-click on a Screen and select Generate > Pac Screen generation.
    This generation outputs a .cbl file, nested under the instance in the Design explorer view. Right-click on it and choose Open with > Pdp Cobol System z Lpex editor to access the Cobol editor and views which will enable you to work on the code and the design of the instance. (A contextual help is available on this editor and views).
  • The error messages of your applications. You generate the:
    • Batch error messages if you select Generate > Error messages generation from a location or a Data Structure (entity or instance level).
    • Online error messages if you select Generate > Generation of associated error messages from a selected Dialog or Screen.
    This generation outputs a .txt file which you will have to integrate into the error messages file used by the applications
  • The COBOL descriptions of one or more Data Structures in a file (copybook) if you select Generate > Copybook generation from a location or a Data Structure (entity or instance level).

    This file is then available for a subsequent insertion in programs, through the use of the COPY statement.

    A single Data Structure can be used to generate several descriptions, each one adapted to a particular need in the programs. (i.e. in the FILE SECTION or the WORKING-STORAGE SECTION, taking the internal and input formats into account).

    This generation outputs a .cpy file. To see its content, open the Navigator view, select the appropriate project/package, right-click on the file and select Open with > System z LPEX editor.

  • The files which will contain the code lines of one or more Macros if you select Generate > cblgen generation from a location, or on a Macro (entity or instance level). You must select this choice if you want to:
    • Enter the code lines of a Macro and if they do not exist yet.
    • Overwrite the existing code lines of a Macro (either they have been entered in VA Pac and imported into RDz (via a drag and drop or a copy/paste) in the Navigator view, or they have been directly entered in RDz). If the code lines of the Macro already exist, a message warns you that the content of the .cblgen file will be re-initialized.
    This generation outputs .cblgen files in the Navigator view. To see the content of a .cblgen file, open the Navigator view, select the appropriate project/package, right-click on the file and choose Open with > Pdp macro editor (batch model) or Open with > Pdp macro editor (online model). You will then access the .cblgen editor and the Macrostructure tags tree view, in which you will enter the Macro code lines. (A contextual help is available on this view and editor).

The Dispatch macro choice

The dispatch macro choice is available from the location and the Macro levels (entity and instance levels).

You should select it if your Macros already exist in VA Pac and have been generated in a single file. You must then put this file in the Navigator view of the Design perspective (via a drag and drop or a copy/paste) and give it a .cblgen extension.

If you do not select this choice, the code lines of all the generated Macros will remain in this single file

On the other hand, if you dispatch the Macros to packages (equivalent of Libraries), one .cblgen file will be created for each Macro included in the VA Pac generated file. To see these files, go to the Navigator view and select the package you have specified in the Dispatch Macro wizard.

The toolbar

The Design explorer view has its own toolbar, which enables you to:
  • Go back (back icon). This command navigates to the most recently-displayed state of the view with a different element at the top level. This button becomes available once you double-click on an entity line and consequently see its instances alone in the Design explorer view. Clicking this button then returns the view to the same hierarchy from which you double-clicked on the entity line. The hover help for this button tells you where it will take you.
  • Go forward (forward icon). This command navigates to the state of the view with a different element at the top level that was displayed immediately after the current state. For example, if you have just selected the back command, then selecting the forward command in the resulting display returns the view to the same hierarchy from which you activated the back command. The hover help for this button tells you where it will take you.
  • Go up (up to icon). This command navigates to the location level. The hover help for this button tells you where it will take you.
  • Expand all (Expand all icon). This command expands all the tree nodes in the Design explorer view
  • Collapse All (Collapse all icon). This command collapses all the tree nodes in the Design explorer view
  • Link with Editor (Link with editor icon). This command links the active editor to its corresponding instance in the tree of the Design explorer view. If this button is not clicked, changing the active editor will not update the selection, in the tree of the Design explorer view, to the instance being edited.
  • Change the sort and display of instances in the Design explorer view. Click the white upside-down triangle icon and select:
    • Top Level Elements to indicate which element type will constitute the top of the hierarchy in each location tree: folders (default. These are represented by the entity types), packages or projects.
    • Sort to specify a new sort criterion: by name (default), package or project.
    • Display to display additional information on each instance line in the tree: package, project and/or label. You can combine the three choices. If you want to remove one of the selected information from the line, just select it again in the menu.
    This new setting will then automatically be saved and associated with the Design explorer view, until you change it again.

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