CICS/TS Application Programming Workshop

Virtual Classroom Environment dates - click to book!

UK Start Times

What do I need?

• webcam
• headphones with microphone
• sufficient bandwidth, at least 1.5 Mb/s in each direction.

What you will learn

On successful completion of this course you will be able to:

• write CICS programs
• use the required CICS programming facilities
• separate presentation from business and data logic
• use the commonly used CICS API options.

Who Should Attend

This course is suitable for experienced Applications Programmers who require CICS skills and for trainees with at least six months of exposure to a high level language.

Prerequisites

Experience of COBOL, PL/I or Assembler. An understanding of CICS at the conceptual level would be an advantage; this can be obtained by attending the course CICS Transaction Server Concepts & Facilities.

Duration

5 days

Fee (per attendee)

£2360 (ex VAT)

This includes free online 24/7 access to course notes.

Hard copy course notes are available on request from rsmshop@rsm.co.uk

at £50.00 plus carriage per set.

Course Code

CAPW

Contents

Introduction

CICS Transaction Server; Customer Information Control System; What is a Transaction?; What is CICS?; Business and CICS transactions and tasks; What is a CICS program?; Characteristics; Access to CICS; ISC / MRO; CICS/TS organisation; Principal Domains/Management modules; CICS resource definitions.

Architecture

Starting a transaction; Logging on; Message Input; Transaction validation; Program loading; Task execution; Program execution; Task Termination; Multi-tasking and multi-threading; The CICS Dispatcher; Multiple TCBs.

Command Level API

Objectives; Command format and arguments; Translation; Program preparation; Integrated translator; Translator options; Explanation of command argument types; Explanation of CICS Value Data Areas; Explanation of syntax diagrams; EXEC Interface Block; The CICS Stub; Handling responses; RESP and NOHANDLE option; RESP examples; HANDLE CONDITION command and rules; IGNORE condition; Coding examples.

Application Design

Conversational transactions; Pseudo-conversational transactions; COMMAREA; Three-Tier Application Design.

Basic Mapping Support (BMS)

Native Terminal Control; Using Basic Mapping Support (BMS); Another view of BMS; Un-formatted data streams; Formatted data streams; Example 3270 data display; Control Indicator & Character; Read Modified Input; Basic Attributes; Extended attributes; Program Function keys; BMS (data mapping); BMS example; The macros used to create the screen; BMS output (COBOL); The suffixed fields; Attribute list; BMS output (PL/I); BMS output (C); BMS output (Assembler); Map generation; DFHMDI; DFHMDF; DFHMDF; Symbolic description; EXEC CICS SEND MAP; EXEC CICS RECEIVE MAP; COPYBOOKS.

Program Control

EXEC CICS LINK; LINK options and arguments; EXEC CICS XCTL; COMMAREA mismatched lengths; EXEC CICS LOAD; EXEC CICS RELEASE; EXEC CICS RETURN; COBOL CALL statement; Passing data to the next task: COBOL, PL/I, C; Program structure; Logical levels; Passing data to other programs: COBOL, PL/I, C, Assembler.

CECI and CEDF

The Command Interpreter CECI; Using CECI; Using Variables with CECI; Displaying Large Variables; Storing a command; Execute Diagnostic Facility (CEDF); CICS Messages and Code (CMAC).

File Access

File Access; File Control Terminology; File Management; File Commands; EXEC CICS READ; Options; EXEC CICS REWRIT; EXEC CICS DELETE; EXEC CICS UNLOCK; EXEC CICS WRITE;; EXEC CICS STARTBR; EXEC CICS READNEXT; EXEC CICS READPREV; EXEC CICS ENDBR; EXEC CICS RESETBR.

Channel and Containers

The 32K COMMAREA problem; The 32K solution; Channel Usage; The Current Channel; Channel scope; Channel deletion; Channel commands; Channel creation and deletion; EXEC CICS PUT CONTAINER CHANNEL; EXEC CICS ASSIGN CHANNEL; EXEC CICS GET CONTAINER; EXEC CICS MOVE CONTAINER; EXEC CICS DELETE CONTAINER CHANNEL; EXEC CICS STARTBROWSE CHANNEL; EXEC CICS GETNEXT CONTAINER; EXEC CICS ENDBROWSE CONTAINER; Migration of programs that use LINK; Migration of Programs That Use START.

Temporary Storage

Temporary storage; EXEC CICS WRITEQ TS; EXEC CICS READQ TS; EXEC CICS DELETEQ TS; The Temporary Storage Browse Transaction CEBR; CEBR HELP Facility; Transferring Queues Between Transient Data and Temporary Storage.

Transient Data

Transient Data queues; Intrapartition Transient Data queues; Extrapartition Transient Data queues; Transient Data indirect queues; The CICS supplied TD queue definitions; EXEC CICS WRITEQ TD; EXEC CICS READQ TD; EXEC CICS DELETEQ TD; EXEC CICS ASSIGN.

Interval Control

Interval control; EXEC CICS ASKTIME; EXEC CICS FORMATTIME; EXEC CICS START; EXEC CICS RETRIEVE; EXEC CICS CANCEL; EXEC CICS START CHANNEL.

Task Management

EXEC CICS SUSPEND; EXEC CICS ENQ; EXEC CICS DEQ.

Storage Management

EXEC CICS GETMAIN; EXEC CICS FREEMAIN; Storage violations; Transaction isolation.

Abnormal Termination

EXEC CICS ABEND; EXEC CICS HANDLE ABEND; ABEND handling requirements; EXEC CICS DUMP TRANSACTION; EXEC CICS SYNCPOINT; EXEC CICS SYNCPOINT ROLLBACK; SYNCPOINTS & Logical Units of Work (LUW); EXEC CICS ASSIGN.

Dumps & Traces

Dumps; Traces; EXEC CICS ENTER TRACENUM; Working out the Offset; Working out the source statement; Finding the contents of data variables; WORKING-STORAGE SECTION; LINKAGE SECTION - COBOL; OTHER Abends; Unhandled exception conditions (most AEIX/AEXX/AEYX); Translating Addresses to Source Code; Most AEIX, AEXX & AEYX ABENDs.

Screen Definition Facility 2 (SDF2)

Introduction to SDF II.

Case Study

The main exercise is to write a 'back-end' business /data logic program which is developed incrementally in order to ensure that a steady progress is achieved.