Standard ISPF interface

CICS PA has been designed to follow CUA conventions, while also accommodating established ISPF conventions. For example:
  • Possible actions are presented in action bar pull-down menus; those available from the File, Edit, or View pull-down menus can also be requested from the command line.
  • A menu or selection list item can be selected either by positioning the cursor over it (point-and-shoot) or by specifying its corresponding number, and then pressing Enter.
  • For many entry fields you can select from a list of available choices by positioning the cursor on the field and pressing Prompt (F4). A + (plus sign) at the end of the field or column heading indicates that Prompt is available.
  • Short-cut navigation to the primary CICS PA functions is available. For example, to invoke Report Sets where you request your reports and extracts, you can select option 2 from the CICS PA primary menu, or enter =2 on the command line from anywhere in the CICS PA dialog.

Help is available throughout the CICS PA dialog. Context-sensitive help is available for each panel and input field, and there is an online tutorial.