gtpp1m08Program Development Support Reference


Introduction to Programming Development Support

You should extensively test every application program before it is integrated with the online system. Each application program must:

Program development support programs enable you to:

There are inherent problems involved when testing application programs for a multiple program system. The programming effort is large. Each time a new function is added to the system, logic complexity is affected. Clearly, all conditions cannot be tested. Symptoms of some errors can be propagated through the system before the error is detected. When the symptoms do appear, it can be difficult to determine the condition that caused the error or to duplicate the condition.

The following utilities were developed to help you control the test environment and progressively test each application program under various conditions until a high level of confidence is established.

Utility Name
Program Description

 Program Test Vehicle (PTV) 
PTV runs in a user-defined test environment. When used with offline and online test tools, PTV enables you to create and control the environment, activity, and reporting of each test unit.

 System Test Compiler (STC) 
STC is an offline utility that generates the data records for program test vehicle (PTV) input and system installation.

 Real-Time Trace (RTT) 
RTT monitors programs according to parameters specified with the activating command. RTT counts or traces the use of selected macros and related data (data blocks, blocks, registers, and ECBs associated with the macro execution) according to options that you select.

 Selective File Dump and Trace (SFDT) 
SFDT are utilities that dump either the content of specified files or the records that were updated during the trace period to a real-time tape. You specify the trace and dump options with the activating commands.

 Diagnostic Output Formatter (DOF) 
The DOF formats and prints diagnostic data. The type of output produced depends on the system activity (test, trace, error dump) that recorded the data.

This book describes each of these programs in the chapters that follow. Emphasis is given to the function performed rather than the programming that produces the result.