Rational Developer for System z

Getting started with the System z LPEX Editor

About this guide

The objective of this Quick Start guide is to introduce you to the System z® LPEX Editor. This guide explains the design of the editor, describes some of the frequently performed tasks, and explains how they are performed on this editor. The guide concludes with a brief description of some of the productivity features and a command reference.

Background on the System z LPEX Editor

Just as Developer for System z is built on top of the Eclipse platform, the System z LPEX Editor is built on top of the base LPEX editor to provide additional features and capabilities that are specific to the needs of z/OS® users. This guide describes some of the features and capabilities that are particularly helpful for z/OS users. Some are features of the base LPEX editor and some are features of the System z LPEX editor.
Important: To make the System z LPEX editor behave more like ISPF, make sure to select the ISPF profile in your Preferences (Window > Preferences > LPEX Editor).

Differences in terminology for ISPF users

On the ISPF editor, commands used in the prefix area are referred to as line commands, and commands used on the command line are referred to as primary commands. On all the LPEX editors, however, the commands used in the prefix area are referred to as the prefix commands, while the commands used on the command line are referred to as line commands.
  • The prefix commands area. Prefix commands can be typed over the prefix area in the editor. These commands apply only to the line or lines they are typed on. To access the prefix area, make sure that the prefix area option is enabled. Verify this under Window > Preferences > LPEX Editor > Controls.
  • The line commands area. Press the ESC key anywhere on the editor to position the cursor at the beginning of the command window. Type the command on the window and then press ENTER to apply the command.

Using the editor

The following is a list of some of the frequently performed editor tasks and how they are performed on the System z LPEX Editor.
Note: This list applies to the ISPF profile only.
  • Inserting lines. Press Ctrl+Enter to open a new line and move the cursor to the new line.
  • Deleting lines. Enter D in the prefix area and press ENTER to delete a line. Enter DD in the prefix area of two different lines in the document and press Enter to delete a block of text. The DD commands delimit the block of text that you want to delete. Press Ctrl+Backspace to delete the current line.
  • Deleting text. Press Delete to delete the character to the right of the cursor if you are in Insert mode. The same action deletes the character that is overlaid by the cursor if you are in Replace mode. Text after the cursor is shifted to fill the resulting gap. Press Backspace to delete the character before the cursor. Text after the cursor is shifted to fill the resulting gap.
  • Splitting lines. Press Alt+S to split the current line at the cursor.
  • Replicating lines. Enter R in the prefix area and press Enter to make a duplicate of the specified line. Enter RR in the prefix area of two different lines in the document and press Enter to apply this to a block of text. The RR commands delimit the block of text that you want to duplicate.
  • Copying and moving lines. Press Alt+L to mark one or more lines. After the selection is made, pressing Alt+C copies the marked lines to the location just below the current line. Alternatively, pressing Alt+M moves the selected lines. Note that for these operations, the cursor must NOT be in the prefix area. The C and CC prefix commands may also be used to copy lines. Similarly, the M and MM prefix commands can be used to move lines. With CC and MM, the A, B, O, or OO commands are used to specify where the lines are to be copied or moved to (A = after, B = before, O and OO = overlay).
  • Block editing. To perform block editing, you must first set the marking mode to rectangle (Window > Preferences > LPEX Editor > Block). Alternatively, you can do this for the currently opened file by entering the line command set block.defaultType rectangle. You can select rectangular blocks by using the mouse.

    After the selection is made, you can copy the rectangular block with Alt+C, or you can use Alt+Z to copy the block while overlaying the existing text. A common source of confusion is the fact that in rectangle marking mode, cursor movement is decoupled from the unmarking of text. In other words, if some text is marked, moving the cursor will not unmark the text. You can unmark the text with Ctrl+U.

    For a complete explanation of marking and manipulating blocks of text, refer to the Marking blocks of text and Manipulating blocks of text in the helps.

  • Finding and changing data. Ctrl+F opens the find/replace window. You can restrict the search scope by doing either of the following actions:
    • Select the Restrict search to selection check box to search within the contents you have marked.
    • Select Restrict search to columns check box to search within specified columns only.
    After making your selection, press Esc to close the window.
  • Viewing contents in HEX. You can view file contents in HEX mode by selecting Source > Hex edit line from the pop-up menu.

Productivity features

Some available productivity features are as follows:
  • Multiple views of a file (Split screen). You can open multiple views of the same file by selecting View > Open new view from the pop-up menu of the editor.
  • Filter view. You can use the Filter view feature found on the pop-up menu of the editor to display only selected sections of a file such as Comments, Divisions, Errors, and so forth. To return from the filter view, select Show all to display the full the content.
  • File compare. You can select two files from the Remote Systems view (hold down the Ctrl key for multiple selection), and then select Compare With > Each Other to perform a file comparison. Double click on the title area of the editor window to maximize the view, if necessary.

Customization of the editor

The System z LPEX Editor can be further customized to suit your preference. You can use options found under Window > Preferences > LPEX Editor to customize standard editor options such as appearance, saving, printing, and so forth. To customize z/OS specific editor options, you can find the options to customize under Window > Preferences > LPEX Editor > System z LPEX Editor. For example, if you do not like the LPEX Incremental find feature, go to Window > Preferences > LPEX Editor > Find text and clear Incremental find dialog.

Commands reference

The following tables list some of the more common commands supported in the ISPF mode of the System z LPEX editor.

Table 1. Editor commands available through the following shortcut keys as well as the pop-up menu on the editor
Function Command
Select block Alt+R
Deselect block Alt+U
Shift selection left Alt+F7
Shift selection right Alt+F8
Move selection Position cursor, then press Alt+M
Copy block Alt+C
Delete block Alt+D
Split line Alt+S
Convert to lowercase Alt+I
Convert to uppercase Alt+K
Insert line Ctrl+Enter
Find (and replace) Ctrl+F
New view (Split view) Ctrl+2
Close view (Close duplicate views) Ctrl+0
Comment a line Ctrl+/ (COBOL only)
Uncomment a line Ctrl+\ (COBOL only)
Filter view Ctrl+G
Show all (undo filter view) Ctrl+W
Uppercase code Alt+Shift+K (COBOL only)
Table 2. Prefix commands for a block of lines
Function Command
Block data shift left <<
Block data shift right >>
Block column shift left ((
Block column shift right ))
Copy block cc
Delete block dd
Overlay block oo
Repeat block rr
Exclude block xx
Convert case of block lcc and ucc
Table 3. Other prefix commands
Function Command
Copy or move after line a
Copy or move before line b
Copy c
Display excluded line f
Insert a new line i
Display the last excluded line l
Move m
Overlay o
Repeat r

Additional reference

Refer to the following helps for additional information:

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