Glossary
This glossary defines technical terms and abbreviations used in Debug Tool User’s Guide documentation. If you do not find the term you are looking
for, refer to the IBM Glossary of Computing Terms, located
at the IBM® Terminology web site:
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/terminology
A
- active block
- The currently executing
block that invokes Debug Tool or any of the blocks in the CALL chain that leads
up to this one.
- active server
- A server that is being
used by a remote debug session. Contrast with inactive server. See also server.
- alias
- An alternative name for a
field used in some high-level programming languages.
- animation
- The execution of instructions
one at a time with a delay between each so that any results of an instruction
can be viewed.
- attention interrupt
- An I/O interrupt
caused by a terminal or workstation user pressing an attention key, or its
equivalent.
- attention key
- A function key on terminals
or workstations that, when pressed, causes an I/O interrupt in the processing
unit.
- attribute
- A characteristic or trait
the user can specify.
- Autosave
- A choice allowing the user
to automatically save work at regular intervals.
B
- batch
- Pertaining to a predefined
series of actions performed with little or no interaction between the user
and the system. Contrast with interactive.
- batch job
- A job submitted
for batch processing. See batch. Contrast with interactive.
- batch mode
- An interface mode for
use with the MFI Debug Tool that does not require input from the terminal. See batch.
- block
- In programming languages, a
compound statement that coincides with the scope of at least one of the declarations
contained within it.
- breakpoint
- A place in a program,
usually specified by a command or a condition, where execution can be interrupted
and control given to the user or to Debug Tool.
C
- CADP
- A CICS-supplied transaction used for managing
debugging profiles from a 3270 terminal.
- century window (COBOL)
- The 100-year
interval in which COBOL assumes all windowed years lie. The start of the
COBOL century window is defined by the COBOL YEARWINDOW compiler option.
- command list
- A grouping of commands
that can be used to govern the startup of Debug Tool, the actions of Debug Tool at
breakpoints, and various other debugging actions.
- compile
- To translate a
program written in a high level language into a machine-language program.
- compile unit
- A sequence
of HLL statements that make a portion of a program complete enough to compile
correctly. Each HLL product has different rules for what comprises a compile
unit.
- compiler
- A program that
translates instructions written in a high level programming language into
machine language.
- condition
- Any synchronous event that
might need to be brought to the attention of an executing program or the language
routines supporting that program. Conditions fall into two major categories:
conditions detected by the hardware or operating system, which result in an
interrupt; and conditions defined by the programming language and detected
by language-specific generated code or language library code. An example of
a hardware condition is division by zero. An example of a software condition
is end-of-file. See also exception.
- conversational
- A transaction type
that accepts input from the user, performs a task, then returns to get more
input from the user.
- currently qualified
- See qualification.
D
- data type
- A characteristic that determines
the kind of value that a field can assume.
- data set
- The major unit
of data storage and retrieval, consisting of a collection of data in one of
several prescribed arrangements and described by control information to which
the system has access.
- date field
- A COBOL data item that
can be any of the following:
- A data item whose data description entry includes a DATE FORMAT clause.
- A value returned by one of the following intrinsic functions:
- DATE-OF-INTEGER
- DATE-TO-YYYYMMDD
- DATEVAL
- DAY-OF-INTEGER
- DAY-TO-YYYYDDD
- YEAR-TO-YYYY
- YEARWINDOW
- The conceptual data items DATE and DAY in the ACCEPT FROM DATE and ACCEPT
FROM DAY statements, respectively.
- The result of certain arithmetic operations.
The term date field refers to both expanded date
field and windowed date field. See also nondate..
- date processing statement
- A COBOL
statement that references a date field, or an EVALUATE or SEARCH statement
WHEN phrase that references a date field.
- DBCS
- See double-byte
character set.
- debug
- To detect, diagnose,
and eliminate errors in programs.
- DTCN
- Debug Tool Control utility, a CICS® transaction
that enables the user to identify which CICS programs to debug.
- Debug Tool procedure
- A sequence of Debug Tool commands
delimited by a PROCEDURE and a corresponding END command.
- Debug Tool variable
- A predefined variable
that provides information about the user’s program that the user can
use during a session. All of the Debug Tool variables begin with %, for
example, %BLOCK or %CU.
- debugging profile
- Data that specifies a set of
application programs which are to be debugged together.
- default
- A value assumed for an omitted
operand in a command. Contrast with initial setting.
- double-byte character set (DBCS)
- A set of characters in which each character is represented by two bytes. Languages
such as Japanese, which contain more symbols than can be represented by 256
code points, require double-byte character sets. Because each character requires
two bytes, the typing, displaying, and printing of DBCS characters requires
hardware and programs that support these characters.
- dynamic
- In programming languages,
pertaining to properties that can only be established during the execution
of a program; for example, the length of a variable-length data object is
dynamic. Contrast with static.
- dynamic link library (DLL)
- A file
containing executable code and data bound to a program at load time or run
time. The code and data in a dynamic link library can be shared by several
applications simultaneously. See also load module.
E
- enclave
- An independent collection
of routines in Language Environment, one of which is designated as the MAIN program. The
enclave contains at least one thread and is roughly analogous to a program
or routine. See also thread.
- entry point
- The address or label
of the first instruction executed on entering a computer program, routine,
or subroutine. A computer program can have a number of different entry points,
each perhaps corresponding to a different function or purpose.
- exception
- An abnormal situation in
the execution of a program that typically results in an alteration of its
normal flow. See also condition.
- execute
- To cause a program, utility,
or other machine function to carry out the instructions contained within.
See also run.
- execution time
- See run time.
- execution-time environment
- See run-time environment.
- expanded date field
- A COBOL date
field containing an expanded (four-digit) year. See also date field and expanded year.
- expanded year
- In COBOL, four digits
representing a year, including the century (for example, 1998). Appears in
expanded date fields. Compare with windowed year.
- expression
- A group of constants or
variables separated by operators that yields a single value. An expression
can be arithmetic, relational, logical, or a character string.
- eXtra Performance LINKage (XPLINK)
- A new call linkage between
functions that has the potential for a significant performance increase when
used in an environment of frequent calls between small functions. XPLINK makes
subroutine calls more efficient by removing nonessential instructions from
the main path. When all functions are compiled with the XPLINK option, pointers
can be used without restriction, which makes it easier to port new applications
to z/OS®.
F
- file
- A named set of records stored
or processed as a unit. An element included in a container: for example, an MVS member
or a partitioned data set. See also data set.
- frequency count
- A count of the number
of times statements in the currently qualified program unit have been run.
- full-screen mode
- An interface
mode for use with a nonprogrammable terminal that displays a variety of information
about the program you are debugging.
H
- high level language (HLL)
- A programming
language such as C, COBOL, or PL/I.
- HLL
- See high level
language.
- hook
- An instruction inserted
into a program by a compiler when you specify the TEST compile
option. Using a hook, you can set breakpoints to instruct Debug Tool to gain
control of the program at selected points during its execution.
I
- inactive block
- A block that is not
currently executing, or is not in the CALL chain leading to the active block.
See also active block, block.
- index
- A computer storage position or register,
the contents of which identify a particular element in a table.
- initial setting
- A value in effect
when the user’s Debug Tool session begins. Contrast with default.
- interactive
- Pertaining to a program
or system that alternately accepts input and then responds. An interactive
system is conversational; that is, a continuous dialog exists between the
user and the system. Contrast with batch.
- I/O
- Input/output.
L
- Language Environment
- An IBM software product that provides a common
run-time environment and common run-time services for IBM high level language
compilers.
- library routine
- A routine maintained
in a program library.
- line mode
- An interface mode for use
with a nonprogrammable terminal that uses a single command line to accept Debug Tool commands.
- line wrap
- The function that automatically
moves the display of a character string (separated from the rest of a line
by a blank) to a new line if it would otherwise overrun the right margin setting.
- link-edit
- To create a loadable
computer program using a linkage editor.
- linkage editor
- A program that resolves
cross-references between separately compiled object modules and then assigns
final addresses to create a single relocatable load module.
- listing
- A printout that lists the
source language statements of a program with all preprocessor statements,
includes, and macros expanded.
- load module
- A program in
a form suitable for loading into main storage for execution. In this document
this term is also used to refer to a Dynamic Load Library (DLL).
- logical window
- A group of related
debugging information (for example, variables) that is formatted so that it
can be displayed in a physical window.
M
- minor node
- In VTAM®, a uniquely defined resource within a
major node.
- multitasking
- A mode of operation that provides
for concurrent performance, or interleaved execution of two or more tasks.
N
- network identifier
- In TCP/IP, that part of the
IP address that defines a network. The length of the network ID depends on
the type of network class (A, B, or C).
- nonconversational
- A transaction type
that accepts input, performs a task, and then ends.
- nondate
- A COBOL data item that can
be any of the following:
- A data item whose date description entry does not include the DATE FORMAT
clause
- A literal
- A reference modification of a date field
- The result of certain arithmetic operations that may include date field
operands; for example, the difference between two compatible date fields.
The value of a nondate may or may not represent a date.
O
- Options
- A choice that lets the user
customize objects or parts of objects in an application.
- offset
- The number of measuring units from an arbitrary
starting point to some other point.
P
- panel
- In Debug Tool, an area of the screen
used to display a specific type of information.
- parameter
- Data passed between
programs or procedures.
- partitioned data set (PDS)
- A data set in direct access storage that is divided into partitions, called
members, each of which can contain a program, part of a program, or data.
- path point
- A point in the program
where control is about to be transferred to another location or a point in
the program where control has just been given.
- PDS
- See partitioned data set.
- physical window
- A section of
the screen dedicated to the display of one of the four logical windows: Monitor
window, Source window, Log window, or Memory window.
- prefix area
- The eight columns to
the left of the program source or listing containing line numbers. Statement
breakpoints can be set in the prefix area.
- primary entry point
- See entry point.
- procedure
- In a programming language,
a block, with or without formal parameters, whose execution is invoked by
means of a procedure call. A set of related control statements. For example,
an MVS CLIST.
- process
- The highest level of the Language Environment program
management model. It is a collection of resources, both program code and
data, and consists of at least one enclave.
- Profile
- A choice that allows the
user to change some characteristics of the working environment, such as the
pace of statement execution in the Debug Tool.
- program
- A sequence of instructions
suitable for processing by a computer. Processing can include the use of an
assembler, a compiler, an interpreter, or a translator to prepare the program
for execution, as well as to execute it.
- program unit
- See compile unit.
- program variable
- A predefined variable
that exists when Debug Tool was invoked.
- pseudo-conversational transaction
- The result of a technique in CICS called pseudo-conversational processing
in which a series of nonconversational transactions gives the appearance (to
the user) of a single conversational transaction. See conversational and nonconversational.
Q
- qualification
- A method used to specify
to what procedure or load module a particular variable name, function name,
label, or statement id belongs. The SET QUALIFY command changes
the current implicit qualification.
R
- record
- A group of related data, words,
or fields treated as a unit, such as one name, address, and telephone number.
- record format
- The definition of how
data is structured in the records contained in a file. The definition includes
record name, field names, and field descriptions, such as length and data
type. The record formats used in a file are contained in the file description.
- reference
- In programming languages,
a language construct designating a declared language object. A subset of an
expression that resolves to an area of storage; that is, a possible target
of an assignment statement. It can be any of the following: a variable, an
array or array element, or a structure or structure element. Any of the above
can be pointer-qualified where applicable.
- run
- To cause a program, utility,
or other machine function to execute. An action that causes a program to begin
execution and continue until a run-time exception occurs. If a run-time exception
occurs, the user can use Debug Tool to analyze the problem. A choice the user
can make to start or resume regular execution of a program.
- run time
- Any instant when a program
is being executed.
- run-time environment
- A set of resources
that are used to support the execution of a program.
- run unit
- A group of one or more object
programs that are run together.
S
- SBCS
- See single-byte
character set.
- semantic error
- An error in the implementation
of a program’s specifications. The semantics of a program refer to the
meaning of a program. Unlike syntax errors, semantic errors (since they are
deviations from a program’s specifications) can be detected only at run
time. Contrast with syntax error.
- sequence number
- A number that identifies
the records within an MVS file.
- session variable
- A variable the user
declares during the Debug Tool session by using Declarations.
- single-byte character set (SBCS)
- A character set in which each character is represented by a one-byte code.
- Single Point of Control
- The control interface that sends commands
to one or more members of an IMSplex and receives command responses.
- source
- The HLL statements in a file
that make up a program.
- Source window
- A Debug Tool window that
contains a display of either the source code or the listing of the program
being debugged.
- SPOC
- See Single Point of Control.
- statement
- (1) An instruction in a program or procedure.
- (2) In programming languages, a language construct that represents
a step in a sequence of actions or a set of declarations.
- static
- In programming languages,
pertaining to properties that can be established before execution of a program;
for example, the length of a fixed-length variable is static. Contrast with dynamic.
- step
- One statement in a computer
routine. To cause a computer to execute one or more statements. A choice the
user can make to execute one or more statements in the application being debugged.
- storage
- A unit into which recorded
text can be entered, in which it can be retained, and from which it can be
retrieved. The action of placing data into a storage device. A storage device.
- subroutine
- A sequenced set of instructions
or statements that can be used in one or more computer programs at one or
more points in a computer program.
- suffix area
- A variable-sized column
to the right of the program source or listing statements, containing frequency
counts for the first statement or verb on each line. Debug Tool optionally displays
the suffix area in the Source window. See also prefix
area.
- syntactic analysis
- An analysis of
a program done by a compiler to determine the structure of the program and
the construction of its source statements to determine whether it is valid
for a given programming language. See also syntax checker,
syntax error.
- syntax
- The rules governing the structure
of a programming language and the construction of a statement in a programming
language.
- syntax error
- Any deviation from the
grammar (rules) of a given programming language appearing when a compiler
performs a syntactic analysis of a source program. See also syntactic analysis.
T
- session variable
- See session variable.
- thread
- The basic line of execution
within the Language Environment program model. It is dispatched with its own instruction
counter and registers by the system. Threads can execute, concurrently with
other threads. The thread is where actual code resides. It is synonymous
with a CICS transaction or task. See also enclave.
- thread id
- A small positive number
assigned by Debug Tool to a Language Environment task.
- token
- A character string in a specific
format that has some defined significance in a programming language.
- trigraph
- A group of three characters
which, taken together, are equivalent to a single special character. For example, ??) and ??( are equivalent to the left (<) and right (>)
brackets.
U
- utility
- A computer program
in general support of computer processes; for example, a diagnostic program,
a trace program, or a sort program.
V
- variable
- A name used to represent
a data item whose value can be changed while the program is running.
- VTAM
- See Virtual Telecommunications Access Method.
- Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM)
- (1) IBM software that controls communication and
the flow of data in an SNA network by providing the SNA application programming
interfaces and SNA networking functions. An SNA network includes subarea networking, Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN), and High-Performance
Routing (HPR). Beginning with Release 5 of the OS/390® operating system, the VTAM for MVS/ESA function
was included in Communications Server for OS/390; this function is called Communications
Server for OS/390 - SNA Services.
- (2) An access method commonly used by MVS to
communicate with terminals and other communications devices.
W
- windowed date field
- A COBOL date
field containing a windowed (two-digit) year. See also date field and windowed year.
- windowed year
- In COBOL, two digits
representing a year within a century window (for example, 98). Appears in
windowed date fields. See also century window (COBOL).
Compare with expanded year.
- word wrap
- See line wrap.
X
- XPLINK
- See eXtra Performance LINKage (XPLINK).
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