Configuring a CICS resource table view

You can configure most table views that display a CICS® resource. You can specify which columns are displayed, and the order of those columns. You can filter the content of the view by one or more resource attributes, and sort the content by one or more resource attributes.

Before you begin

You can configure an existing view, copy a view then configure it, or create a new view then configure it. If necessary, copy or create a new view. See Copying a CICS resource table view or Creating a CICS resource table view.

About this task

When you configure a view, your changes are saved so that the view shows the information you specified every time that you open it.
  • You can add and remove resource attributes to display as columns in the view, and change the order of those columns.
  • You can filter resources by any attribute that applies to the view, even if you do not display that attribute as a column in the view.
  • You can sort the resources by any attribute that applies to the view, even if you do not display that attribute as a column in the view.

You can also change columns, filtering, and sorting when a resource table view is open. These changes are not saved to the view configuration. See Views.

Restriction: Ensure that the filtering and sorting you specify is supported by your CICS system connection, otherwise an error message is displayed when you open the view. For example, for a CICS management client interface (CMCI) connection to CICS TS Version 4 or later, all the filter operators and sorting described in this information are supported. However, some CICS system connections support only the "Equal to" (=) filter operator and do not support sorting by columns.

These procedures do not apply to the Resource Group Definitions view, Group List Definitions view, and a small number of older-style views, as listed in Changing specific resource views. For the procedures that apply to these views, see Changing specific resource views.

Procedure

  1. Optional: To start from an open view that you want to configure, use the following steps:
    1. Open the resource view that you want to configure.
    2. Click the Configure View icon Configure View icon in the toolbar of the view.
    3. Ensure that the view you want to configure is selected in the CICS View Configurations pane in the Preferences window, then click Edit.
    The Edit View Configuration dialog is displayed.
  2. Optional: To start from the Preferences window, use the following steps:
    1. Open the Preferences window:
      • Windows or Linux: Click Window > Preferences on the workbench menu bar.
      • OS X: Click IBM Explorer for z/OS > Preferences on the main menu.
    2. In the Contents pane of the Preferences window, expand Explorer then click CICS View Configurations.
    3. In the CICS View Configurations pane, click the view that you want to customize then click Edit.

      To find the required view, you can expand the categories, or type one or more characters of the view name in the filter field.

    The Edit View Configuration dialog is displayed.
    Edit View Configuration dialog
  3. To specify the columns that you require, use the options in the Columns pane.

    The Columns pane lists the attributes that are currently displayed in the view, in the order that they are currently displayed.

    1. To add an attribute to the view, click Add. In the Add Columns dialog, select one or more attributes that you want to add to the view, then click OK.
      • You can use the Shift or Ctrl keys (shift or cmd keys for OS X) to select multiple attributes.
      • You can enter text and one or more wildcard characters (*) in the filter field to find the attributes you require.
      • To display the field level help for an attribute, click the attribute, then click the Help icon Help icon.
      Add Columns dialog with field level help

      After you click OK, the selected attributes are displayed in the Columns pane.

    2. To remove an attribute from the view, select one or more attributes in the list in the Columns pane, then click Remove. You can use the Shift or Ctrl keys (shift or cmd keys for OS X) to select multiple attributes.
    3. To change the order in which columns are displayed, select each required attribute in the list in the Columns pane, then click Up or Down until the attributes are in the required order.
  4. To specify the filters that you require, use the options in the Filters pane.

    The Filters pane lists any attributes, together with the operator and value for each one, that are currently used to filter the resources in the view.

    Filters pane in the Customize View dialog

    1. To add an attribute to filter resources by, click Add. In the Add Filters dialog, select one or more attributes that you want to filter resources by, then click OK.
      • You can use the Shift or Ctrl keys (shift or cmd keys for OS X) to select multiple attributes.
      • You can enter text and one or more wildcard characters (*) in the filter field to find the attributes you require.
      • To display the field level help for an attribute, click the attribute, then click the Help icon Help icon.
        Add Filters dialog with field level help
      After you click OK, the selected attributes are displayed in the Filters pane.
    2. To set the operator and value for the filter, double-click the attribute or press the Space bar.
    3. Optional: To change the operator from the default, click the arrow icon beside the operator Down arrow icon or press Shift+Tab, then click the required operator in the menu. The operators that you can use vary, depending on the attribute type.
      Restriction: Ensure that you select an operator that your CICS system connection supports. For example, a CMCI connection to a CICS TS Version 4 or later system supports all valid operators for the type of attribute, but some connections support only the "Equal to" (=) operator.
      Example filter operation menu options
    4. Enter the value to filter by.
      • If the attribute has a predefined list of values, a down arrow is displayed on the right of the filters list. Click this arrow, click the required value in the list, then press Enter.
        Filter values list
      • If the attribute does not have a predefined list of values, a cursor is displayed after the operator. Type the details that you want to match, then press Enter.

        If the field is mixed case, the filter is case-sensitive. If the field is uppercase, any lowercase characters you enter are converted to uppercase.

        You can use wildcard characters in the filter field:
        • You can use an asterisk (*) at the end of a filter to match any number of characters in a resource value, including none.
        • You can use one or more plus signs (+) anywhere in the filter, where each plus sign matches any single character in a resource value.
        • You can combine plus signs and an asterisk in a filter, but the asterisk must be the last character in the filter.
    5. To remove an attribute to filter resources by, select the attribute in the list in the Filters pane, then click Remove.
  5. To specify the sorting that you require, use the options in the Sorting pane.

    The Sorting pane lists the attributes that are currently used to sort the resources in the view, in the order that they are used for the sort. An icon next to the attribute name, and the hover help for the attribute, indicate whether the sort for that attribute is in ascending or descending order.

    Restriction: Ensure that your CICS system connection supports sorting by columns. For example, a CMCI connection to a CICS TS Version 4.2 or later system supports sorting by columns, but some CICS system connections do not.
    1. To add an attribute to sort resources by, click Add. In the Add Sorts dialog, select one or more attributes that you want to sort resources by, then click OK.
      • You can use the Shift or Ctrl keys (shift or cmd keys for OS X) to select multiple attributes.
      • You can enter text and one or more wildcard characters (*) in the filter field to find the attributes you require.
      • To display the field level help for an attribute, click the attribute, then click the Help icon Help icon.
        Add Sorts dialog with field level help
      After you click OK, the selected attributes are displayed in the Sorting pane in the Add Columns dialog.
    2. To change whether the sort for an attribute is in ascending or descending order, double-click the attribute, press the Space bar, or right-click the attribute then click Sort by Ascending or Sort by Descending, as appropriate.
    3. To remove an attribute to sort resources by, select one or more attributes in the list in the Sorting pane, then click Remove. You can use the Shift or Ctrl keys (shift or cmd keys for OS X) to select multiple attributes.
    4. To change the order in which attributes are used to sort resources by, select each required attribute in the list in the Sorting pane, then click Up or Down until the attributes are in the required order.
  6. When your changes are complete, click OK, then click OK in the Preferences window.

Results

The columns, filters, and sorting that you specified for the view are saved, and are applied to the resources in the view when you open that view:
  • The view displays the columns and order that you specified.
  • The view displays only resources that match the filter criteria. The column header for each attribute that is used to filter the resources shows a Filtered icon Filtered icon. The status bar in the view shows how many records are collected and indicates that the records are filtered. If you hover the mouse over the status bar, a tooltip shows details of the filters that are applied.

    For examples of filter results, see Filter examples.

  • The status bar in the view shows how many records are collected and indicates that the records are sorted. The column header for the first attribute that is used to sort the resources shows an arrow that indicates the sort order. If you hover the mouse over the status bar, a tooltip shows all the sorts that are applied.

What to do next

You can rename the view, copy the view, or delete a view.

To reset a view to the defaults supplied with CICS Explorer, create a new view for the resource type.