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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