When you open an empty BMS map in Rational Developer for System z, the New Mapset Wizard is immediately launched. Using this wizard, you can define the map set with whatever characteristics you desire. Upon completing the New Mapset Wizard, the empty file will be updated with the DFHMSD macros needed, and you can immediately start working in the Design page of the editor.
Alternatively, if your purpose was to open the editor and paste contents from the clipboard, then simply press Cancel when the New Mapset Wizard opens, and the Source page of the BMS Editor will open with the file still empty.
SDF II allows for the definition of repeating blocks of fields in screens and will generate a BMS file that represents the screen. A COBOL data structure generated from this BMS file by SDF II will contain an OCCURS clause representing the repeating block. However, the metadata SDF II uses to create the COBOL data structure is stored outside of the BMS file. If the same SDF II generated BMS file is assembled in Rational Developer for System z to produce a COBOL data structure, then it will not contain the OCCURS clause.
To overcome this issue, a REXX exec – DGIDSBMS - was released by SDF II as part of PTF PQ86423. It takes as input BMS files and COBOL data structures generated by one SDF II environment and produces as output a newly annotated BMS source file. This BMS source file can be imported into a second SDF II environment, and the annotations, or DGI comments, are used to recreate the metadata needed for defining the repeating blocks. When the annotated BMS files are imported in to Rational Developer for System z, the BMS Editor recognizes the DGI style comments and automatically prompts the user to convert the DGI comments to an Rational Developer for System z recognizable format. If the comments are converted, then the BMS file will be updated, and previously unrecognizable constructs, such as repeating blocks, will be recognized by the BMS Editor. The BMS file will also be marked as dirty and left open in the BMS editor.
In addition to repeat blocks, the DGI style comments also provide insight into other SDF II specific information related to the BMS file but not contained in the BMS source, such as the presence of field name prefixes, field level comments, array comments, repeat block comments, alternate map name, and alternate structure start level used in data structure generation. By converting the DGI comments, Rational Developer for System z can make use of this information when editing the BMS map and also when generating the corresponding symbolic map.