Would it be possible to change the data area editor to the normal ISPF Editor? The data area editor is too restricted for experienced programmers! For example to initialize an array(1:200) you have much too much dialog steps. Mostly we have Excel tables containing these values. Then I design the inits within Excel and copy and paste the lines into the editor. This is not possible with the restricted data area editor.
Also the readability while editing is very bad! :evil:
Please, please remove this bad tool! Do no longer protect the programmers from themselfs! :twisted:
Seeing the results of the poll above (83% leave it as it is), I have a solution for you:
write a program that contains your define data that includes all your init’s from excel, etc… close the define data,add an end statment, and stow.
enter the data area editor and perform: .i(program-name)
mark “Only internally defined local variables”
You now recieved an LDA with all the initial values and the comfort of writing(copy/paste …) in the ispf editor.
P.S. dont forget to stow the LDA.
Data Area Editor can be removed only if it’s possible to use more then one INCLUDE Statements in the DEFINE DATA section. Especially the use of placeholders (&1&) would be good for using the same structure with different structure names (level 1) more than once in a program.
Example´:
INCLUDE MYSTRUCT ‘M1’
INCLUDE MYSTRUCT ‘M2’
with MYSTRUCT =
1 &1&
2 FIELD1(A1)
2 FILED2(A1)
Of course there has to be a solution for GLOBAL DATA AREA’s
I would appreciate if you could edit a data area (member) with either the data editor OR the program editor (in this case it would look like the data part in the program). Maybe a profile option sets your preference.
Indeed if I would have the choice, I would prefer the program editor
You can already do:
Open your LDA
Menu → Object → Generate
Now you have your LDA inside a program editor.
… now modify … and then:
Save e.g. as TEMP with type PROGRAM.
Open your LDA.
Delete all lda parameter.
Menu → Insert → Import
Select your TEMP program.
Select all “Importable Data Fields” and import them.
And … TATA … you got it …
The real problem is not that you now have lost all your comments, and it wasn’t really comfortable, but you lost Information!
A Global Unique ID now is a simple constant fields - which goes along with a loss of check functionality … and this is not the only difference …
As long as the native Natural language with DEFINE DATA does not proviede the same functionality as the Data Area Editor you can’t switch …
I am aware of that solution and I did it once. But indeed it is much too complicated for daily work (beside the effect that information is lost).
So let’s clarify my statement:
Let the DEFINE DATA provide the same functionality as the Data Area Editor AND give the choice to edit the data definitions either with the data editor or with the program editor.
