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22nd January 2022 We have released another Rexx exec named ISDATE. ISDATE is a Rexx exec that will, not only check to see if a passed date is in a correct format, but will also check the validity of the date. For example: that the number of days in the month is not exceeded.

There is a page that describes how to use ISDATE available here.

The link to ISDATE is available here.
 
15th January 2022 We have released another new Excel VBA function named EndOfWeek. EndOfWeek will return the date of the last day of the week containing the date passed to it.

By default it will return the date of the Saturday of the week. This can be changed by an optional parameter. You can also have the function return the date of a prior or future end of week by specifying an optional 'variance' parameter.

The format of the call is:

=EndOfWeek(DateToCheck,VarianceValue, LastDayOfWeek)


The only required paramter is DateToCheck which should be a valid date string.

The optional parameters are:

VarianceValue is the value indicating which week from the provided date to calculate the date of the last day of the week from. i.e 1 would imply the following week from the date, -1 would indicate the date of the last day of the previous week. The default is 0, meaning the same week as the date provided.

LastDayOfWeek specifies the day of the week to be considered the last day of the week. 0 = Sunday, 1 = Monday. The default is 6 (Saturday).

The link to the EndOfWeek function is available from here.
 
12th January 2022 We have released a new Excel VBA function named Zeller. The function will return the name of the day of the week for a passed date using Zeller's congruence.

Example:

Test = Zeller("13/10/1307")
    MsgBox "13/10/1307 was a " & Test)

This would return "Friday"



The function, which is named VBZeller in the list, can be downloaded from this link.

We have also released a corrected version of the Rexx exec ZELLER that will now correctly caclulate dates prior to 24th March 1752.

If you have previously downloaded ZELLER we recommend downloading this version if you really need to work with dates older than 1752!

ZELLER requires the exec Proper and if you don't have an exec named Clear then you will need to delete or comment that call to Clear out of the exec.

The link to the revised version of ZELLER is available from here.
 
8th January 2022 We have released two new Excel VBA functions. These two functions (Word & Words) provide the identical results as the Rexx functions.
For those folks unfamiliar with these Rexx functions, Words will return a count of the number of words in a passed string and Word will return the 'nth' word in the passed string.

Example:

Assume we have the string "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog" defined as InString

Words(InString) would return 9 (the number of words in the string)

Word(InString, 4) would return "Fox"



The two functions can be downloaded from this link.

We have also released a different version of IndexSheetNames. The revised version does a little more checking and in order to use it you must also use the functions WorksheetExtant and IsSheetNameValid.

The link to the revised version of IndexSheetNames is available from here.
 
1st January 2022 Happy New Year to one and all!

We have been busy re-organizing our website a little to, hopefully, make it easier to navigate and find things.

The changes are going to allow us to quickly and easily add new information/code. We have left all the old pages in place but we are going to eventually replace these with ones that are more focused with less clutter.

Whilst we were re-organizing we also made some of the code samples "downloadable". These are not intended to be stand-alone pieces of code.

We have also made the VB code that tests for the existance of a file into a VB function named FileExtant.

FileExtant is available for download from here.

There is now a 'catalog' of the available colatteral which is available in the top menu or by clicking here.
 
19th December 2021 This week we have released something a little different. We have released a library of sample JCL.

The libraries contain the following:
Print of ABBYDALE.SAMPLE.JCL($$$INDEX)
 Copyright Abbydale Systems LLC. 

*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
*                Directory list of ABBYDALE.SAMPLE.JCL                *
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
|  Member  | Description                                              |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| $$$INDEX | This member.                                             |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| ASDELETE | JCL for running ASLDEL.                                  |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| ASLBR14  | Sample JCL for running ASLBR14(BSLBR14).                 |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| BACKUP   | JCL to backup a disk pack to 'tape'.                     |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| DEFINEQ  | JCL to define a local queue on a queue manager.          |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| DISKINIT | JCL to initialise a disk pack.                           |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| EXPAND   | JCL to expand a load module. This is useful if you need  |
|          | to fix a program but don't have the source code.         |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| FORMAT4  | JCL to dump a disk pack VTOC                             |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| FUZZY    | JCL to take a fuzzy backup of a MQ queue.                |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| IEBUPDTE | JCL to rebuild an IEBUPDTE offloaded dataset.            |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| LISTQS   | JCL to list all the parmenent queue on a queue manager.  |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| PUT2Q    | JCL to load a queue with some text.                      |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| QMGRBKUP | Jobstream to backup all the MQ objects of a queue        |
|          | manager to a flat file. This can be used to rebuild a    |
|          | queue manager from scratch.                              |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| QMSTAT   | JCL to run QMSTAT. This shows how to check on one MQ     |
|          | subsystems and how to list all the defined subsystems.   |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| RESTORE  | JCL to restore a dataset from a full pack backup.        |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| SEARCH   | JCL to run a batch SRCHFOR to locate a string within     |
|          | the dataset or datasets defined on the NEWDD DD card.    |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
| USSTAB   | JCL to assmeble a VTAM USS table.                        |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
|                  Copyright of Abbydale Systems LLC.                 |
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
The full XMI file is available from here.

The full IEBUPDTE file is available from here.
 
11th December 2021 We have released another ISPF Edit Macro named PRINTIT.

PRINTIT will send the member (or dataset for a sequential file) that is being edited to the print spool.

The edit macro requires that the IBM supplied PRINTDS program is available.

Usage: PRINTIT dest Class Copies | ?

  ?       - Generates help information.  
  Dest   - Is the print destination (If omitted LOCAL is used)  
  Class  - Is the output class to use. (Default is A)  
  Copies - Is the number of copies to print. (Default is 1)  


The edit macro is available for download from here.

It is also included in both the XMI file and the IEBUPDTE versions of the full ISPF Edit macro library download.
 
4th December 2021 We have released a new Excel subroutine named HideAllExcept.

HideAllExcept will hide all the worksheet tabs except for the one named in the passed parameter.

The provided download will also not hide a sheet named "Dashboard".

Note: If you try and hide all the worksheet tabs, then Excel will object as at least one worksheet has to be visible.

The subroutine is available for download from here.
 
28th November 2021 We are still reorganizing our website to make it easier to maintain and to find things, but we have released some more assembler macros namely CRASH, PRINTHEX and UPPER

These macros are simply implementations of some of our assembler hints.

We have also included an IEBUPDTE and XMIT file of these (and all our other) released macros.

The XMI library is available from here.

The IEBUPDTE format copy is available from here.
 
21st November 2021 We are currently reorganizing our website to make it easier to maintain and to find things. We hope to have this completed by the end of November but this is subject to change depending on work pressures.

This week we have just hooked our list of recommended Windows based software to the menu bar under the "Windows" tab. We have added another product to the list, namely Avast antivirus software.

We thoroughly recommend investigating Avast as your antivirus/firewall/VPN solution as it has all the bells and whistles included that are additional costs on other solutions.

There is a free version of Avast that is fine for regular Windows users and Avast works on several platforms.
 
13th November 2021 We have released a new Excel function named TableExtant.

TableExtant will check for the existence of passed table name on a passed worksheet and return TRUE or FALSE depending on whether the table exists.

Please note that the MergeToTable function has been changed to call the TableExtant function.

If you download the MergeToTable function you will also need to download and include TableExtant

The function is available here or by clicking on the Microsoft Software Hints, Tips and Sample Code => Excel.

The MergeToTablefunction is available here or by clicking on the Microsoft Software Hints, Tips and Sample Code => Excel.
 
6th November 2021 We have added a new page to the website. The page describes how to generate and send an email from within Excel.

The page has a link to a working sample Excel workbook containing a code and worksheets that comprise the working sample.

The page is available here or by clicking on the Microsoft Software Hints, Tips and Sample Code => Excel.
 
30th October 2021 We have released another Rexx function named COUNTSTR.

COUNTSTR will count the number of occurrences of one string in another.

Usage: x=CountStr(find,where)

Sample of use:

x = CountStr('.','ABBYDALE.ALLFREE.REXX')

This would return 2 as the value of x.

The exec is available here, or by clicking on the menu bar above under Sample Code->Rexx tab.
 
23rd October 2021 We have released another Rexx exec named VALIDMEM.

VALIDMEM will validate that a passed member name is in the correct format.

We use it after a Rexx exec prompts a user for a member name to be entered.

The exec is available here, or by clicking on the menu bar above under Sample Code->Rexx tab.
 
16th October 2021 The RUNNING exec has been updated to allow for the messages to be suppressed or displayed as needed.

We have released another Rexx exec named RUNNING.

RUNNING will check to see if a task is running or not. This can be very useful if an exec needs a particular task to be running or not in order to successfully execute (i.e. DB2 or MQ subsystem).

If task name is passed to the exec it will interact with the user to request name of a task to be checked for.

Usage: RUNNING taskname showmsg | ?

The return code will reflect if the task is running or not.

Return code 0 denotes that the task is running.
Return code 8 denotes that the task is not running.

The exec is available from here.
 
10th October 2021 We have released another Excel subroutine named MergeToTable.

MergeToTable will copy the contents of a worksheet into a table on another worksheet. The subroutine has three required parameters and three optional parameters.

For details on how to use MergeToTable follow this link.

The subroutine is available from here.
 
2nd October 2021 We have released another Rexx exec named DIRLIST.

DIRLIST is really just an example of how to use some of the LM functions in ISPF, however, can be easily adapted to queue a list of members for further processing. The exec will only work for partitioned datasets. If no dataset name is passed to the exec it will interact with the user to request the partitioned dataset to be listed.

Usage: DIRLIST dsn | ?

The page is available here, or by clicking on the menu bar above under Sample Code->Rexx tab.
 
29th September 2021 We have changed our MergeSheets subroutine to allow for merging and the retaining of the source formatting.

This is accomplished via an additional, optional parameter. The parameter is either True to copy only the values, or False to copy the source format and the values (including formulas).

By default the value is assumed as being False. If omitted the default is used.

The format of the call is:

Call MergeSheets(FromSheet, ToSheet, Column on Target sheet for starting row , Starting row on From Sheet , Copy Only Value as False)


The new subroutine can be found here.

More information on using MergeSheets can be found here.
 
25th September 2021 We have released another Rexx exec named VALIDVOL.

VALIDVOL will test a passed disk volume serial number to see if it is valid and online.

Usage: VALIDVOL volser | ?

The page is available here. or by clicking on the menu bar above under Sample Code->Rexx tab.
 
18th September 2021 We have released another Excel workbook named Holidays.xlsm. It is a macro enabled workbook that is 100% safe.

It will generate a list of public (Bank) holidays for both the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It also will include holidays specific to Scotland and Ireland.

It will also adjust the actual holiday if the holiday falls on a weekend.

You can specify the year for which you want to see the holiday and the spreadsheet will show you the holiday for that year plus the next 6. We have limited the year range that you can specify to between 2026 and 2051

The page is available here or by clicking on the menu bar above under Microsoft->Excel tab.
 
12th September 2021 We have added a another new page to the website. This page contains various productivity hints and tips when using Excel.

We will be adding to this page from time to time at the moment it shows how to replicate a worksheet quickly and easily, how to autofill cells and how to automatically align objects (buttons, charts etc.) to the grid lines.

The page is available here or by clicking on the menu bar above under Microsoft tab.
 
5th September 2021 We have added a new page to the website that list some of the software we recommend for Windows. The page contains links to get to the download for the software.

We are in no way affiliated with any of the software companies nor do we get any financial benefit from them, we just use the software and find it most helpful.

The page is available here or by clicking on the menu bar above under Microsoft tab.
 
28th August 2021 We have added a new page to the website that details how to define and use a user CVT.

The page is available here or by clicking on the above menu bar.
 
21st August 2021 We have released another Message Processing Exit (MPF) named DFHS517X.

DFHS517X will cut a SMF record whenever a CICS region issues the DFHSI1517 (Control is being given to CICS) message or the DFHTM1703 (CICS is being Terminated). This exit also demonstrates how to issue a Write To Operator (WTO) from a MPF exit.

To read why we even have this exit in place, please review our MPF page here.

DFHS517X is available from here.
 
7th August 2021 We have released another Message Processing Exit (MPF) named IKT002IX.

IKT002IX will change the text of the IKT002I message to make it more meaningful when the reason code is '04' (TSO already active).

This simple exit demonstrates how to change the text of a message using a MPF exit.

IKT002IX is available from here.
 
31st July 2021 We have released another couple of Message Processing Exits (MPF) named ASLLLA1R and ASLLLA2R.

ASLLLA1R or ASLLLA2R will each issue a linklist look aside REFRESH command (F LLA REFRESH) whenever a ASLLLA1R message is issued. You can generate a ASLLLA1R message using our program BSLBR14.

Details of how to use BSLBR14 can be obtained by clicking the link here or selecting it from the drop down menu above.

The difference between ASLLLA1R and ASLLLA2R is that ASLLLA2R has a built in table of authorised jobnames. If the jobname isn't in the table then the command won't be issued. It is strongly advised that only one or the other.

ASLLLA1R is available from here.

ASLLLA2R is available from here.
 
25th July 2021 We have released another Rexx exec named ASLQMACT.  ASLQMACT sets a profile variable named "ASLQMACT" that contains a list of all the active MQ Subsystems on the LPAR which you are signed onto. Along with the subsystem identified ASLQMACT indicates the status of the subsystem (A) for active, (I) for inactive. The list is a comma separated list with the following format:

PROD(A),DEVL(A),CSQ2(A),TEST(I)

To use ASLQMACT simply code: 


 ASLQMACT
 ISPEXEC "VGET (ASLQMACT) PROFILE"
 Say ASLQMACT

ASLQMACT is available from here.
 
18th July 2021 We are pleased to release two items. One is an assembler program named ASLIPVLD and a rexx exec named VALIDIP.

Both of these will validate the format of a passed IP address. In the case of the assembler program it will also validate a port number (if supplied).

Information for ASLIPVLD is available from here.

VALIDIP is available from here.

Additionally we have made a change to the COPYRITE edit macro to use a Standard date (S) instead of a Normal date (N). This has been done to allow the date format to be correct regardless of the national date format.

The changed macro is available from the old link here.
 
10th July 2021 We have released another Edit macro. This one is named SETLANG.

SETLANG will set the highlighting for the member being edited based on the type of member. It will detect if it is Rexx, Cobol, Assembler, JCL, a C Program, an ISPF Panel and set the highlighting accordingly.

SETLANG is available from here.
 
3rd July 2021 We have released another Edit macro named COPYRITE.

COPYRITE will add a copyright 'flower box' into the member being edited.

The format of the 'flower box' is determined by the macro. If the macro detects a Rexx comment (/*...*/) it will build a rexx flower box, other wise it will build a comment box using asterisks.

Link to Rexx Sample Copyright
Sample Rexx 'Flower box'

Link to other copyright sample
Sample non-Rexx 'Flower box'

The comment box will be placed at the position of the cursor or where the macro detects an "A" line command.

You can change the 'from' year for the copyright and the company/entity name. The current year is used to specify the 'to' year. COPYRITE is available here.
 
26th June 2021 We have released a rexx exec named GETPROF.

GETPROF is be used to obtain the value of the current TSO PROFILE PREFIX ID.

If the TSO user has PROFILE NOPREFIX set the 'N' is returned.

We have also released a little rexx exec that will demonstrate how GETPROF works.

GETPROF is available here.

A copy of the code to demonstrate how to use GETPROF available from here.

We have also made a change to the edit macro REXXIT to remove an erroneous duplicate label. Sorry for the inconvenience.
 
19th June 2021 We have released a new edit macro named CHGLOG.

CHGLOG can be used add a change activity log into a Rexx exec (or any other member).

It will add Rexx comments (i.e lines in the format /*.....*/). CHGLOG is designed to be used in conjunction with members created by REXXIT but will work with other rexx execs.

Use the "A" line command and the macro will insert a change log after that line. If no "A" line is detected then the comments are added at the top of the member.

CHGLOG looks for the string "Change Activity" (as generated by REXXIT) and adds the comment box after the line containing the string. The CHGLOG edit macro is available from here.


Additionally we have added some code to the Access page.

One function will check to see if a table exist in the database or not. This is named TableExtant and is available from here.

The second piece of code will demonstrates how to define a table link in VBA. It is available here.
 
12th June 2021 We have released a new Rexx exec named ONEEXT.

ONEEXT can be used to change an existing dataset allocation into a single extent. This is useful especially for load libraries destined to be put into LNKLST. ONEEXT can be called from the ISPF 3.4 screen or as a regular Rexx exec.

By default, the exec will allocate a zero secondary extent but it can be made to use the existing value for secondary extents if required.

Usage: ONEEXT dsname keep | ?

If anything is passed as a second parameter, then the existing secondary extent is retained.

The ONEEXT exec is available from here.
 
5th June 2021 We have released a new ISPF edit macro named COPYTO which can be used to copy the member that is currently being edited to a different dataset. This can be very useful as it copies the member as it was either when you first started editing it or as it was when you last saved it.

The COPYTO edit macro is available from here.

We have also updated the menu bar to add Microsoft" Access hints, tips and sample code to it.

The first two code samples on the Access page show how to force numeric inputs and how to make text (or controls) flash on a form.

The Access page is available here or from the top menu.
 
29th May 2021 We have released a new Rexx exec named DC which can be used to delete a dataset regardless of the DSORG of the file.

If it is a VSAM file the DELETE CLUSTER IDCAMS command is issued, otherwise a regular DELETE is used.

The exec is best called from the ISPF 3.4 screen but will also work called directly.


The DC exec is available from here.

We have also updated the ZELLER exec to fix an issue with some dates and to add the ability to 'trace' the calculation.

The updated ZELLER exec is available from here.

For an explanation of the theory behind Zeller's congruence visit our page that can be found here.
 
 
22nd May 2021 Important Change To The REXXIT ISPF Edit Macro

Further changes have been made to REXXIT such that it now requires both the PROPER Rexx exec and the new USERNAME Rexx exec.

We are also pleased to announce a new Rexx exec (USERNAME) is available.

USERNAME will return the name of the TSO user currently executing the exec. It will call the Rexx exec,PROPER to format the name correctly. USERNAME PUSHes the data onto a stack for the calling exec to retrieve it.

A calling exec sample of code would be: 

 /* Rexx */
 username
 parse pull uname  
 say uname
 exit

The USERNAME exec is available from here.
The PROPER exec is available from here.
The updated REXXIT ISPF Edit Macro is available from here.
 
17th May 2021 We have added a Guest Book to the website which can be accessed from the side menu bar.

Please feel free to send suggestions for what you would like to see us add or if you have any constructive comments. We would love to read them.

We have also added another button to the side menu to make it more obvious as to how to contact us.
 
16th May 2021 We have released a new ISPF edit macro named INDEXIT.

INDEXIT is really a little bit more than an edit macro as it can be called from the ISPF 3.4 panel as a command too!

It will create an index (by default this will be named $$$INDEX) that looks like this: 

 000001 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000002 *              Directory list of ABBYDALE.ALLFREE.EMACS               *
 000003 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000004 |  Member  | Description                                              |
 000005 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000006 | $$$INDEX | This member.                                             |
 000007 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000008 | CENTER   |                                                          |
 000009 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000010 | INDEXIT  |                                                          |
 000011 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000012 | JOBCARD  |                                                          |
 000013 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000014 | ONLY     |                                                          |
 000015 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000016 | REXXIT   |                                                          |
 000017 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000018 | RUNJCL   |                                                          |
 000019 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000020 | STARTASM |                                                          |
 000021 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000022 | STARTCOB |                                                          |
 000023 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000024 | STARTPNL |                                                          |
 000025 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*
 000026 |                 ©Copyright of Abbydale Systems LLC.                 |
 000027 *---------------------------------------------------------------------*


The INDEXIT macro is available from here.

We have also included it in the Edit Macro database and the XMI and IEBUPDTE files.

We have also changed DSNCHECK and REXXIT.

The change to DSNCHECK adds a return code for if the dataset name is valid but the file doesn't exist.

The change to REXXIT add "Panels Used" to the boilerplate.
 
9th May 2021 We have released our LC Rexx exec.

LC will simply perform a IDCAMS LISTCAT against a dataset in an ISPF 3.4 panel. It will work for all file types but is particularly useful for VSAM files

The LC REXX exec is available from here.
 
2nd May 2021 We have added some sample Excel code that shows how to add a trend line chart to a worksheet

It, obviously, need to be tweaked to suit your own needs.

Information on adding a trend chart can be found here.
 
25th April 2021 We have added an Excel Function named RemoveExtraSpace.

RemoveExtraSpace is used to remove excessive spaces from within a string.

The code can be downloaded from here.

Information on RemoveExtraSpace can be found here.
 
17th April 2021 We have released another Excel Subroutine named MergeSheets.

MergeSheets can be used to copy the cells from one WorkSheet to another. It is flexible in that you can specify which column on the from WorkSheet so if column 1 isn't the column with the most rows in it and also which row on the to sheet to use for the one with the most rows in it.

The code can be downloaded from here.

Information on MergeSheets can be found here.
 
10th April 2021 Sometimes you need to delete rows from an Excel spreadsheet.

You could do this by individually, one row at a time which is both time consuming and error prone or you could use filters and Excel's "Go to Special" to achieve this quickly and accurately.

Note that in the video we hide the title line before the deletion of all visible rows in order to prevent it from getting deleted.

For a video demonstration of how to do this click here
 
3rd April 2021 We have added our file transmit facility XMT to the site.

The facility will create an XMIT file for either a single dataset or multiple datasets in a list. XMIT files are the ideal method for transferring z/OS files between z/OS systems.

The information and download page is available from here.
 
27th March 2021 We have added a new 'hint' to the Windows" page. The hint may have been around for some time but we just 'discovered' it recently and thought it was worth sharing.

The hint is how to rename a whole group of files in a directory quickly and easily without using third party software.

The hint is available from here.
 
20th March 2021 We have added a a Cobol program that will list the DD Names and associated dataset names for the DD cards used in the job step.

As it stands the program is fairly worthless as a program but it does demonstrate how to extract job information from z/OS control blocks in a Cobol program.

The program is available from here.
 
13th March 2021 We have added a page describing a modification to the IBM supplied ISPPREP command and panel (ISPPREPA) to change the default names used. 'Out of the box' the values used by IBM are not saved between invocations. The names are INDSNAM and OUTDSNAM. These are somewhat likely to be used elsewhere, consequently the modification changes them to ZPREPIN and ZPREPOUT.

The modification is available from here.

If you prefer just to use the IBM supplied names and simply change the ISPPREPA panel details on how to do this are available here.
 
27th February 2021 We have added another Rexx exec that will check that a passed dataset name is valid. This is useful if you want to check that a user entered a valid dataset name or not. It can also check that the dataset exists.

Additionally it will handle partitioned dataset member validation.

The code can be found here.

Just a reminder that all of the published Rexx execs are available in the XMI file which is available from here.

The dataset is also available in IEBUPDTE format from here.
 
20th February 2021 We have added a Rexx sample of how to drop the last level from a dataset name.

We had to keep it simple this week due to the challenges presented this week by the weather events in Texas where we are based.

The code can be found here.
 
13th February 2021 We have added some more VBA code to the website.

The code shows how to count the number of non-blank rows in a column. It should be easily adapted to do the same for blank columns in a row if needed.

The code can be found here.
 
6th February 2021 We have added a VBA function 'CopyToClipboard' to the website.

This function, while not written by us, is a very useful function. It will place data onto the Windows clipboard from Excel.

The function can be found here.
 
30th January 2021 We have added a new VBA function 'ValidateSheetName'.

This function will test the name passed to it as a string to see if it is a valid name for a Excel Worksheet name.

The function can be found here.
 
23rd January 2021 We have released our 'EDITREC' Rexx Exec.

This Rexx Exec can be used to check to see if ISPF error recovery is required before opening a dataset for edit.

It is quick and easy to call and allows a user to recover where they were if their session crashed (and they were using "RECOVERY ON" while editing the dataset).

The Exec can be found here.
 
16th January 2021 We have released our 'FINDMOD' Rexx Exec.

This Rexx Exec can be used to check to see if a load module exists.

Usage: FINDMOD module list | ?

module - Specifies the name of the module to locate.
list   - (optional). If anything is passed as a second parameter then a message is displayed showing which library the module was found in.
?      - generates help information.

The search order is: STEPLIB, LPALIST & LINKLIST.

Return Codes :
0 - Module located.  
4 - Help displayed.  
8 - Module not found.  
16 - Critical error.  

The exec will stop searching once it finds the specified module.

The Exec can be found here.
 
9th January 2021 We have released our 'CHGUID' Rexx Exec.

This Rexx Exec can be used to change the userid in the ISPF statistics of members of a PDS.
This Exec is useful to hide user ids when sending the PDS outside of your shop. It will only change the userid, all other statistics are left asis.

This exec can be used from the ISPF 3.4 panels or called directly.

ISPF statistics will be changed in all members

The Exec can be found here.
 
3rd January 2021 We have added some new pages to the website that will build all the WebSphereMQ object definition to establish two way triggered channels between two queue managers. The definitions are based on z/OS but could easily be used to create objects on other platforms.

In addition to the definition we have added pages for two of our Cobol programs that will test the end to end and return paths for the definitions.

The channel defines page can be found here.

The two programs pages can be found here and here.
 
31st December 2020 We have released our 'DELSTATS' Rexx Exec.

This Rexx Exec can be used to clear the ISPF statistics from members of a PDS.
We use this Exec extensively, especially prior to rolling out software. Our process is usually, delete the statistics, compress the file, then free the space.

This exec can be used from the ISPF 3.4 panels or called directly.

ISPF statistics will be deleted from all members

The Exec can be found here.
 
16th December 2020 We have added a new section to our website. This section will contain Technical Articles.

The first article discusses how to use WebSphere MQ to help close the batch window on mainframes. The article can be reached use the top menu bar or by clicking here.

We are also pleased to announce that our website can now be reached securely by using:

https://abbydalesystems.com
 
12th December 2020 Sometimes you need to know the date when the last particular day of the week was. i.e. What the date of the last Saturday? We use this technique to eliminate old records from some of our spreadsheets.

The code is available from here
 
6th December 2020 We are pleased to announce that we have added Sitelock verification to our website.

What does this mean? Basically it means that a third party verifies that our site contains no malware. We are monitored for intrusion risk by an external entity. In other words we are being policed by an independent third party company (SiteLock) to ensure that your security is being taken care of.
 
5th December 2020 We have added another little snippet of VBA code to the website.

The sample code will format a count of minutes into hours and minutes.

It is available from here
 
26th November 2020 The new product is coming on nicely and we are still supporting our clients. Despite this we still wanted to drop yet another snippet on the website.

The sample code will delete duplicate rows from a worksheet using VBA.

It is available from here

As a bonus we have added some Rexx code to demonstrate how to validate the format of dataset quickly and easily.

It is available from here
 
14th November 2020 We are still currently working on a new product and concentrating on supporting our clients, however, we still wanted to drop another snippet on the website.

The sample code will detect if a cell is merged or not.

It is available from here
 
10th November 2020 We are currently working on a new product and have been concentrating on supporting our clients, however, we still wanted to drop a snippet on the website.

The code is pretty straightforward but it is still a useful little nugget of information. It is VBA code that shows how to compare to string dates quickly and easily.

It is available from here
 
24th October 2020 We have added a new page that explains our development strategy. It may not be suitable for every situation but it is how we plan and execute our projects for program development.

It is available from the side menu on any of our pages or it can be accessed from here
21st October 2020 We have added some simple, but very useful, VBA code that will check for the existence of the file within a path.

It is available from here
 
17th October 2020 We have released a new MPF exit (IEA793AX). This MPF exit will automatically reply "D" to the message

"xx IEA793A NO DUMP DATA SETS AVAILABLE FOR DUMPID""

It is available from here
 
10th October 2020 We have added some more sample VBA code to demonstrate how to access all the files in a folder.

It is available from here
 
3rd October 2020 We have added some sample assembler code for how to detect a DD card in a JCL deck. It is available from here

We have also added some error prevention code to the VB code for dropping the first word from a string.
 
12th September 2020 We have added another simple, but useful, snippet of Excel 'how to' code. This code will show you how to compare a time value to a set time. It is available from here
 
5th September 2020 We have added more snippets of Excel 'how to' code. The two new samples show how to separate the time and date from a cell into separate values and how to extract the last word from a string.

They both can be viewed here
 
2nd September 2020 We have added a snippet of Excel 'how to' which will eliminate a #DIV/0! error from a cell.

It can be viewed here
 
23rd August 2020 We have released two new MPF exits HASP190X and BPXI078D and a new sample VB code for dropping the first word of the string.

HASP190X will automatically issue a start command for a JES printer ($SPRTx) the source code for this is available here

BPXI078D will automatically reply "Y" to a shutdown of a zFS file system. the source code for this is available here

The sample code to drop the first word from a string is available here
 
14th August 2020 We have released another Edit Macro named STARTPNL. STARTPNL as you can probably guess will build a skeleton ISPF Panel structure. The panel will bear the name of the dataset member being edited. This can be useful to enforce site standards for layout, color etc.

Sample output from STARTPNL is available here.

The edit macro is available here
 
11th August 2020 We have released another Edit Macro named STARTCOB. STARTCOB will build a skeleton Cobol program structure. The program will bear the name of the dataset member being edited.

Sample output from STARTCOB is available here.

The edit macro is available here
 
9th August 2020 We have released another Edit Macro named STARTASM. STARTASM will build a skeleton assembler program. The program will bear the name of the dataset member being edited.

You will noticed from the sample output (available here) that the output contains user macros (BEGIN, EOJ etc.). This should be changed to your own macros.

The edit macro is available here
 
8th August 2020 We have added a new sample Windows backup script. It will maintain a rolling backup of a Windows directory. It can be changed to include more directories and/or more versions being maintained.

The sample script is available here or from the main menu (above).
 
1st August 2020 We have added a new page that has an example of Message Processing Facility (MPF) exit to stop an external writer when it is waiting for work.
The page is available here. or from the main menu (above).

We have also added some sample JCL on how to reload an IEBUPDTE unloaded dataset. It is available here.
 
25th July 2020 We have added an Excel" S4 Hana (SAP") page to demonstrate how to bypass the AFE Prompt panel and refresh the SAP data in an Excel Workbook

A link is available here.
 
18th July 2020 Our assembler random number generator macro (RANDOM) is now available. This macro will return a random binary number between between the two numbers specified on the macro call. The result is returned in register 0.

A link to the macro can be found here.

We have also released our CENTER Edit Macro. This will align text on the line to the center of the line. This can be one single line or a group of lines.

A link to the Edit macro is available here.
 
27th June 2020 We have added another sample Rexx subroutine to the site. "Proper" is a Rexx subroutine that can be used for converting a text string into proper name format ie having a capitalised first letter.

A link to the subroutine can be found here.
 
23rd June 2020 We have added another demonstration video to the site. The video demonstrates how to schedule a task under Windows" 10. The principle should apply to most earlier versions as well.

A link to the page can be found here.
 
16th June 2020 We have added to our Excel" information again. This time it is a userform and code that will populate a ListBox from a spreadsheet.
The advantage of doing this is that it negates the need to have the list hardcoded in the code.

The free sample code is intended as a starting point but is fully functional.

The information can the found here.
 
7th June 2020 We have added a page to our Excel" information on how to implement a progress screen for long running programs/macros. We have also included some free sample code as a starting point.

There are some associated videos to demonstrate the methods but these are fairly small.
The page can be accessed here.
31st May 2020 We have published our Privacy Policy. You can read it here or by clicking the menu item on the left side bar.

We have added a download counter to the website which should be transparent to our website visitors. We felt is was important for us to see if any of our code was actually being downloaded so that we can focus on what our website visitors prefer.
6th May 2020 We have released our 'Sleep' Rexx Exec.
This Rexx Exec can be used to build a delay into a calling Rexx Exec.
It really isn't a 'wait' in the true sense but it will hold a calling Exec up for the time specified.
The Exec can be found here.
15th April 2020 Changes have been made to the Excel" VBA for indexing the worksheets in a workbook.
It is functionally the same except it makes the printout far more
readable with headers and footers. The new code can be accessed from the "Sample Code" menu item above or by clicking here.
29th March 2020 We have added some more sample Rexx code to demonstrate how to calculate the day of the week that a date falls on using Zeller's congruence.
We have also added a page (and linked to it from the menu above) that will explain the calculation for Zeller's congruence.

A working Rexx exec is available here.
26th March 2020 We have added a new page that contains some useful sample PHP code.
The link has been added to the Sample Code link or it can be accessed here.
29th February 2020 We have added a link to our Presidential Grave search pages. On these pages you can find the location of the graves of bygone presidents along with some basic information about their terms in office.
To access these pages click on the 'Sponsored Sites' link on the top menu bar.
18th December 2019 We have added some additional code to the IndexSheetNames sample code that will ask before sorting the sheets. The list will be printed in the order that the worksheets are in the workbook if NO is selected, otherwise the sheets will be sorted into name order before indexing them.
8th December 2019 We have added a page that explains how to avoid Excel" workbook becoming corrupt when using dropdown lists that use comma delimited strings. The page can be accessed either here or from the menu above.

We have changed the site menu to be more general in the Excel area. The free sample spreadsheets are still available under the new heading.
28th November 2019 We have added more Excel" code to the website.
The code will check for the existence of a worksheet within a workbook. This function is used by the second piece of sample code which will allow a user to select the name of the worksheet to be used. If this sheet doesn't exist the code will create it.
31st October 2019 We have added our Excel" modules to the database of free software. It can be accessed from the free software page and by selecting 'Windows' from there.
26th October 2019 Released ZAPVTOC. ZAPVTOC is a very powerful utility that will update a disk VTOC and can be used to rename datesets that are being enqueued, usually by the operating systems. Due to the nature of this utility it will only be distributed on request.
12th October 2019 Released ASLDEL which is a simple little z/OS program that will attempt to delete a dataset that was passed as a parameter to the program. If the dataset doesn't exist, then the program will set a condition code.
10th October 2019 Added some sample code that will unhide all hidden spreadsheets in an Excel" Workbook.
23rd September 2019 We have released a sample Excel" workbook that will randomize columns in a spreadsheet. Details can be found on the Excel page.
5th September 2019 An issue was identified when trying to download XMI files in the Microsoft Edge" Browser. This has been remedied and all the pertinent pages updated to accommodate the fix.
4th September 2019 A new version of ASLVTOC has been released. The installation process has been changed so please read the install member of the PDS. For correct installation ASLVTOC should be added to the TSOKEYnn member.
12th August 2019 We have added a Captcha facility to the contact form due to the number of robot email we have been receiving. The Captcha used will be 6 characters long and a random mix of numbers and lowercase letters.
If you would like a free copy of the Captcha code, please feel free to contact us using the contact form.
23rd June 2019 The coin collection Excel" Spreadsheet has been modified with several performance and usability modifications.
It will open a lot quicker than previously and it has a coin counter on the $$Totals page.
New sheets have been added for Bank Rolls, Mint Sets and Silver Eagles.
28th February 2019 The Excel" userform, frmDatePicker, has been modified to use a veryhidden work spreadsheet name $$$Cal instead of a temporary sheet each time that was never deleted.
Additional anti-SPAM code added. SPAM will not be tolerated on this site. Those who waste time and effort sending SPAM need a life.
16th February 2019 The links database has been re-designed and the links checked to make sure that they are not broken.
Information about the link database has been added to the Links page and the Index page.
Tooltip information has been added to the top dropdown menu.
A new Windows" page has been added along with some sample DOS scripts. It can be found here or on the top menu.
9th February 2019 Added the Free Excel Spreadsheet link to the main menu and linked in the free spreadsheet page.
3rd February 2019 Some anti SPAM measures were added to the contact and support pages. It is amazing to us why intelligent people would waste their time and effort, not to mention other people''s time and effort to send out such inappropriate and often times disgusting garbage.
3rd January 2019 Added a photography link to some of our favorite photographs that we have taken.
16th November 2018 Added some more sample code for Excel VBA to place graphics into a header.
26th August 2018 A new version of ASLPARMC (version 4.0) is now available. This release fixes some issues with the output file has no DCB information on the DD card.
A new version of BSLBR14 (version 7.0) is now available. BSLBR14 has been renamed to ASLBR14 but it retains the alias of BSLBR14 for compatibility reasons. The new release fixes a known issue with the input dataset.

Please update to these latest releases at your earliest convenience.
25th August 2018 QMSTAT added. This is a program that will check the status of an MQ subsystem. It is available here.
4th August 2018 All pages have been updated to make them more printer friendly. Menus and last updated lines will no longer be printed.
Added content to the JCL page.
Added tooltips to the menu items for the software.
Q2VSAM added. This is a sample WebsphereMQ to VSAM Cobol utility. It is available here.
27th July 2018 The main index page was changed to add the standard side menu.
The top menu was modified to add Usermods & Zaps.
ASLVTOC has been changed to allow volume status to be returned.
24th July 2018 A TSO command (ASLVTOC) has been added to the library of free z/OS software.
A new page for User Modifications has been added.
14th May 2018 A rexx exec (ALIKE) has been added to the Rexx library.
Navigation to the free Rexx and ISPF Edit Macro libraries has been added to the top menu under the Free Software tab.
20th April 2018 Edit macro, RUNJCL, has been added to the Edit Macro library. It is available here.
4th April 2018 A rexx exec (MQVER) has been added to the Rexx library and the broken link to the Edit macro IEBUPDTE file has been corrected.
3rd April 2018 We have made available some of our Rexx Execs and ISPF EDIT Macros. (Click the links to be directed to the pages.)
The menu has been modified to add Edit Macros into the drop down for Sample Code.
18th March 2018 ASLPARMC has been released. ASLPARMC page link.
14th March 2018 The website has been redesigned slightly and some more counters added to it.
8th January 2018 A new link has been added to our Faith page.
9th November 2017 The broken links on the ENQWATCH page have been corrected. Sorry for any inconvenience.
22nd October 2017 New free program, MQVer added. MQVer page link.
23rd August 2017 Please ensure that you read our Terms & Conditions page.
21st August 2017 Some Microsoft Excel VBA code samples have been added under the "Sample Code" menu "Visual Basic" option.
28th July 2017 A new Java Script item has been added under the "Sample Code" menu.
27th June 2017 A new menu item of "Links" has been added. This will take you to a page to select the link type i.e Third Party Vendors, IBM etc. and then display those links in a page.

The pages are dynamic in nature so please keep checking back.
18th June 2017 The ENQWATCH page has been added.
31st May 2017 The Mellon Bank Modifications have been added.

Some further tweaking of the website has been undertaken, known typos corrected etc.
29th May 2017 BSLBR14 has been made 31 bit addressable. The links and documentation have been updated.

If you still require the old 5.1 version of the program please contact us and we will send it to you.


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