What's New in TPF/GI 2.3.1 & Before

Version 2.3.1

2.3.1: Programs can be excluded from trace

The program selection for macro and instruction trace has been completely redesigned to allow the programmer to specify not only programs to include in testing, but also programs to exclude from testing.

You can find these improvements in the Trace Options Window: select Trace>Programs from the TPF/GI menubar.

The Programs area of the Trace Options Window now has two main "tabs" that look like buttons: one tab is labelled "Include" and the other "Exclude." Clicking the Include tab will reveal the program include list as well as buttons that allow you to modify the include list. Clicking the Exclude tab will reveal the program exclude list as well as buttons that allow you to modify the exclude list.

To add programs to either list, you can click the Add Programs button. To remove programs from either list, you can highlight the program entry and press the Delete key, or you can click the Clear List or None buttons, depending on which list you are modifying.

For example, suppose you want to trace all programs that begin with "C", but exclude programs that begin with "CV". To do this, take the following steps:

1. Click the Include tab in the Programs area of the Trace Options Window.
2. Click the Add Programs button.
3. In the Add Programs dialog box, type the text "C***" and press OK.
4. Click the Exclude tab in the Programs area of the Trace Options Window.
5. Click the Add Programs button.
6. In the Add Programs dialog box, type the text "CV**" and press OK.
7. Click the OK or the Apply button in the Trace Options Window.

For more detailed instructions, open the Trace Options Window and press F1 for context-sensitive help.

2.3.1: Step Count and Step Set Count Commands

The new Step Count command allows you to step ahead a given number of instructions or macros. For this command to operate properly, you must be stopped in non-Source View trace, and either your macro trace or your instruction trace must be set with the RUN option. Once you select the Step Count command, TPF/GI will run until the specified number of instructions or macros have been executed, or until the trace stops for another reason.

For example, if you are tracing all instructions with the RUN option and all macros with the NORUN option, selecting the Step Count command will step forward the given number of instructions or until the first macro executes. Trace data about the instructions and macros that executed will appear in the machine instructions panel of the ECB window. Information for up to 500 trace entries can appear in the ECB machine instructions window. If you stepped ahead more than 500 entries, use the Trace>Output command to view the additional trace information.

The Step Set Count command first displays a dialog box that allows you to set the number of instructions or macros to step foward before you step. On the other hand, the Step Count command does not show you a dialog box; instead, it steps forward immediately, using for its count the last value that you typed in when you used the Step Set Count command.

From the menubar, to use the Step Count command: select Run>Step Count>Step N Times.

From the menubar, to use the Step Set Count command: select Run>Step Count>Step Set Count....

From the toolbar, to use the Step Count command: click the left part of the following button:

From the toolbar, to use the Step Set Count command: click the right part of the following button:

2.3.1: Visible Carriage Returns in ALC

The ALC terminal emulator now has the ability to display visible carriage returns. In addition, you can select the display character and colors that represent the carriage return.

To turn carriage returns on, take the following steps:

1. Click the ALC terminal with your right mouse button;
2. Select the Properties menu item;
3. The Environment preferences dialog box will appear; select a display character in the Display Character drop-down box;
4. Select the Ok or Apply button.

To set the carriage return color, take the following steps:

1. Click the ALC terminal with your right mouse button;
2. Select the Properties menu item;
3. The Environment preferences dialog box will appear; go to the Other Colors category;
4. Click the Terminal Control Characters element;
5. Left- and right-click the color boxes to select a foreground and background color;
6. Check and uncheck the Text Style check boxes to select a text style.
7. Select the Ok or Apply button.

To turn carriage returns off, take the following steps:

1. Click the ALC terminal with your right mouse button;
2. Select the Properties menu item;
3. The Environment preferences dialog box will appear; select "None" in the Display Character drop-down box;
4. Select the Ok or Apply button.

2.3.1: 3270 Extended Attributes

The LOC 3270 emulator now supports extended attributes. The enhancements include support for the Start Field Extended (SFE), Modify Field (MF), and Set Attribute (SA) orders.

At this time, extended attribute support includes foreground and background colors and underlining. Reverse video and blink are not yet supported.

As a result of these recent enhancements, the LOC terminal colors currently cannot be adjusted from the Environment Preferences dialog box. A future version of TPF/GI may add this feature.

2.3.1: Password Security Enhancements

To increase security, password support in TPF/GI is now handled by a centralized password object located in the APPMAN DLL. Users' ID's and passwords can still be modified from TPF/GI.

2.3.1: ALC Terminal Log Format is Briefer

The ALC terminal now logs I/O in a brief format. Previously, the entire input and output screens were logged; now only the new input and new output is placed in the logs.

Version 2.2.1

2.2.1: New, improved help file

The TPF/GI help file has been completely rewritten. It now includes a detailed help topic for every command and for nearly every window in the application. The new help file is based on the new Microsoft HTML Help system, which is friendlier than the old WinHelp system, and which offers increased opportunities for help over the Web.

2.2.1: Press F1 for context-sensitive help from most windows; press Ctrl+F1 from ALC, LOC

Most TPF/GI windows now feature "context-sensitive" help. From most windows, simply press F1 (the PF1 key) and a help topic will appear that explains the window that has focus. Because the ALC and LOC windows may remap the F1 key, from the ALC and LOC windows press Ctrl+F1 for context-sensitive help.

If you use Internet Explorer 3.x, you may find that TPF/GI's new help file uses a new window each time it is opened. Upgrade to IE4 or IE5 to solve this problem, or close the help file windows each time you are done with them to work around the problem.

2.2.1: Assembler Expression Facility available for SABRE-Talk

Thanks in great part to support code written by Jeff Longwell, we have been able to extend the "assembler" expression facility so that it can be used from SABRE-Talk programs at Worldspan. To learn more about the assembler expression facility, read the "Assembler expressions can be edited" topic in this file, and select Help>Contents from the TPF/GI menubar and read the Assembler Expression Facility Overview topic in the TPF/GI help file.

2.2.1: Source View right mouse button handling improved

In the Source View Window, it used to take two mouse clicks to place the text cursor on a word and cause a local menu to pop up: first, to place the text cursor on a word, you had to click the left mouse button on the word; then, to cause the local menu to pop up, you had to click the right mouse button anywhere on the control file.

Now you can simply click the right mouse button on the word: the text cursor will move to that spot and the local menu will pop up at the same time.

The exception to this behavior happens when you have text selected and you click the right mouse button inside the selection: the local menu will still pop up, but the text cursor will not move. This behavior has been designed so that you can select an assembler expression that you want to edit and then click the expression with the right mouse button without unselecting the text.

If you select text and then click the right mouse button outside the selection, the selection will be removed, the text cursor will be placed at the clicked spot, and the local menu will pop up. This behavior is also by conscious design.

2.2.1: Block editor bookmarks can be saved, reloaded, printed

The bookmark feature available in the block editor windows (windows such as XVAR, XREC, XFIL, XREG, and so forth) has been improved. Bookmarks can now be saved to a file and reloaded from the file, and bookmarks are now printed when you print a block editor block. With these improvements, bookmarks offer real opportunities for enhanced documentation and marking of bugs.

To learn more about bookmarks, read the Using Bookmarks topic in the new TPF/GI help file.

2.2.1: Network trace can be activated from Help menu

Sometimes you need to gather information about the operation of TPF/GI in order to report a possible bug. In this case, your administrator may ask you to repeat the steps that created the bug while running a "network trace." A "network trace" records messages sent between TPF/GI and the host. Information about these messages is placed in two files; when these two files are sent to TPF Software, we can study them to help discover the problem.

To begin running a network trace, select Help>Network Trace from the TPF/GI menubar. The GIConnex network trace window will appear and TPF/GI will begin recording all subsequent messages to two files-one file with an MLG extension and one file with an IDX extension.

The network trace ends when you uncheck the Enable Network Trace checkbox on the network trace window or when you shut down TPF/GI. When a network trace ends, a dialog box will appear offering you a chance to copy or delete the files that were created by the network trace. This is also a good opportunity to note what the filenames are in case you need to send them to your administrator.

2.2.1: System activation message can be customized

A new button in the Activate Systems dialog allows users to customize the message that is sent to the host to activate a system. Normally, the single word Activate is sent to the host; now, using this new button, you can send additional options after the word Activate.

CMSTPF Administrator Notes:

This feature has been added to allow a programmer to concatenate a (project) local database, prior to the activation of CMSTPF. Whatever text is specified in the customize button, is sent to the CMSTPFGI Exec (for the Activate option), as optional parameters. The Administrator can update the CMSTPFGI Exec to examine the options (Customized data), and link/concatenate a database, prior to activating CMSTPFGI.

For programmers (end users) to include additional activation options, follow the steps below.

1. Run TPF/GI without any systems activated. If you have TPF/GI set up to automatically activate systems when you run it, you will need to cancel system activation the first time you run it and then run TPF/GI again.
2. Select File>Activate Sytems... from the TPF/GI menubar.
3. In the Activate Systems dialog box, put a checkmark in the Activate checkbox that is associated with the system you want to activate.
4. The Customize button will appear to the right of the Activate checkbox; click the customize button.
5. A dialog box entitled Customize the Activate Command will appear. In this dialog, type the options you want and click OK.
6. Back in the Activate Systems dialog box, the options you typed will appear to the right of the Customize button.
7. Click OK in the Activate Systems dialog box to activate the system.

Any options you type will be placed after the word Activate, a space, an open parenthesis, and another space. For example, if the option text you type is "concatenate J," the following activation message will be sent to the host:

ACTIVATE ( concatenate J

Please note: if you activate multiple systems, only the first system activated will receive additional options.

2.2.1: "More" button in About box aids bug reporting

A new button in the TPF/GI About box helps users discover and report important information about their copy of TPF/GI. To reach this button, select Help>About from the TPF/GI menubar, then click the new More button. A second dialog box will pop up, displaying detailed information about the program. From this second dialog box, users can print the information, copy it to the clipboard, or save it to a file.

Version 2.2.0

2.2.0: Assembler expressions can be edited

TPFGI now lets you watch and edit assembler expressions while you debug in Source View.

To use this powerful new facility, follow these steps:

1. Begin tracing an assembler control file in source view.
2. While you are stopped in the control file, use the left mouse button to click a DSECT field name or an assembler expression.
3. Now use the right mouse button to click anywhere in the Source View window.
4. A local menu will pop up; select the "Edit Expression" item from this local menu.
5. The "Edit Assembler Expression" dialog will appear showing the assembler expression you have selected; fine-tune the assembler expression by editing its text.
6. Once you have the assembler expression to your liking, click the Edit Expression button to view and edit the value of the expression.
7. Alternatively, if the assembler expression contains a field name, you can also view and edit the entire DSECT by clicking the Edit button.

Here are some examples of expressions that the "Edit Assembler Expression" dialog understands:

1. A field name by itself: EBW001
2. A field name plus or minus a displacement: EBW001+3 or EBW001-3
3. A field name with a length override: EBW001(16)
4. A field name with an additional register displacement: EBW001(R13) or EBW001(,R13)
5. A combination of 1 through 4 above: EBW001+3(16,R13) or EBW(16,R13) or EBW001+3(16)
6. A combination of 1 through 4 above, with a literal displacement replacing the field name: 8 or 8(16) or 8(R13) or 8(16,R13)
7. A DSECT name by itself: EB0EB
8. A register name by itself: R13 or RG13 or REG13 or RLD
9. The name of an EQUATE that is known to the control file: CXSGHE

Assembler expressions must be in scope in order to be evaluated. "In scope" means that any DSECT or field involved in the expression is valid at the line in the control file where you are stopped.

2.2.0: Trace Store now supported graphically

You can now control the Trace Store facility through the graphical user interface. To set and review Trace Store options graphically, select Trace>Trace Store from the TPFGI menubar.

2.2.0: Trace options now easy to save and restore

Two new menu items let you save your trace options and restore them again easily. To save your trace options, select Trace>Save from the TPFGI menubar. You can now safely make minor (or major) changes to the options. To restore your trace options to the last saved state, simply select Trace>Restore from the TPFGI menubar. Restoring trace options will cause the Trace Options dialog to display.

2.2.0: ENTNC Program Facility

You can now issue the ENTNC command in order to enter-no-return to a program. To issue the command, select Run>ENTNC from the TPFGI menubar. A dialog will appear requesting the program name.

2.2.0: MECB window easier to use

The MECB window now contains two separate buttons for the suspend and resume functions. This use of two buttons avoids the confusion of a single button toggling between "Suspend" and "Resume."

2.2.0: ENTER key applies block editor changes

Hitting the ENTER key will now apply any changes you have made after editing an ECB window or one of the other block editor windows such as XCOR and XFIL. The changes will be applied only for the overlay panel that has focus.

Version 2.1.0

2.1.0: Systems can be activated and initialized in one step

The Activate and Initialize Systems dialog boxes have been combined. This means that you now can activate and initialize multiple systems in one step. To reach this newly combined dialog box, select File>Activate Systems from the TPF/GI menu bar.

Configuration of the local database can also be done from this Activate Systems dialog box-or from a new Configure Local Databases dialog box (see below).

2.1.0: Local databases can be configured from a new dialog box

To reach the new Configure Local Databases dialog, select Preferences>Configure Local Databases from the TPF/GI menubar. Please note that the configuration done in this dialog is "off-line"; this means that the changes you make to a database configuration do not take effect until the next time you initialize/activate that system.

2.1.0: Systems can be activated automatically when TPF/GI starts

You can choose to have TPF/GI activate and initialize systems automatically when it starts up. This can be done in either of two places

• In the Activate Systems dialog box
• In the Program Options dialog box.

To use the Activate Systems dialog box, select File>Activate Systems from the TPF/GI menubar, then put a check in the box labelled "Perform these actions every time TPF/GI starts."

To use the Program Options dialog box, select Preferences>Program from the menubar, then click the "Other" tab, and put a check in the box labelled "Automatically activate when TPF/GI starts."

2.1.0: Message Run scripts can run in "no-display" mode

You can now run a message run script without having input or output appear in the terminal window. In addition to slightly faster running times, this new "no-display" mode allows input messages of any size to be given to the ALC window without wrap-around problems.

To reach no-display mode for a terminal, do the following:

1. Open Message Run by clicking the message-run button in the terminal.
2. In the Message Run window, drop down the mode list and select "No-Display Mode."

2.1.0: Informative communication status colors reinstated

You can now keep informed of TPF/GI's communication status by watching the leftmost status panel at the bottom of the main form. When this panel is blue, TPF/GI is ready to receive your input. When this panel is red, TPF/GI is contacting the host. When this panel is green, TPF/GI is executing a TPF transaction, and can be interrupted, by depressing the Pause button.

Note: A very long period of red may mean that your connection has been broken or some other serious error has occurred.

2.1.0: The Trace Output window has been enhanced

The Trace Output window has been moved to a separate application and improved. The window now consumes fewer resources, lets you browse through larger Trace Output, and offers enhanced view options and search abilities. You can still reach this window by selecting Trace>Output from the TPFGI menubar.

2.1.0: A new preferences page lets you control Trace Output

TPFGI now gives you greater control over your Trace Output files. To find the new Trace Output file options, select Preferences>Environment from the TPFGI menubar, then scroll down to the "Trace" page. Here you can choose whether to save Trace Output to a file, indicate the maximum size for the Trace Output file, and clear the Trace Output file.

2.1.0: The Record Hold Table can be monitored and edited

To monitor the record hold table, select View>Tables>Record Hold Table from the TPFGI menubar. From the resulting MHold window, you can hold records, release records, and edit the associated ECB for a file address being held.

2.1.0: The Event Table can be monitored and edited

To monitor the event table, select View>Tables>Event Table from the TPFGI menubar. From the resulting MEvent window, you can timeout events, post events, dequeue events, and edit the ECB associated with an event.

2.1.0: General Data Sets can be viewed and edited

To display, mount and unload General Data Sets, select View>General Data Sets from the TPF/GI menubar.

2.1.0: The Trace Store command can be issued

To issue the trace store command, select Trace>Store from the TPFGI menubar.

2.1.0: A new preferences page lets you change your ID and password

To change your VM User ID and password, select Preferences>Environment from the TPFGI menubar. Changes made to the VM User Id and password do not take effect until the next activation of TPFGI.

This feature enables programmers to change the User Id or Password directly from the TPF/GI preference menu.

2.1.0: The installation protects passwords and reuses directories

The install program now hides passwords while they are being entered. In addition, if a previous version of TPFGI is already installed, previously defined directories will be reused, and the User Id won't be requested again.

First time installers will be requested to enter their VM User Id and password.

2.1.0: Database initialization messages can be viewed

A new window now displays the unsolicited messages that the host sends to TPFGI to report on the success or failure of database initialization and other issues. You can view this window at any time by selecting View>Unsolicited Message Log from the TPFGI menubar. These messages are also saved to a text file named UNSOLMSG.LOG in your GIUSER folder.

Version 2.0.1

2.0.1: Toolbars can be customized and undocked

You can now change which buttons appear on TPF/GI toolbars. You can also cause the toolbars to float in empty space or "dock" on the TPF/GI main window (docked is the default state). Since this feature is so new, brief examples are included below.

Toolbar Example 1. How to add a Help Contents button to a toolbar:

1. Select Preferences>Toolbars from the TPF/GI menu bar.
2. The Customize dialog box will appear. Click the Commands tab on the Customize dialog.
3. Click the "Help" category in the left-hand list of the Customize dialog.
4. Drag the "Contents" item from the Commands list of the Customize dialog to any existing toolbar.

Toolbar Example 2. How to remove a button from a toolbar.

1. Select Preferences>Toolbars from the TPF/GI menu bar.
2. The Customize dialog box will appear. You are now in "customize-the-toolbar" mode.
3. Move your mouse to any existing toolbar (in other words, do not move your mouse to the Customize dialog box; instead, move your mouse directly to an existing toolbar that already has buttons).
4. Drag a tool button from the toolbar and drop it into empty space.

Toolbar Example 3. How to create a new toolbar.

1. Select Preferences>Toolbars from the menu bar.
2. The Customize dialog box will appear. Click the "New" button on the customize dialog.
3. Type a name for the new toolbar and press Enter. The new toolbar will appear at a small size and floating in space.
4. Populate the new toolbar with buttons by following Toolbar Example 1 above.

Toolbar Example 4. How to undock a toolbar (make it float).

1. Place the mouse cursor over the handle at the left-hand end of the docked toolbar.
2. Depress and hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse cursor downward off the TPF/GI main window.
3. Release the left mouse button.

Toolbar Example 5. How to dock a toolbar (stop it from floating).

1. Place the mouse cursor over the handle at the left-hand end of the floating toolbar.
2. Depress and hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse cursor over the TPF/GI main window.
3. Release the left mouse button.

2.0.1: Debug windows can dock with Source View

The Machine Instructions, Breakpoints, Call Stack, and Watch windows all can dock in tabbed form at the bottom of the Source View window. They can also be dragged away to float separately. They can also be docked with each other separately from Source View.

New preference checkboxes help control the docking behavior of these debug windows. To reach these checkboxes, right click the Source View window and select preferences.

2.0.1: Block editor windows can dock together

In order to save screen space, block editor windows of the same general type now dock together automatically using tabs. For example, XCOR windows dock with other XCOR windows, and XFIL windows dock with other XFIL windows. To undock a block editor window, grab its tab and drag it away to a new screen position.

2.0.1: Several windows are more space efficient

The block editor, PrimeCRAS and GI Console windows now use space more efficiently, allowing you to see more data and less empty gray space. For the block editor windows, the OK, Apply, and Cancel buttons have been shrunk down and moved to the left-hand bottom corner of the window. If you prefer to use the keyboard, you can still press Enter to OK changes to the window and Escape to cancel changes.

2.0.1: Block editor windows offer new chaining options

A new button on most block editor windows allows you to customize the way the window chains forward and backward. You can find this button on most block editor windows at the top of the scrollbar, between the forward- and backward-chain buttons. Depress this button to cause any forward or backward chains to appear in new windows. Un-depress this button cause any forward or backward chains to appear in the same window, replacing the data that was previously there.

2.0.1: Block editor windows can be split into two editable views

A new button near the bottom left corner of block editor windows allows them to be split into two editable views of the same data. For example, you can edit the top and bottom of a core block at the same time, or drag data from one position to another easily.

2.0.1: An optional file mask dialog fine tunes the file open dialog

An optional file mask dialog allows you to preselect the range of files that the TPF/GI host open dialog will display. This dialog can be turned off by unchecking a checkbox on the file mask dialog itself or by unchecking a checkbox in the Host Communications preferences dialog. To reach this second checkbox, select Preferences>Program from the TPF/GI menu bar, then click the Options tab.

2.0.1: Globals Areas can be displayed and edited

To display globals areas, select View>Globals from the TPF/GI menubar, then select Globals Area 1 through 4.

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