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This utility takes a little backround to explain. The ISPF editor has a
concept called "MASK" lines. MASK lines can be thought of as templates for new
lines in a file. When you use the "I" line command in edit, a new blank line
is used by default for each insert. The lines inserted do not have to be blank
however. If a MASK line is set up, it will be inserted instead of a blank
line.
If you type MASK as a line command, ISPF allows you to define the mask
interactively. For the rest of that edit session (or until you change it), the
MASK line will be inserted. This is all well an good, but what if you want to
create a MASK line with special HEX characters that cannot be
typed....well....you're sunk.
Why, you ask, would you want to do such a thing?
Certain special HEX characters cause your cursor to skip over them in an edit
session....like a TAB sort of. By inserting these characters in certain
columns on each line, you can greatly facilitate entering data which must be in
specific columns. Those special characters will prevent you from typing in the
wrong columns.
The SETMASK utility allows you to specify a line of text in your file as the
MASK line.
Because you can use a line of text in the file, you can turn HEX ON and place
those special characters such as X'00' wherever you wish, mark the line with an
"M" in the line number, type SETMASK on the command line and press .
Now that line is the MASK line.
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