Editing ISPF (section)

{{short description|Component of the z/OS operating system used for accessing filesystems}}
In [[computing]], '''Interactive System Productivity Facility''' ('''ISPF''')<ref>{{cite book
   |title=Improving Productivity With ISPF Productivity Tool V6.1
   |quote=introduces the Interactive System Productivity Facility (ISPF) Productivity Tool (IPT)
   |isbn=978-0-7384-3329-5 |author=Michael Rotter |year=2009|publisher=IBM Redbooks
 }}</ref> is a software product for many historic IBM mainframe operating systems and currently the [[z/OS]] and [[z/VM]] operating systems that run on [[IBM mainframe]]s.  It includes a [[Text editor|screen editor]], the [[user interface]] of which was emulated by some microcomputer editors sold commercially starting in the late 1980s, including [[SPF/PC]].<ref>{{cite web |date=July 16, 2020 
|url=https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB75366
|quote=Background information: ntvdm.exe NTVDM can run at startup. SPF-PC A 16-bit DOS application based on the mainframe editor ISPF editor.
|title=SPF-PC1 DOS application started through the Windows ntvdm}}</ref>

ISPF primarily provides an [[IBM 3270]] terminal [[Interface (computer science)|interface]] with a set of [[panel (computer software)|panels]]. Each panel may include menus and dialogs to run tools on the underlying environment, e.g., [[Time Sharing Option]] (TSO). Generally, these panels just provide a convenient interface to do tasks—most of them execute modules of [[IBM mainframe utility programs]] to do the actual work.  ISPF is frequently used to manipulate [[z/OS]] [[data set (IBM mainframe)|data set]]s via its Program Development Facility (ISPF/PDF).<ref>{{cite manual 
 |      title = Interactive System Productivity Facility General Information MVS, VM, and VSE 
 |         id = GC34-2078-2
 |       date = July 1983
 |    edition = Third 
 |       page = 4
 |    section = ISPF/PDF Program Development Functions 
 | section-url = http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/GC34-2078-2_ISPF_General_Information_Jul83.pdf#page=13
 |        url = http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/GC34-2078-2_ISPF_General_Information_Jul83.pdf
 |  publisher = IBM
}}
</ref> 

ISPF is user-extensible and it is often used as an [[application programming interface]]. Many [[vendor]]s have created products for [[z/OS]] that use the ISPF interface. 

An early version was called '''Structured Programming Facility''' ('''SPF''') and introduced in [[OS/VS2 (SVS)|SVS]] and [[MVS]] systems in 1974.<ref name=Fosdick>{{cite book|last=Fosdick|first=Howard|title=Using IBM's ISPF dialog manager|year=1987|publisher=Van Nostrand Reinhold|isbn=9780442226268|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbomAAAAMAAJ&q=IBM+%22structured+programming+facility%22}}</ref> IBM chose the name because SPF was introduced about the same time as [[structured programming]] concepts. In 1979 IBM introduced a new version and a compatible product for [[Conversational Monitor System|CMS]]<ref>{{cite manual
 |title        = Structured Programming Facility/Conversational Monitor System: Program Reference Manual
 |id           = SH20-2409-0
 |edition      = First
 |url          = http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/SH20-2409-0_Structured_Programming_Facility_CMS_Program_Reference_Sep79.pdf
 |publisher    = IBM
 |access-date  = 2020-08-07
 |archive-date = 2019-12-02
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20191202113023/http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/SH20-2409-0_Structured_Programming_Facility_CMS_Program_Reference_Sep79.pdf
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> under [[VM (operating system)|Virtual Machine Facility/370]] Release 5. 

In 1980 IBM changed its name to '''System Productivity Facility'''<ref>{{cite manual
|title=System Productivity Facility Dialog Management Services  |id= SC34-2036-1
|date=March 1981  |edition=Second
|url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/SPF/SC34-2036-1_System_Productivity_Facility_Dialog_Management_Services_Mar81.pdf
|publisher=IBM}}</ref> and offered a version<ref>{{cite manual
    |title=System Productivity Facility for VM/SP Program Reference
    |id=SC34-2047-0
    |date=March 1981
    |edition=First
    |url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/SC34-2047-0_VM_SP_System_Productivity_Facility_Program_Reference_Mar81.pdf
    |publisher=IBM
    |access-date=2020-08-07
    |archive-date=2019-12-02
    |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202112638/http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/SC34-2047-0_VM_SP_System_Productivity_Facility_Program_Reference_Mar81.pdf
    |url-status=dead
    }}</ref> for [[Conversational Monitor System|CMS]] under [[VM (operating system)|VM/SP]].<ref name=ISPF.FunKeys/>

In 1982 IBM changed the name to Interactive System Productivity Facility,<ref>{{cite manual
|title=Interactive System Productivity Facility General Information MVS, VM, and VSE   |id=GC34-2078-2
|date=July 1983  |edition=Third
|url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/GC34-2078-2_ISPF_General_Information_Jul83.pdf
|publisher=IBM}}</ref> split off some facilities into '''Interactive System Productivity Facility/Program Development Facility''' ('''ISPF/PDF''') and offered a version for [[VSE (operating system)|VSE/AF]].

In 1984 IBM released ISPF Version 2 and ISPF/PDF Version 2; the VM versions<ref>{{cite manual
|title=Interactive System Productivity Facility Version 2 What's New in ISPF? MVS and VM/SP
|date=October 1984   |edition=Second
|url=http://bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/370/ISPF/GC34-2172-1_Interactive_System_Productivity_Facility_Version_2_Whats_New_In_ISPF_Oct1984.pdf
|publisher=IBM}}</ref> allowed the user to select either the PDF editor or [[XEDIT]].

IBM eventually merged PDF back into the base product.

ISPF can also be run from a [[z/OS]] batch job.