Editing ISPF (section)

==ISPF as a user interface development environment==

Underlying ISPF/PDF is an extensive set of tools that allow application developers to create panel-driven applications, and a set of guidelines to promote consistent use of ISPF functions. A "panel" is a character-based "window" which can encompass all or part of a 3270 session's screen real estate. See [[Text-based user interface]]s.

Most mainframe software vendors used ISPF functions to create their applications, so their tools are similar in appearance and operation to ISPF. Similarly, many installations write their own informal tools that use ISPF services.

ISPF services are generally available to any programmer using the system, and can be used to write panels for either personal or system-wide use, writing in either compiled languages such as [[HLASM]], [[C (programming language)|C]], [[COBOL]], [[PL/I]], or interpreted languages such as [[CLIST]], [[REXX]] and [[Object REXX|ooRexx]].{{cn|reason=Document ISPF support in MVS port of ooRexx|date=November 2024}}

ISPF applications can use ''file tailoring'' to create customized members from ''skeletons''; one use of file tailoring is to create JCL that the user can then submit as a batch job.