IBM: Description of PTKVIEW

Description of PTKVIEW

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From Kris Buelens

PTKVIEW

PTKVIEW is a CMS GUI application written in REXX. Click here to download PTKVIEW.

PTKVIEW helps you reading VMPTK LISTINGs: the CMS/GUI facility is used to present VMPTK's reports in a GUI.

PTKVIEW change history

Compared to using XEDIT, the benefits are the following:

PTKVIEW keeps the column headers visible while scrolling through a report
Using a small font, it becomes possible to view all 132 columns, no need to scroll left and right.
Jumping from one report to another is with a mouse click. Viewing interim reports may costs at most two mouse clicks.
If you save many VMPTK LISTINGs, comparing the same report in different listings costs you one mouse click.
Report data can be sorted in alternative ways than how VMPTK created them. We provide sort definitions for the most important reports, but you can define more in PTKVIEW REPORTS.
At this time this doesn't work well yet: PTK doesn't align the numbers so they can be sorted.
When you select one or more users/devices/times in a VMPTK report, we will try to select the same set when switching to another report. Example:
You can define short-cut keys in PTKVIEW PROFILE to define menu items to quickly switch to selected reports. For example Ctrl+U displays the "user" report (FCX112, General User Resource Utilization)
Shift-F7 and -F8 can now be used to select the next interim report.
Selected reports, or parts of reports can be saved to disk.
A CP/CMS command shell has been added.
Allow passing extra VMPTK report selections as input parameter
Example: PTKVIEW VMPTK* LIST* Z
Additionally, "PTKVIEW fn ft fm" opens that file automatically (instead of opening the most recent one).

Installation

Get the WSA for VM (it can be found here) and install on your workstation. And start it.
Create a GUI EXEC, it will issue SET WORKSTAT with the address obtained from CP Q V CONS. This tells CMS/GUI programs on what IP address to display the GUI. These lines are enough:
```
  /* */
  parse value diag(8,'Q V CONS') with 'TCPIP' 'FROM' ipaddr '15'x
  'SET WORKSTAT IP' ipaddr
  
```
If you save PTK listings somewhere: update PTKVIEW PROFILE, the /LISTINGS/ records: include LISTFILE arguments to find your listings Consult PTKVIEW HELPCMS to find details
Or, if you have a single listing, issue PTKVIEW myPTK LISTING

Feedback Wanted

As tool author it is nice to get feedback from the tool users:

to get an idea of how many people actually use the tool
to learn what the shortcomings of the tool are

So, for my newest tool, PTKVIEW, I'd like you to spend a minute to send me some feedback. Some topics:

 - do you like PTKVIEW, will you use it a lot ?
 - what improvements do you want ?
 - what features do you hate ?
 - what about performance (should I try to keep the "active"
   VMPTK LISTING in storage; with other words: is switching between
   different reports of the same VMPTK LISTING slow ?)

I do know some improvements I personally want, but your input would be greatly appreciated. Some of my ideas:

  - provide GUI panels for all tailorable items
  - make PTKVIEW callable from PTKGUI (PTKGUI allows to make VMPTK graphs)
  - allow to run multiple copies of PTKVIEW, so it becomes easier to
    compare VMPTK reports of different dates.

When I get much feedback, I might spend more time to improve PTKVIEW.... My e-mail address:

 - click on the "Kris Buelens" link at the top of this page
 - internet:             kris.buelens@gmail.com

PTKVIEW Change History

Changes in 1.0.a `(3 June 2013)`