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CICS BIF EDIT - Data Formatting

CICS BIF EDIT adds editing characters to data fields, converting unformatted data to formatted data in CICS environments. It enables data presentation, field formatting, and user-friendly display for CICS applications.

What is CICS BIF EDIT?

CICS BIF EDIT adds editing characters to data fields, converting unformatted data to formatted data. It enables data presentation, field formatting, and user-friendly display, providing a standardized way to format data in CICS applications.

Command Syntax

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EXEC CICS BIF EDIT
    FIELD(field-name)
    [LENGTH(field-length)]
    [FORMAT(format-specification)]
    [RESP(response-code)]
    [RESP2(response-code-2)]
END-EXEC.

Parameters Explained

FIELD Parameter

Specifies the field to edit:

  • Must contain unformatted data
  • Identifies the target field
  • Required for all EDIT operations
  • Must be properly defined

LENGTH Parameter

Specifies the field length:

  • Optional parameter
  • Specifies field length
  • Used for field validation
  • Can be omitted for automatic detection

FORMAT Parameter

Specifies the format specification:

  • Optional parameter
  • Defines editing format
  • Used for custom formatting
  • Can be omitted for default formatting

RESP Parameters

Response codes returned by the command:

  • RESP: Primary response code
  • RESP2: Secondary response code
  • Always check these codes for command success
  • Handle command failures appropriately

Format Types

1. Numeric Formatting

  • Currency format: $1,234.56
  • Decimal format: 1234.56
  • Integer format: 1,234
  • Percentage format: 12.34%

2. Date Formatting

  • US date format: MM/DD/YYYY
  • European date format: DD/MM/YYYY
  • ISO date format: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Long date format: Month DD, YYYY

3. Time Formatting

  • 24-hour format: HH:MM:SS
  • 12-hour format: HH:MM AM/PM
  • Short time format: HH:MM
  • Long time format: HH:MM:SS.mmm

Implementation Example

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WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 WS-RESPONSE            PIC S9(8) COMP.
01 WS-RESPONSE2           PIC S9(8) COMP.
01 WS-UNFORMATTED-FIELD   PIC X(20) VALUE '123456'.
01 WS-FORMATTED-FIELD     PIC X(20).
01 WS-FIELD-LENGTH        PIC S9(8) COMP VALUE 20.
01 WS-FORMAT-SPEC         PIC X(10) VALUE 'CURRENCY'.
 
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
    * Edit the field
    EXEC CICS BIF EDIT
        FIELD(WS-UNFORMATTED-FIELD)
        LENGTH(WS-FIELD-LENGTH)
        FORMAT(WS-FORMAT-SPEC)
        RESP(WS-RESPONSE)
        RESP2(WS-RESPONSE2)
    END-EXEC.
    
    IF WS-RESPONSE NOT EQUAL DFHRESP(NORMAL)
        EXEC CICS WRITE OPERATOR
            TEXT('EDIT command failed')
        END-EXEC
        EXEC CICS RETURN END-EXEC
    END-IF.
    
    * Field edited successfully
    * Process formatted data

Edit Processing

1. Character Addition

Character addition includes:

  • Currency symbol addition
  • Decimal point addition
  • Thousands separator addition
  • Sign indicator addition

2. Data Formatting

Data formatting includes:

  • Space addition
  • Special character addition
  • Formatting character addition
  • Control character addition

3. Data Validation

Data validation includes:

  • Format validation
  • Length validation
  • Content validation
  • Business rule validation

Common Response Codes

Success Response Codes

  • NORMAL (0): Field edited successfully
  • EDIT (4): Field processed

Error Response Codes

  • INVREQ (16): Invalid request
  • FIELD (20): Field error
  • LENGERR (22): Length error
  • EDIT (24): Edit error

Best Practices

1. Field Preparation

  • Validate field content
  • Check field length
  • Handle different data types
  • Ensure field integrity

2. Error Handling

  • Check all response codes
  • Handle edit failures
  • Implement retry logic
  • Log error conditions

3. Data Processing

  • Process formatted data
  • Validate processed data
  • Handle different formats
  • Maintain data consistency

Explain It Like I'm 5 Years Old

Imagine you're decorating a plain number:

Sometimes when you have a plain number like "123456", you want to make it look nicer and easier to understand. You might add a dollar sign to show it's money, or add commas to separate the thousands, or add a decimal point to show cents.

CICS BIF EDIT is like decorating a plain number. It looks at something like "123456" and adds all the pretty decorations to make it look like "$1,234.56" - much nicer and easier to understand!

Just like you need to decorate things to make them look nice, the computer program needs to decorate data to make it look nice for people to see!

Exercises

Exercise 1: Field Editing

Write a CICS BIF EDIT command to edit a field containing "123456" with currency formatting.

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EXEC CICS BIF EDIT
    FIELD(WS-UNFORMATTED-FIELD)
    LENGTH(20)
    FORMAT('CURRENCY')
    RESP(WS-RESPONSE)
    RESP2(WS-RESPONSE2)
END-EXEC.

Exercise 2: Data Presentation

How would you implement comprehensive data presentation that handles different field formats and user preferences?

Answer: Identify different field types and appropriate formats, implement format-specific edit logic, handle user preferences for formatting, validate field content before and after editing, implement proper error handling for invalid formats, and maintain data integrity throughout the edit process.

Quiz

Question 1

What is the primary purpose of CICS BIF EDIT?

Answer: B) To add editing characters

Question 2

Which parameter specifies the field to edit?

Answer: A) FIELD

Related Concepts

CICS Data Presentation

Data presentation and field formatting in CICS

CICS Field Formatting

Field formatting and data display in CICS

CICS User Interface

User interface and data presentation in CICS