What do Z-variables stand for in panels?

Products

• TPX - Session Management
• Vman Session Management for z/OS

Issue/Introduction

When looking at TPX-panels, for example at the TPX Main menu there are variables 'Z' instead of 'real' Variable names. What is the explanation for this?

Environment

Release: NVINAM00200-5.3-TPX-Session Management-Access Management package
Component:

Resolution

When you look for example at panel TEN0041, the TPX Main Menu. Here you find four variables 'Z':

 

  )MODEL                                                                
   _Z:uentuser;   PF:Z +      <Z                          ¬z   +  
)RESUME

 

They are related to the list starting with .ZVARS located below the marker )INIT:

 

.ZVARS=(UENTSLCT UENTPJMP UENTLAB UENTWSTS)               

 

The first Z is replaced with variable UENTSLCT, the second Z with UENTPJMP and so on - I marked the pairs of Z and the relating variable name with colors. The reason for using this ZVARS-list is that the names of the variables are longer than the values. The PF-key is only two bytes long but the variable name is UENTPJMP. This technique allows to keep the length of the fields as short as necessary.