How do I find the file I want on Mainframes? How do you find/list files in ISPF?

How do I find the file I want on Mainframes? How do you find/list files in ISPF?

You want to search and locate a file. Finding the file on MVS Operating System is done using, ISPF Menu 3.4, called Dataset List Utility. Go to ISPF Menu 3.4 screen, and type the name of the dataset that you want to search and hit Ctrl.

For example, if you want to search for the file AGY0157.EMPLOYEE.DATA, then type AGY0157.EMPLOYEE.DATA in Dsname field.



Upon hitting the Ctrl button, you would find list of files displayed before. Note that, Dataset List Utility(DSLIST) works by searching for all files that match a pattern. So, when you type AGY0157.EMPLOYEE.DATA, what you actually specify is a pattern.

All files matching this pattern will be displayed. So, if there is a file – AGY0157.EMPLOYEE.DATA.MASTER, it also matches the pattern. Thus, it will also be listed.



In fact, if you don’t know the exact name of your file, you can just specify the pattern followed by a wild-card. Say, for example, if you want to search for all the files starting with AGY0157.DEMO.something, then you can specify it as AGY0157.DEMO.*



When you hit Ctrl, you would get the list of all datasets(files), whose names start with AGY0157.DEMO.