Hiring guide for ISPF Dialog Manager Language Engineers

ISPF Dialog Manager Language Developer Hiring Guide

ISPF Dialog Manager Language is a proprietary 4GL programming language developed by IBM in the 1970s. It is used to create interactive user interfaces for IBM mainframe applications. ISPF Dialog Manager Language is no longer in active development, but it is still used by some organizations today. Sources: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISPF_Dialog_Manager_Language [2] https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SSLTBW_2.1.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r1.sasrstr.doc/sasrstr_4.htm

Ask the right questions secure the right ISPF Dialog Manager Language talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General ISPF Dialog Manager Language app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in ISPF Dialog Manager Language application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

How would you define ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
ISPF Dialog Manager Language is a high-level programming language used to create dialogues between an application and a user. It is part of IBM's Interactive System Productivity Facility and is used to create, test, and debug dialogues.
What are the key components of ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
The key components of ISPF Dialog Manager Language include panels, skeletons, tables, messages, and libraries. Panels define the user interface, skeletons are templates for generating data, tables store and retrieve data, messages provide user feedback, and libraries store these components.
Describe the difference between a panel and a skeleton in ISPF Dialog Manager Language.
A panel in ISPF Dialog Manager Language is used to define the user interface, including the layout and the fields for user input. A skeleton, on the other hand, is a template used to generate data. It can contain variables that are replaced with actual values when the skeleton is used.
How would you create a table in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
To create a table in ISPF Dialog Manager Language, you would use the TBOPEN service to open a new or existing table, the TBADD or TBPUT services to add or update rows, and the TBCLOSE service to close the table.
What are the steps to debug a dialogue in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
To debug a dialogue in ISPF Dialog Manager Language, you would first set the debug level using the SET DLEVEL command. Then, you would run the dialogue and use the DISPLAY, TRACE, and VGET services to inspect the values of variables and the execution of services. Finally, you would use the SET MSG command to control the display of messages.
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What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a solid understanding of ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills?
Is the candidate familiar with other relevant programming languages?
Does the candidate have experience with software development methodologies?

Next 20 minutes

Specific ISPF Dialog Manager Language development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

How would you handle errors in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
In ISPF Dialog Manager Language, errors are handled by checking the return code of each service call. If the return code indicates an error, you can use the ZERRSM and ZERRLM variables to get the short and long error messages, respectively. You can then display these messages to the user or write them to a log.
What is the purpose of the ZVARS variable in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
The ZVARS variable in ISPF Dialog Manager Language is a list of all the variables that are currently in use. It can be used to save the state of a dialogue, to pass data between different parts of a dialogue, or to debug a dialogue.
How would you use the VPUT and VGET services in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
The VPUT and VGET services in ISPF Dialog Manager Language are used to write and read variables to and from the pool of shared variables. VPUT writes the values of specified variables to the pool, and VGET reads the values of specified variables from the pool.
Describe the difference between a global and a local variable in ISPF Dialog Manager Language.
In ISPF Dialog Manager Language, a global variable is shared among all dialogues and is stored in the pool of shared variables. A local variable, on the other hand, is only visible within the dialogue that created it.
What are the steps to create a panel in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
To create a panel in ISPF Dialog Manager Language, you would first define the layout of the panel using the PANEL statement. Then, you would define the fields for user input using the BODY statement. Finally, you would define the actions to be taken when the user interacts with the panel using the PROC statement.
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The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the ISPF Dialog Manager Language engineer at this point.

At this point, a skilled ISPF Dialog Manager Language engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in ISPF Dialog Manager Language programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with ISPF Dialog Manager Language.

What does this simple ISPF Dialog Manager Language command do: 'ISPEXEC CONTROL DISPLAY LOCK'?
ISPEXEC CONTROL DISPLAY LOCK
This command locks the display so that no other applications can update it until it is unlocked.
What will be the output of this ISPF Dialog Manager Language command: 'ISPEXEC SETMSG MSG(ISRZ002)'?
ISPEXEC SETMSG MSG(ISRZ002)
This command sets the message ISRZ002 to be displayed. The actual output will depend on the content of the ISRZ002 message in the system's message library.
What does this ISPF Dialog Manager Language command do: 'ISPEXEC VGET (ZUSER) PROFILE'?
ISPEXEC VGET (ZUSER) PROFILE
This command retrieves the value of the ZUSER variable from the user's profile and places it into the ZUSER variable in the current session.
What does this ISPF Dialog Manager Language command do: 'ISPEXEC SELECT PGM(ISRDDN) PARM('MEMBER')'?
ISPEXEC SELECT PGM(ISRDDN) PARM('MEMBER')
This command selects the ISRDDN program to be executed with the parameter 'MEMBER'. ISRDDN is a utility that lists data set names.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for ISPF Dialog Manager Language Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle ISPF Dialog Manager Language application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

How would you use the DISPLAY service in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
The DISPLAY service in ISPF Dialog Manager Language is used to display a panel to the user. It takes as arguments the name of the panel and a list of variables to be displayed on the panel. The variables are replaced with their actual values when the panel is displayed.
What is the purpose of the TRACE service in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
The TRACE service in ISPF Dialog Manager Language is used to trace the execution of a dialogue. It can be used to debug a dialogue by showing the values of variables and the execution of services.
How would you use the TBSCAN service in ISPF Dialog Manager Language?
The TBSCAN service in ISPF Dialog Manager Language is used to scan a table for a row that matches specified criteria. It takes as arguments the name of the table and the criteria for matching. If a matching row is found, the service returns the row number and the values of the row.

ISPF Dialog Manager Language application related

Product Perfect's ISPF Dialog Manager Language development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your ISPF Dialog Manager Language engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in ISPF Dialog Manager Language projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.