Using the Zowe Desktop

You can use the Zowe™ Application Framework to create application plug-ins for the Zowe Desktop. For more information, see Extending the Zowe Application Framework.

Navigating the Zowe Desktop

From the Zowe Desktop, you can access Zowe applications.

Accessing the Zowe Desktop

From a supported browser, open the Zowe Desktop at https://{myhost}:{httpsPort} or you can navigate to the direct Desktop URI at https://{myhost}:{httpsPort}/ZLUX/plugins/org.zowe.zlux.bootstrap/web/

Where:

• myHost is the host on which you are running the Zowe Application Server.
• httpsPort is the value that was assigned to node.https.port in server.json. For example, if you run the Zowe Application Server on host myhost and the value that is assigned to node.https.port in server.json is 12345, you would specify https://myhost:12345/ZLUX/plugins/org.zowe.zlux.bootstrap/web/index.html.

Logging in and out of the Zowe Desktop

1. To log in, enter your TSO credentials in the Username and Password fields.
2. Press Enter. Upon authentication of your user name and password, the desktop opens.

To log out, click the User icon in the lower right corner and click Sign Out.

Changing user password

1. Open the Preferences panel by clicking on the Preferences icon in the bottom right of the desktop.

2. Click the Change Password icon.
3. Fill out the Old Password and New Password fields.
4. Upon successful password change, you will be taken to the desktop.

Updating an expired password

1. Upon logging in with an expired password, a screen will be displayed prompting you to change your password.
2. Enter and confirm your new password in the corresponding fields.
3. Upon successful password change, you will be taken to the desktop.

Pinning applications to the task bar

1. Click the Start menu in the bottom left corner of the home screen.
2. Locate the application you want to pin.
3. Right-click the application icon and select Pin to taskbar.

Keyboard shortcuts

The following keyboard shortcuts can be used in the Desktop to navigate or perform actions with only the keyboard.

Keyboard Shortcut	Command
CTRL+ALT+M	Open the Zowe launchbar menu. Use the UP/DOWN arrow keys to select an app, RIGHT arrow key to spawn context menu, ENTER to launch app, and ESC to close menu
CTRL+ALT+UP	Maximize active app. Press again to restore
CTRL+ALT+DOWN	Minimize active app. Press again to restore
CTRL+ALT+<	Switch to next recently active app
CTRL+ALT+>	Switch to least recently active app
CTRL+ALT+W	Close active app

Changing application elements size

There are 3 supported ways of changing size within the Desktop.

1. Use your browser's zoom feature (keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl +, Ctrl - for various supported browsers) to change all elements' size. Recommended: 67%

Note: Zoom is highly variable and depends on your display size, resolution, and many other variables so the recommended zoom may not be ideal for you

2. View the Preferences panel (see below section) to change the scale of the Desktop UI: elements like window title bar, app icons, bottom-left start menu, app tool bar etc. and excluding main app content

3. Change an individual application's size via its window handles or minimize/maximize buttons. You can also start an application in full screen mode by right clicking on an application's icon in the taskbar and select "Open in New Browser Tab"

Tip: Did you know you can use the whole Desktop in full screen mode by using your browser's full screen feature (keyboard shortcuts: F11 for various supported browsers)?

Personalizing the Desktop

1. Click the Preferences icon to open the Preferences panel.

2. Click the Personalization icon to open the menu.

3. Drag an image into the wallpaper grid, or press the upload button, to upload a new Desktop wallpaper.
4. To set a new theme color, select a color from the palette or hue.
5. Use the lightness swatch bar to adjust the lightness of the color.

• Adjusting the lightness will also change the lightness of secondary text.

6. Select a size (small, medium, or large) to adjust the scale of the Desktop UI.

Changing the desktop language

Use the Languages setting in the Preferences panel to change the desktop language. After you change the language and restart Zowe, desktop menus and text display in the specified language. Applications that support the specified desktop language also display in that language.

1. Click the Preferences icon in the lower right corner.
2. Click Languages.
3. In the Languages dialog, click a language, and then click Apply.
4. When you are prompted, restart Zowe.

Zowe Desktop application plug-ins

Application plug-ins are applications that you can use to access the mainframe and to perform various tasks. Developers can create application plug-ins using a sample application as a guide. The following application plug-ins are installed by default:

Hello World Sample

The Hello World sample application plug-in for developers demonstrates how to create a dataservice and how to create an application plug-in using Angular and using React.

IFrame Sample

The IFrame sample application plug-in for developers demonstrates how to embed pre-made webpages within the desktop as an application and how an application can request an action of another application (see the source code for more information).

z/OS Subsystems

The z/OS Subsystems plug-in helps you find information about the important services on the mainframe, such as CICS, Db2, and IMS.

3270 Terminal

The 3270 Terminal plug-in provides a user interface that emulates the basic functions of IBM 3270 family terminals. On the "back end," the plug-in and the Zowe Application Server connect to any standard TN3270E server.

VT Terminal

The VT Terminal plug-in provides a user interface that emulates the basic functions of DEC VT family terminals. On the "back end," the plug-in and the Zowe Application Server connect to VT compatible hosts, such as z/OS UNIX System Services (USS), using standard network protocols.

API Catalog

The API Catalog plug-in lets you view API services that have been discovered by the API Mediation Layer. For more information about the API Mediation Layer, Discovery Service, and API Catalog, see API Mediation Layer Overview.

Editor

With the Zowe Editor you can create and edit files and view datasets on the system that Zowe serves.

Workflows

From the Workflows application plug-in you can create, manage, and use z/OSMF workflows to manage your system.

JES Explorer

Use this application to query JES jobs with filters, and view the related steps, files, and status. You can also purge jobs from this view.

MVS Explorer

Use this application to browse the MVS™ file system by using a high-level qualifier filter. With the MVS Explorer, you can complete the following tasks:

• List the members of partitioned data sets.
• Create new data sets using attributes or the attributes of an existing data set ("Allocate Like").
• Submit data sets that contain JCL to Job Entry Subsystem (JES).
• Edit sequential data sets and partitioned data set members with basic syntax highlighting and content assist for JCL and REXX.
• Conduct basic validation of record length when editing JCL.
• Delete data sets and members.
• Open data sets in full screen editor mode, which gives you a fully qualified link to that file. The link is then reusable for example in help tickets.

USS Explorer

Use this application to browse the USS files by using a path. With the USS Explorer, you can complete the following tasks:

• List files and folders.
• Create new files and folders.
• Edit files with basic syntax highlighting and content assist for JCL and REXX.
• Delete files and folders.

Using the Workflows application plug-in

The Workflows application plug-in is available from the Zowe Desktop Start menu. To launch Workflows, click the Start menu in the lower-left corner of the desktop and click the Workflows application plug-in icon. The Users/Tasks Workflows window opens.

Logging on to the system

If you are prompted to log on to the system, complete these steps:

1. Enter your user ID and password.
2. Click Sign in.

Updating the data display

To refresh the data on any tab, click in the upper right corner of the window.

Configuration

From the Configuration tab, you can view, add, and remove servers.

Adding a z/OSMF server

Complete these steps to add a new z/OSMF server:

1. Click the Configuration tab.
2. Click the plus sign (+) on the left side of the window.
3. In the Host field, type the name of the host.
4. In the Port field, type the port number.
5. Click OK.

Testing a server connection

To test the connection, click Test. When the server is online the Online indicator next to the server Host and Port is green.

Setting a server as the default z/OSMF server

Complete these steps to set a default z/OSMF server:

1. Click Set as default.
2. Enter your user ID and password.
3. Click Sign in.

Note: You must specify a default server.

Removing a server

To remove a server, click x next to the server that you want to remove.

Reload a server configuration

To reload a server configuration, click Reload.

Save a server configuration

To save a server configuration, click Save.

Workflows

To display all workflows on the system, click the Workflows tab.

You can sort the workflows based on the following information:

Workflow

The name of the workflow.

Description

The description of the workflow.

Version

The version number.

Owner

The user ID of the workflow owner.

System

The system identifier.

Status

The status of the workflow (In progress or Completed).

Progress

Indicates how much of the workflow has been completed based on the number of tasks completed.

Searching workflows

To locate a specific workflow, type a search string in the search box in the upper right corner of the window.

Defining a workflow

To define a workflow, complete these steps:

1. From the Workflows tab, click Actions > New workflow. (By default, the Advanced Mode check box is selected.)
2. In the Name field, specify a descriptive name for the workflow.
3. In the Workflow definition file field, specify the primary XML file for this workflow.
4. In the System field, specify a system.
5. In the Owner field, specify the user ID of the person that is responsible for assigning the tasks in the workflow. (To set the owner to the current user, select the Set owner to current user check box.)
6. Click OK.

Viewing tasks

To view the tasks associated with a workflow, click the My Tasks tab. Workflows that have assigned tasks are shown on the left side of the window. The task work area is on the right side of the window.

You can choose to view workflows that have Pending or Completed tasks or you can choose to view all workflows (Pending and Completed) and their tasks, regardless of the task status.

For each workflow, you can click the arrow to expand or collapse the task list. Assigned tasks display below each workflow. Hovering over each task displays more information about the task, such as the status and the owner.

Each task has a indicator of PERFORM (a step to be performed) or CHECK (Check the step that was performed). Clicking CHECK or PERFORM opens a work area on the right side of the window. When a task is complete, a green clipboard icon with a checkmark is displayed.

Note: If you are viewing tasks on a Pending or Completed tab, only those workflows that have tasks with a corresponding status, are displayed.

Task work area

When you click CHECK or PERFORM, a work area on the right side of the window opens to display the steps to complete the task. Expand or collapse the work area by clicking .

Tip: Hovering over the task description in the title bar of the work area window on the right side displays more information about the corresponding workflow and the step description.

Performing a task

1. To perform a task that has steps that are assigned to you, click PERFORM.
2. Use the work area to perform the steps associated with the selected task. Depending on the task, you might use an embedded tool (such as another application) or you might complete a series of steps to complete the task.
3. If there are multiple steps to perform, click Next to advance to the next step for the task.
4. Click Finish.

Note: When a task is complete, a green clipboard icon with a checkmark is displayed next to the task.

Checking a task

1. To check a task, click CHECK.
2. In the task work area, view the JESMSGLG, JESJCL, JESYSMSG, or SYSTSPRT output that is associated with the selected task.

Managing tasks

To manage a task in the PERFORM status, click to the right of the task status. Choose from the following options:

Properties

Display the title and description of the task.

Perform

Perform the first step.

Skip

Skip this step.

Override Complete

Override the completion of the step. The selected step will be bypassed and will not be performed for this workflow. You must ensure that the step is performed manually.

Assignment

Opens the Manage Assignees window where authorized users can add or remove the user ID of the person that is assigned to the step.

Return

Remove ownership of the step.

Viewing warnings

To view any warning messages that were encountered, click the Warnings tab. A message is listed in this tab each time it is encountered.

To locate a specific message, type a search string in the search box in the upper right corner of the window.

You can sort the warning messages based on the following information.

Message Code

The message code that is associated with the warning.

Description

A description of the warning.

Date

The date of the warning.

Corresponding Workflow

The workflow that is associated with the warning.