Refreshing Your System 1032/AF Dictionary
By Tym Stegner

The System 1032/Application Facility (S1032/AF) is a structured environment you can use to design, build, and maintain System 1032 applications. S1032/AF uses a menu system linked to forms-based editors that guide you to define each part of your application--from the screen interface forms to the generation of the underlying application code. You define the necessary components for your application and S1032/AF builds the application code for all the standard operations common to most applications. You write the custom code for only the special operations required for your application. All application definition components are stored in an S1032/AF data dictionary and applications are built as System 1032 libraries and datasets.

Using the S1032/AF Dictionary
Recently a customer called with what seemed an odd problem while creating a new S1032/AF application. The customer defined his default form based upon a particular dataset, but S1032/AF repeatedly refused to build the default application. A manual test outside of S1032/AF using the dataset showed that a form was possible.

After a series of tests, including manual deletion of the application from the dictionary several times, we finally determined the S1032/AF dictionary was corrupt--apparently owing to a need for dataset maintenance on the dictionary. The dictionary had enjoyed more than a decade of reliable usage.

S1032/AF Dictionary Basics
In addition to the components of your application, the S1032/AF dictionary is a collection of System 1032 datasets comprising the infrastructure repository of the S1032/AF applications. These datasets are located via the S1032_AF_DB logical name, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A

Needed Dictionary Maintenance
As System 1032 applications are usually stable after creation, and due to the stability inherent in System 1032 datasets, a long while can elapse before any possible corruption might occur in the S1032/AF dictionary datasets. As a rule, the dictionary datasets are not updated all that often, in contrast to the application’s own datasets.

However, over the course of enough time, or if the dictionary is particularly active due to new application creation or modifications, the S1032/AF dictionary can accumulate deleted and unused records.

Major Housekeeping
As the individual datasets in the S1032/AF dictionary are standard System 1032 datasets, you could simply rebuild the individual datasets according to accepted System 1032 practices. However, when you reach the point such as our customer did, you may wish to perform what is considered a dictionary flush by using the S1032_AF_EMP directory, which is a set of empty S1032/AF datasets, as shown in Figure B.

$ Set Default S1032_AF_EMP
$ Dir

Directory $1$DKA300:[S1032.AF.V150.EMP]

ACTIONS.DMS;2       AF_HELP.DMS;2       APPLICATIONS.DMS;2  ATTRIBUTES.DMS;2
CATALOGS.DMS;2      CATREF.DMS;2        DATASETS.DMS;2      FIELDS.DMS;2
FORMS.DMS;2         FRAMES.DMS;2        HELP_TEXT.DMS;2     LINKAGES.DMS;2
MENU_ITEMS.DMS;2    OPTIONS.DMS;2       PROCEDURES.DMS;2

Total of 15 files.

Setting Up a New Directory
To start, you copy all these datasets from the S1032_AF_EMP area to a fresh dictionary directory. While it is possible to copy the empty dictionary files into the current dictionary area, you will likely be manipulating files between the old and new dictionaries. If both are in the same directory, this is not possible.

In the new dictionary file area, you now have a blank S1032/AF dictionary area to be repopulated with your active applications.

Note I said active applications. This is a great time to review the applications you currently actually use. Over time, it is possible that your S1032/AF dictionary contains more applications than you are currently using. By archiving outdated applications, you can spend your effort moving only your currently active applications to the new dictionary.

Moving Applications
The details of moving an application require familiarity with the concepts of S1032/AF applications. As this article is not intended as a primer on S1032/AF, the steps to take are here in narrative form only.

S1032/AF provides the two commands necessary to the process of moving applications from one dictionary to another: IMPORT and EXPORT. (Note that these are not System 1032 commands, but both are options on the Utilities menu.)

To move an application, take the following steps:

Resuming Your Daily Work
After you import all applications you plan to continue using the new dictionary, you can redefine the S1032_AF_DB logical at the system level and in the S1032/AF initialization file to point to the new dictionary.

In Summary
Refreshing the data dictionary for the System 1032/Application Facility helps future operations by clearing outdated references in the dictionary, as well as updating all the keyed references--just as is recommended for maintenance on standard System 1032 datasets. As a side benefit you may have reduced the number of applications in the dictionary to only active applications.