ISPF Editor: Copy Line Command

The Copy Line Command?

The C (copy) line command is used with the B (before) or A (after) line commands. It allows you to copy one or more lines to another C (single line) or from multiple lines using CC (block of lines). Note, that if you get ENTER happy, and forget to specifiy where you want to copy the line to, a MOVE/COPY pending message at the top right of your screen. If you see this message, you can either type B or A in the prefix area of the line you want to copy to, and then press Enter to complete the action.

What we’ll be working with

Let’s say we have a list of tasks. Like most task lists, sometimes we need to add more. Now, we could manually type them in, after all this isn’t rocket science, however, for the sake of this, let’s say I’m really lazy, and don’t want to type “TODO:” before a new task. Don’t judge me, I have a lot of tasks to do! So, I’ve just typed “TODO:” in the first line, and I want to copy it everytime I need to add a new task.

00100 TODO:
000200 TODO: DO SOMETHING
000300 TODO: DO SOMETHING ELSE
000400 TODO: DO SOMETHING MORE

How to Copy One or More Lines

1. First, type C in the prefix area of the first line you want to move or copy data from (e.g., 000100). Remember, you can also type a number after the C (e.g., C2), but we don’t need to for this. Also, act like the Enter doesn’t exist just yet!
2. Next, type A (for after) in the prefix area of the line you want to copy after (e.g., 000400). Likewise, if you wanted to insert it before the last line, you could type B (for before).
3. Finally, press Enter to execute the command.

Example: Copy the first line and insert it after the last line.

C0100 TODO:
000200 TODO: DO SOMETHING
000300 TODO: DO SOMETHING ELSE
A00400 TODO: DO SOMETHING MORE

Example: After the copy, the last line now has the “TODO:” prefix.

000100 TODO:                      
000200 TODO: DO SOMETHING         
000300 TODO: DO SOMETHING ELSE    
000400 TODO: DO SOMETHING MORE    
000500 TODO: 

How to Copy a Block of Lines

In this example, we’ll do something slightly more useful. Let’s say we’re writing a program and want to copy a comment block to another part of the code. If you don’t have an edit macro to create comments, this is a faily nice way to handle this.

1. First, type CC in the prefix area of the first line you want to move or copy data from (e.g., 016100). Don’t touch that Enter key!
2. Next, type CC (for after) in the prefix area of the line you want to copy after (e.g., 016300).
3. Then, type B (for before) in the prefix area of the line you want to copy before (e.g., 018100).
4. Now you can press the Enter key.

Example: Copy a block of lines and insert it before the another line.

CC6100       ***********************************************************
016200       * 2000-DO-SOMETHING - THIS DOES SOMETHING REALLY COOL,    *
016210       * BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS YET.                        *
CC6300       ***********************************************************
016400        2000-DO-SOMETHING.
016410            DISPLAY "DOING SOMETHING".
[...]
B18100        3000-DO-SOMETHING-ELSE.
018120            DISPLAY "DOING SOMETHING ELSE".
018130
018140        3000-EXIT.
018150             EXIT.

Example: After the copy, the comment block is now before the 3000-DO-SOMETHING-ELSE line.

018010       ***********************************************************
018020       * 2000-DO-SOMETHING - THIS DOES SOMETHING REALLY COOL,    *
018030       * BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS YET.                        *
018040       ***********************************************************
018050        3000-DO-SOMETHING-ELSE.
01820            DISPLAY "DOING SOMETHING ELSE".
[...]

Now you just need to upodate the comment block 🙂

Summary

In this #kilobit, you learned how to copy one or more lines in the ISPF editor using the COPY line command. Until next time, may the code be with you.