Looking for a replacement for FOCUS?
We have great news for you!


z/Writer can provide you with the same capabilities
as FOCUS at a much lower cost!

z/Writer is a powerful quick-code utility for z/OS mainframes.

Z-Writer's annual costs are lower than FOCUS's. Compare our price to what you are currently paying CA! (Price list)

Z-Writer is written entirely in fast, efficient Assembler language to be easy on your CPU. Best of all, it comes from Pacific Systems Group, with its 30-year history of providing inexpensive, rock solid mainframe software backed up with first class service and support.

See for yourself why Pacific Systems Group products are already in use at over 300 mainframe shops worldwide. Download your own free 30-day trial of z/Writer right now.

Call us at 1-800-572-5517 and we'll answer any questions you may have. Or send us an e-mail.  

 


   

Z-Writer Features
 
  • versions available that accept Easytrieve, VISION:Results, VISION:Report or CA-Earl control statements and JCL
  • or, use native control statements featuring an easy, free format, COBOL–like syntax that's quickly learned
  • user–friendly field names can be up to 70 characters long, and allow full compatibility with existing COBOL, PL/1 and Assembler data names
  • work with any number of flat files and VSAM files
  • access DB2 tables, with our available DB2 Option
  • can automatically format "reports" as comma-delimited files, to export to PC
  • create and read back temporary work files, without any special JCL
  • handles complicated record layouts, including variably–located fields, fields located by pointer or pointer expressions, etc.
  • supports records that contain arrays, nested to any level
  • use your existing COBOL or Assembler record layouts instead of creating a data dictionary. Or, use Z-Writer's simple data dictionary for added functionality.
  • support for floating point data
  • produces efficient internal machine code that is easy on your CPU
  • make multiple reports (or output files) in a single file pass
  • macro expansion feature helps in supplying run-time parms
  • report lines are not limited to only 132 characters. Z-Writer can format a report as wide as your laser printer supports.
  • any number of control breaks allowed
  • allows complete control over formatting of numeric fields, including handling of special cases like telephone numbers, social security numbers, etc.
  • has special formatting options for international users
  • allows complete control over report titles, column headings (or just use the defaults)
  • includes an option to validity–check numeric data before processing it, to prevent S0C7 abends
  • ability to display file data in hexadecimal format, for analyzing invalid data
  • full program trace facility, to help when developing new program
  • translate fields from EBCDIC to ASCII and vice verse
  • supports full "boolean logic" (the use of AND, OR and NOT) in conditional expressions
  • ability to scan free format fields, to see if a certain text appears anywhere within the field
  • comparisons and computations are allowed among all numeric fields, (even if some are packed, some are binary, and others are zoned, etc.)
  • supports all types of mainframe data widely in use, including zoned, packed, BCD, signed and unsigned binary and hexadecimal floating point
  • full mathematical calculations are supported, including the use of many built–in functions
  • supports a full range of functions to manipulate string data, including powerful parsing features
  • "compress" formatting features lets you, for example, compress separate city, state and ZIP fields into a normal formatted line format
  • built–in fields provide the system date, time, jobname, etc.
  • ability to print full–page forms
  • full control of carriage control when printing reports
  • comes with thorough, clear documentation