Chapter 2: Using Investigator

This chapter describes how to use the Investigator tool for analyzing data items.

2.1 Introduction

The Investigator tool enables you to load points of interest into one interface for extended analysis and organization. The Investigator particularly focuses on data elements, but you can load points of interest of any type into Investigator if you wish.

Many of the analysis facilities of Investigator are available in other browsers or in the Analysis tools. The main plus points of the Investigator are:

You do not have to meter code before you use the Investigator.
You can use the Investigator on PL/I code and on text files.

The Investigator displays information in two modes: Selected and Filtered. Selected mode displays all project entities that match your naming, filter, and user criteria. Filtered mode displays all project entities that you exclude from Selected mode with Exclude Selected and those that match your naming criteria but were filtered by filter criteria. Use Show/Hide to toggle between the two modes.

2.2 Loading the Investigator

You can load data elements into the Investigator in a variety of ways.

Using the Selection Criteria dialog.
Pasting data elements from the Revolve clipboard.
Carrying data elements over with the speed menu.

2.2.1 Loading with Selection Criteria

The Selection Criteria dialog box is displayed when you click Options... and is invoked automatically when you open the Investigator from the Tools menu. It enables you to specify extensive criteria for selecting data elements in your project for investigation.

Figure 2-1: The Selection Criteria Dialog Box

The Selection Criteria dialog box has the following seven tabs:

Use This Tab:	To Do This:
Variable	Specify name criteria and filters for variables. You can specify filters for name, level, size, format and type.
Data File	Specify name criteria and filters for data files. You can specify filters for name and usage.
Literal	Specify name criteria and filters for literals. You can specify filters for name and type.
Text	Specify text strings you want to locate and load into the Investigator. You can also specify filters for text strings.
User	Displays user data elements and filters. User data elements are the data elements that you directly load into the Investigator from the clipboard or from other tools and browsers. User filters represent user data elements that you have excluded with Exclude Selected.
PIC Translation	Define the translations of PICTURE clauses that you want to implement. Use the Modification Driver to implement them.
Scope	Focus your analysis on specific project components and annotations. The left pane contains available project components. The right pane contains the components that are in the scope. Select project components in the left pane and click Add to move them into the scope.

2.2.2 Loading from the Clipboard

When you are working with Revolve's tools and browsers, you can use the Revolve clipboard to load data elements into the Investigator. In the browser or tool window, you select the items you want to load into the Investigator, right-click, click Capture Results on the popup menu and select Copy to Clipboard. Then, open the Investigator and click Paste from clipboard. The data elements you load this way are considered user data elements and are displayed on the Selection Criteria dialog's User tab.

2.2.3 Loading with the Speed Menu

You can use the speed menu to load items into tools and browsers from other tools and browsers. This functionality is the same with the Investigator. Keep in mind that any items you select, right-click, and load into the Investigator are considered User data elements and are contained on the Selection Criteria dialog's User tab. For more information on the speed menu, see the section Speed Menu in the chapter The Interface in your Revolve User's Guide.

2.3 Saving Selection Criteria

You can define very refined and high-level search criteria in the Selection Criteria dialog box. When you are satisfied that your criteria achieve maximum results, you can save them to use during another analysis or at a later date. To save your criteria, click Save in the Selection Criteria dialog box. Your criteria are saved to a .sel file. Whenever you close the Investigator window, if you have unsaved selection criteria you are asked if you want to save them.

You can load existing .sel files into the Selection Criteria dialog box by clicking Load.

2.4 Translating PICTURE Clauses

In the Investigator you can specify translations that should be applied to particular types of COBOL PICTURE (or PIC) clauses. You use the PIC Translation tab of the Selection Criteria dialog to specify your requirements. Use the From field to specify existing PIC clauses that should be changed. Specify the new clause in To field. Click Add to add the translation to the translation list.

You use the Modification Driver to implement the translations that you define in the PIC Translations tab. The Modification Driver has a PIC Translation check box that is enabled if the selected item is a COBOL variable with a PIC clause. When you check PIC Translation and click Execute, defined translations are applied to selected items. Click the Setup... button beside the PIC Translation check box and notice that the translation definitions that you defined in the PIC Translations tab are displayed. For more information on the Modification Driver, see the section Modification Driver in the chapter The Interface in your Revolve User's Guide.