Some time ago I discovered that IBM has implemented an easy to use search function in DSLIST also known as 3.4. I do not know when it became available, but I am very fond of it and actually I have missed it for quite a while.

In order to activate the search you specify the line command SF in front of the member dataset you want to search. The following panel appears:

Command ===>

You are about to search the members of the data set(s) specified.
Specify search string(s) and options and press ENTER to run the search.
Enter the END or the CANCEL command to cancel the search.

  ==> EQQDELDS
  ==>
  ==>
  ==>
  ==>
  ==>

Listing DSN:

Select Process Options with /           Select Output Options with /
   Mixed Mode                              View output
   Any case                                Save output
   Set EDIT FIND string                    Filter list
   Set BROWSE FIND string

In this example I have chosen to search for the text EQQDELDS in capital letters. You can disable case sensitive search by specifying a / in front of Any case. You are not forced to select any Output option as you are automatically presented for the following panel:

  Menu  Functions  Confirm  Utilities  Help
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DSLIST            MYUSER.ISPF.JCL                              String(s) found
Command ===>                                                  Scroll ===> CSR
           Name     Prompt       Size   Created          Changed          ID
_________ CENPRT   *Found          35  2008/03/27  2008/03/27 13:32:24  MYUSER
_________ CHGALL                   16  2004/11/22  2007/04/18 13:07:03  MYUSER
_________ CHGV5VAR                 30  2006/04/27  2006/04/27 13:46:19  MYUSER
_________ CHGV5VAS                 19  2006/04/28  2006/04/28 13:39:06  MYUSER
_________ CLAAPDF  *Found          23  2008/11/10  2008/11/17 11:17:37  MYUSER
_________ CLASSES                 108  2004/06/25  2004/06/25 16:03:44  MYUSER
_________ CNTPRT   *Found          31  2007/06/11  2007/06/11 14:10:59  MYUSER
_________ CONDTEST                 22  2006/01/06  2006/01/06 15:44:19  MYUSER
_________ CPUTIME                  51  2006/07/04  2006/07/04 14:52:32  MYUSER
_________ CUSTNO   *Found          13  2005/03/15  2005/03/15 10:27:50  MYUSER
_________ DATAFLYT                 32  2005/01/19  2005/01/19 14:43:33  MYUSER
_________ DB2INS   *Found          21  2008/05/26  2008/05/26 16:01:47  MYUSER
_________ DB2INS00                 28  2008/05/27  2008/05/27 11:01:41  MYUSER
_________ DB2LOAD  *Found       30043  2008/05/26  2008/05/26 16:11:32  MYUSER
_________ DB2UNL   *Found          32  2008/11/03  2008/11/04 13:26:14  MYUSER
_________ DB2UNL00 *Found          82  2006/08/31  2008/01/28 12:53:52  MYUSER
_________ DISTHD                   10  2005/06/01  2005/06/01 15:40:41  MYUSER
_________ FBJOIN                   48  2005/05/12  2005/05/12 14:59:19  MYUSER
_________ FBMSP                    50  2005/09/15  2008/04/15 13:53:17  MYUSER

The members containing the search string are marked by the text *Found in the Prompt column. Now you can use B, E or V as line command in order to access the contents of a member. That is nice and easy. You can do it even better by putting a / in front of option Filter list on the previous panel. Then only the member containing the search string are displyed on the above panel. Once again I wonder why it took IBM so long to implement such an obvious function. Or maybe I was not aware of it and maybe it has been around longer than I can imagine. I hope you will be just as fond of this function as I am.