About 9 years ago in week 9/2002 I wrote a tip about how you in an easy way discovers who is occupying a dataset. A similar method can be used to discover who is occupying a member in a dataset.

Let us assume that you want to edit member MYMEMBER. You cannot access the member because someone else is editing it. Instead you start editing another member in the same dataset (you can use a brand new member in the same dataset). In this member you issue the primary command REPLACE MYMEMBER. In order to use REPLACE you must select at least one line with line command C. If MYMEMBER is still being edited ISPF will respond with "specified data in use". Now you press F1 twice which will display a panel showing you the userid of the person occupying the member.

The drawback of this method is that the person may finish editing MYMEMBER meanwhile. Then ISPF will instead display a panel with the heading "Confirm replace". Here you immediately press F3 to prevent MYMEMBER of being replaced. It is the ISPF default that you must confirm a REPLACE command, but your ISPF systems programmer or yourself are able to change this default. Therefore you must ensure that Confirm replace is ON. You do this by choosing EDIT settings in the ISPF menu line on top of your EDIT session. On the displayed panel in the lower left corner there should be a / in front of "Confirm Cancel/Move/Replace". If not hurry up and type in the /.