The Interface Mapper is the tool that enables you to define your service interfaces . You can define a service interface using CICS COBOL source code via the COMMAREA, or CICS BMS maps, or IMS MFS maps. The service interfaces you define can cover a broad range – from those that access a subset of the functions performed by your application, to interfaces that do more than your application in its original form. This is done by associating, or "mapping", the fields in your legacy application to the fields you create in the service interface.
For CICS COMMAREA-based service interfaces, you start with the input and output COMMAREAs of a CICS program and build a new interface based on those fields.
For CICS or IMS screen-based service interfaces, you start with screens rendered from the BMS or MFS maps of a COBOL or PL/I application, and build a new interface based on existing screen fields. As an initial step to defining your service interface, you can make adjustments to your maps using the Map Annotations Editor.
You have a great deal of creative license as you build your new interface. The Interface Mapper enables you to pick and choose the fields you want to use, how users interact with those fields, and how the fields map to your legacy application.
The following topics describe the Map Annotations Editor, Interface Mapper, and the concepts important to using them successfully.