FIS Incorporated

 

 

Back   Home 

 

 

TIPS

 

1.         Always FSET one field. If nothing changed on screen and user presses attention key (Enter, F1, ...) CICS will receive a data stream that does not look like a map and will trigger a MAPFAIL error.

 

2.         Make a program more efficient only when the program consumes a large amount of system resources.

           

            Put seldom used storage areas in linkage and do getmain as needed.

 

3.         Setting addresses

           

            address-pointer    USAGE IS POINTER.

 

            SET address-pointer  TO ADDRESS OF your-storage-area.

 

            SET ADDRESS OF storage-area TO address-pointer

 

 

4.         The DFCOMMAREA defined in a XCTL’ed or LINK’ed program must not be larger than the area being passed. Defined the DFCOMMAREA to be the same size for all programs within the program group.

 

            Other methods for passing data between programs is to use the:

           

CWA (common work area) - one area in CICS region or partition

TCTUA (terminal control table) - one for each terminal

TWA (transaction work are) - one for each transaction, disappears when task ends (program “scratchpad”) The TWA must be specified in the PCT. Most sites use the DFHCOMMAREA rather that TCTUA or TWA

 

To pass large amounts of data use temporary storage.

 

5.         Under VS COBOL II GOBACK and EXIT PROGRAM now mean “return to the calling module”, while STOP RUN works like an EXEC CICS RETURN command.

 

                       

                       

 

 

CICS Commands                                                 Comments                                         

	RESP is optional response code field for most CICS commands CICS will place response value in field, RESP2 is optional and can provide additional info. (RESP/RESP2 should be used in place of HANDLE...) Example of using RESP IF data-area = DFHRESP (NORMAL)      PERFORM NORMAL-ROUTINE ELSE      IF data-area = DFHRESP(ENDFILE)           PERFORM ENDFILE...      ELSE           PERFORM ERROR.....
EXEC CICS  SEND FROM (data-area) LENGTH (data-value) ERASE END-EXEC	Send message to screen data-area is the name of the field containing the message The LENGTH field can be omitted in Cobol II The ERASE parm  will cause the screen to be cleared and the cursor returned to the upper left. If ERASE not specified the message will be written starting at the current cursor position.
EXEC CICS RECEIVE {INTO (data-area) | SET (pointer-ref) } LENGTH (data-area) [MAXLENGTH (data-value)] [NOTRUNCATE] [RESP (data-area) [RESP2 (data-area)]] END-EXEC	Receive message from screen. into data area or set pointer to linkage section use LENGTH to tell CICS how long of a message program prepared to receive (CICS will invoke LENGERR if message longer than data-area otherwise CICS puts actually msg length in field
EXEC CICS  RETURN END-EXEC	Return to CICS or calling program
EXEC CICS GETMAIN SET (pointer-ref) {LENGTH(data-value) | FLENGTH (data-value)} {INITIMG(data-value) END-EXEC	Obtain storage in linkage area. pass pointer in pointer-ref specify amount of storage needed using LENGTH or use FLENGTH if  you want storage above the 16 MB line (XA) INITIMG is the initialization character for the storage area
EXEC CICS  FREEMAIN DATA (data-area) END-EXEC	Storage obtained by GETMAIN is automatically freed when the program terminates. If the program does other processing, links to another program, or doesn’t execute a RETURN, use FREEMAIN to free the linkage section. Note that you specify the data-area NOT the pointer.
EXEC CICS SEND MAP(name) [MAPSET(name)] [DATAONLY | MAPONLY] [FROM (data-area) LENGTH(data-value)] [CURSOR] [ERASE |ERASEUP] [FREEKB] [FRSET] [ALARM] [other device control options] END-EXEC	The MAPSET parm can be omitted if the MAP and MAPSET are of the same name Specify MAPONLY to send only physical map contents(headers, field labels, etc.) Omitting MAPONLY and DATAONLY causes both the physical and symbolic (data values) to be sent ERASE clears old data first FROM(..) tells CICS where to find symbolic map If symbolic map fields filled with X’00’ CICS will insert values from physical map or if no default specified, will allow existing value to remain in the field. To send only some of the data specify FROM(….) and MAPONLY The LENGTH parm is used only when the map is sent using symbolic map data. This isn’t needed however when the using the  MAPONLY parm, or if using Cobol II. Can also be used if send the map from a data area that is longer than the map data itself. To position the CURSOR set the field length position to -1. (The map must be defined as INOUT) ERASE will clear all data from the screen. ERASEAUP erases all unprotected fields (all protected and autoskip field data remains. It won’t clear old displayed text in error message fields with autoskip attributes. Please blanks in error fields to erase messages)
EXEC CICS SEND CONTROL [device control options] END-EXEC	Use this to send some device control info the the terminal, such as ERASEAUP and you don’t need to send any map data
EXEC CICS RECEIVE MAP(name) [MAPSET(name)] [INTO(data-area) | SET(pointer-ref)] [FROM(data-area) LENGTH(data-value)| TERMINAL[ASIS]] END-EXEC	Use the INTO parm if receiving the data into working storage, use SET if into the linkage area. The MAPSET name can be omitted if the name is the same as the MAP name ASIS overrides any upper-case translation built into the system, but it is not set up to work for terminal I/O that has already been read by terminal control before the program runs. It works only for subsequent RECEIVE MAP command executions within that program The FROM… LENGTH… option are used when map data has been received into a storage area but the data has not been formatted as a map.
EXEC CICS RETURN [TRANSID(name) [COMMAREA(data-area) [LENGTH(data-area)]] END-EXEC	Make sure (name) has DFHCOMMAREA first in linkage section and use EIBCALEN to check the actual length of the COMMAREA sent.
EXEC CICS XCTL PROGRAM(name) [COMMAREA(data-area) LENGHT(data-value)] END-EXEC	Transfer control to program (not transid). You don’t return to calling program
EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM(name) [COMMAREA(data-area) LENGTH(data-value)]	Link to program, return from called program or XCTL’ed program   A LINK’ed program wukk always be found in a “refreshed” state (vs CALL below)
CALL ‘PROGNAME’ USING DFHEIBLK DFHCOMMAREA YOUR-PARM	(No EXEC CICS …. END-EXEC used) If subprogram is called repeatedly, then the CALL command is more efficient than a LINK.   The called program should end with an EXIT PROGRAM or GOBACK   If the called program is called again it will be found in the state it was in (unless the called module contains the INITIAL clause)   Note – A subroutine without any CICS commands can be called by a CICS routine by providing 2 ‘dummy’ linkage areas in the subroutine for DFHEIBLK and DFHCOMMAREA that are passed by the CICS main routine.
EXEC CICS START TRANSID(name) [INTERVAL(hhmmss)|INTERVAL (0) | TIME(hhmmss)] FROM(data-area) LENGTH(data-value)] [TERMID(NAME)] (REQID(name)] END-EXEC	Starts another transaction, either immediately or at another time of day or after a specific interval Can start trans at another terminal   (There are other options available)
EXEC CICS RETRIEVE [INTO(data-area)|SET(pointer-ref)] LEGNTH(data-area) END-EXEC	RETRIEVE needed to obtain data sent by program issuing START
EXEC CICS CANCEL REQID(name) END-EXEC	Cancel a task that has yet to execute REQID is from above START.
EXEC CICS ASSIGN CWALENG(data-area) TWALENG(data-area) TCTUALENG(data-area) ABCODE(?) FACILITY(?) OPCLASS(?) OPID(?) OPERKEYS(?) OPSECURITY(?) STARTCODE(?) TERMCODE(?) QNAME(data-area) END-EXEC	Check to see if storage areas exist and are of the expected length All areas are optional   Abend codes Id of entity that started transaction signon and security stuff How current task started Type of terminal attached to task TD queue name
EXEC CICS ADDRESS CWA(pointer-ref) TWA(pointer-ref) TCTUA(pointer-ref) END-EXEC	Acquire addressability to the areas
EXEC CICS LOAD PROGRAM(name) SET(pointer-ref) LENGTH(data-area)|FLENGH(data-area) [HOLD] [ENTRY(pointer-ref)] END-EXEC	Generally loads data in program form (Entry in PPT needed)
EXEC CICS RELEASE PROGRAM(name) END-EXEC	If HOLD option used above, releases (name)
EXEC CICS ASKTIME ABSTIME(data-area) END-EXEC	Updates EIBDATE and EIBTIME fields and places absolute time in full-word data area
EXECI CICS FORMATTIME ABSTIME (data-value) [YYDDD (data-area)] [DDMMYY(data-area)] ….   (pg. 175)	Formats ABSTIME value into …..

 

CICS VSAM access

EXEC CICS READ DATASET(name) [UPDATE] RIDFLD(data-area) {SET(pointer-ref)|INTO(data-area)} [LENGTH(data-area)] [KEYLENGTH(data-value)[GENERIC]] [RBA|RRN] [GTEQ|EQUAL] END-EXEC	Read VSAM file   Update locks a record being read RIDFLD specifies VSAM key (use area outside VSAM record)   KEYLENGHT/GENERIC used for partial keys
EXEC CICS WRITE DATASET(name) RIDFLD(data-area) FROM(data-area) [KEYLENGTH(data-value)] [LENGTH(data-area) [RBA|RRN] [MASSINSERT] END-EXEC (pg. 212)	Writes new records   Must use RIDFLD for KSDS data sets     Specify LENGTH if variable length RRN used of relative record data set
EXEC CICS UNLOCK DATASET(name) END-EXEC	Use when READ for UPDATE was used by program decided not to complete the update or delete. (Only one READ for UPDATE can be pending against any one data set at a given time)
EXEC CICS DELETE DATASET(name) END-EXEC	Record must have been READ for UPDATE
EXEC CICS DELETE DATASET(name) [RIDFLD(data-area)] [KEYLENGTH(data-value)] KEYLENGTH(data-value)] [GENERIC[NUMREC(data-area)]]]] [RBA|RRN] END-EXEC.	Delete a record or group of records directly without previously doing a READ for UPDATE.
EXEC CICS STARTBR DATASET(name) RIDFLD(data-area) [KEYLENGTH(data-value)[GENERIC]] [RBA|RRN] [GTEQ|EQUAL] END-EXEC	Start browse but doesn’t actually place a record in the working storage or linkage section.(Do a READNEXT or READPREV)
EXEC CICS STARTBR DATASET(name) RIDFLD(data-area) [KEYLENGTH(data-value)[GENERIC]] [RBA|RRN] [GTEQ|EQUAL] END-EXEC	End a browse and start a new browse (Equivalent to a ENDBR followed by a STARTBR)
EXEC CICS READNEXT