Micro Focus. But it appears I misread the Micro Focus COBOL documentation.
I already had a program that set the data set name dynamically. I thought there was syntax that would allow the "external" identifier (dd name) to be a data name, but that's not true. So ironically, now I have an easy way to do what I want in z/OS COBOL but not in Micro Focus COBOL! -----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of Steve Thompson Sent: Monday, May 1, 2023 12:24 PM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Re: COBOL to dynamic DD name Whose COBOL are you using on the PC side? If it is Fujitsu's, I think SORT is built in. I'm not sure about the MicroFocus COBOL. I don't have one of their systems. Steve Thompson On 5/1/2023 10:33 AM, Schmitt, Michael wrote: > The data I'm trying to write is mixed up in an input file, so I don't know > which DDs I need to write to until I get there. > > I know that I could change the program to do an internal sort, but what I'm > trying to do is an *interim* solution for testing using the *PC* version of > the program, which *can* write to dynamic DD names. > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of > Farley, Peter > Sent: Friday, April 28, 2023 3:33 PM > To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU > Subject: Re: COBOL to dynamic DD name > > I don't think you can do that. Unfortunately COBOL does not yet support > actual FILE-type variables. COBOL files are essentially CONSTANTS in the > language definition. I wish that we had PL/I's FILE variable capability, but > we don't. > > IMHO your best bet is to avoid multiple DD allocations entirely. Instead > start with a list of DSN's to be input (can be another separate input file) > and dynamically assign each DSN you wish to process to the "constant" COBOL > DD name in the ASSIGN clause, then FREE it (also using BPXWDYN) when you > finish processing each file and then start with the next DSN (if any left). > > You could also leave the DD names allocated as they already are and use an > assembler function to retrieve the JFCB (or BXWDYN) to get the DSN of each > assigned DD name and then use those to do a dynamic assign of each DSN to the > COBOL file DD name from the ASSIGN clause, but the you will have two DD names > assigned to the same file in the same step, which won't work unless DISP=SHR > for all of them. And if any of them is a GDG (+1) from a prior step, you > have to mess around with getting the GDG suffix right in the dynamic allocate. > > I once tried to mess around with dynamically changing the DCB DD name field > of the closed COBOL file, but finding the DCB for a COBOL file is very > compiler-release dependent and is a reverse-engineering effort that can be > upset by IBM any time they decide to update COBOL implementation structures. > Messy and a maintenance nightmare, so I dropped that effort. > > HTH > > Peter > > -----Original Message----- > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> On Behalf Of > Schmitt, Michael > Sent: Friday, April 28, 2023 3:38 PM > To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU > Subject: COBOL to dynamic DD name > > I know how to have a COBOL program on z/OS use a data set name that isn't > determined until runtime, via an environment variable. My question is can you > use one file (i.e. one select/assign and one FD) to write to different DD > names, that were already allocated in the JCL? > > I can't find a way, and in the manual the syntax for the environment variable > method requires a DSN or PATH, no option for a DD name. > -- > > This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the > addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If > the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized > representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any > dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have > received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail > and delete the message and any attachments from your system. > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN -- Regards, Steve Thompson VS Strategies LLC Westfield IN 972-983-9430 cell ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
