Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!HUSC6.HARVARD.EDU!encore!jcallen From: encore!jcallen@HUSC6.HARVARD.EDU (Jerry Callen) Newsgroups: comp.lang.asm370 Subject: Getting VSAM attributes from assembler programs Message-ID: <9001082245.AA04262@brazos.rice.edu> Date: 28 Dec 89 15:16:31 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: IBM 370 Assembly Programming Discussion List Distribution: inet Organization: The Internet Lines: 48 writes: >Can you tell me how to find the attributes of a VSAM cluster from an >assembler program? > >For example, given the name of a VSAM cluster, how can you retrieve >information about the cluster (like LISTCAT provides) from >the ICF catalog? > >I've done some research and found a tedious way to do it: > > [tedium deleted] > >Is this way correct? Is there a better way? How does LISTCAT do it? >Thank you for your help. > >Kha Tran >The Johns Hopkins University >Applied Physics Laboratory Well, you have two other choices: 1) The Officially Approved IBM Method IDCAMS has a programatic interface that allows you to invoke IDCAMS, pass it control statements and get the output back. You just call IDCAMS, give it a LISTCAT command and interpret the output. What's that you say? Ugly? Slow? Well, then consider 2) The Horrible Undocumented Method that IBM will tell you Not To Use IDCAMS calls the catalog SVC (SVC 26? Haven't got the manual handy...) to dig information out of the catalog. This is the same SVC used by the CATLG/UNCATLG/etc. macros, in conjunction with CAMLST. Aside from the cryptic comments in the Debugging Handbook and, of course, the microfiche, there is no official documentation on this interface. You use it at your own risk. Having said all that, there have been several presentations at SHARE regarding how to do just what you want to do! Get a hold of the Proceedings from the last LA SHARE and look for it. But I never told you about it. :-) -- Jerry Callen jcallen@encore.com (508) 460-0500