ADDRESS AXC Commands › Commands for Automation Processing Data › OPENBUF Command

OPENBUF Command

The OPENBUF command opens an internal host message stream buffer for a specified automated asynchronous session and redirects the session's incoming messages to the buffer. The REXX program that opened the buffer can then read the messages from the buffer and act upon each message.

Note: Message stream buffering is useful for interpreting command responses from the asynchronous host console, especially those generating multiple screens of output.

This command has the following format:

"OPENBUF SESSION(sessname) [WAIT(waittime)]"

SESSION

Specifies the session (sessname) for which you want to create the message stream buffer. It must be an automated asynchronous session.

WAIT

(Optional) Specifies the number of seconds (waittime) -from 0 to 100000-that the OPENBUF command waits if another REXX program currently owns the buffer for the specified session.

If the waittime value expires before the OPENBUF command executes, it generates a return code of 3.

Default: 0

Usage Notes:

Keep the following items in mind when using the OPENBUF command:

• The REXX program issuing the OPENBUF command owns the specified session's buffer.
• Only the REXX program that opens the buffer can read or close the buffer. The READBUF command reads messages from the buffer and the CLOSEBUF command closes the buffer.
• If your REXX program issues a CALL statement to call another REXX program, the called program can read or close the buffer.
• If the session is automated-if you chose to automate the session when you defined the session-incoming host messages are no longer processed by CA Automation Point rules and do not appear in CA Automation Point function windows until your REXX program closes the buffer.
• Always issue a CLOSEBUF command to explicitly close a buffer that you opened with a previously issued OPENBUF command.