Keywords › Keyword Descriptions › INFORMAT

INFORMAT

Use the INFORMAT keyword to maintain JCL formatting when changing JCL.The application defines a JCL statement to be a single record with a '//' in positions 1 and 2. Each JCL statement is evaluated and operated on individually. If a change increases the length of the JCL statement past position 71, it will is broken and continued on the next line. Other records are operated on according to standard keyword behavior without INFORMAT( JCL) rules. JCL comment cards, statements that begin with "//*" in the positions 1 through 3, are not processed by the INFORMAT parameter.

You can use the IF keyword with INFORMAT to instruct the application to evaluate and operate on a complete JCL statement instead of a single JCL statement. A complete JCL statement is a group of successive JCL statements that continue until one is encountered that does not end in a comma. With IF you can query for a value on one JCL statement and make a change on any other JCL statement within the same complete JCL statement.

We do not recommend using SELRECIF with INFORMAT(JCL) as this processes only the individual JCL statements that meet its selection criteria, and no others.

Note: INFORMAT(JCL) is not supported with the UPDATE command. When updating a JCL member or members, use the COPY command and specify the same data set name on the input and output PDS.

For example:

COPY INFILE(MBRIN),
     OUTFILE(MBROUT),
     INFORMAT(JCL),
       CHANGE(1,0,EQ,C'DSN=XXXXXXXX',C'DSN=YYYYYYYY')