Implementing the NCL Interface › NCL Procedure Descriptions

NCL Procedure Descriptions

A number of NCL procedures are supplied to form the standard NCL Interface. A description of each procedure follows, together with details of calls made to other procedures.

NCL Access to the VFS

NCL procedures have access to VSAM data sets (termed user databases, or UDBs) by using &FILE statements. A UDB can be in internal format or external format. External format UDBs are those usually created by a means other than NCL procedures, but NCL procedures can read and update these data sets.

To access a UDB, an NCL procedure must establish a logical connection to the data set using the &FILE OPEN verb, where the ID= operand identifies the logical file name that has been previously assigned through a UDBCTL command. In the case of the transmission definitions, the logical file ID is VFS.

Records contain nondisplay (hexadecimal) characters. These records must be processed in expanded hexadecimal format to preserve data transparency. For example, record keys are padded with binary zeros (X'00') rather than blanks (X'40'). Unless the key and data fields are converted to expanded hexadecimal format, NCL converts nondisplay characters such as binary zeros. For this reason, we recommend that you access all transmission definition records by using the $FTSDGET, $FTSDPUT, and $FTSDDEL NCL procedures.

Important! Extreme care must be taken if the supplied procedures are modified. Invalid records written to VFS could severely impact the execution of CA SOLVE:FTS and cause an abend. Records, other than those manipulated by the supplied procedures, should not be modified.

Note: For information about NCL access to UDBs in external format, see the Network Control Language Programmer Guide.

Access to File Definition Facilities

The following NCL procedures provide a low-level interface to the Transmission Definition facilities:

$FTSDEMO

Provides an example of the type of tailored display available and the way to handle on demand requests. The procedure requests that you enter only a name for the transmission (which must start with your user ID, and this user ID must have private authority), the destination, the transmission class, and the input and output file names and dispositions. This information is then edited, and defaults are taken for all other options. The procedure then does the following:

1. Calls $FTSDPUT to write a transmission definition record to VFS as a private definition specifying conditional definition deletion.
2. Executes an XMIT command to request transmission and waits for a response.
3. Returns the response to the XMIT command to your panel.

$FTSDDEL

Deletes a transmission definition record from VFS.

$FTSDGET

Retrieves a transmission definition record from VFS and makes the options available in the &FTS variables.

$FTSDPUT

Writes a transmission definition record to VFS, using the options available in the &FTS variables.

$FTSDSFR

Prompts you with standard From panel and primes the &FTS variables with the information obtained from it.

$FTSDSSO

Prompts user with standard SYSOUT panel and primes the &FTS variables with the information obtained from it.

$FTSDSTO

Prompts user with standard To panel and primes the &FTS variables with the information obtained from it.