User-defined variables and variable tables

About this task

Beside the supplied variables, you can define variables in a variable table by using the JCL VARIABLE panel.

Select option 9 (JCLVAR) from the MAINTAINING DATABASES panel, or enter the fast path 1.9 from the main menu. You see the MAINTAINING JCL VARIABLE TABLES panel, shown in EQQJVMAP - Maintaining JCL Variable Tables.

Figure 1. EQQJVMAP - Maintaining JCL Variable Tables

EQQJVMAP ----------- MAINTAINING JCL VARIABLE TABLES ----------------------
Option ===>

Select one of the following:


1 BROWSE          - Browse variable tables

2 MODIFY          - Create a new JCL variable table or modify,
                    copy, browse or delete an existing variable table

3 PRINT           - Print variable tables

(MODIFY). You then see a filter panel that lets you select which JCL variable tables you want to look at. If you leave all the fields blank when you press Enter, you see a list of all the JCL variable tables defined to your HCL Workload Automation for Z system. See EQQJVTML - List of JCL variable tables.

Figure 2. EQQJVTML - List of JCL variable tables

EQQJVTML ------------- LIST OF JCL VARIABLE TABLES -----------------ROW 1 OF 5
Command ===>

Enter the CREATE command above to create a new JCL variable table
or enter any of the following row commands:
M - Modify, C - Copy, D - Delete, B - Browse


Row Variable         Owner             Table                    Last updated
cmd Table            Id                Description              by

 _  T3112            ACCSSOFF          END OF YEAR PROCESSING   XCALLIN
 _  ACCOUNTS         SYSPROG           ACCOUNTING VARIABLES     XPULL
 _  DEPARTMENT       SYSPROG           DEPARTMENTAL COSTS       MAGNUSZ
 _  INVOICE1         OPSMGR            INVOICES REGION NORTH    XCALLIN
 _  INVOICE2         OPSMGR            INVOICES REGION EAST     XCALLIN
 ******************************* BOTTOM OF DATA ********************************

From this panel, you can copy, modify, browse, delete, and create a variable table. Enter the CREATE command to display the CREATING A JCL VARIABLE TABLE panel, where you are prompted for a table name, the names of the variables you want to create, and other details. See EQQJVVCL - Creating a JCL variable table for an example of variable creation.

Figure 3. EQQJVVCL - Creating a JCL variable table

EQQJVVCL ----------- CREATING A JCL VARIABLE TABLE ----------------- ROW 1 OF 1
Command ===>                                                  Scroll ===> PAGE

Enter/change data below and in the rows,
and/or enter any of the row commands below :
I(nn) - Insert, R(nn),RR(nn) - Repeat, D(nn),DD - Delete, S - Select
variable details.

VARIABLE TABLE     ===> WEEKLY__________
OWNER ID           ===> XCALLIN_________
DESCRIPTION        ===> TESTTABELL______________

Row Variable Subst.   Setup  Val  Default
cmd Name     Exit            req  Value
 _  PXM0001_ ________ _      _    ____________________________________________

****************************** BOTTOM OF DATA  *********************************

The SETUP option specifies when the variable is substituted. See When variables are substituted for more information.

You can specify the variable-substitution exit, rather than HCL Workload Automation for Z should substitute the variable. For more details about this exit, see Variable-substitution exit (on JCL or job definition variable).

When you select a variable from panel EQQJVVCL, you can make detailed modifications to it using this panel:

Figure 4. EQQJVVMP - Modifying a JCL variable

EQQJVVMP ---------------- MODIFYING A JCL VARIABLE ----------------------------
Command ===>

Enter/Change data below, or DEP command to create/modify dependency,
Enter VER command to define verification rules.

Variable table        :MONTHLY          Monthly variables
Variable name         :PXM0001

DESCRIPTION        ===> ____________________
                                     Descriptive text
DEFAULT VALUE      ===> ____________________________________________
UPPER CASE         ===> _            Y - Yes, N - No
SETUP              ===> _            Y - Yes, N - No, P - Prompt
SUBSTITUTION EXIT  ===> ________     A load module name
VALUE REQUIRED     ===> _            Y - Yes, N - No
DEFAULT POSITION   ===> __           01 - 80  A position in a JCL
                                              instream data line
DIALOG TEXT        ===> ___________________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________________
                        ___________________________________________________

Set the UPPER CASE field to Y, if you want lower case characters of the DEFAULT VALUE field to be translated to upper case.

The VALUE REQUIRED option specifies whether the variable can be blank. If you set this field to Y, the value cannot be assigned a blank value.

When you have selected and defined a variable, you can specify:
- Dependencies on the variable (see Making one variable dependent on another)
- Validation criteria for the variable (see Variable validation)
by entering the DEP or VER primary command.