OPTION

Name of the option (from one to eight characters) as it is displayed in the menu screen, or NULL if it is a submenu member. OPTION must be unique within the menu member. Mandatory.

The OPTION parameter heads a group of statements. The group ends when a new OPTION parameter or the end of file is encountered.

Example: OPTION USERINFO

The OPTION statement can include subparameters to define special option attributes. Optional subparameters are:

PAD – Default. When specified, the length of local AutoEdit variable Pn, based on a PROMPT line, calculated according to following rules:

• for all PROMPT lines, except the last one, it is assumed to be the length of corresponding PROMPT line, regardless of the entered string;
• for the last PROMPT line, it is the actual length of the entered variable.

NOPAD – Actual length of the entered string will be calculated for every PROMPT line in the current group of statements.

Example:     OPTION USERINFO NOPAD

DESC

Description of the option as it is displayed in the menu screen, or NULL if it is a submenu member. DESC is a string of 1 to 70 characters, enclosed in single quotes. Mandatory.

Example: DESC ‘Query USER database’

LINECMD

Line command character. This character defines the line command used to select the option to be executed from the Automation Options entry panel.

The line command character can be any character (with the exception of ?) that does not invoke the client program. When selected, ? displays the prompt window.

LINECMD heads a subgroup of statements that define actions to be performed when the specified line command is entered. The subgroup ends when a new LINECMD, new OPTION, or end of file is encountered.

At least one LINECMD must be specified within an OPTION group of statements. The following parameters help define the LINECMD subgroup: PROGRAM, PROMPT, PARM, RETURNS, FORMAT, OPTLIST. They are described in this table and in the following table.

PROGRAM

Program name (from one to eight characters). Mandatory within a subgroup of statements headed by a LINECMD statement. PROGRAM names a client program that is invoked when the preceding line command LINECMD is entered. The program can be any regular load module, a TSO CLIST, or a REXX EXEC. The PROGRAM statement can include subparameters to define special program attributes. When no subparameters are specified, the client program performs according to Automation Options standard linkage conventions (described in member DOCOAOCP in the IOA DOC library) and is called an AOP program.

Subparameters of PROGRAM are:

• IMMEDIATE – Prompt window is not displayed. If parameters are specified, they are passed directly to the program.
• NOSCREEN – Display lines are not returned. (The client program may perform its own terminal I/O without using the Automation Options facility.) Programs specifying NOSCREEN can be invoked only under TSO.
• ISPFENV – Valid ISPF environment is required. Programs specifying ISPFENV can be invoked only under ISPF.
• TSOCP – Client program is invoked as a TSO command processor.
• EXECPGM – Parameters are passed to the program in the format of the PARM statement of a JCL EXEC program.
• REFRKEY – Definition of function keys for REFRESH action. Valid values: ENTER and PF04/PF16. Default: PF04/PF16.

  Table 200 Optional Parameters

SUBMENU

Name of another MENU member used by the program. For details, see SubMenu Examples.

PROMPT

Request for data to be passed to the client program. Optional. A maximum of 14 PROMPT statements can be specified.

Each prompt entered by the user creates a local AutoEdit variable named Pn (where n is a number from 1 to 14).

When the LINECMD character is specified and at least one PROMPT parameter has been specified, a prompt window is opened with as many prompt lines as PROMPT parameters in the menu. The user fills in the required input and presses Enter, thus calling the client program. The answers to the prompts are passed to the client program as an array unless the PARM parameter (see entry in this table) is specified. For a description of the format, see PROMPT Format and PROMPT Examples.

SET

String delimited by two identical characters (for example, both SET /xxx/ and SET 'xxx' are valid; SET /xxx' is invalid since the delimiters of the string are not identical).

Optional. A maximum of 10 SET statements can be specified.

This parameter assigns a value to a local AutoEdit variable (or performs AutoEdit functions). Similar to the SET subparameter in the DO SET statement.

Local variables exist only for the current execution of the OA option.

You can modify the parameters entered using the PROMPT statement.

New local variables can be created for use in the PARM statement.

Example

 PROMPT   '  COMMAND       ===>',4

 PROMPT   '                ===>',3

 SET      '%%A1=%%$SUBSTR %%P1 1 3'

 SET      '%%A2=%%$SUBSTR %%$TIME 1 3'

 SET      '%%A3=%%$DATE'

 PARM     '%%P1.%%P2.%%A1%%.%%$BLANK.%%A2.%%$BLANK.%%A3'

PARM

String delimited by two identical characters (for example, both PARM /xxx/ and PARM ‘xxx’ are valid; PARM /xxx’ is invalid since the delimiters of the string are not identical).

The string contains input parameters that are required by the client program. Data between the delimiters can consist of any characters, except the character chosen as delimiter, The string can include special AutoEdit variables %%Pn and %%., where

%%Pn is the value assigned to PROMPT number n.

%%. is a special variable used to concatenate two AutoEdit variables.

For more information, see PARM Examples.

RETURNS

String, delimited by quotes (maximum 200 characters), that defines the layout of a line of display. Optional. Default is: 1 LINE +77. If display type A exists in the format member of the option, it must contain the name of all the variables defined here.

The string is a simple Control‑O template that names the format variables and their positions in the displayed line. Variable names must not exceed eight characters and their positions must be specified numerically only. (For detailed information on templates, see the %%$PARSE function in the AutoEdit chapter of the Control‑O User Guide.)

For each variable on the template, the following fields must be specified:

starting position—starting position of the variable on the template string (character)

variable name—name of the variable (in uppercase)

length—length of the variable (in characters)

For more details, see RETURNS Example.

FORMAT

Name of the format member (from one to eight characters) used for displaying the lines returned from the client program. Format member name must begin with $$, in accordance with Automation Options conventions. Optional. FORMAT is ignored if specified in a menu together with subparameters NOSCREEN, TSOCP, or EXECPGM.

Example

FORMAT $$UINFO

$$UINFO is the format member for use in displaying the return lines.

OPTLIST

Name of a lower level menu member (from one to eight characters). Optional. To process a lower level menu, invoke the supplied program CTOTAMN and specify the $$AOP format member (or a similar format member) to display your customized Automation Options screen. OPTLIST must begin with ##, in accordance with Automation Options conventions.