Using OUTPARMS for Global Control of Printing Characteristics

The Control‑D Global Control of the Printing Characteristics option provides the ability to override the default printing characteristics (specified at decollation time) for all (or some) of the reports and banners to be printed by Control‑D. This option is for deferred printing as well as for immediate printing. The following printing characteristics can be controlled:

CHAR1, CHAR2, CHAR3, and CHAR4 define specific character sets. CHARS defines the character set referenced by CHAR1 and nullifies CHAR2, CHAR3, and CHAR4.

The value assigned to DEST is specified in the following format:

Setting parameter TRC (Table Reference Character) to YES produces the same result as including parameter OPTCD=J in the JCL.

The Control‑D OUTPARMS library is used to implement global control of printing characteristics. Control-D applies two-layer search for those characteristics of a report:

• The first search is for a member in the library. The member name can be represented by
  • the name of the job creates the report
  • the name of the mission that prints the report
  • the name of the recipient for whom the report is intended
  • the report destination

  All members in the library must be named in the same manner. These four options must not be mixed.

• The second search is carried out inside the member according to the field specified in the User Exits CTDX003 and CTDX014, as described in Exits. The patterns of the search are coded on the identification lines inside the members, and these lines are identified by characters ++++ in the first four columns. A pattern follows these four characters on the line, and may contain * or ? used as conventional wildcards. In addition, search parameters COPY=nn or JOBNAME=xxxxxxxx can be coded, if necessary, on the second identification line. They must be coded starting in column 25 and must be separated by a space.

Report print characteristics, listed in the above table, are coded on lines that follow the corresponding identification line in an arbitrary order, and must be separated by a space. See the sample members in the OUTPARMS library.

Note: For compatibility with earlier versions, identification lines may be designated by only three +++ characters in the first three columns, followed by a search pattern. In this case, the search pattern cannot be more than 20 characters in length and the COPY=nn and JOBNAME=xxxxxxxx parameters, if needed, must be coded on the same line.

In addition, a special member named $$BANCHR is used for banner print characteristics. In this member, a search pattern located on an identification line represents the pattern of a print mission name. A special print mission name, $$ONLINE, is used for immediate printing.

Note: Reports that are not specified in the OUTPARMS library are printed using default characteristics. The same is true for banners.

As an example of how this option can be used, the user can send all the reports that belong to the accounting department to the local printer at the accounting department, specifying the appropriate destination for the reports by the DEST parameter in the OUTPARMS library.

To put the OUTPARMS library into effect, add the OUTPARM and BANNER parameters to the definitions of banner Exits CTDX003 and CTDX014 in the IOA SAMPEXIT library. For more information about these parameters, see Concept.

Example

To control the printing characteristics of banners, perform the following steps:

1. Sample member SAMPBANN in the OUTPARMS library describes how to specify the print characteristics that are used for banners. All print characteristics listed in "Using OUTPARMS for Global Control of Printing Characteristics" can be used.

   Create member $$BANCHR in the OUTPARMS library. This member is used to specify the print characteristics that are used for banners. The following is an example of the contents of this member:

   +++STD*

   OUTPUT=BANNER1

   In this example, all printing missions whose names start with STD use OUTPUT statement BANNER1 to determine the printing characteristics of the banners. If an asterisk is specified instead of STD*, all printing missions use OUTPUT statement BANNER1 to determine the printing characteristics of banners.

2. Add OUTPUT DD statements to the Control‑D Printers Control monitor procedure (CTDPRINT). For each OUTPUT statement, add the appropriate printing parameters (PAGEDEF, FORMDEF, and so on). For example, assume that member $$BANCHR contains the following lines:

   +++STD*

   OUTPUT=BANNER1

   +++STD?G

   OUTPUT=BANNER2

   OUTPUT statements BANNER1 and BANNER2 must be added to the CTDPRINT procedure.

3. If the site runs more than one Printers Control monitor (CTDPRIN2, and so on), these OUTPUT statements must be added each Printers Control monitor procedure.