Setting your System Processing Options (option 0.2)

The System Processing Options control such things as data presentation and conversion values, and whether or not user-written I/O exits are allowed when processing various utility functions.

In the Data presentation and conversion section:
  • The PAD option defines both the padding and truncation of fields within records when performing actions such as copying or creating data sets.
  • The NOTRUNC option specifies that, if the PAD option has been selected, no truncation is performed when copying or writing records to a variable length data set.

The CYLHD option defines how File Manager interprets cylinder-head and track-number values in disk functions. ABSOLUTE means the actual physical addresses. RELATIVE means relative to the start of the data set.

The EOD option sets the end-of-data delimiter for tape input.

The CCSID option specifies the CCSID to be used when translating fields which have a associated CCSID when File Manager is run in batch.

The User I/O Exit Specification section contains two fields that, together, control whether or not you are able to use custom user I/O exits in tasks such as viewing, editing, printing, copying or comparing data sets. User I/O exits are custom-written programs that handle files that require pre- or post-processing not offered directly by File Manager. This may include handling data compression or encryption, or other non-standard activities performed on the data set records. There are no restrictions on the programming language that you can use to write an exit, however, the exit must be provided to File Manager in the STEPLIB/ISPLLIB concatenation or their extensions (LINKLIST, LPA, and so on).

To allow the use of user I/O exits, several things must occur:

  1. When File Manager is installed, the person doing the initial customization (the FMN Administrator) must have chosen to allow user I/O exits on a site-wide basis.

    If the FMN Administrator chose not to allow user I/O exits, the Exit enabled field is set to NO Disabled by installation options. You cannot change this from within the File Manager panel and you cannot use I/O exits in online or batch processing.

    If the FMN Administrator chose to allow user I/O exits, you can then set the Exit enabled field to YES. Choosing YES means that when performing the following tasks (via a panel or function), you have the option to use or not use a user I/O exit:

    • Viewing data sets (View panel only)
    • Editing data sets (Edit panel, DSEB and DSU functions)
    • Finding and changing data (Find/Change panel, FCH function)
    • Copying data sets (Copy From and Copy To panels, DSC function)
    • Creating data (Data Create panel, DSG function)
    • Comparing data sets (Old and New panels, DSM function)
    • Printing data sets (Print Utility panel, DSP function)

    Choosing NO means that you are not able to select an exit in any of the File Manager panels. However, you are still able to specify a user I/O exit in batch processing.

  2. Either you or someone in your organization must have developed your own custom exit to be used. Sample programs and control block templates have been provided for HLASM (High Level Assembler), COBOL, and PL/I but these need to be tailored to your site needs.

    If the FMN Administrator has allowed user I/O exits, he or she may have provided a default exit for you to use. If they have done so, the name is displayed in the Default exit field.

    You can override this system default with your own default exit, by changing the name in this field. In each applicable panel or function, you can then choose to accept or override the current default.

  3. When you want to use a user I/O exit, regardless of whether you are using the system default, your own default or specifying a unique exit at the individual panel or function level, the name of the exit must be the name of a PDS(E) member of a data set that is included in the current STEPLIB/ISPLLIB concatenation for File Manager.

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