Mapped Conversations
Use mapped conversations for transaction programs that are the final users of the data exchanged. A mapped conversation enables advanced program-to-program communication in an easy-to-use record-level manner. Because a transaction program using mapped conversations does not require GDS headers to describe the data, the program does not have to build or interpret these headers. When the transaction program uses mapped conversations, Personal Communications LU 6.2 builds and interprets GDS variables.
In a mapped conversation, the programs exchange records in whatever format
you design.
- Each send operation takes a record of a specified length from 0 bytes to 65,535 bytes. Personal Communications and Communications Server formats the record into a single GDS variable.
- A receive operation returns all or part of one sent record (GDS variable without header fields), depending on how much buffer space the program allocates. The return code indicates when the final part of a record sent by the partner program has been received.
The APPC API takes full responsibility for the following tasks:
- Blocking and buffering multiple records
- Formatting data as SNA GDS variables
- Buffering at the receiving program
- Deblocking and delivery to the Receive operation