EGL programs generated for CICS® for z/OS® can access JES SPOOL files
if the serial or print file is associated with the spool file
type at generation.
The system resource name for a spool file depends on whether the
file is an input or output file:
- Input file
- Maximum 10–byte name in the format userid.class.
- userid
- A 4- to 8-character external writer name or an asterisk. If you
use an external writer name, CICS requires
that the first 4 characters of the external writer name be the same
as the first 4 characters of the CICS APPLID
used to identify the CICS region
to ACF/VTAM.
- class
- An optional 1-character spool class; the default is "A".
- Output file
- Maximum 19-byte name in the format nodeid.userid.class.
- nodeid
- A 1- to 8-character system node ID. You can use an asterisk for nodeid.
- userid
- A 1- to 8-character system user ID. You can use an asterisk for userid.
If you do not specify class, userid is
also optional and defaults to the CICS user
id (the same value that is stored in sysVar.userID).
- class
- An optional 1-character spool class; the default is "A".
Refer to the CICS customization
manual for more information.
Do not use spool files as temporary files that a program writes
to and then reads. You can specify the same resource name for the
output and input file, but in this case the resource name represents
a destination rather than a specific file. If you write to a spool
destination and close the file, the file might not be immediately
available for input file from that destination and might be queued
behind other files sent to the same destination.
For more information on spool file access in CICS, refer to the CICS customization manual.
Spool files are opened on first access and closed in one of the
following circumstances:
- The program ends.
- A close statement refers to the file.
- Recoverable resources are committed (sysLib.commit(), sysLib.rollback(),
end of transaction or segment).