You can define a line-sequential file in the HFS by using either a DD statement or an environment variable. Allocation of these files follows the general rules for allocating COBOL files.
To define a line-sequential file, code a DD allocation or an environment variable with a name that matches the external name in the ASSIGN clause:
You can optionally also specify these options:
For example, to have your program use HFS file /u/myfiles/commuterfile for a COBOL file that has an assignment-name of COMMUTR, you could use the following command:
export COMMUTR="PATH(/u/myfiles/commuterfile)"
related references
MVS Program Management: User's Guide and Reference