Modified API commands

The following application programming commands have been modified:
EXEC CICS® ASSIGN
The CHANNEL option is added and the STARTCODE option changed:
Options
CHANNEL(data-area)
Returns the 16-character name of the program's current channel, if one exists; otherwise blanks.
STARTCODE(data-area)
Returns a 2-character value indicating how the transaction that issued the request was started. Changed values are:
Code
Transaction started by
S
START command that did not pass data in the FROM option. It may or may not have passed a channel.
SD
START command that passed data in the FROM option.
EXEC CICS DELETE CONTAINER (BTS)
There are no syntax changes. The description has been changed to emphasize that the command applies only to BTS, and not channel, containers.
EXEC CICS ENDBROWSE CONTAINER
There are no syntax changes, but the command can now be used with channel, as well as BTS, containers.
EXEC CICS GET CONTAINER (BTS)
There is a new RESP2 value on the INVREQ condition:
Conditions
INVREQ
RESP2 values:
2
The INTOCCSID option was specified without the CHANNEL option, and there is no current channel (because the program that issued the command was not passed one.) INTOCCSID is valid only on GET CONTAINER commands that specify (explicitly or implicitly) a channel. It is not valid on GET CONTAINER (BTS) commands.
EXEC CICS GETNEXT CONTAINER
There are no syntax changes, but the command can now be used with channel, as well as BTS, containers.
EXEC CICS HANDLE ABEND
The program specified to handle the abend is passed the current channel, if one exists; or the communications area (COMMAREA), if one has been established. Previously, it could be passed only the COMMAREA.
EXEC CICS LINK PROGRAM
The CHANNEL option and the CHANNELERR condition are added:
Options
CHANNEL(name)
specifies the name (1–16 characters) of a channel that is to be made available to the invoked program. The acceptable characters are A-Z a-z 0-9 $ @ # / % & ? ! : | " = ¬ , ; < > . - and _. Leading and embedded blank characters are not permitted. If the name supplied is less than 16 characters, it is padded with trailing blanks up to 16 characters.

Channel names are always in EBCDIC. The allowable set of characters for channel names, listed above, includes some characters that do not have the same representation in all EBCDIC code pages. We therefore recommend that, if channels are to be shipped between regions, the characters used in naming them should be restricted to A-Z Start of changea-zEnd of change 0-9 & : = , ; < > . - and _.

The program that issues the LINK command may:
  • Have created the channel by means of one or more PUT CONTAINER CHANNEL commands
  • Specify its current channel, by name
  • Name a non-existent channel, in which case a new, empty, channel is created
Conditions
CHANNELERR
RESP2 values:
1
The name specified on the CHANNEL option contains an illegal character or combination of characters.
EXEC CICS MOVE CONTAINER (BTS)
There are no syntax changes. The description has been changed to emphasize that the command applies only to BTS, and not CHANNEL, containers.
EXEC CICS PUT CONTAINER (BTS)
There are two new RESP2 values on the INVREQ condition.
Conditions
INVREQ
RESP2 values:
1
The DATATYPE option was specified without the CHANNEL option, and there is no current channel (because the program that issued the command was not passed one.) DATATYPE is valid only on PUT CONTAINER commands that specify (explicitly or implicitly) a channel. It is not valid on PUT CONTAINER (BTS) commands.
2
The FROMCCSID option was specified without the CHANNEL option, and there is no current channel (because the program that issued the command was not passed one.) FROMCCSID is valid only on PUT CONTAINER commands that specify (explicitly or implicitly) a channel. It is not valid on PUT CONTAINER (BTS) commands.
EXEC CICS RETURN
The CHANNEL option and the CHANNELERR condition are added:
Options
CHANNEL(name)
specifies the name (1–16 characters) of a channel that is to be made available to the next program that receives control. The acceptable characters are A-Z a-z 0-9 $ @ # / % & ? ! : | " = ¬ , ; < > . - and _. Leading and embedded blank characters are not permitted. If the name supplied is less than 16 characters, it is padded with trailing blanks up to 16 characters.

Channel names are always in EBCDIC. The allowable set of characters for channel names, listed above, includes some characters that do not have the same representation in all EBCDIC code pages. We therefore recommend that, if a channel is to be shipped between regions (that is, if the transaction named on the TRANSID option is remote), the characters used in naming it should be restricted to A-Z Start of changea-zEnd of change 0-9 & : = , ; < > . - and _.

The program that issues the RETURN command may:
  • Have created the channel by means of one or more PUT CONTAINER CHANNEL commands
  • Specify its current channel, by name
  • Name a non-existent channel, in which case a new, empty, channel is created

This option is valid only on a RETURN command issued by a program at the highest logical level; that is, a program returning control to CICS.

Conditions
CHANNELERR
RESP2 values:
1
The name specified on the CHANNEL option contains an illegal character or combination of characters.
EXEC CICS STARTBROWSE CONTAINER
The CHANNEL option and the CHANNELERR condition are added:
Options
CHANNEL(data-value)
specifies the name (1–16 characters) of the channel whose containers are to be browsed. This must be the name of either the current channel or of a channel created by the program that issues the STARTBROWSE CONTAINER command.

If this option is not specified, and the current context is channel, the current channel's containers are browsed.

Conditions
CHANNELERR
RESP2 values:
2
The channel specified on the CHANNEL option could not be found.
EXEC CICS XCTL
The CHANNEL option and the CHANNELERR condition are added:
Options
CHANNEL(name)
specifies the name (1–16 characters) of a channel that is to be made available to the invoked program. The acceptable characters are A-Z a-z 0-9 $ @ # / % & ? ! : | " = ¬ , ; < > . - and _. Leading and embedded blank characters are not permitted. If the name supplied is less than 16 characters, it is padded with trailing blanks up to 16 characters.

Channel names are always in EBCDIC. The allowable set of characters for channel names, listed above, includes some characters that do not have the same representation in all EBCDIC code pages. We therefore recommend that, if channels are to be shipped between regions, the characters used in naming them should be restricted to A-Z 0-9 & : = , ; < > . - and _.

The program that issues the XCTL command may:
  • Have created the channel by means of one or more PUT CONTAINER CHANNEL commands
  • Specify its current channel, by name
  • Name a non-existent channel, in which case a new, empty, channel is created
Conditions
CHANNELERR
RESP2 values:
1
The name specified on the CHANNEL option contains an illegal character or combination of characters.