🚀 go-pugleaf

<ASM370%UCF1VM.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu> writes:

>Can you tell me how to find the attributes of a VSAM cluster from an
>assembler program?
>
>For example, given the name of a VSAM cluster, how can you retrieve
>information about the cluster (like LISTCAT provides) from
>the ICF catalog?
>
>I've done some research and found a tedious way to do it:
>
> [tedium deleted]
>
>Is this way correct? Is there a better way?  How does LISTCAT do it?
>Thank you for your help.
>
>Kha Tran
>The Johns Hopkins University
>Applied Physics Laboratory

Well, you have two other choices:

1) The Officially Approved IBM Method

   IDCAMS has a programatic interface that allows you to invoke IDCAMS,
   pass it control statements and get the output back. You just call
   IDCAMS, give it a LISTCAT command and interpret the output.

   What's that you say? Ugly? Slow? Well, then consider

2) The Horrible Undocumented Method that IBM will tell you Not To Use

   IDCAMS calls the catalog SVC (SVC 26? Haven't got the manual handy...)
   to dig information out of the catalog. This is the same SVC used by the
   CATLG/UNCATLG/etc. macros, in conjunction with CAMLST. Aside from the
   cryptic comments in the Debugging Handbook and, of course, the microfiche,
   there is no official documentation on this interface. You use it at
   your own risk.

   Having said all that, there have been several presentations at SHARE
   regarding how to do just what you want to do! Get a hold of the Proceedings
   from the last LA SHARE and look for it.

   But I never told you about it. :-)

-- Jerry Callen
   jcallen@encore.com 
   (508) 460-0500