DISPLAY: Requesting a display of the data from the control data sets

Explanation: DISPLAY is an optional parameter that allows you to display the data from the specified record. A record consists of a key field (44 bytes), followed by a header field (20 bytes), followed by variable data depending on the record type. For each request, you always see the header field but never see the key field. If you specify DISPLAY without specifying (offset), the variable data portion of the record is displayed starting at offset zero.

DISPLAY(offset) allows you to specify a decimal value anywhere from zero up to a number equal to the length of your CDS record, or an equivalent hexadecimal value, for the offset. Hexadecimal characters must be in the form X'n'. The variable data portion of the record is displayed starting at the specified offset.

The LENGTH parameter controls how much record data you want to display.

DISPLAY GEN(nn) allows you to specify the original data set name, along with a generation number, instead of specifying the DFSMShsm-generated name for the backup version data set. When using the GEN(nn) parameter, the FIXCDS required parameter type must be ‘C’.

Abbreviations: None.

Defaults: If you do not specify one of the optional parameters of FIXCDS, the default is DISPLAY.

Note:

If you specify an offset that goes beyond the end of the record to which you are referring, the FIXCDS command fails.
When you display the D record for a migrated VSAM data set, the password field is blanked out.
The offset of the first byte of the variable data of the record is zero. The offset of the last byte of the variable data of the record is one less than the length of the variable data.
If you are displaying an MCL record, the first MCL record encountered with the correct record key is displayed.