Device control commands
In addition to data transmission commands, the CICS® API for terminals includes a series of commands that send instructions or control information, rather than data, to the terminal or to the access method controlling it.
These commands are listed in the following table, along with a brief description of their function. Not all these commands apply to all terminals, and for some, different forms apply to different terminals. See Terminal device support.
The terminal in the following table is always the principal facility of the task issuing the command, except where explicitly stated otherwise. It can be a logical unit of a type not ordinarily considered a terminal.
| Command | Action |
|---|---|
| FREE | Releases the terminal from the task, so that the terminal can be used in another task before the current one ends. |
| ISSUE COPY | Copies the buffer contents of the terminal named in the TERMID option to the buffer of the terminal owned by the task. Both terminals must be 3270s. |
| ISSUE DISCONNECT | Schedules termination of the session between CICS and the terminal at the end of the task. |
| ISSUE EODS | Sends an end-of-data-set function management header (for 3650 interpreter logical units only). |
| ISSUE ERASEAUP | Erases all the unprotected fields of the terminal (for 3270 devices only). |
| ISSUE LOAD | Instructs the terminal to load the program named in the PROGRAM option (for 3650 interpreter logical units only). |
| ISSUE PASS | Schedules disconnection of the terminal from CICS and its transfer to the z/OS® Communications Server application named in the LUNAME option, at the end of the issuing task. |
| ISSUE PRINT | Copies the terminal buffer to the first printer eligible for a print request (for 3270 displays only). |
| WAIT SIGNAL | Suspends the issuing task until its terminal sends a SIGNAL data flow command. |
| WAIT TERMINAL | Suspends the issuing task until the previous terminal operation has completed. |