LENGTH options in CICS commands

In COBOL, PL/I, and Assembler language, the translator defaults certain lengths, if the NOLENGTH translator option is not specified. This means they are optional in programs that specify data areas. In C, all LENGTH options must be specified.

The LENGTH option specifies a halfword binary value that is the length in bytes of the COMMAREA (communication area). If the request is a DPL to a region at the level of CICS® TS 5.5 or earlier, or a DPL over an ISC connection, this value should not exceed 24 KB. This limit allows for the COMMAREA and space for headers.

This advisory 24 KB limit does not apply to the FLENGTH option on CICS commands (except for terminal-related SEND and RECEIVE commands, because of architectural limitations). The FLENGTH option is used on commands that relate to containers and journals, among others.

For temporary storage, transient data, and file control commands, the data set definitions themselves might impose further restrictions.