About JCL templates

A JCL template is a customizable block of text that the Generate Runtime Code wizard uses, when it needs to create a particular type of JCL file, to generate the contents for that JCL file.

For example, the wizard uses the JCL template DFHMAXCJ to create the contents of a JCL file to compile the main COBOL source file for a generated program (see Functions provided by the JCL templates).

The advantage of having a JCL template is that you can modify the contents of a particular JCL template (such as the JCL template DFHMAXCJ) to match the characteristics of the particular remote z/OS® system that you are using to build the COBOL source files that the Generate Runtime Code wizard creates.

Then, whenever the Generate Runtime Code wizard generates a JCL file (such as SFP004.JCL) from that JCL template, the contents of the JCL file reflect the modifications that you made to the JCL template.

Use the JCL Templates page of the Preferences window to modify a JCL template (see Setting preferences for JCL templates).

There are three types of entities in a JCL template that you can modify:
  • Text -- You can modify any part of the text of a JCL template (remember this!).
  • Variables -- You can indirectly set values for a few variables (see Variables in JCL templates)
  • Placeholders -- You can set actual values for certain placeholders (see Placeholders in JCL templates).
Tip: When a JCL file is functioning correctly in your z/OS environment (and especially if you needed to modify the JCL file manually) save a backup copy of the JCL file in some secure location. The JCL files in your generation folder and the JCL files in your target copy destination are not secure, because they can be overwritten whenever you run the Generate Runtime Code wizard on the same generation properties file.