Accessing JCL parameters

You can pass a parameter string from JCL to a COBOL program using the PARM= keyword of the EXEC statement. You can access these parameters either by standard COBOL coding, or by calling the CEE3PR2 Language Environment® callable service.

Using COBOL coding

You must define the LINKAGE SECTION record (level-01) that is to receive the user_parameter data passed by the PARM string, taking into account the halfword parameter list length field that is inserted in front of the string by the system.

The program can test this field length for nonzero to verify that PARM-string data has in fact been passed. For example:

LINKAGE SECTION.
01 PARMDATA.
    05 STRINGLEN PIC 9(4) USAGE COMP.
    05 STRINGPARM PIC X(80).
PROCEDURE DIVISION USING PARMDATA.
    IF STRINGLEN > 0 . . .

For more information, see Coding the LINKAGE SECTION.

Using CEE3PR2

You must define parameters to the CEE3PR2 callable service, without the need to add parameters to your PROCEDURE DIVISION USING statement.

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
01 PARMLEN PIC S9(9) BINARY.
01 PARMSTR.
   02 STR1-LENGTH PIC S9(4) BINARY.
   02 STR1-STRING.
      03 STR1-CHAR PIC X
                   OCCURS 0 TO 256 TIMES
                   DEPENDING ON STR1-LENGTH. 
. . .
   CALL "CEE3PR2" USING PARMLEN,PARMSTR, FC.

For more information about the CEE3PR2 callable service, see CEE3PR2 in the Language Environment Programming Reference.

Related tasks  
Accessing main program parameters under z/OS