PREFERENCESDSN

Indicates that you want z/OS® Debugger to read a user's preferences file (with the name of the data set containing the preferences file determined by the specified naming pattern) each time it starts. This works in the following situation:
  • You do not specify a data set name or DD name for the user's preferences file using any other method; for example, the TEST runtime option.
  • In a non-CICS environment, you do not allocate ISPPPREF DD.
  • You or your site specifies the PREFERENCESDSN command.
  • The data set specified by the PREFERENCESDSN command exists.

The following diagram describes the syntax of the PREFERENCESDSN command:

Read syntax diagramSkip visual syntax diagramEQAXOPTPREFERENCESDSN, 'file_name_pattern' ,LOUD
file_name_pattern
Specifies a naming pattern that determines the name of the data set that contains the preferences file. Follow these guidelines when you create the naming pattern:
  • Create a data set name that includes &&USERID. as one of the qualifiers. z/OS Debugger substitutes the user ID of the current user for this qualifier when it determines the name of the data set.
  • Specify NULLFILE to indicate you do not want z/OS Debugger to process a preferences file.
LOUD
Specifies that z/OS Debugger display WTO messages, which helps you debug processing done by this command. z/OS Debugger normally does not display any messages if it does not find the data set. If you are trying to determine why z/OS Debugger is not processing your preferences file, specify LOUD to see if it displays any messages about not finding the data set.

If you choose to implement this option, users who want to use this function must create the preferences file as a sequential data set with the allocation parameters that are described in Data sets used by z/OS Debugger in the IBM® z/OS Debugger User's Guide.

Example

EQAXOPT  PREFERENCESDSN,'&&USERID.DBGTOOL.PREFS'

If you log in with user ID USERIBM, z/OS Debugger determines the name of the data set to be USERIBM.DBGTOOL.PREFS.