Display File Field Description (DSPFFD) command

The Display File Field Description (DSPFFD) command can be used to display the file, record format, and field attributes of a remote file. To display the remote file attributes, however, you must enter the name of the DDM file associated with the remote file, not the name of the remote file.

Note: Because the DDM file has no field attributes, the DSPFFD command cannot specify SYSTEM(*LCL) to display local DDM file information.

If *ALL or a generic file name is specified on the FILE parameter, the DSPFFD command can also display information about a group of both local files and remote files, or just a group of local files. In this case, the SYSTEM parameter determines which are displayed.

  • To display the attributes of local non-DDM files only, the SYSTEM parameter need not be specified because *LCL is the default.
  • To display the attributes of remote files, the SYSTEM parameter must specify *RMT. If SYSTEM(*RMT) is specified, the field and record format information displayed for remote files depends on what type of server system the files are on.
    • If the target is an IBM i or a System/38, the same information displayed for local files on an IBM i is displayed.
    • If the target is other than a System/38 or IBM i:
      • Fields are Fnnnnn or Knnnnn (where nnnnn is some number), based on whether the file is a keyed file or not.
      • The record format name is the DDM file name.

      If the remote file has a record length class of record varying or initially varying, fixed-length field descriptions are displayed.

  • To display the attributes of both local non-DDM files and remote files, the SYSTEM parameter must specify *ALL. Only remote physical and logical files can be displayed.