Defining an ICF file using DDS

When you specify positional entries for ICF files, you should follow some specific rules for filling in positions 1 through 44 of the data description specifications (DDS) form.

DDS keyword entries for ICF files (positions 45 through 80) gives rules and examples for specifying DDS keywords.

For more information about keywords for ICF files, see the ICF ProgrammingLink to PDF book.

Specify the entries in the following order to define an ICF file:

  1. File-level entries
  2. Record-level entries
  3. Field-level entries

Repeat the record-level entries and field-level entries for each record format in the file.

Specify at least one record format in the file.

The maximum number of record formats in an ICF file is 1024. The maximum number of fields in any one record format is 32 767.

Note: Specify the file name with the Create Intersystem Communications Function File (CRTICFF) command, not DDS.

The following figure shows an ICF file example.

Figure 1. ICF file example
|...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7....+....8
00010A* ICF FILE CODING EXAMPLE
00020A*
00030A          R RCD1                      RCVENDGRP(14)
00040A            FLDA           5
00050A            FLDB           5  0
00060A            FLDC          10  2
00070A
00080A          R RCD2
00090A  72 73
00110AON74                                  FAIL
00120A            FLDD          12
     A            FLDC      R               REFFLD(A LIB1/FILEA)
     A

Positional entries for ICF files (positions 1 through 44)

Here are some rules and examples for filling in positions 1 through 44 of the data description specifications (DDS) form.

To code the remaining part of the form, see DDS keyword entries for ICF files (positions 45 through 80).

Figure 1 shows some positional entries for ICF files.