To have XCF distribute the message data into multiple buffer areas, you must ensure that those areas can be described in either a table structure or a queue structure. This topic describes the different formats you can use to receive message data from IXCMSGIX into multiple buffers. Illustrations of the different formats are shown in the figures at topics Figure 1 through Figure 4. The formats and parameters for using multiple buffers are the same for both IXCMSGOX and IXCMSGIX. Note that there is no requirement that a message sent using multiple buffers be received using multiple buffers. The formats of the buffers used to send and receive a given message are completely unrelated.

If the receiver is going to receive the message into multiple buffers and requires that the sender provide the length of each message part, the sending and receiving member must devise a protocol for transmitting this information. For instance, the length of each message part could be sent in the message data itself or as part of the message control data.

To receive a message using multiple buffers, you must create a queue (ELEMFORM=QUEUE) or a table (ELEMFORM=TABLE) of message data elements, each representing a buffer that is to receive message data.