The TSO/E external function GETMSG retrieves a message that has been issued during a console session and stores the message in variables. On the call to GETMSG, you specify the msgstem argument. GETMSG places each line of the message text it retrieves into successive variables identified by the msgstem you specify. For more information about GETMSG, see GETMSG.

In addition to the variables into which GETMSG places the retrieved message (as specified by the msgstem argument), GETMSG sets other variables that contain additional information about the message that was retrieved. One set of variables relates to the entire message itself (that is, to all lines of message text that GETMSG retrieves, regardless of how many lines of text the message has). Variables GETMSG sets for the entire message describes these variables.

The second set of variables is an array of variables that GETMSG sets for each line of message text that GETMSG retrieves. Variables GETMSG sets for each line of message text describes these variables.