Format of macroinstructions

VTAM® macroinstructions, which define tables and the SAW data filter, have the following format:

Name	Macroinstruction	Operands
name	Macroinstruction	Required and optional operands

The name field identifies the macroinstruction. If you use a name, it must contain 1–8 characters in the following format:

First character

Alphabetical (A–Z) or the national
characters @, #, or $

Second to eighth character

Alphabetical (A–Z), numerical (0–9), or the national characters @, #, or $.

You can code MVS™ system symbols in the name field of the macroinstructions that define the following user-definable tables:

APPN Class of Service (CoS) definitions
APPN-to-subarea Class of Service mapping table
Associated LU table
Message-flooding prevention table
Model name table
Subarea-to-APPN Class of Service mapping table

See Using MVS system symbols in VTAM definition statements and macroinstructions for information about using MVS system symbols in VTAM macroinstructions.

If coded, the name field must begin in column 1 of the macroinstruction, and must be followed by one or more blanks. Together, the name field and macroinstruction field must fit in columns 1–70 of a line. Although the name might be optional, you should code it, because VTAM uses it in operator messages referring to the resource defined.

The macroinstruction field, which must be preceded and followed by one or more blanks, identifies the macroinstruction.

The operands field contains operands, which can be coded in any order, and must be separated by commas. The operand field ends with one or more blanks placed after the last operand. In most macroinstructions, operands are used in the operand field. Operands are followed by an equal sign (=) and the operand value. The operand value can be a single value or a list of values. If it is a list of values, the values must be separated by commas and the list must be enclosed in parentheses. If the operand fields are to be continued, the continuation character must be placed in column 72. If the value is specified as name, it must follow the rules given above for a name.

Note: You can code one or more MVS system symbols in VTAM macroinstructions in VTAMLST. If you do, the preceding rules for the name, macroinstruction, and operands fields still apply, even before the symbols are resolved. For example, as shown below, a name field containing MVS system symbols must begin in column 1 on the same line as the macroinstruction to which it applies. The name field must be followed by one or more blanks. Together, the name field and the macroinstruction field must not go beyond column 70, even when there are no operands to be coded on a macroinstruction, as in the following example.

|...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7...
&USER1.&USER2.&USER3.&USER4.&USER5.&USER6.&USER7.&USER8.        MDLTAB

After MVS substitutes the values for the symbols, the resolved name must be 1–8 characters in length. If the symbols used above are defined in MVS to have the following text:

Symbol: Text
&USER1: M
&USER2: O
&USER3: D
&USER4: L
&USER5: N
&USER6: A
&USER7: M
&USER8: E

the name field resolves to MODLNAME after MVS substitutes the values in place of the symbols in VTAMLST.

See Using MVS system symbols in VTAM definition statements and macroinstructions for information about using MVS system symbols in VTAM macroinstructions.