Display File Field Description (DSPFFD)

The Display File Field Description (DSPFFD) command shows, prints, or places in a database file field-level information for one or more files in a specific library or all the libraries to which the user has access.

If the information is put in a database file, the database file will have a record format named QWHDRFFD. The fields in record format QWHDRFFD are the same as the fields in the IBM-supplied format QWHDRFFD in file QADSPFFD in the library QSYS. The following information is contained in the database file:

Restrictions:

Parameters

Keyword Description Choices Notes
FILE File Qualified object name Required, Positional 1
Qualifier 1: File Generic name, name, *ALL
Qualifier 2: Library Name, *LIBL, *CURLIB, *USRLIBL, *ALLUSR, *ALL
OUTPUT Output *, *PRINT, *OUTFILE Optional, Positional 2
OUTFILE File to receive output Qualified object name Optional
Qualifier 1: File to receive output Name
Qualifier 2: Library Name, *LIBL, *CURLIB
OUTMBR Output member options Element list Optional
Element 1: Member to receive output Name, *FIRST
Element 2: Replace or add records *REPLACE, *ADD
SYSTEM System *LCL, *RMT, *ALL Optional

File (FILE)

Specifies the files for which field information is returned.

This is a required parameter.

Qualifier 1: File

*ALL
All files in the library or libraries have their information shown.
name
Specify the full name of a file. Only information for the specified file is returned.
generic-name
Specify a generic name. Information is provided for all files whose names begin with the specified characters.

Qualifier 2: Library

*LIBL
All libraries in the library list for the current thread are searched until the first match is found.
*CURLIB
The current library for the thread is searched. If no library is specified as the current library for the thread, the QGPL library is searched.
*USRLIBL
If a current library entry exists in the library list for the current thread, the current library and the libraries in the user portion of the library list are searched. If there is no current library entry, only the libraries in the user portion of the library list are searched.
*ALLUSR
All user libraries are searched. All libraries with names that do not begin with the letter Q are searched except for the following:

#CGULIB     #DSULIB     #SEULIB
#COBLIB     #RPGLIB
#DFULIB     #SDALIB

Although the following Qxxx libraries are provided by IBM, they typically contain user data that changes frequently. Therefore, these libraries are considered user libraries and are also searched:

QDSNX       QRCLxxxxx   QUSRDIRDB   QUSRVI
QGPL        QSRVAGT     QUSRIJS     QUSRVxRxMx
QGPL38      QSYS2       QUSRINFSKR
QMGTC       QSYS2xxxxx  QUSRNOTES
QMGTC2      QS36F       QUSROND
QMPGDATA    QUSER38     QUSRPOSGS
QMQMDATA    QUSRADSM    QUSRPOSSA
QMQMPROC    QUSRBRM     QUSRPYMSVR
QPFRDATA    QUSRDIRCF   QUSRRDARS
QRCL        QUSRDIRCL   QUSRSYS

  1. 'xxxxx' is the number of a primary auxiliary storage pool (ASP).
  2. A different library name, in the format QUSRVxRxMx, can be created by the user for each previous release supported by IBM to contain any user commands to be compiled in a CL program for the previous release. For the QUSRVxRxMx user library, VxRxMx is the version, release, and modification level of a previous release that IBM continues to support.
*ALL
All libraries in the system, including QSYS, are searched.
name
Specify the name of the library to be searched.

Output (OUTPUT)

Specifies where the output from the command is sent.

*
The output is displayed (if requested by an interactive job) or printed with the job's spooled output (if requested by a batch job).
*PRINT
The output is printed with the job's spooled output.
*OUTFILE
The output is directed to the database file specified for the File to receive output (OUTFILE) parameter.

File to receive output (OUTFILE)

Specifies the database file to which the output of the command is directed. If the file does not exist, this command creates a database file in the specified library. If the file is created, the public authority for the file is the same as the create authority specified for the library in which the file is created. Use the Display Library Description (DSPLIBD) command to show the library's create authority.

Qualifier 1: File to receive output

name
Specify the name of the database file to which the command output is directed.

Qualifier 2: Library

*LIBL
The library list is used to locate the file. If the file is not found, one is created in the current library. If no current library exists, the file will be created in the QGPL library.
*CURLIB
The current library for the thread is used to locate the file. If no library is specified as the current library for the thread, the QGPL library is used.
name
Specify the name of the library to be searched.

Note: The outfile format must be the same as QWHDRFFD of system file QADSPFFD. For more information on the outfile format, refer to Database category in the IBM i Information Center at http://www.ibm.com/systems/i/infocenter/.

Output member options (OUTMBR)

Specifies the name of the database file member that receives the output of the command.

Element 1: Member to receive output

*FIRST
The first member in the file receives the output. If OUTMBR(*FIRST) is specified and the member does not exist, the system creates a member with the name of the file specified for the File to receive output (OUTFILE) parameter. If the member already exists, you have the option to add new records to the end of the existing member or clear the member and then add the new records.
name
Specify the name of the file member that receives the output. If it does not exist, the system creates it.

Element 2: Replace or add records

*REPLACE
The system clears the existing member and adds the new records.
*ADD
The system adds the new records to the end of the existing records.

System (SYSTEM)

Specifies whether the information that is returned is about files on the local system or files on remote systems.

*LCL
The information returned is about local files only.
*RMT
The information returned is about remote files only.
*ALL
The information returned is about both local and remote files.

Examples

Example 1: Displaying Information About a File on the Local System

DSPFFD   FILE(LIB1/FILE2)

This command shows the field-level information about file FILE2 in LIB1 on the local system. The information is shown at the work station where the command was entered.

Example 2: Displaying Information About Files on the Local and Remote Systems

DSPFFD   FILE(*ALL/*ALL)  SYSTEM(*ALL)

This command shows the field-level information of all files in all libraries authorized to the user on the local system and on all remote systems. For distributed data management files, the display shows only information about the remote file that is named on the RMTFILE parameter of the CRTDDMF command. The information is shown at the work station where the command was entered.

Example 3: Directing Output to a Database File

DSPFFD   FILE(QGPL/FLDREF)  OUTPUT(*OUTFILE)
         OUTFILE(QGPL/FLDREFX)

This command puts the field-level information for the file FLDREF in the QGPL library on the local system into a database file named FLDREFX in the general purpose library, QGPL. The FLDREFX file in the QGPL library can then be processed by a program.

Error messages

*ESCAPE Messages

CPF3012
File &1 in library &2 not found.
CPF3014
No file specified as &1 in &2 can be displayed.
CPF3024
File &1 not allowed for SYSTEM(&3).
CPF3052
Description for file &1 not available.
CPF3061
Record format &3 not found for outfile &1.
CPF3063
Output file &1 in &2 not physical file.
CPF3064
Library &1 not found.
CPF3066
Error creating output file &1 in &2.
CPF3067
Error while opening file &1 in &2.
CPF3068
Error while writing to file &1 in &2.
CPF3069
Error while closing file &1 in &2.
CPF3070
Error creating member &3 in file &1.
CPF3072
File &1 in &2 is a system file.
CPF3074
Not authorized to library &1.
CPF3075
Library &1 not available.
CPF3076
Error occurred when on display.
CPF3077
Error occurred when canceling display.
CPF3084
Error clearing member &3 in file &1.
CPF326B
Damage to file &1 in library &2.
CPF9851
Overflow value for file &1 in &2 too small.
CPF9852
Page size too narrow for file &1 in &2.
CPF9899
Error occurred during processing of command.