The Assign Devices menu displays the source and destination devices you have defined in BARR/SPOOL, including the devices specified under Devices and Printers and the Print Spool Description. If you have purchased any option software, such as PRINT370, devices corresponding to the options also display.
From Assign Devices, data received from source devices is directed to the destination devices of your choice. This directing of data is referred to as device assignment.
Default device assignments for program startup are defined in the Installation Description. Each time the software is started, the default assignments take effect. However, temporary changes to the assignments may be made during program operation and are used until the software is restarted.
This chapter explains data flow to and from the PC, introduces you to the device assignment screen, and describes the available source and destination devices. Each section includes several step-by-step examples.
To better understand source devices, destination devices, and device assignment, you need to understand how data flows into and out of the PC running BARR/SPOOL. Data can be received to the PC from LAN or PC input devices such as a LAN directory or a card reader. Data on the PC can be sent to LAN or PC output devices such as a PC printer, a network directory, or a network printer.
Data can be sent from the PC to other PC devices or to the network, and data can be received to the PC from the network or from PC devices.
BARR/SPOOL allows destination devices, such as printers, to be shared. This means that several source devices can write to the same destination device. Destinations which are often shared include SPOOL, LPT1-LPT3, and COM1-COM4.
When several sources are assigned to the same destination, the software alternates between source devices, allowing each source to write to the destination in turn. For example, if the source LAN1 is ready to write a file to the destination LPT1, the software first checks to see if the destination LPT1 is busy. If the destination device is available, the software writes the file to LPT1 then automatically searches for another source device that is directed to the same destination. At the same time, the software may be directing other print streams to other destinations.
To reach the device assignment screen, from the Installation Description menu, select Assign Devices.
Example device assignments are shown on the screen below. Your screen reflects the devices you have defined.
The devices are displayed in SOURCE and DESTINATION pairs separated by an arrow. The arrow shows the direction of the data flow. For example, in the pair LAN1SPOOL, LAN1 is the source device and SPOOL is its destination.
Device assignment is performed by selecting a source device with the cursor. Note that the arrow blinks when the cursor rests under it. When you press ENTER, a list of destination devices displays. Once a destination is selected from the list, a menu line at the bottom of the screen displays additional options.
Data sources and destinations are relative to the Barr software. Data flows into the software from source devices. Data flows out of the software to destination devices. Up to 40 devices may be defined in the software, and only those devices you enable display on the Assign Devices menu.
Available source and destination devices are listed below and are described on the following pages. Devices you enable from option software are described in the corresponding option manual.
|
Data Source |
Source Device Name |
|
PC file |
SEND1-SEND2 |
|
PC serial port |
COM1-COM4 |
|
Console log file |
LOG |
|
Spool printers |
SPOOL1-SPOOL8 |
|
File from LAN directory |
LAN1-LAN4 |
|
File from Novell queue |
NW_QUE1-NW_QUE4 |
|
|
|
|
Data Destination |
Destination Device |
|
PC file |
(FILE) |
|
PC screen |
SCREEN |
|
Discard |
NUL |
|
Suspend flow |
SUSPEND |
|
PC parallel port |
LPT1-LPT3 |
|
PC serial port |
COM1-COM4 |
|
Spool directory |
SPOOL |
|
Network printer |
NET1-NET12 |
Source devices display on the Assign Devices screen. Each source displays before an arrow. Source devices include devices you have enabled and devices that the software automatically provides.
Available source devices include:
SEND1-SEND2
Files on disk may be directed to a destination using one of the SEND devices. Data is not routed until the Send Files command is issued from the Operation screen.
The SEND devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers menu, as described in Chapter 4.
COM1-COM4
Files may be input on a PC serial port. Data will be input automatically as files are detected. For example, you can attach a card reader to the PC COM1 port to input files, or you can connect to a VAX computer to input files. (Serial ports also may be used as destinations.)
The COM devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers menu, as described in section 4.4.
LOG
The console log is a copy of the messages written to the PC console. Usually these messages are written to a file using LOG(CONSOLE.LOG) to provide a record of files that have been processed. If the message copy is assigned to screen using LOGSCREEN, the log data will be deleted to prevent duplicate messages from displaying on the screen. The log may be browsed while it is being updated by the software. Refer to section 6.6, Logging Console Messages.
The LOG device is enabled automatically but it is assigned LOGNUL by default. Assign it to a file if desired.
SPOOL1-SPOOL8
Spool printers are used to route data from the print spool queue to destination devices, for example SPOOL1LPT1. (Files must first be routed to the print spool directory, for example LAN1SPOOL.) Each Spool printer is assigned criteria for routing files. Files can be routed automatically or the software can be configured to require operator action.
The SPOOL devices are enabled from the Print Spool Description screen.
LAN1-LAN4
The LAN devices are used to route files from a directory on the local area network. For example, files in a network directory can be sent to a PC printer by setting LAN1LPT1.
The LAN devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers menu, as described in section 4.10.
NW_QUE1-NW_QUE4
Data can be received to the PC from up to four Novell job queues. These files may be routed directly to a PC-attached printer, such as NW_QUE1LPT1. Or they can be routed to a spool filter, for instance NW_QUE1SPOOL.
The NW_QUE devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers menu, as described in section 4.11.
A list of destination choices displays when you select a source on the Assign Devices menu. The screen below shows the default list of destinations. The destination choices on your screen include devices you have enabled and devices that the software automatically provides.
Once you choose a destination from the list, your selection displays on the Assign Devices screen after the arrow, for example SPOOL1LPT1.
Available destination devices include:
(FILE)
Data can be routed to a file anywhere within the DOS file system, including to a floppy disk, hard disk, or local area network (LAN). When (FILE) is selected as the destination, you are prompted to enter a file name and to specify other options. Refer to section 6.5, Assigning (FILE) as a Destination.
The (FILE) selection is enabled automatically and cannot be removed from the list of destinations.
SCREEN
Data can be displayed on the console portion of the PC screen. The screen scrolls at four lines-per-second. To pause the screen display, press SCROLL LOCK. For fast screen scrolling, press SCROLL LOCK and 1. To slow the scrolling speed, press SCROLL LOCK and 0.
The SCREEN destination is enabled automatically and cannot be removed from the list of destinations.
NUL
Data sent to NUL is discarded. For example, if you do not plan to use the console LOG device, set LOGNUL. Any data received from the LOG source device is then discarded.
The NUL destination is enabled automatically and cannot be removed from the list of destinations.
SUSPEND
When a device is set to SUSPEND the device is temporarily disabled. This is useful if you want to disable the data flow for a short time while you service a device. Additionally, the software may automatically set a source device to SUSPEND on certain error conditions.
Active devices should not be set to SUSPEND for long periods of time. While a device is suspended, data continues to flow into the program. Because the data is not directed to a destination, it fills memory space needed by other program features which results in reduced program performance. If you wish to disable a device permanently, disconnect it from the PC or disable it from the corresponding installation screen.
The SUSPEND destination is enabled automatically and cannot be removed from the list of destinations.
LPT1-LPT3
Data can be routed to a parallel printer attached to the LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3 port. For example, SPOOL2LPT1 indicates that data from the SPOOL2 filter writes to the printer attached to the PC’s LPT1 port.
The LPT devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers screen, as described in section 4.3.
COM1-COM4
Data can be routed to a serial device. For example, you can attach a serial printer to COM1 and assign SPOOL1COM1. (Serial ports also can be used as sources.)
The COM devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers screen, as described in section 4.4.
SPOOL
Files may be routed to the print spool directory, for example COM1SPOOL. Once files are in the print spool, they are directed to printers using the source devices SPOOL1-SPOOL8. An example for using the SPOOL destination is given in section 6.7, Assigning SPOOL as a Destination.
NET1-12
Files may be sent to printers on a local area network using a Barr NET device. NET devices support three different types of network printing. Most networks support redirection of LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3 using device drivers, although some networks support redirection of LPT1-LPT12. On the Novell network, NET devices can be used to route files to Novell Print Queues. On the TCP/IP network, NET devices can be used to route files to UNIX Print Queues.
The NET devices are enabled from the Devices and Printers screen, as described in section 4.5.
For some applications, you may want all data from a given source to write to a single printer. To accomplish this you can dedicate the source device to a printer. For example, you can direct all the output from LAN directory 2 (LAN2) to a PC printer connected to LPT2 by assigning LAN2LPT2.
Follow the steps below to make this type of assignment.
Select the source, in this example LAN2, and press ENTER. A list of destinations displays.
Select the destination, in this example LPT2. When you press ENTER, the screen changes to reflect your selection.
Select Continue to make another assignment, or press ESC to return to the Installation Description menu.
The menu choices Receive Mode and Options at the bottom of the screen are explained later in this chapter.
Data can be directed to a DOS file on a disk or on a LAN. A common application is to direct data that will not be printed to a disk file. Often this data will be processed by programs on the PC or the LAN.
Follow the steps below to assign (FILE) as a destination:
Select the source, for example NW_QUE1, and press ENTER. A list of destinations displays.
Select (FILE) as the destination and press ENTER.
When (FILE) is selected as a destination, the following screen displays:
Specify these parameters:
Beginning of file name:
Specify the name for the received file, including the drive letter and full directory path. A file name may consist of a beginning, an ending, or both. At least one part of the name must be specified. Choices for the ending are described under Ending of file name. Barr software follows the DOS conventions for naming files.
If only the Beginning of file name is specified, include the drive letter, full directory path, and file name. If the path is not included, the file is written to the current DOS directory.
The current directory is the directory you are in when you start BARR/SPOOL, or the directory you change to using the hot-key to DOS function after BARR/SPOOL is started.
It is best to include the complete file path in the file name so there is no doubt about where the received files are located. For example, suppose you omit the directory path from the Beginning of file name. Assume the software was installed in the directory C:\BARR. According to the DOS convention, if you are in the directory C:\BARR when a file is received the file is written to the C:\BARR directory. However, if you are in the C:\ root directory when a file arrives, the file is written to the directory C:\.
If only the Ending of file name is specified, the file path depends on your selection. Some choices for the ending name have no file path and others include a portion of the file path. Each of these selections is described under Ending of file name. When no path is specified, files are written to the current DOS directory.
If both parts of the file name are specified, the complete file name is the combination of the two parts: Beginning of file name contains the drive letter and directory path, and Ending of file name specifies the file name. Some Ending of file name selections include a portion of the file path.
If the Beginning of file name includes a directory name, you must end the directory name with a backslash (\). If you want to combine the beginning and ending portions into an 8-character name, omit the backslash.
If a Beginning of file name is specified, it must be in the correct DOS format. A file extension is optional. See File Name Extensions later in this section for a complete discussion about file extensions. Examples for naming files are given at the end of this section.
If a DOS error occurs while naming the file, BARR/SPOOL suspends the source device and displays an error message on the console.
Ending of file name is
The eight selections for Ending of file name are described below.
If from file, jobname, formname, or source filename is selected, the file path is taken from Beginning of file name. If the beginning portion of the file name is blank, the file is written to the current DOS directory.
If formname\jobname is selected for the ending, formname is included in the file path. If jobname\formname is selected, jobname is included in the path.
You may want to refer to other sections in this manual when choosing an Ending of file name. For a description of the Barr file header, refer to section 1.2, Barr File Header. For a description of Spool header from data? option, see section 6.9, Options for Assign Devices.
If a DOS error occurs while naming the file, BARR/SPOOL assigns the file name ERROR and displays an error message on the console.
Examples for naming files are given later in this section.
Choices for Ending of filename are:
not
used
from
file
jobname
formname
formname\jobname
jobname\formname
fcbname
source
filename
New File, Append, Replace, Replace Cond.
If a duplicate file name is encountered when writing to a file, you have the option to create a new file, append to the existing file, or replace the existing file. This selection displays to the right of Ending of file name.
New
File
Append
Replace
Replace
Cond.
If a new file does not have an extension or if a file of the same name exists, a numeric file extension is generated by the software and added to the name of the new file. In the case of duplicate file names, this method preserves the existing file. Refer to File Name Extensions below for an example of the file naming sequence.
If the name of the new file includes an extension or ends in a period (.), the new file will replace the existing file. For example, a file named DAILYRPT. or DAILYRPT.MON would replace a file that has the same name.
Log/No Log
This option controls whether informational messages display on the console when files are written to disk.
Log
WRITING: DAILYRPT
CLOSE: DAILYRPT
These messages are included in the console log file if the log file is enabled by directing LOG(FILE) on the Assign Devices menu.
No
Log
File extensions allow greater flexibility for naming files. A file extension consists of a period (.) or a period followed by up to three characters (.abc). The file extension can be specified by you when assigning the file name, or BARR/SPOOL can automatically generate a numeric file extension.
When the destination is (FILE), you may include a file extension in the Beginning of file name or Ending of file name. Additionally, if the destination is (FILE) the software generates a file extension when both these conditions are met:
You select New File or Replace Conditional on the file name assignment screen.
The new file has no extension or a duplicate file name was found.
The software also generates file extensions for duplicate files for the LAN Retain Directory, Spool Retain Directory, and NET Device Driver features.
Automatic
Naming Sequence
The software searches the destination directory to determine if any files have the same name as the new file. If a duplicate name is found, the numeric extension n + 1 is assigned to the new file, where n is the highest extension found for that file name. For example, the first extension assigned is .001, the next file with the same name is assigned .002, and so on.
If the same file name occurs thousands of times, additional renaming is performed. If extension .999 is reached, a #1 is placed at the end of the file name and the extension sequence starts again, continuing until #10.999 is reached. Note that when #1 is added, the sequence numbers start at 000. For example, if the original file name is taxdata, a series of files with the same name would be renamed as follows:
taxdata.001, taxdata.002,
... taxdata.999
taxdat#1.000, taxdat#1.001, ... taxdat#1.999
taxdat#2.000, taxdat#2.001, ... taxdat#2.999
...
taxda#10.000, taxda#10.001, ... taxda#10.999
It is helpful to see console messages on the screen during interactive use and to have a log file of the messages for later reference. To create a log file, assign LOG(FILE) on the Assign Devices menu. The log file can be named anything you like, but we suggest naming it CONSOLE.LOG for easy identification.
To enable the console log, from the Assign Devices menu:
Select LOG as the source.
Select (FILE) as the destination.
Enter CONSOLE.LOG as the Beginning of file name.
Use the default selection not used for Ending of file name.
Select the Append option to append each message to the log file. (If Append is not selected, a new file will be created each time the software is started.)
Select No Log to prevent the message WRITING: CONSOLE.LOG from displaying on the screen each time a message is written to the log file.
Messages that display on the PC console include a time stamp with hours, minutes, and seconds. The time stamp is useful for tracking file activity and is included in the log file. If messages are longer than 80 columns, they wrap to the next line.
File viewing utilities allow you to view the console log file from a DOS session or from another node on the LAN while the software is running. The LIST program from Buerg Software allows you to view the log file even while it is being updated. A shareware version of LIST may be downloaded from the Barr Bulletin Board. LIST is described in the Systems Integration Notes booklet included with your BARR/SPOOL package.
The console log file includes diagnostic messages from the Barr software and other program activity as described below.
Startup Date and Date Change
BARR/SPOOL (C) Barr Systems, Inc. 1994 Version 94A1 01/31/1994
This message is useful for tracking the date of file activity in the console log file.
Send and Receive Activity
SENDING: C:\JOB1 TO SPOOL
CLOSE: C:\JOB1
Messages on the console indicate when data is received to a destination of (FILE). For example:
WRITING: C:\DATA.001
CLOSE: C:\DATA.001
When you exit the software, the console log ends with the total lines sent and received:
This is the same information that displays on the Status Line of the Operation screen. The console message allows you to keep a record in the console log file of the total send and receive activity. The maximum value for the counter is 999,999,999. If this number is reached, the counter will roll over to 0.
Printer Activity
Information is logged only for jobs which have a Barr file header. Jobs without a Barr file header are not logged. At completion of each print job, the destination device name, job name, and number of lines or pages printed is logged:
The printer activity information displays in a fixed position on the message line and all numbers are right justified. The fixed location allows easy file searches for this information when using interactive editors or application programs.
If 0 lines are printed for a file, meaning the file is empty, a message is not included in the log.
Spool Activity
When files are printing from the print spool, print START and END messages, and REPRINT, DELETED, and RESTORED messages are displayed. If a file is deleted using the Print Spool screen and a retain directory is specified, a RETAINED message also is displayed. For example:
NET Device Activity
START NET1: SEND1 output to PUBLISH
END NET1
LAN Connection Device Activity
SENDING: C:\LAN1DIR\JOB1.001 to LPT1
CLOSE: C:\LAN1DIR\JOB1.001
If the LAN Connection retain feature is not used, a message will indicate that the file has been deleted:
ERASED: C:\LAN1DIR\JOB1.001
Buffer Shortages
Warning: less than 20 free buffers remain
This message indicates that you need to increase the value of Memory allocated for buffers under Tuning Data, Additional Parameters.
Assign Devices is used to route files to the print spool directory and to route the print spool files to printers. This section tells you how to perform the two assignment steps. You must enter the Print Spool Description parameters before you can perform these steps.
On the Assign Devices menu, the destination device SPOOL represents the print spool directory and the source devices SPOOL1-SPOOL8 are the Spool printers or filters.
Direct Files to Spool
Select the source device, for example LAN1.
Assign the source device to the destination SPOOL.
Specify the file name and options. In this example, the Beginning of file name is blank and the Ending of file name selection is jobname.
When the destination is SPOOL, it is not necessary to include the file path in the Beginning of file name, because the path for the print spool directory is specified on the Print Spool Description screen. Refer to section 6.5, Assigning (FILE) as a destination, for a description of the file name parameters.
When you press ENTER the screen reflects the assignment of LAN1SPOOL.
Direct Spool Files to Printers
In this example, two Spool printers have been defined: SPOOL1 and SPOOL2. The SPOOL1 device is already defined to LPT1. Follow these steps to assign SPOOL2 to LPT2.
Select Continue to return the cursor to the assignment area.
Select SPOOL2.
Select LPT2.
When you press ENTER the screen reflects the new assignment.
When you are finished making assignments, press ESC to return the Installation Description screen.
Avoid setting Receive mode on the source devices SPOOL1-SPOOL8, unless the destination is TAPE.
Receive modes alter the format of the files received to the Barr PC from the data source. Only files which are received from a host (using option software) can be altered by a receive mode. Your choice for receive mode depends on how the data will be used after it is received to the PC. Some of the same options are available for both receive mode and send mode.
When assigning a receive mode, keep these points in mind:
Only the Fixed Length receive modes may be used for the SEND, LAN, and SPOOL1-SPOOL8 source devices. Fixed length is useful for these sources only when the destination is TAPE (requires the BARR/TAPE option).
None of the receive modes are valid with the LOG device.
The selected receive mode affects all files received on the source device. The receive mode may be changed during program operation.
To reach the Receive mode menu:
On the Assign Devices menu, assign the source device to a destination. A menu line displays at the bottom of the screen.
Select Receive mode from the menu line.
Select a receive mode from the list of choices on the lower portion of the screen. For example, select ASCII.
On the Assign Devices menu, an asterisk (*) displays next to the destination device when you select a receive mode other than ASCII. ASCII is the format used by most PC applications.
The Receive mode choices are described below.
ASCII
Default. Used for most PC applications. Required format for files printed on an ASCII printer. If the original file is in EBCDIC format, it is converted to ASCII format with ASCII carriage control codes (CR, LF, FF). The EBCDIC format is used by host computers. Refer to Appendix B, ASCII and EBCDIC Standards, for more information about these formats.
Binary
Data is in EBCDIC format. BARR/SPOOL discards carriage control. Most often Binary receive mode is used when the received data will not be printed. This type of data usually is received from a mainframe or an AS/400.
N ASCII lines
This receive mode is useful for receiving files with fixed-length records longer than 80 characters. (Fixed-length records are records of the same length.) Some host systems can transfer only 80-character records, and N ASCII lines allows you to work around this limitation. For records which are not an even multiple of 80 characters (160, 240, etc.) or have a length greater than 720 characters, Variable ASCII lines may be a better option.
Use of N ASCII lines requires writing a host program to divide each data set record into groups of 80-character lines. Each record must be divided into the same number (from 1-9) of lines, so that all records have the same length. Once the 80-character lines are received to the PC, the software rebuilds each record by combining the specified number of lines. The EBCDIC data from the host is converted to ASCII format with carriage return and line feed (CR LF) to indicate the end of each record but no form feeds (FF) to indicate page boundaries.
When you select N ASCII lines, you are prompted to specify the number of 80-character lines which should be combined into one record. Choices are 1-9, where 9 allows a maximum record length of 720 characters.
DOS (obsolete)
The DOS format is an obsolete selection. It has been replaced by the Transfer files receive mode.
Variable ASCII lines
When receiving variable-length or fixed-length records which are shorter or longer than 80 characters, this receive mode may be useful. (Variable-length records are records of different lengths, while fixed-length records have the same length.) Some host systems can transfer only 80-character records. If you need to transfer records with a different length, the Variable ASCII lines selection allows you to work around this limitation. If records are an even multiple of 80 characters (160, 240, etc.), N ASCII lines may be a better option.
With the Variable ASCII lines selection, the software receives 80-character records from the host and rebuilds them to their original lengths. The EBCDIC data from the host is converted to ASCII format with carriage return and line feed (CR LF) to indicate the end of each record but no form feeds (FF) to indicate page boundaries.
Use of this feature requires writing a host program to divide all records into 80-character lines. The last portion of the record may have less than 80 characters if the record length is not an even multiple of 80. The host program must insert an EBCDIC vertical bar (|), or hexadecimal 4F, at the end of each record.
For example, a 120-character record would be divided into two parts: an 80-character line, and a 40-character line which ends in a vertical bar. Once the data is received to the PC, the software rebuilds each record by combining lines until a vertical bar is encountered. The vertical bar is discarded along with any blanks that were added to pad the last portion of the record to 80 bytes.
Fixed length
This option is used for special applications, usually situations requiring that the received data contains records of a fixed-length. (Fixed-length records are records of the same length.) Applications for the Fixed length option include receiving data to magnetic tape and receiving data that will be processed by a PC program.
For the SEND1-SEND2, LAN1-LAN4, and SPOOL1-SPOOL8 source devices Fixed length is the only receive mode that is supported. It is used for these devices only when writing to magnetic tape.
When you select Fixed Length, additional options display at the bottom of the screen. Refer to the section Fixed Length Receive Mode for a description of these options.
Transfer files
This receive mode is an internal, intermediate format that is used for general file transfer from PC-to-PC. Disregard this option for BARR/SPOOL.
S/370 Channel
When printing to an S/370 channel printer this receive mode is required. It is used only with the PRINT370 option (purchased separately) and is not valid for the Xerox 4235 printer. Data is converted to varying length binary records using the Realia COBOL format. This is different from the Binary receive mode. Binary in this context means data can contain any character from 00 to FF.
Carriage
control
normal
Machine
Refer to the PRINT370 manual for additional information on S/370 Channel receive mode, especially for details on replacing a Xerox 871CM with the PRINT370 product.
Transparent
Data received to the PC is unaltered. Some applications require unaltered data.
Transparent format is valid only for SCS type data streams, namely data from 5250 printers (PRINT/TWINAX) and XPAF print streams. For example, Transparent receive mode allows you to use the SCS Enabler option on the Xerox 3700 printer and the EBCDIC Parallel Meta/GHO Enabler-IB option on the Xerox 4235 printer.
PostScript
This receive mode converts EBCDIC files to the PostScript format required for printing to PostScript printers. The form overlay files PORTRAIT, LAND, and 2UP provided in the directory C:\BARR\REF\PSOVL\ must be used with PostScript receive mode. The overlay files are used to set the printer in the desired mode and to define macros used by PostScript. Data converted to PostScript format is enclosed in parentheses. Carriage control such as CR, LF, and FF is converted to macro calls that are controlled by the overlay file. Carriage control is placed between data lines.
PostScript receive mode may be used only with source devices which support receive modes, such as LANn, and with destination devices that support form overlays, including LPTn, COMn, and NETn.
The overlay files contain some user-selectable options which may be changed by editing the overlay file. After making edit changes with a program editor, the overlay files should be placed in the forms overlay directory defined in Devices and Printers, Miscellaneous Printer Options. To activate the overlay, the name of the overlay file must be included in the file header.
Files received from destinations other than a host cannot be processed by PostScript receive mode. If you want to print files from other sources in PostScript format, the files must already be in PostScript format before they are received to the PC.
The Fixed length receive mode is useful for special applications or situations which require data records to have a fixed length. You will most likely use this receive mode only with the BARR/TAPE option.
When you select Fixed length from the list of receive modes, the following options display at the bottom of the screen:
Edit the parameters. Use the arrow keys to move around the screen.
Press ENTER to keep your changes and ESC to return to the Assign Devices menu.
The last line on the screen beginning with DCB= contains the IBM JCL Data Control Block (DCB) description that would match your parameter selections.
Specify these Fixed length parameters:
Block size:
Specify the maximum length of blocks written to tape. The block size is ignored unless the destination is TAPE.
Logical record length:
Specify the total length of the fixed-length records including the ASA carriage control character, if any. The maximum value is 255.
If the Character set option is set to ASCII variable or EBCDIC variable, records will have a variable length. Set this option to the maximum value to prevent truncation of the variable-length records.
Carriage Control:
Specify the type of carriage control.
none
ASA
Character set:
Specify the character set to be used for the data.
EBCDIC
ASCII
ASCII
with CR LF
ASCII
variable
Retired
mode
EBCDIC
variable
With the BARR/PRINT for LAT, PRINT/TWINAX, and BARR/PRINT for TCP/IP software options, several options may be used when making device assignments. The available options display when you select Options from the menu line at the bottom of the Assign Devices menu.
Select Options.
The available options are shown on the screen above. However, not all options may be used with all devices or all Receive modes. Additionally, some options which display are not valid in all cases, and some options cannot be used together in certain cases. The supported options may be set differently for each source device. In particular, options are not valid for the LOG and SPOOL1-SPOOL8 source devices.
The selected options affect all files received on the source device. The options you select in the Installation Description are used each time the program is started. However, the options can be changed from Assign Devices during program operation.
OUTPUT statement used in file?
The Barr OUTPUT statement is used to provide information typically used for printing a file, including: JOBNAME, FORMNAME, FILENAME, COPIES, PRIORITY, and CLASS. This information is extracted from the file and placed in the file header. The OUTPUT statement is useful when other methods for obtaining file attribute information are not available.
Use of this feature requires altering the application program that produces the data to include the OUTPUT statement in the data file.
The OUTPUT statement is valid only for the following devices:
PORT_1 through PORT_8 (BARR/PRINT for LAT)
PRT01 through PRT12 (PRINT/TWINAX)
BARRTCP1 through BARRTCP12 (BARR/PRINT for TCP/IP)
For additional details on the format of the file header, refer to section 1.2, Barr File Header.
No
Yes
When the OUTPUT statement is enabled, all lines up to and including the OUTPUT statement are deleted from the file. To prevent deletion of data, put the OUTPUT statement at the beginning of the file, before the data.
If the OUTPUT statement is omitted from the file, all data from the file is deleted and a warning message displays on the console.
In the OUTPUT statement, the word OUTPUT must begin in column 1, column 7 must be blank, and the parameters must be specified beginning in column 8. The statement must fit on one line in the file it cannot wrap to the next line. If the line length of the file is limited to 80 characters, you may not be able to specify all six of the parameters. The OUTPUT statement format is listed below:
Specify only the parameters that you need. The parameters may be listed in any order. For example,
OUTPUT FILENAME=taxdata FORMNAME=taxes
If FILENAME is specified, it will be used as the Ending of file name.
Both the Ending of file name is from file feature and the Assign Devices option Ignore n lines from start of file can be used with the OUTPUT statement. For example, you may use Ending of file name is from file to extract the file name from the banner page and use the OUTPUT statement to assign a form name.
Class:
Use this option to assign a new default output Class to a file received on a given source device. A default Class assigned by the software displays in this field, but the default value may be changed. The Class can be a letter or number.
The selected Class value appears as an attribute for the file on the Print Spool screen and may be used as part of the criteria for routing Spool files to printers.
The Spool File Attribute Table described in section 5.3 also can be used to specify the file class.
Spool header from data?
This option allows you to extract a file’s job name or form name from a text line in the file and include it in the file header. The Spool header from data? option is useful if other methods for obtaining file attribute information are not available, although it is not as reliable or flexible as the Barr OUTPUT statement.
A file header can be placed on files input through any source device (except LOG or SPOOL1-SPOOL8) if the Receive mode is ASCII, S/370 Channel, Transparent, or PostScript. However, the information to be extracted must occur at the same location in every file.
For additional details on the format of the file header, refer to section 1.2, Barr File Header.
No
Yes
When you press ENTER, you are prompted to select formname or jobname and to specify the page, line, and column numbers where this information appears in the file text.
If a file contains no form feeds (FF), the software will search only the first 200 lines in the file for the specified file header information.
When the name is extracted from the specified location:
Leading blanks are skipped.
The file name is terminated if a blank is detected after a valid character within the column range. For example, if DAILY RPT is at the specified location, the file name will be DAILY.
In the file header, formname or jobname originates from the text, class is set from the Class option, and other fields have default values.
Special Use: In exceptional cases, a form name or job
name may not be obtainable by any of the usual options. For example, if
files are received on the COM port the only available option is to obtain
the form name from the data. However, you may not be able to alter the
application program to include the form name in the data. Also, if the
form name is not in the same position in each of the received files Spool
header from data? is not reliable.
When no other alternatives are available, Spool
header from data? can be used with the Class
option to assign a one-character form name. To do this, set Class
to a unique value and set Spool
header from data? to Yes
with a page
number of 0.
The one-character Class
value is then used as the form name and displays on the Print Spool screen
as the form name for the file. The one-character form name can be used
as criteria for printing the files, or it can be used to load a form overlay
file containing printer control data. Other header options are available,
so this special feature should be used only as a last resort.
Ignore ___ lines from start of file.
This option allows you to delete a specified number of lines from the beginning of the file. The maximum value is 32767. A common application for this option is to delete the first two records of a punch file: the blank card and the file separator card.
This option is valid only for the following source devices.
PORT_1 through PORT_8 (BARR/PRINT for LAT)
PRT01 through PRT12 (PRINT/TWINAX)
BARRTCP1 through BARRTCP12 (BARR/PRINT for TCP/IP)
Write spool header to file?
When receiving data from a host to a destination of (FILE), you can choose whether or not to include the file header in the file. The spool header contains information that is used for printing.
This option is valid only for the destination (FILE) and can be set independently for each source device. Write spool header to file? does not apply to print spool files, because spool headers are automatically included when the destination is SPOOL. The Barr file header is documented in section 1.2.
No
Yes