Version 4.2.6 for Mainframes
 —  Utilities  —

SYSPARM Utility

The SYSPARM utility is used to create and maintain a set of Natural profile parameters as an individual parameter profile that can be used for each Natural session.

When invoking Natural with dynamic profile parameters, you can specify individual parameters each time you invoke Natural. More comfortably, however, you can specify a set of parameters once in SYSPARM, store this set under a parameter profile name, and then invoke Natural with only one dynamic parameter: PROFILE=profile-name. The parameters defined in this parameter profile are then passed to Natural as dynamic parameters and must therefore comply with the syntax of PROFILE described in the Parameter Reference documentation.

For descriptions of the individual profile parameters that can be defined in a parameter profile, refer to the Parameter Reference documentation.

The parameter profiles are stored under user-defined names in the specified FNAT or FUSER Natural system file.

You can restrict the use of a parameter profile to specific users by setting the profile parameter USER as described in the Parameter Reference documentation.

The SYSPARM Utility documentation covers the following topics:


Invoking SYSPARM

Start of instruction set To invoke the SYSPARM utility

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List Profiles

This function is used to list all parameter profiles contained in the specified Natural system file. From the parameter profile list, you can view, modify or delete one or more profiles.

Start of instruction set To list parameter profiles

Start of instruction setTo view, modify or delete a single parameter profile

Start of instruction setTo view, modify or delete multiple parameter profiles

  1. In the Sel. column, next to the parameter profiles you want to process, enter one of the line commands listed in the table above.

    You can use PF7 or PF8 to scroll up or down in the list of parameter profiles to go to the required items.

  2. Press ENTER when you have finished entering all line commands for all parameter profiles.

    Depending on the line command entered, the first parameter profile selected is either displayed on the screen or a delete confirmation window opens for this profile.

  3. When finished with the first parameter profile, press PF3 or PF12 to process the next parameter profile. PF3 also saves the current parameter profile, if modified.

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Display Profile

This function is used to display a parameter profile.

Start of instruction set To display a parameter profile

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Add New Profile

This function is used to create a new parameter profile.

Start of instruction set To create a parameter profile

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Modify Profile

This function is used to change the parameter specifications of a parameter profile.

Start of instruction set To modify a parameter profile

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Editing Profiles

The edit screen of the SYSPARM utility appears when executing the Add New Profile or the Modify Profile function. This screen is used to enter the parameter specifications you want to include in a parameter profile. For detailed information about the profile parameters available, refer to the Parameter Reference documentation.

The edit screen looks similar to the example below:

15:13:44             ***** NATURAL SYSPARM UTILITY *****            2009-02-11
 >  /* This is a test profile. */                                             <
 >  AUTO=ON FNAT = (102,110,PASSWORD) FUSER=(1099,1100,PASSWORD,12345678)     <
 >  RPC=(RPCSIZE=80,SRVNAME=MYSERV,SERVER=ON,DFS=(SRV2,NODE1,,ACI))           <
 >  PRINT=((2,12,18),AM=STD,DEST='PRINT**',OPEN=INITOBJ,CLOSE=CMD)            <
 >  PRINT=((1,3,6-11,15),AM=NAF)                                              <
 >  ESIZE=90                                                                  <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
 >                                                                            <
Help with parameters .. _______                        (Profile name: TESTPROF)
                                                                               
Command ===>                                                                   
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
                                                                               
Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
      Help        Exit  Check Save                    Insrt Del   Copy  Canc

The edit screen contains 18 input lines (marked with >) with a maximum length of 72 characters each. The individual parameters entered must be separated from one another by (one or more) blanks or commas. You can spread the specifications of the parameters over as many lines as you like.

You can enter a commentary text in each input line, or spread a comment over as many lines as you like. Comments must be preceded by /* and followed by */ as indicated in the example above.

If you need additional space for editing or want to combine different parameter profiles or group parameter profiles by categories, concatenate multiple parameter profiles by entering the PROFILE profile parameter as the last entry in the profile(s) concerned. The first parameter profile then evaluates the parameter strings specified in the second parameter profile as part of the string of the first parameter profile.

Example:

PROFILE=P2 entered at the end in parameter profile P1, and PROFILE=P3 entered at the end in parameter profile P2, firstly invokes P1 and then P2 followed by P3.

For detailed information on the PROFILE profile parameter, see the relevant section in the Parameter Reference documentation.

This section covers the following topics:

PF Keys

The following PF keys are available on the edit screen:

PF Key Function
PF4 Checks whether the parameter specifications within the parameter profile are syntactically correct.
PF5 Stores the parameter profile.
PF9 Inserts one blank line below the line containing the cursor.
PF10 Deletes the line containing the cursor.
PF11 Copies the line containing the cursor.

Help with Parameters

The Help with parameters field on the edit screen can be used to obtain help information on valid parameter specifications and incorporate new specifications into the current parameter profile.

Start of instruction set To view online help and include new parameters

  1. In the Help with parameters field, enter one of the following:

  2. Do not press ENTER yet if you want to insert a new parameter specification into an existing parameter profile and proceed with the following step.

    Mark the input line below which you want to insert the new parameter specification(s) by placing the cursor on this line, and then press ENTER.

    Or:
    Press ENTER if you want to append a new parameter specification to the end of the parameter profile.

  3. After performing the previous step, depending on the parameter value entered earlier, one of the following appears:

    The help screen looks similar to the example below:

    13:08:21             ***** NATURAL SYSPARM UTILITY *****            2009-02-11
                                                                                   
      The parameter AUTO is used to cause an automatic logon at the start          
      of the Natural session.                                                      
                                                                                   
      AUTO=ON     An automatic logon is executed at the start of the Natural       
                  session. The value contained in the Natural system variable      
                  *INIT-USER is used as the user ID for the logon.                 
      AUTO=OFF    No automatic logon is performed.                                 
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
       Enter your parameter specification:                 More Help:   (+,-)      
     >                                                                             
     >                                                                             
     >                                                                             
     >                                                                             
     >                                                                             
                                                                                   
    Command==>                                                                     
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
    Enter-PF1---PF2---PF3---PF4---PF5---PF6---PF7---PF8---PF9---PF10--PF11--PF12---
          Help        Exit  Check                                           Canc

    The upper screen section contains help text on the specified parameter (in the example above, AUTO). If the text contains more than one page, you can enter a plus (+) sign before the More Help field to display the next page. Enter a minus (-) sign to return to the previous screen or enter a period (.) to terminate the help function and return to the edit screen.

    The lower section contains five input lines (marked with >).

  4. Press ENTER.

  5. In the input lines, enter the required parameter specifications.

    You can press PF4 to check the specifications.

  6. Press PF3 to terminate the help function.

    The edit screen appears with the new parameter specifications either appended to the end of the parameter profile or inserted below the input line marked with the cursor in Step 3.

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Copy Profile

This function is used to copy parameter profiles.

Start of instruction set To copy a parameter profile

  1. In the SYSPARM Menu, enter the following:

  2. Press ENTER.

    A message appears indicating successful completion of the copy operation.

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Delete Profile

This function is used to delete an existing parameter profile.

Start of instruction set To delete a parameter profile

  1. In the SYSPARM Menu, enter function code X and the name of the parameter profile you want to delete, and press ENTER.

    Or:
    Invoke the List Profiles screen and select one or more parameter profiles as described in the relevant section.

    A Delete a Profile window opens with the name of the parameter profile you want to delete.

  2. Confirm the deletion by entering the name of the parameter profile in the input field and pressing ENTER.

    You can cancel a delete operation by pressing PF3 or leaving the input field blank and pressing ENTER.

    A message appears indicating either successful completion or cancellation of the delete operation.

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Direct Commands and Batch Processing

The SYSPARM utility functions described earlier can also be executed by using corresponding SYSPARM commands in batch or online mode.

In addition to the functions provided on the SYSPARM utility screens, in batch mode, options are provided for specifying commentary text, the input delimiter and the input assign character.

The symbols used in the syntax diagrams shown in this section are explained in System Command Syntax in the System Commands documentation.

This section covers the following topics:

Basic Command Syntax

Displayed below is the basic syntax that applies when processing SYSPARM commands.

[SYSPARM]

ADD
MODIFY
DISPLAY
LIST

profile-name [where-clause] [with-clause]

 

DELETE
X

profile-name [where-clause]  
  COPY   profile-name1 TO profile-name2 [where-clause]  

ASSIGN
DELIMITER

[character]      
  COMMENT

ON
OFF

[comment]                     ...
             

The keywords, the variable values to be supplied with the keywords, and the optional clauses indicated in the basic command syntax of SYSPARM are described in the following table:

Keyword Explanation
SYSPARM Invokes the SYSPARM utility.

This keyword is only required when executing SYSPARM commands from the NEXT or MORE prompt.

ADD Executes the Add New Profile function.

To terminate an ADD command, enter a period (.) in a separate line.

MODIFY Executes the Modify Profile function.

To terminate a MODIFY command, enter a period (.) in a separate line.

To insert a commentary text into a parameter profile, place the comment between the characters /* and */.

See also Example Input.

DISPLAY Executes the Display Profile function.
LIST Executes the List Profiles function.
DELETE

or

X
Executes the Delete Profile function.
COPY Executes the Copy Profile function.
ASSIGN Specifies or displays the input assign character. You need to change the input assign character before you start processing data that contains the input assign character defined for your current session. Otherwise, you will receive an appropriate Natural system error.

If no value is specified, the output contains the character defined for your current session.

DELIMITER Specifies or displays the input delimiter character. You need to change the input delimiter character before you start processing data that contains the input delimiter character defined for your current session. Otherwise, you will receive an appropriate Natural system error.

If no value is specified, the output contains the character defined for your current session.

COMMENT Not applicable to the command REPLACE.

Activates (ON) the comment option and writes a comment after each parameter that is modified, or deactivates (OFF) the comment option.

If activated, and if no individual comment (see below) has been specified, the comment inserted for each parameter contains the following data:

  • the ID of the user who last modified the parameter profile as generated by the Natural system variable *USER and

  • the date and time when the parameter profile was last modified as generated by the Natural system variables *DATV and *TIMX. (See also the relevant sections in the System Variables documentation.)

To modify a comment, use the REPLACE command (see the with-clause).

character Any special character: see the Natural session parameters ID (Input Delimiter Character) and IA (Input Assign Character) described in the Parameter Reference documentation.
comment A commentary text that is to be placed between the characters /* and */.
profile-name
The name of a parameter profile or a range of profiles. For a range, you can specify one of the following values where value is any combination of one or more characters:
 
value* Selects all parameter profiles with names that start with value, for example: AB* selects AB and AB1 but not AA1.
 
value> Selects all parameter profiles with names greater than or equal to value, for example: AB> selects AB and AB1 but not AA1.
 
value< All items with names less than or equal to value, for example: AX< selects AB and AWW but not AXA.
 
Name ranges are only allowed with the command LIST or, in batch mode, the commands LIST and DISPLAY.

profile-name1
profile-name2

Only applies to the COPY command.

The source parameter profile (profile-name1) from which to create a new parameter profile and the new target parameter profile (profile-name2) into which to copy the data.

where-clause Indicates a where-clause described in the relevant section.
with-clause Indicates a with-clause described in the relevant section.
... Only applies in batch mode.

Illustrates that you can specify more than one SYSPARM function by placing each function in a separate line.

where-clause

The where-clause is optional and applies to the commands ADD, MODIFY, DISPLAY, LIST, DELETE and COPY. Its syntax is as follows:

[WHERE] [DBID dbid] [FNR fnr] [PASSWORD password] [CIPHER cipher]

The keywords of the where-clause and the variable value that must be supplied with each keyword are explained in the following table:

Keyword Valid Values
WHERE Optional keyword that indicates the start of a where-clause.
DBID The database ID (dbid) of the Adabas file where the parameter profile is stored.
FNR The file number (fnr) of the Adabas file where the parameter profile is stored.
PASSWORD The 8-character Adabas password (password) of the Adabas file where the parameter profile is stored.
CIPHER The 8-digit cipher code (cipher) of the Adabas file where the parameter profile is stored.

with-clause

The with-clause is optional and applies to the commands ADD, MODIFY, DISPLAY and LIST. Its syntax is as follows:

[WITH]

SCAN
NOSCAN

text                  

../graphics/cbc25.gif

ASSIGN
DELIMITER

[character]                  
COMMENT

ON
OFF

[comment]                
FIRST

parm-name [parm-value]
comment

             
LINE parm-name=parm-value [parm-name=parm-value] ...
NEW parm-name parm-value
REMOVE parm-name
REPLACE

;text;text;
text text

             
 

parm-value                

UPDATE parm-name

ADD
SUBTRACT
MAX
MIN

number

ADD
SUBTRACT
MAX
MIN

number

parm-name=parm-value [parm-name=parm-value]...

Note:
In the syntax diagram above, the following only applies to the ADD command: [WITH] parm-name=parm-value [parm-name=parm-value]...

The keywords of the with-clause and the variable value that must be supplied with each keyword are explained in the following table:

Keyword Valid Values
WITH Optional keyword that indicates the start of a with-clause. Exception: When using the ADD command, you must use the keyword WITH to clearly separate the command from the contents of the parameter profile.
SCAN Only applies to the commands LIST and DISPLAY.

Scans one or more parameter profiles available in the specified Natural system file for a text string (for example, a parameter or a parameter value) and provides a list of the parameter profiles that contain the specified text string.

NOSCAN Only applies to the commands LIST and DISPLAY.

Exempts a text string from the scan over one or more parameter profiles available in the current Natural system file and provides a list of the parameter profiles that do not contain the specified text string.

ASSIGN See ASSIGN in the basic command syntax.
DELIMITER See DELIMITER in the basic command syntax.
COMMENT See COMMENT in the basic command syntax.
FIRST Moves a parameter and its value or a comment to the first position in a parameter profile. This can be required, for example, if you want to specify the profile parameter PARM.

Comments contained in the first position of a parameter profile will remain in this position. A parameter and its value will only be moved to the first position if no comment occupies this position. Otherwise, the parameter will be appended after the comment(s). A comment inserted with FIRST will always be placed in the first position, before any comment(s) that originally occupied this position.

LINE Places the specified parameter(s) after LINE in a new line at the end of a parameter profile.
NEW Appends a parameter to the end of a parameter profile but not necessarily in a new line. To place a parameter in a new line, use the parameter LINE.
REMOVE Removes a parameter and the value assigned (including parentheses) from a parameter profile. The parameter to be removed can be a subparameter, such as the profile parameter DFS, which is a subparameter of the profile parameter RPC.
REPLACE Replaces an old text string with a new text string contained in a parameter profile. See also the option COMMENT in the basic command syntax.
UPDATE Updates the value assigned to a parameter.

If the specified parameter does not yet exist, it will be appended to the parameter profile.

ADD
For numbers: Increases the size of a parameter value by adding the specified number. The addition can be limited to a maximum or minimum value by specifying MAX or MIN (see below).
For text: Appends the specified value to an existing list of values. If the primary parameter value is a single word, a list with two members consistig of the primary value and the specified value to be added is created.
SUBTRACT
For numbers: Decreases the size of a parameter value by subtracting the specified number. The subtraction can be limited to a maximum or minimum value by specifying MAX or MIN (see below).
For text: Removes the specified value from an existing list of values. If this results in a one member or empty list, list notation (parentheses) remains.
MAX Specifies the maximum of a parameter value.
MIN Specifies the minimum of a parameter value.
text Any text string contained in a parameter profile.

The following applies to the commands SCAN and NOSCAN: The text string must not contain any blank characters.

The following applies to the REPLACE command:

If neither the old text nor the new text contains blank characters, place a blank character between old and new text. If the old text or the new text contains blank characters, place the input delimiter character specified between old text and new text and around the entire old/new text string.

For example:

;This comment is old;This comment is new;

As an alternative to the specified delimiter character, you can choose any of the following characters:

' an apostrophe
, a comma
. a period
; a semicolon
/   a slash
\ a back slash
| a vertical bar
character See character in the basic command syntax.
parm-name The full name of a parameter.
parm-value The value assigned to a parameter.
comment See comment in the basic command syntax.
number A numeric value.

Batch Processing

When processing SYSPARM in batch mode, consider the following:

See also Example of SYSPARM in Batch.

Related Topics:

Natural in Batch Mode (Operations documentation)
Using the INPUT Statement in Non-Screen Modes (Statements documentation)
Using the INPUT Statement in Batch Mode (Statements documentation)

Example of SYSPARM in Batch

The examples shown in this section demonstrate the use of SYSPARM commands and the result of parameter profile modifications executed in batch:

Example Profile TESTPROF - Before Job Submission

/* This is a test profile. */                                     
AUTO=ON FNAT = (102,110,PASSWORD) FUSER=(1099,1100,PASSWORD,12345678)
RPC=(RPCSIZE=80,SRVNAME=MYSERV,SERVER=ON,DFS=(SRV2,NODE1,,ACI))   
PRINT=((2,12,18),AM=STD,DEST='PRINT**',OPEN=INITOBJ,CLOSE=CMD)    
PRINT=((1,3,6-11,15),AM=NAF)                                      
ESIZE=90

Example Input

/*JCL
.
.
.
*/
SYSPARM                                               
COPY TEST1 TO TESTPROF WHERE DBID 10 FNR 32                   
DISP   TESTPROF                                            
COMMENT ON /* TESTUSER 29.Jan.2009 */                      
MODIFY TESTPROF with REM DFS                               
   REPLACE ;test profile;test profile for SYSPARM in batch;
   NEW BPSIZE 4096                                         
   UPDATE ESIZE  ADD  20  MAX 100                           
   FIRST PARM INHOUSE                                      
   DELIMITER $                                             
   UPDATE FUSER (,6)                                       
   ASSIGN :                                                
   LINE IM=D, INTENS=1, AUTO=T, MT=0, MADIO=0              
   .                                                       
DISP   TESTPROF                                            
ADD TESTPRO1 WITH /* 106,210 */                            
    FNAT=(106,210,PASSWORD),FUSER=(,211)                   
    .                                                      
DISPLAY TESTPRO1                                           
DELETE  TESTPRO2 WHERE DBID 10 FNR 32              
X TESTPRO3   WHERE DBID 10 FNR 32                  
.                                                          
FIN

Example Parameter Profile TESTPROF - After Job Execution

/* This is a test profile for SYSPARM in batch. */                
PARM=INHOUSE /* TESTUSER 29.Jan.2009 */                           
AUTO=ON FNAT = (102,110,PASSWORD) FUSER=(,6) /* TESTUSER 29.Jan.2009 */  
RPC=(RPCSIZE=80,SRVNAME=MYSERV,SERVER=ON, )                       
PRINT=((2,12,18),AM=STD,DEST='PRINT**',OPEN=INITOBJ,CLOSE=CMD)    
PRINT=((1,3,6-11,15),AM=NAF)                                      
ESIZE=100 /* TESTUSER 29.Jan.2009 */ BPSIZE=4096 /* TESTUSER 29.Jan.2009
 */                                                               
IM=D, INTENS=1, AUTO=T, MT=0, MADIO=0 /* TESTUSER 29.Jan.2009 */

Example Parameter Profile TESTPRO1 - After Job Execution

/* 106,210 */       
FNAT=(106,210,PASSWORD),FUSER=(,211)

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Maintaining Profiles in Different Environments

The SYSPARM utility is used to maintain parameter profiles within the same FNAT or FUSER system file.

To transfer parameter profiles (for example, copy or move) between different FNAT and/or FUSER system files, and to perform a parameter profile operation (for example, delete or find) in a different environment, you can use the SYSMAIN utility. For details, see Processing Profiles in the SYSMAIN Utility documentation.

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