I presently have a mainframe FOCUS application that generates a report based on variables (plant code(&plant), week start month(&strmm), week start day(&strdd), week start year(&stryy)) entered via a front end screen.

I want to convert this application to batch such that the user will supply the variable information via a parm card in a TSO library rather than through the online screen. (e.g., FOCUS.XXX.CARDLIB(REPTPARM)). How do I read this parm card in the FOCUS program and make the variables available for use in the selection criteria used to build the report?

quote:

I presently have a mainframe FOCUS application that generates a report based on variables (plant code(&plant), week start month(&strmm), week start day(&strdd), week start year(&stryy)) entered via a front end screen.

I want to convert this application to batch such that the user will supply the variable information via a parm card in a TSO library rather than through the online screen. (e.g., FOCUS.XXX.CARDLIB(REPTPARM)). How do I read this parm card in the FOCUS program and make the variables available for use in the selection criteria used to build the report?

If you are executing the focus program similar to this:

//SYSIN DD *
EX AMINTBL

Put a comma after the fex name and any parms with last position a comma( if any ), then add a line
// DD DSN= REST OF INFORMATION ON DATA SET.

My guess is that if you have the REPTPARM member in library FOCUS.XXX.CARDLIB allocated in your JCL, then doing a -READ on the DDNAME of the allocation should work:

JCL:
//REPTPARM DD DSN=FOCUS.XXX.CARDLIB(REPTPARM), DISP=SHR

Focus:
-READ REPTPARM &PARM1.A4. &PARM2.A3. &PARM3.A2.

The unfortunate issue with this method is that you can't be sure that the user will enter the right number of characters for each parm, if they don't, the -READ will not pick up the parms correctly.

Am I right in remembering there was a natty way of doing this where you could save global variables to a .fex and then re-run it at batch execution time?

Yes!

If you do LET SAVE it will save your Global variables as well in a .fex that can be run.