IATXJOB (Convert Job Numbers and Job Identifiers)

The IATXJOB macro converts a job number to a job id, a job id to a job number, or a job number in one format (such as binary) to the other format (EBCDIC).

You may need to change the format of a job number in certain situations, depending on how much you've customized your system. Some of these situations are:

In messages, jobs should always be specified with the job identifier rather than a job number.
In some control blocks, JES3 uses different lengths for the job number field and a different format (sometimes EBCDIC and sometimes binary) for the job number. If you write exit routines that refer to control blocks containing job numbers, you will need to convert the job numbers to a consistent form before displaying the job numbers to the system operator or the end user. For example, you would not want to display a job number in binary form to the operator.
If you have a DSP that parses your own installation's commands, the DSP may need to convert job numbers to job identifiers.

JES3 uses the term “mixed format field” to describe the job number field in some JES3 control blocks that reside on spool. The field is called mixed format not because it is part binary and part EBCDIC, but because the value in the field can be either an EBCDIC value or a binary value, depending on the size of the job number. For job numbers less than or equal to 9,999, JES3 uses EBCDIC values for the job number. JES3 uses binary values for job numbers 10,000 and higher.

Mixed-format fields remain mixed-format all the time. Other fields contain only an EBCDIC job number or a binary job number.

When JES3 converts a job number to a job identifier, JES3 adds the letters “JOB” in front of the number, inserting zeros where needed. For example, JES3 converts the job number 4444 to job identifier JOB04444 before referring to the job in a message. Any code you write for an installation exit or DSP should use this same convention.