Issue a query note pad request to get information about a note pad. An answer area is optional. If an answer area is provided, it must be large enough to allow a note pad data record to be stored. If a suitable answer area is provided, a note pad data record and zero or more system connection data records are stored in the answer area.

The note pad data record provides information about the note pad definition and the current state of the note pad. For example, the data record contains information to describe the attributes and protocols specified by the creator of the note pad. It also contains a count of the current number of notes in the note pad, a flag indicating whether the note pad is constrained, and the name of the coupling facility structure that hosts the note pad at the time of the query. If the note pad is not accessible, some of the state information might not be reported. In such cases, validity flags in the data record indicate whether the data is present.

System connection data records provide information about the systems that appear to have connections to the note pad. For example, the data record contains the name of the system and flags to indicate whether the system has any connections to the note pad. If the note pad was created with MULTIWRITE=NO, the data record has flags to indicate which systems have connections with read access and which system has the one connection with update access. The system that gathers the data always inserts a system connection data record for itself, regardless of whether that system actually has any connections to the note pad. The data record has a flag to indicate which system gathered the data.

If an answer area is not provided, the query is in effect testing for the existence of the note pad. If the note pad is defined, an otherwise valid query request completes with return code zero. If the note pad is not defined, the query completes with a return and reason code indicating that the note pad does not exist.

If an answer is provided, it must be large enough to allow a note pad data record to be stored. Thus a minimal answer area must have enough space for the answer area header, one data locator, and one note pad data record. If not, the request is rejected. If the answer area is not big enough for the header, the request is simply rejected. Otherwise, the number of bytes of storage needed to receive all of the available information is stored in the answer area header. This size accounts for the note pad data record as well as the number of system connection data records available at the time of the query.

If the answer area is large enough for the note pad data record, but not large enough to hold at least one system connection data record, an otherwise valid query request stores the note pad data record in the answer area. The number of bytes of storage needed to receive all of the available information is also stored in the answer area header. If system connection data records were available but not stored in the answer area, the query request completes with a return and reason code indicating that more data is available.

If the answer area is large enough for the note pad data record and at least one system connection data record, an otherwise valid query request stores in the answer area, the note pad data record and as many system connection data records as will fit. Such an answer area will have enough space for the answer area header, two data locators, one note pad data record, and at least one system connection data record. The number of bytes of storage needed to receive all of the available information is also stored in the answer area header. If system connection data records were available but not stored in the answer area, the query request completes with a return and reason code indicating that more data is available. If all of the available system connection data records were stored, the query request completes with return code zero.

Figure 1. Answer areas for query note pad

Note: All offsets are relative to the start of the answer area header.