Defining OUTPUT JCL statements

You use OUTPUT JCL statements to specify processing and formatting options for system output (SYSOUT) data sets and to define output descriptors. You can use OUTPUT JCL statements in different ways to customize how users print data sets.

You can code OUTPUT JCL statements and then refer to these statements in SYSOUT DD statements to process the output of a SYSOUT data set in different ways. For example, you can use the following OUTPUT JCL and DD statements to process the output locally and also to send the SYSOUT data set to a remote location.

//OUTPUT1  OUTPUT    DEST=ROUTE2.SCR
//OUTPUT2  OUTPUT    CONTROL=SINGLE
//MYDATA   DD        SYSOUT=C,OUTPUT=(*.OUTPUT1,*.OUTPUT2)

By placing OUTPUT JCL statements in logon procedures, you can define output descriptors for your installation's users. An output descriptor associates printer locations and printing options with a single name — the name of the output descriptor. By defining output descriptors, users need not remember or specify different output-related operands when they issue the ALLOCATE or PRINTDS command. Instead, they can specify the OUTDES operand and the name of an output descriptor. For more information about the syntax of the ALLOCATE and PRINTDS operands, see .

Using OUTPUT JCL statements gives you flexibility in defining printer destinations and formatting options, and controlling the processing. On the OUTPUT JCL statements, you can specify options such as:

CONTROL - specifies the data set records begin with carriage control characters or the output should be single, double, or triple spaced
FORMDEF - identifies a library member containing statements that the Print Services Facility™ (PSF) uses to print on the IBM® 3800 Printing Subsystem Model 3
INDEX - sets the left margin for output on an IBM 3211 printer with the indexing feature
PAGEDEF - identifies a library member containing statements that the Print Services Facility (PSF) uses to print on the IBM 3800 Printing Subsystem Model 3

For more information about the OUTPUT JCL statement, see .

Figure 1 shows a sample logon procedure that defines the output descriptor PRINT1. The figure also shows how users can issue the ALLOCATE command with the OUTDES operand and specify the PRINT1 output descriptor. The COPIES(2) operand on the ALLOCATE command overrides the default defined for PRINT1.

Figure 1. Using the output descriptor in the ALLOCATE command

Figure 2 shows a sample logon procedure that defines the output descriptor PRINT2. The figure also shows how users can issue the PRINTDS command and specify the PRINT2 output descriptor. The FCB operand on the PRINTDS command overrides the default defined for PRINT2.

Figure 2. Using the output descriptor in the PRINTDS command