The information shown here is provided for compatibility only.
The SHOWCAT (show, or display, the catalog) macro enables you to retrieve information from a catalog independently of an open data set defined in the catalog.
The SHOWCAT macro has three forms: standard, list, and execute. Although the integrated catalog facility catalog have different structures, the SHOWCAT macro supports integrated catalog facility catalogs. Thus, all references to catalogs in this discussion of the SHOWCAT macro apply to integrated catalog facility catalogs.
You can use the IGGSHWPL macro to generate a DSECT statement and labels for the fields in the parameter list for SHOWCAT.
For example, an alternate-index entry points to the entries of its data and index components, its base cluster, and its path. SHOWCAT enables you to follow the arrows in Figure 1. You first issue SHOWCAT on the name of an object.
The information VSAM returns to you includes the control interval numbers of catalog records in entries describing associated objects. You then issue SHOWCAT on a control interval number to retrieve information from one of these other entries.
The first time you issue SHOWCAT, VSAM searches catalogs in the following order to locate the entry that describes the object you name:
VSAM returns the address of the access method control block that defines the catalog. In subsequent use of SHOWCAT, you can specify that address, which causes VSAM to search only that catalog.
SHOWCAT should not be used for z/OS UNIX files as z/OS UNIX files are not reflected in the catalogs. Specifying the pathname in the NAME parameter is not valid and returns unpredictable results.
SHOWCAT is valid in AMODE(24) and AMODE(31). For AMODE(31) callers the address of the parameter list that is passed may be above the line.