User spaces

List APIs return information to user spaces. A user space is an object consisting of a collection of bytes that can be used for storing any user-defined information.

Here are some of the advantages of using user spaces:

  • User spaces can be automatically extended.
  • User spaces can be shared across jobs.
  • User spaces can exist across initial program loads (IPLs).

To provide a consistent design and use of the user space (*USRSPC) objects, the list APIs use a general data structure.

Parent topic: User spaces and receiver variables
Related concepts:
User spaces for list APIs
Receiver variables
List APIs overview