Libraries

On the IBM® i operating system, objects are grouped in special objects called libraries.

Objects are found using libraries. To access an object in a library, you must be authorized to the library and to the object.

If you specify a library name in the same parameter as the object name, the object name is called a qualified name.

When a library is created you can specify into which user Auxiliary storage pool (ASP) the library should be created. A library can be created into a basic user ASP or an Independent ASP. All objects created into the library are created into the same ASP as the library.

If you are entering a command in which you must specify a qualified name, for example, the object name could be:

DISTLIB/ORD040C

The order entry program ORD040C is in the library DISTLIB.

If you are using prompting during command entry and you are prompted for a qualified name, you receive prompts for both the object name and the library name. On most commands, you can specify a particular library name, specify *CURLIB (the current library for the job), or use a library list.