Customizing how users print data sets

Users have several options to print data sets. These methods include:

Issuing the PRINTDS command to print sequential data sets, members of a partitioned data set (PDS), or an entire PDS. Using PRINTDS, users can also print data sets that contain Document Composition Facility (DCF) data.
Issuing the ALLOCATE command to allocate a system output (SYSOUT) data set.
Invoking an application that uses the printer support service. After invoking the application, users can select a printer and printing options.

You do not have to perform any tasks to make the PRINTDS and ALLOCATE commands available to users. You can, however, customize the PRINTDS and ALLOCATE commands to tailor how users print data sets.

Using Security Labels on Printed Output

If you have RACF® installed, and your installation is using security labels, the security label of the data may be printed on all pages of the printed output. Users can override page labeling, if they have the correct RACF access authority to do so, by using the DPAGELBL and NODPAGELBL keywords of the TSO/E OUTDES command. For more information about security controls in printed output, see .

Defining Output Descriptors for the PRINTDS and ALLOCATE Commands

An output descriptor specifies processing options for a system output (SYSOUT) data set. You can define output descriptors to eliminate the need for users to specify output-related operands on the ALLOCATE and PRINTDS commands. If an output descriptor has been defined, users need to specify only the OUTDES operand and the name of the output descriptor.

You can define output descriptors by naming and coding OUTPUT JCL statements. On the OUTPUT JCL statements, you can specify parameters that define printing options, such as:

COPIES
DEST
FORMDEF
FORMS

You must include the OUTPUT JCL statements in the logon procedure. For more information about using OUTPUT JCL statements to define output descriptors, see Defining OUTPUT JCL statements.

You and your installation's users can optionally use the TSO/E OUTDES command to create and reuse dynamic output descriptors. TSO/E provides two exits for the OUTDES command that allow you to customize the use of OUTDES. For more information about the OUTDES exits, see Writing exits for the OUTDES command. For information about using the OUTDES command and its operands, see .

Writing Exits for the PRINTDS Command

For PRINTDS, TSO/E provides two exits:

Initialization (IKJEFY60)
Termination (IKJEFY64)

Using the PRINTDS exits, you can:

Restrict certain users from using the PRINTDS command
Change the operands a user specifies on the command. For example, you can correct a user's errors or restrict users from using certain operands.
Change the default values for operands that have a fixed default
Provide installation-defined pseudo-operands. If users specify the same PRINTDS operands to print particular data sets, you can define a pseudo-operand that is equivalent to several PRINTDS operands. Users can then specify the pseudo-operand instead of each of the corresponding PRINTDS operands. The PRINTDS initialization exit can replace the pseudo-operand with the actual PRINTDS operands.

For more information about the PRINTDS exits, see Writing exits for the PRINTDS command.

Writing Exits for the ALLOCATE Command

TSO/E provides initialization and termination exits for the ALLOCATE command. For information about these exits, see Writing exits for the ALLOCATE command.

Using the Printer Support Service

In addition to the ALLOCATE and PRINTDS commands, you can use the printer support service to set up printer definitions and then create applications that invoke printer support CLISTs, which are supplied by TSO/E, to print the data sets. Users can invoke the application, select a printer and printing options, and print data sets. Printer support provides a standard interface between your application programs and printers. You do not have to write an application to access a specific printer.

To use printer support, you must have the Information Center Facility installed. Using a set of panels, Information Center Facility administrators define your installation's printers and different output characteristics and fonts. When you define printers, you can define one or more print formats for a particular printer. Each print format and physical printer combination is called a print definition. The Information Center Facility provides a default print definition you can copy and modify. You can define all of your installation's printers or define only the printers you will use in your interactive applications. You can also use panels to test a printer before users can access it from your applications. For more information about the default print definition and defining print definitions, see .

After you define the print definitions, you can write applications that invoke three printer support CLISTs that TSO/E provides (ICQCPC00, ICQCPC10, and ICQCPC15). The application can be a CLIST or program that runs in an ISPF environment. You can invoke the printer selection CLIST (ICQCPC00) to display a list of all or a subset of the printers you defined. Users can select a printer and formatting options. The application can also format data and display the formatted data to the user for verification. The application can then have the ICQCPC00 CLIST invoke the print CLISTs ICQCPC10 or ICQCPC15, or it can invoke one of the CLISTs directly to print the data.

By using the printer support service, users do not have to code JCL statements or issue the PRINTDS or ALLOCATE commands to print data sets. They can simply invoke the application, and select a printer and printing options.

There are several kinds of applications that you can write using the printer support service. For example, you may want to use printer support to print mail. Your application can display a list of printers that print small amounts of data in a short time. After the user selects a printer, the application sends the data to the selected printer. You can also provide an application that formats and prints documents. The application can display a list of printers and fonts. It can format the data and display the formatted text to the user for verification. After the user verifies the format, the application can invoke either of the print CLISTs to print the text.

For more information about using the printer support CLISTs in your applications, see .