Using Nicknames and the Names Data Set

You can reduce repetitive typing of system nodes and user IDs by using nicknames that are defined in the Names data set. The nickname is a 1 to 8-character name that is a synonym for the system node and user ID. The system finds the actual node and user ID by looking up the nickname in the Names data set.

The Names data set allows you to perform the following general functions:

Abbreviate addresses by associating a nickname with a node name and user ID or with a list of other nicknames (distribution list)
Provide standard openings and closings for messages
Control defaults for logging and notification of transmissions
Use the nicknames section of other Names data sets

The Names data set is composed of two parts:

The control section. The control section must precede the nicknames section and is terminated by the first nick tag. The control section is used to set defaults for the LOG/NOLOG and NOTIFY/NONOTIFY tags, set prolog or epilog lines, set the default LOG data set name, and identify other Names data sets that the system can use.
The nicknames section. The nicknames section is a directory of nicknames comprised of one nickname with its supporting data and tags for each entry that you wish to define.

The Names data set in Figure 1 contains commonly used tags. Your own Names data set may have these tags as well as any tags listed below.

Tag: Description
:ALTCTL.dsname: The :ALTCTL tag is used in the control section of the PREFIX.NAMES.TEXT data set to provide the name of secondary Names data sets. Your first Names data set must be PREFIX.NAMES.TEXT, but the ALTCTL tags can point to another user's Names data set or another data set that you own. The :ALTCTL tag may appear up to ten times.
:CC.name name …: The :CC tag is used in a nickname entry to specify a list of users that make up a distribution list. A distribution list can contain up to 100 names. Each name specified may be either a nickname or the name of another distribution list. The explicit user identification (user ID and node name) cannot be used with this tag. The :CC tag is identical to the :LIST tag.
:EPILOG.text: The :EPILOG tag is used in the control section to specify a text line to be appended at the end of any transmitted message. Typically, this will be a standard memo closing. The maximum length of an epilog line is 72 characters. Up to ten epilog lines may be specified.
:LIST.name name …: The :LIST tag is used in a nickname entry to specify a list of users that make up the distribution list. A distribution list can contain up to 100 names. Each name specified may be either a nickname or the name of another distribution list. The explicit user identification (user ID and node name) can not be used with this tag. The :LIST tag is identical to the :CC tag. If you want to be notified when addressees on a distribution list receive your mail, you must specify :NOTIFY in the distribution list entry or specify NOTIFY(ALL) on the TRANSMIT command.
:LOGSEL.name: The :LOGSEL tag is used in the control section to specify the second (middle) qualifier of all LOG data set names. The value specified with :LOGSEL may be 1 to 8 characters. If no middle qualifier is specified, LOG is used as the middle qualifier (PREFIX.LOG.MISC).
:LOGNAME.name: The :LOGNAME tag is used to specify the third qualifier for the LOG data set name and may be used either in the control section or in a nickname entry. The value specified with the :LOGNAME may be 1 to 8 characters. When used in the control section, the :LOGNAME overrides the default third qualifier for the LOG data set name. When :LOGNAME. is specified in a nickname entry, the value provided overrides both the :LOGNAME set in the control section and the default third qualifier for the LOG data set name. If no :LOGNAME is specified, the default MISC is used (PREFIX.LOG.MISC).
:LOG/:NOLOG: The :LOG and :NOLOG tags control whether a transmit entry appears in a log data set. These operands may be used either in the control section or in the nickname section. When used in the control section, the :LOG or :NOLOG tag controls logging for any addressee specified by node and user ID and also controls logging for any nickname that does not also specify :LOG or :NOLOG. If the nickname entry contains the :LOG or :NOLOG tag, it overrides the value in the control section; but it, in turn, might be overridden by the LOG or NOLOG parameter on the TRANSMIT command.
:LOGLST/:NOLOGLST: The :LOGLST or :NOLOGLST tag is used in a nickname entry that defines a distribution list. The tags indicate whether a log entry should be made for each user in the list (:LOGLST) or not (:NOLOGLST).
:NAME.username: The :NAME tag specifies the name of the user being defined. This name will appear in the copylist and in any log entries for this nickname. The specified name value may be up to 30 characters long.
:NICK.nickname: The :NICK tag is used to begin each nickname entry in the Names data set. It must be the first non-blank (except for line numbers) character of the record. The nickname can be any string of non-blank alphanumeric (A-Z and 0-9) characters and one to eight characters in length. The first :NICK tag separates the control section of a Names data set from the nicknames section.
:NODE.nodeid: The :NODE tag is used within a nickname entry to specify the computer system that you want to TRANSMIT to. If the :NODE tag is not present in a nickname entry, the computer system that you are transmitting from is assumed. This tag can not be included in a distribution list (a nickname entry that includes either a :CC tag or :LIST tag).
:NOTIFY/:NONOTIFY: The :NOTIFY and :NONOTIFY tags can be used either in the control section or in a nickname entry. When used in the control section, the NOTIFY or NONOTIFY tag controls notification for any addressee specified by node and user ID and for any nickname where the nickname entry does not contain :NOTIFY or :NONOTIFY. The value of a :NOTIFY or :NONOTIFY tag can be overridden by the NOTIFY or NONOTIFY parameter on the TRANSMIT command.
Receipt notification is the default for any addressee entered individually on the TRANSMIT command, but not for addressees derived from distribution lists. If you want to be notified for addressees on distribution lists, you must have specified :NOTIFY on the distribution list in the control data set or specified NOTIFY(ALL) on the TRANSMIT command.

Note: If your installation uses security labels and the receiver is at a different security label than you are currently logged on with, you will not be notified when the data is received.
:PARM.text: The :PARM tag can be up to 30 characters of installation-defined data that is passed to RECEIVE command installation exits. For further information about how an installation can use these exits, system programmers can refer to z/OS TSO/E Customization.
:PROLOG.text: The :PROLOG tag is used in the control section to specify a text line to be inserted at the beginning of any transmitted message. The maximum length of a prolog line is 72 characters. Up to ten prolog lines may be specified.
:USERID.userid: The :USERID tag identifies the user ID for a nicknamed user. The :USERID tag may not be used in the same entry as the :LIST or :CC tags.