Submitting PRTFIL with overrides under Rel 6.0

This tip suggests one way to submit a PRTFIL that needs PRTF overrides when you are using Release 6.0. Note that the technique can also be used if you need to perform database file overrides. Multiple overrides can be issued.

Note: This tip was expanded into an article for the first issue of the newly launched Synon Professional Developer's Journal.

Define QCMDEXC to the model as an EXCUSRPGM. The first parameter for QCMDEXC is a 15.5 numeric and the second can be a character field of any length up to 3000 characters. I usually use a 256 character field for the second parameter.

Define a RTV message that contains the needed OVRPRTF command and accepts any parameters to be applied at run-time. These may have come from the user or from a database file. If you make the printer file name a parameter or use the *PRTF file name on the override command, this message can be used generically.

If the user needs to input override information, define a PMTRCD that prompts the user, retrieves the OVRPRTF command (merging the values by the users, supplying defaults if necessary), and returns the constructed command. This is the most interesting of the steps because different shops have different ideas about how the OVRPRTF should be built. This can also be used generically.

Define an EXCEXTFUN accepts the constructed OVRPRTF command as a parameter, calls QCMDEXC passing the OVRPRTF command, and then calls the PRTFIL. One of these will have to be built for every report.

The functions that want to do the submit then need to call the EXCEXTFUN using the SBMJOB option of Rel 6.0.

Of course, there are packaging variations depending upon whether prompting is desired or not. Overrides might be coming from a database file.