IBM Mainframe Forum

a job card can span many lines, but there must be at least one step in a job.

Does it mean that a job statement with atleast a single step can be called as JOB CARD

A "skeleton" is a data set used by ISPF file tailoring. Whilst tailoring JCL is probably much the most likely instance, a skeleton need not have a single line in it that is intended to be JCL.

If Skeleton is a dataset, where is it located and in what name ? Can I browse this dataset ? What do you exactly mean by JCL tailoring as I am not able to understand by that term.

Thanks

sethurajan79 wrote:

a job card can span many lines, but there must be at least one step in a job.

Does it mean that a job statement with atleast a single step can be called as JOB CARD

You are confused. A job statement has no steps; a job must, as I've said, have at least one. Read the fine manual on the JOB statement.

A "skeleton" is a data set used by ISPF file tailoring. Whilst tailoring JCL is probably much the most likely instance, a skeleton need not have a single line in it that is intended to be JCL.

If Skeleton is a dataset, where is it located and in what name ? Can I browse this dataset ? What do you exactly mean by JCL tailoring as I am not able to understand by that term.

Read the fine manual on file tailoring.

Sorry..it is a mistype..

Does it mean that a JCL statement with atleast a single step and a job can be called as JOB CARD. Thanks for the links esp for file tailoring

NO.

There is a great deal of erroneous use wherby "CARD" is used to refer to a combination of cards that carry out (or should carry out) a specific purpose. A Job Card is a single "logical card" (in that it can include valid continuations). A Job is a whole bunch of cards (at least two, anyway), including a Job card and at least one "step" (an EXEC card).

What someone asks for "a sort card" that does something they really mean a whole bunch of individual sort cards which when taken together do something.

It may seem picky of us, but without these things meaning something specific. they have no meaning at all.

Hi Billy !

Thanks for the reply and clarification

BillyBoyo wrote:[...]
When someone asks for "a sort card" that does something they really mean a whole bunch of individual sort cards which when taken together do something.

And I meant to indicate that that meaning is wrong. "A sort card" is one card in a bunch of sort cards. I'm saying it is used incorrectly, widely, I don't know why, but I don't encourage it. If someone wants some sort control cards to do something, they should ask for "some sort cards" not "a sort card".