JCL interview question on Job card.

[Rakesh]

Hello,

Can we write a line before a Job card in any JCL?

I searched the answer for it but could not find an answer. I think we can have a line before the job card or can we?

[Chandan Yadav]

yes we can have a line before Job card. I have seen JCL's where GLobal variables for COntrol-M processing mentioned before Job card

[nicc]

No - not lines of JCL anyway - unless it is a complete job. Why didn't you try it before posting?

[William Collins]

A PDS member that you happen to submit can contain "stuff" in front of a JOB card, if you happen to have an EXIT for submit, or a replacement for it. Else submit would generate a JOB card for you (asking you part of the jobname).

If not using submit, then anything that is expected by what you are using is OK. However, when the JOB enters the input queue, since the JOB card indicates the first card in a JOB, obviously there cannot be anything before it.

[Robert Sample]

JES2 and JES3 both allow commands before the JOB statement and JES2 allows /*PRIORITY and JES3 allows //**PAUSE before the JOB statement as well.

Note, as pointed out elsewhere, that you can, technically, put anything you want before a JOB statement in a PDS member or sequential data set. HOWEVER, the JOB statement is treated by the system as the first statement in the job and anything (except for commands, /*PRIORITY, //**PAUSE) before the JOB statement or between jobs (such as DD, EXEC, PROC, or whatever statements) will be ignored by the system.

[Rakesh]

JES2 and JES3 both allow commands before the JOB statement and JES2 allows /*PRIORITY and JES3 allows //**PAUSE before the JOB statement as well.

Note, as pointed out elsewhere, that you can, technically, put anything you want before a JOB statement in a PDS member or sequential data set. HOWEVER, the JOB statement is treated by the system as the first statement in the job and anything (except for commands, /*PRIORITY, //**PAUSE) before the JOB statement or between jobs (such as DD, EXEC, PROC, or whatever statements) will be ignored by the system.

Ok, but I have seen something like **some comments** also before the JOB card. But I think it was added by the scheduler and not by a programmer manually... that is allowed that means?

[Rakesh]

A PDS member that you happen to submit can contain "stuff" in front of a JOB card, if you happen to have an EXIT for submit, or a replacement for it. Else submit would generate a JOB card for you (asking you part of the jobname).

Your post is complicated for me to understand. What does

if you happen to have an EXIT for submit

mean?

[William Collins]

User exit

I haven't look at the quality of the article, but it should give you some idea.