The WTO and the WTOR macro instructions allow you to write messages to the operator. The WTOR macro instruction also allows you to request a reply from the operator. Messages can be sent to (and replies received from) as many as 99 operator consoles. Only standard,
printable EBCDIC characters, shown in Figure 43, appear on the console. All other characters are replaced by blanks. If the terminal does not have dual-case capability, it prints lowercase characters as uppercase characters.
Hex EBCDIC Hex EBCDIC Hex EBCDIC Hex EBCDIC
Code Character Code Character Code Character Code Character
40 (space) 7B # 99 r D5 N Figure 43. Characters Printed or Displayed on an MCS Console
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Notes:
1. If the display device or printer is defined to J ES3, the following characters are also translated to blanks:
I ! ; -, : 1/
2. The system recognizes the following hexadecimal representations of the
u.s.
nationalcharacters: @ as X7C'; $ as X'5B'; and # as X7B'. In countries other than the U.S., the
u.s.
national characters represented on terminal keyboards might generate a different hexadecimal representation and cause an error. For example, in some countries the $ character generates a X'4A'.There are two basic forms of the WTO macro instruction: the single-line form, and the multiple-line form.
The following should be considered when issuing multiple-line WTO messages (ML WTO).
• Only the first line of a multiple-line WTO message is passed to the installation-written WTO exit routine (lEECVXIT).
• When a console switch takes place, unended multiple-line WTO messages and multiple-line WTO messages in the process of being written to the original console are not moved to the new console.
• When a hard copy switch takes place from the system log to an active operator's console, ML WTO messages in the process of being written to the system log are not moved to the new hard copy device.
• The left-most three bytes of register zero must be zero for a multiple-line message. You must ensure that this is done.
• When the system hard copy log is an active operator's console, only 'the hard copy versions of multiple-line messages are written to the console.
• Because the hard copy log receives a copy of every message in the system, use an active operator's console as the hard copy log only in an emergency.
See the macro instructions section for an explanation of the parameters in the single-line and multiple-line forms of the WTO macro instruction.
The message is routed using the routing codes specified in the WTO macro instruction. At system generation, each operator's console in the system is assigned routing codes that correspond to the functions that the installation wants that console to perform. When any of the routing codes assigned to a message match any of the routing codes assigned to a console, the message is sent to that console.
Disposition of the message is indicated through the descriptor codes specified in the WTO macro instruction. Descriptor codes classify WTO messages so that they can be properly presented on, and deleted from, display devices. Each WTO macro instruction should contain at least one descriptor code. The descriptor code is not printed or displayed as part of the message text.
If the user supplies a descriptor code in the WTO macro instruction, an indicator is inserted at the start of the message. The indicators are: a blank, an at sign (@), an asterisk (*), or a blank
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followed by a plus sign ( +). The indicator inserted in the message depends on the descriptor code that the user supplies and whether the user is a privileged or APF-authorized program or a non-authorized problem prog.ram. Figure 44 shows the indicator that is used for each
descriptor code. .
Figure 44. Descriptor Code Indicators
Non-Authorized
The indicator @ or
*
informs operators that they must take some immediate or critical eventual action. A critical eventual action is an action that the operator must perform, as soon as possible, in response to a critical situation during the operation of the system. For example, if the dump data set is full, the operator is notified to mount a new tape on a specific unit. This is considered a critical action because no dumps can be taken until the tape is mounted; it is eventual rather than immediate because the system continues to run and processes jobs that do not require dumps.If a problem program issues a message with descriptor code of 1 or 2, descriptor code 7 is forced so that the message is deleted at address space or task termination. For more information concerning routing and descriptor codes, see Routing and Descriptor Codes.
A sample WTO macro instruction is shown in Figure 45.
Single-line WTO 'BREAKOFF POINT REACHED. TRACKING COMPLETED.', C
format ROUTCDE=14,DESC=7
Multiple- WTO line format
(list form)
('SUBROUTINES CALLED' ,C),
('ROUTINE TIMES CALLED' ,L),('SUBQUER' ,D), ('ENQUER' ,D), ('WRITER' ,D),
To use the WTOR macro instruction, code the message exactly as designated in the single-line WTO macro instruction. (The WTOR macro instruction cannot be used to pass multiple-line messages.) When the message is written, the control program adds a two-character message identifier before the message to associate the reply with the message. The control program also inserts an indicator as the first character of all WTOR messages, thereby informing the operator that immediate action is required. You must, however, indicate the response desired. In addition, you must supply the address of the area in which the control program is to place the reply, and you must indicate the length of the reply. The length of the reply may not be zero.
You also supply the address of an event control block which the control program posts after the reply has been placed, left-adjusted, in your designated area.
A sample WTOR macro instruction is shown in Figure 46. The reply is not necessarily available at the address you specified until a WAIT macro instruction has been issued.
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ECBAD REPLY
XC
WTOR WAIT
DC DC
ECBAD,ECBAD Clear ECB
'STANDARD OPERATING CONDITIONS? REPLY YES OR NO', C REPLY, 3,ECBAD,ROUTCDE=(1, 15)
ECB=ECBAD
F'O' C'bbb'
Event control block .Answer area
Figure 46. Writing to the Operator With a Reply
When a WTOR macro instruction is issued, any console receiving the message has the authority to reply. The first reply received by the control program is returned to the issuer of the
WTOR, providing the syntax of the reply is correct. If the syntax of the reply is not correct, another reply is accepted. The WTOR is satisfied when the control program moves the reply into the issuer's reply area and posts the event control block. Each console that received the original WTOR will also receive the accepted reply unless it's a security message. No console receives the accepted reply to a security message. The master console may answer any WTOR, even if it did not receive the original message.