The configuration file, or INI file, is a series of keywords and values
that are processed when you start your packaged image. Using an INI
file allows you to have generic parameters in your code and specify the actual
parameter value inside the INI file, allowing you to change the parameter
without repackaging the image. For example, using an INI file would be
helpful if one resource is accessed when the application is running in a test
environment and another resource is accessed when the application is running
in a production environment. Without the INI file, you would have to
repackage the image each time you call a different resource.
The data for the INI can be uploaded from a workstation or entered on
OS/390. When entering or changing an INI file on OS/390, the left and
right square brackets must maintain their hex values of x'AD' and
x'BD' respectively.
On OS/390, the default when starting a packaged image is no configuration
file. If you want to specify configuration options, specify the
-INI: command line argument in the CLA option when running
the packaged image or building the load module from the Smalltalk
image. This argument specifies the location of the INI file to
use. If the -INI: command line argument is not present
then no INI file is read. The INI file can be placed in three different
locations:
To use an INI file that is in an HFS directory, do the following:
If the ini file is to be specified by the CLA option when building the load
module from the Smalltalk image, the INI option must be written with back
slashes in the place of forward slashes. For example,
CLA='-INI:\username\inifile.ini'
You can store a configuration file in either a sequential data set or as a
member in a partitioned data set.
To use an INI file that is in a data, do the following:
To use an INI file that is in a load module, do the following:
To find out the contents of the configuration data in a load module,
you need to copy and execute the JCL in member ABTXIPRT located in
the data set hlq.V4R5M0.SABTJLIB. Modify the
parameters for MODNAME and LOADLIB to specify the load
module containing the configuration data. The configuration data is
written to DD SYSPRINT.Specifying a configuration file on native OS/390
Using a configuration file in an HFS directory
Note: When forward slashes are used and there are no LE options specified, the
first character in the PARMS statement must be a forward slash (/) because LE
uses it as the ending delimeter. For example:
PARMS='/-INI/username/inifile.ini'
Using a configuration file in a data set
//RUNSTEP EXEC PGM=SMALTALK,PARMS='-INI:DD:MYINI'
//MYINI DD DSNAME=USER.INIFILES(MYINI),DISP=SHR
Using a configuration file in a load module
Note: The data set containing the INI load module must be in the load module search
path. The following is an example of specifing the -INI parameter in
the PARMS parameter in the execution step.
//RUNSTEP EXEC PGM=SMALTALK,PARMS='-INI:MM:MYINILM'
Printing INI information contained in a load module