Many techniques exist for issuing error messages to a user of an interactive program. The method I use most frequently comprises the DDS keywords ERRMSGID and SFLMSGID. If you have display files that contain these keywords, then the PRTERRMSG utility will serve you well.

The problem with the ERRMSGID and SFLMSGID keywords, however, is that when you look at the DDS for the display file, you can't see the text for the message (SDA offers no help with this problem, either). To see the text for the message, you must use a command such as DSPMSGD, WRKMSGD, or WRKMSGF. The PRTERRMSG utility alleviates this problem by printing a report showing the text for all message IDs in a display. In addition to the message text, the report also shows the record format name, the field name, and the indicator associated with the message.

This utility will work on either DSPF- or DSFP38-type source members (DSPF38 are those which have been migrated from the System/38). You should also be aware that this utility calls a program named 'SUBR23R3'. This is an IBM-supplied program which is part of OS/400, and should therefore already be on your system.

With this utility, it becomes readily apparent which indicators are controlling which messages. Without it, issuing error messages can be a tedious, time-consuming task.

DDS Error Message Utility

Figure 1 Command PRTERRMSG

 CMD PROMPT('Print DDS Error Messages') PARM KWD(MBR) TYPE(*NAME) LEN(10) MIN(1) + PROMPT('DDS Member Name') PARM KWD(FILE) TYPE(QUAL) PROMPT('Source Physical + File Name') QUAL: QUAL TYPE(*NAME) LEN(10) DFT(QDDSSRC) + SPCVAL((QDDSSRC)) QUAL TYPE(*NAME) LEN(10) DFT(*LIBL) + SPCVAL((*LIBL)) PROMPT('Library:') 
 
 DDS Error Message Utility
 
 Figure 2 CL program ERR001CL
 
 ERR001CL: + PGM PARM(&MBR &FILLIB) DCL VAR(&MBR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) DCL VAR(&FILLIB) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(20) DCL VAR(&FILE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) DCL VAR(&LIB) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) DCL VAR(&SRCTYPE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) DCL VAR(&MSGID) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(7) DCL VAR(&MSGDTA) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(132) MONMSG MSGID(CPF0000) EXEC(GOTO CMDLBL(ERROR)) CHGVAR VAR(&FILE) VALUE(%SST(&FILLIB 1 10)) CHGVAR VAR(&LIB) VALUE(%SST(&FILLIB 11 10)) CHKOBJ OBJ(&LIB/&FILE) OBJTYPE(*FILE) MBR(&MBR) RTVMBRD FILE(&LIB/&FILE) MBR(&MBR) SRCTYPE(&SRCTYPE) IF COND(&SRCTYPE *NE 'DSPF ') THEN(DO) SNDPGMMSG MSGID(CPF9898) MSGF(QCPFMSG) MSGDTA('Source member + not type DSPF') MSGTYPE(*COMP) GOTO CMDLBL(ENDPGM) ENDDO OVRDBF FILE(QDDSSRC) TOFILE(&LIB/&FILE) MBR(&MBR) LVLCHK(*NO) CALL PGM(ERR001RG) DLTOVR FILE(QDDSSRC) GOTO CMDLBL(ENDPGM) ERROR: + RCVMSG MSGTYPE(*EXCP) MSGDTA(&MSGDTA) MSGID(&MSGID) SNDPGMMSG MSGID(&MSGID) MSGF(QCPFMSG) MSGDTA(&MSGDTA) ENDPGM: + ENDPGM 
 
 DDS Error Message Utility
 
 Figure 3 RPG program ERR001RG
 
 FQDDSSRC IF F 92 DISK KINFDS INFDS FQSYSPRT O F 132 OF PRINTER E #OVR 1 1 51 E #MSG 1 1 42 IQDDSSRC NS I 19 19 #AST I 20 28 #IND I 29 29 #RFMT I 31 40 #FLD I 57 64 #KEYWD I 66 72 #MSGID I 74 92 #MSGF IINFDS DS I 83 92 #FILE I 93 102 #LIB I 129 138 #MBR I DS I 1 51 #OVR I 31 51 #OMSGF I '*UNKNOWN* ' C #UNK C TIME #TIME 60 C EXCPTHDR C READ QDDSSRC 99 C *IN99 DOWEQ'0' C #AST IFNE '*' C #RFMT IFEQ 'R' C MOVE #PRFMT #LSFMT 10 C MOVE #FLD #PRFMT 10 C #LSFMT IFNE *BLANKS C #LSFMT ANDNE#PRFMT C EXCPTSKIP C END C END C #FLD IFNE *BLANKS C MOVE #FLD #PRFLD 10 C END C #KEYWD IFEQ 'ERRMSGID' C #KEYWD OREQ 'SFLMSGID' C #KEYWD IFEQ 'SFLMSGID' C MOVE #LSFMT #PFMT 10 C MOVE #UNK #PFLD 10 C MOVE 'Y' #SFL 1 C ELSE C #SFL IFEQ 'Y' C MOVE #LSFMT #PFMT C MOVE #UNK #PFLD C MOVE ' ' #SFL 1 C END C #MSGF IFNE *BLANKS C MOVE #MSGF #OMSGF C MOVE #PRFMT #PFMT C MOVE #PRFLD #PFLD C CALL 'QCMDEXC' C PARM #OVR C PARM 51 #LEN 155 C ELSE C SETON 98 C END C END C *IN98 IFEQ '0' C CALL 'SUBR23R3' C PARM #MSGID C PARM #MSGTX 83 C PARM 3 #MSGLV 10 C PARM #RTNCD 10 C PARM 83 #TXTLN 40 C ELSE C Z-ADD9 #RTNCD C END C #RTNCD IFGT 1 C MOVE *BLANKS #MSGTX C MOVEL#MSG,1 #MSGTX C END C EXCPTDET C *INOF IFEQ '1' C EXCPTHDR C END C END C END C READ QDDSSRC 99 C END C SETON LR OQSYSPRT E 102 HDR O 4 'FILE' O 19 'LIBRARY' O 30 'MEMBER' O 41 'DATE' O 54 'TIME' O 124 'PAGE' O PAGE Z 129 O E 2 HDR O #FILE 10 O #LIB 22 O #MBR 34 O UDATE Y 43 O #TIME 56 ' 0: : ' O E 2 HDR O 7 'RCD FMT' O 17 'FIELD' O 27 'IND' O 41 'MSG ID' O 57 'MSG TEXT' O E 1 SKIP O E 1 DET O #PFMT 10 O #PFLD 22 O #IND 32 O #MSGID 42 O #MSGTX 132 ** OVRMSGF MSGF(QUSERMSG) TOMSGF( ** *** ERROR FOUND ON MESSAGE RETRIEVAL ***