COMMAREA(Of WS) Vs DFHCOMMAREA(of linkage)

Lkmi · New User Joined: 04 Mar 2005 Posts: 53 Location: Newyork

Is commarea that is defined in the working storage section is for retaining the values everytime the screen is thrown with the same program

and DFHCOMMAREA is used to pass the data from the program to a new program , say when the new screen is called thru a PF key?????

I did read the posts on this topic and was still not clear with the concept.

kanhaiya.a · New User Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 11 Location: Pune

COMM-AREA - this is ur working storage variable which could be given any name as u might know.
It contains values which u want to use for the next execution(pseudo-conversational programs) of same program or any other program ur calling.
To retain the value for the next execution of the same program u have to write the following code during return...
EXEC CICS
RETURN TRANSID('Transaction-ID')
COMMAREA(COMM-AREA)
END-EXEC

DFHCOMMAREA- it is defined in the linkage section which receives the values passed from the first execution of the same program or from some other program which has linked to this program.
u can use the values from DFHCOMMAREA directly or by moving to COMM-AREA variables.

Lkmi · New User Joined: 04 Mar 2005 Posts: 53 Location: Newyork

Well, I see that In my program, the COMM-AREA variable which is used in the return command is a 05 level variable of DFHCOMMAREA and there is no communication area defined in the working storage.

Do this mean that DFHCOMMAREA would suffice and there is no necessity for the working storage commarea??????

01 DFHCOMMAREA.
05 COMM-AREA-DATA PIC X(4096).
05 CA-STD-DATA REDEFINES COMM-AREA-DATA.

EXEC CICS RETURN
TRANSID (CA-CURR-CICS-TRN-CD)
COMMAREA(CA-STD-DATA)
LENGTH (WS-STD-CA-LENGTH)
RESP (THE-CICS-RESPONSE)
END-EXEC.

filler · New User Joined: 03 Aug 2005 Posts: 5

It is ok, just when ur program is linked or started by other program.