Invoking the command interface

The command interface is a program named DSQCCI. You can invoke it from a program through the ISPF SELECT service.

When you invoke the command interface through the ISPF SELECT service, pass the uppercase QMF command to be run in the PARM operand. Issue the following command:

SELECT PGM(DSQCCI) PARM(qmf_command)

All QMF commands specified as parameters to the command interface must be in uppercase, regardless of the QMF profile setting. ISPF does not automatically convert the commands from lowercase to uppercase, so if you specify your QMF commands in lowercase, QMF does not recognize them. If you wish prompting to be performed while QMF executes your QMF command, code the INTERACT command right in the front of your QMF command. Refer to INTERACT for more information on the INTERACT command.

On the invocation, do not specify the NEWPOOL or NEWAPPL option. Omitting the NEWPOOL or NEWAPPL options ensures that the command interface can access your application's variables. The command interface uses the shared pool to communicate between QMF and your application.

The SELECT service requires you to use double ampersands on a RUN QUERY command. This prevents ISPF from interpreting the variable as one of its own.