CICS Transaction Server for OS/390 Release 3 supports CICS applications written
in:
v Assembler language
v C
v COBOL
v PL/I.
In this book, the phrase “the languages supported by CICS” refers to the above
languages.
Syntax notation and conventions used in this book
The symbols { }, [ ], and | are used in the syntax descriptions of the EXEC CICS
commands and macros referred to in this book. They are not part of the command
and you should not include them in your code. Their meanings are as follows:
v Braces { } enclose two or more alternatives, one of which you must code.
v Square brackets [ ] tell you that the enclosed is optional.
v The “or” symbol | separates alternatives.
In addition to these symbols, the following conventions apply:
v Punctuation symbols and uppercase characters should be coded exactly as
shown.
v Lowercase characters indicate that user text should be coded as required.
v Default values are shown like this: DEFAULT.
v Options that are enclosed neither in braces { } nor in square brackets[]are
mandatory.
v The ellipsis ... means that the immediately preceding option can be coded one or
more times.
v All EXEC CICS commands require a delimiter appropriate to the language of the
application. For a COBOL program this is ‘END-EXEC’, for example. Delimiters
are not included in the syntax descriptions of the commands.
xxii CICS TS for OS/390: CICS Customization Guide