This section describes the recommended public SPOOL API - MVSSPLPB. Calling this API enables you to access all job information held in the JES spool control files SPLJOB.dat, SPLMSG.dat, SPLDSN.dat, SPLOUT.dat, and SPLSUB.dat. The contents of the SPLOUTX file cannot be retrieved using MVSSPLPB.
When you submit a batch job to Enterprise Server, job information is written to the spool control files, which are continually updated throughout the life of the job. This creates a chronological record of the stages of execution from the job submission stage through to job completion.
While the ESMAC spool queues interface enables you to view the status of current jobs in Enterprise Server, it does not provide full access to the information in the spool files. The MVSSPLPB API provides access to all fields in these files. When you call the API from a COBOL or PL/I program, you can retrieve all or some of this data in any supported sequence, using the functions and index options defined in the interface data structure.