NetBatch Management Programming Manual

Glossary
NetBatch Management Programming Manual—522462-003
Glossary-17
token
token. (1) In SPI, a distinguishable unit in an SPI message. Programs place tokens in an
SPI buffer using the SSPUT procedure (except for header tokens, which are a special
case), and retrieve them from the buffer with the SSGET procedure. A token has two
parts: an identifying code, or token code, and a token value. For command and
response messages, a token normally represents a parameter to a command, an item
of information in a response, or control information for the subsystem. For event
messages, a token normally represents an item of information about an event or about
the event message itself. (2) In the TACL environment, an entity recognized by the
#ARGUMENT built-in function when parsing an argument string passed to a routine.
token code. (1) In SPI, a 32-bit value that, as the first part of a token, allows any token to
be identified and located in an SPI message. A token code consists of a token type (16
bits) and a token number (16 bits). (2) In the TAL, C, TACL, and COBOL languages,
names are used to represent token codes (ZSPI-TKN-SSID, for example). (3) In DDL,
a special definition (using the TOKEN-CODE statement) that the DDL compiler will
translate into an SPI token code. See also token map.
token data type. The part of the token code that defines the type of value (such as an
integer or a file name) allowed for a token.
token length. The part of a token code that indicates the length in bytes of the
corresponding token value. A token length of 255 indicates that the token value has
variable length or a length greater than 254. In this case, the first word of the token
value contains the (noninclusive) byte length of the rest of the token value.
token map. (1) In SPI, a structure that contains decoding information for an extensible
structured token. Also, a variable name used to reference an extensible structured
token. The token map includes a token code and a description of the token value: its
fields, the null values of those fields, and the versions of the fields. A token map
defines a structure that might change in some later code version (by the addition of
new fields at the end), and the information in the map allows SPI to provide
compatibility between different structure versions. (2) In DDL, a special definition
(using the TOKEN-MAP statement) that the DDL compiler will translate into an SPI
token map.
token number. The number used by a subsystem to identify each type of token that it
defines. The token type and the token number together form the token code.
token type. (1) In SPI, a combination of the token data type and token length; part of the
token code. (2) In DDL, a special definition (using the TOKEN-TYPE statement) that
the DDL compiler translates into an SPI token type.
token value. The value assigned to a token.
token-oriented. Said of a programmatic interface that conveys information as a series of
code-value pairs accessed by code rather than by address or ordinal position. SPI is
used by application programs and subsystems to provide a token-oriented
programmatic interface.