The creation of a catalog entry is not dependent on the creation of a file (with space allocation). Catalog entries can be created by means of macros and commands.
Macros
Catalog entries can be generated with the CATAL and FILE macros. They have the following functions:
CATAL creates an entry in the user catalog, taking into account the protection attributes assigned by the user, but it does not reserve storage space.
FILE creates a catalog entry and allocates storage space to the file (exception: files on Net-Storage volumes), but uses only the default values for the file protection attributes. These default values can then be modified by means of the CATAL macro. Other file attributes in the catalog entry (the access method used for file creation, block length, record length, etc.) are recorded only when the file is opened for the first time. Values indicating the logical file size (= highest page number occupied) etc. are recorded when the file is closed.
To create a node file, NFTYPE=NODE-FILE must be specified explicitly in the FILE macro. If it is not, the Net-Storage file is created as a BS2000 file.
Commands
Catalog entries can be created with:
the CREATE-FILE command for files
the CREATE-FILE-GENERATION command for file generations
the CREATE-FILE-GROUP command for file generation groups
These commands create an entry in the file catalog, taking into account the protection attributes assigned by the caller and any storage space reservation specified for CREATE-FILE.
To create a node file, FILE-TYPE=*NODE-FILE must be specified explicitly in CREATE-FILE. If it is not, a Net-Storage file is created as a BS2000 file.
Some of the file attributes (the access method used for file creation, block and record length, etc.) are recorded only when the file is opened for the first time. Values indicating the logical file size etc. are recorded when the file is closed. The user can use the utility routine SPCCNTRL (SPACE-CONTROL) and the SHOW-FILE-ATTRIBUTES command to display the catalog entries.
Files and file generations on private volumes and files on Net-Storage volumes whose catalog entries have been deleted or which were created in other systems can be cataloged (= imported) using the IMPORT or FILE macro, STATE=FOREIGN operand, or the IMPORT-FILE command. In the case of disk files, only the first volume containing the file need be mounted at this time, since the catalog entry is generated from the F1 label of this volume or the catalog entry of a Net-Storage volume. Node files are cataloged with the IMPNFIL macro or with the IMPORT-NODE-FILE command. For tape files, the volume sequence must be described in the macro or command (see section "Non-cataloged tapefiles").
A file can only be imported if there is an entry for its user ID in the user catalog. If the user ID of the file is not the same as that of the current job, the file must be shareable (except in the event of co-ownership, see "Defining co-ownership (co-owners)"). If a file is imported from another system or from another user ID, the old catalog entries for this file should be erased.