The FILES parameter connects the OUTFIL control statement with one or more output files. The files specified on this parameter, along with any specified on the FNAMES parameter, will constitute the ddnames to receive output for this OUTFIL specification.
The fileid identifies the output file and connects the OUTFIL control statement with the corresponding SORTOUT, SORTOFx, or SORTOFxx DD statement. For example, FILES=OUT connects the OUTFIL control statement with the SORTOUT DD statement. Similarly, FILES=1 connects the OUTFIL control statement with the SORTOF1 DD statement, and FILES=01 connects the OUTFIL control statement with the SORTOF01 DD statement. The x can be any alphanumeric character or special character allowed by JCL DD statements.
If multiple output files have identical specifications (that is, identical record selection, record reformatting, and report writing specifications), the FILES and/or FNAMES parameter can connect the OUTFIL control statement with more than one DD statement. For example, FILES=(OUT,02,03) connects the OUTFIL control statement with the SORTOUT, SORTOF02, and SORTOF03 DD statements. Such a set of output files is termed an OUTFIL group.
If multiple output files have different specifications, then each file is specified on a separate OUTFIL control statement with one FILES and/or FNAMES parameter on each control statement.
If a SORTOUT ddname is defined in the JCL and does not appear in any FILES or FNAMES specification, it will be written to without any OUTFIL processing. If an inline E35 exit has been specified, OUTFIL is ignored.
If neither a FILES nor FNAMES parameter is specified on an OUTFIL control statement, the default ddname of SORTOUT will be used. If a 4-byte ddname prefix is in effect, the default SORTOUT ddname will be ppppOUT, where pppp is the prefix; adding FILES=xx would connect to the ppppOFxx DD statement.