A WFL job can include a job attribute list, which specifies task attributes to be applied to the job before initiation. Certain task attributes, if included in this list, can help determine the job queue in which the job is placed. The CLASS task attribute has the most direct effect on job queue selection; for more information about the CLASS attribute, refer to Selecting the Queue for a Job later in this section.

A WFL job can specify initial values for the attributes of a task if you include a task equation list in a task initiation statement. All task initiation statements in WFL (including RUN, COPY, and COMPILE) allow the use of task equations.

A WFL job can also use task variables to interrogate or modify the task attributes of a process. The task variable becomes associated with a task by being included in the task initiation statement. Assignments to the task variable before task initiation have the same effect as task equations. A job can monitor and control an asynchronous task while it is executing by accessing its task variable. After a task terminates, the job can interrogate the task variable to return task history information.

A WFL job can use the predeclared task variable MYSELF to access the job's own task attributes. A job can also use the predeclared task variable MYJOB, which has the same meaning as MYSELF unless it is referred to in an asynchronous subroutine. For an asynchronous subroutine, MYJOB refers to the parent WFL job and MYSELF refers to the subroutine's task attributes.

The COMPILE statement can specify task attributes that are stored in the object code file created by the compilation. These task attribute values are used each time the object code file is executed, unless the values are overridden by task equations at run time. In addition, a WFL job can use the MODIFY statement to assign task attributes to an object code file that already exists.

WFL jobs can directly access all task attributes except for task-valued or event-valued task attributes and the HISTORYREASON task attribute.

In general, the syntax for accessing task attributes in WFL is simpler than that used in ALGOL. Mnemonic-valued task attributes return string values rather than integers. Pointer-valued task attributes also return string values. Attributes that record resource usage, such as ACCUMPROCTIME, return values in units of seconds instead of 2.4 microseconds.