You can use the STARTTIME task attribute to specify the earliest time and date that a particular job can be selected from a job queue. This task attribute can be assigned only to WFL jobs. It can be assigned in the task attribute list of the WFL job or in the statement that initiates the WFL job. You can also use the STARTTIME (Start Time) system command or the CANDE ?STARTTIME command to assign this attribute to a job in a job queue. Changes made using these commands are maintained permanently, even if a halt/load occurs.

When you initiate a job with a STARTTIME specification, the job is compiled immediately and placed in an appropriate job queue. The job remains in the job queue at least until the date and time specified by the STARTTIME. You can use the SQ (Show Queue) system command to display the STARTTIME of jobs in a queue. The following is an example of the output for the command SQ 2:

QUEUE 2
 6643 01 TEST/WFL (#0001)
         QUEUED: 07/13/2001 AT 15:41:31   STARTTIME = 07/21/2001 AT
 18:00:00 

The STARTTIME specification provides a convenient means of scheduling a job for a time when the system load is lighter, such as in the evening or during a weekend. STARTTIME is also a convenient means of scheduling jobs that must run at regular intervals, such as every morning. The following example job, which is stored in the file (JASMITH)WFL/RUN, restarts itself on a daily basis:

?BEGIN JOB WFL/RUN;
  RUN OBJECT/PROG;
  START (JASMITH)WFL/RUN;STARTTIME = 10:00 ON +1
?END JOB