IBM i attrib (Attribute) Command

UDM provides three attribute levels. In order of precedence, from lowest to highest, they are:

Default (lowest priority)
Source
Override (highest priority)

When a user sets an attribute, the override attribute level is being set. Default attributes are those set by UDM at startup. Source attributes are attributes that UDM obtains from the source file and uses for the destination file. For example, when transferring a file one IBM i LIB location to another, UDM reads the record length of the source file and uses the source file record length to create the destination file. If the source file is on UNIX or in the HFS file system, record length has no meaning and the source attribute is not set.

In addition to the standard UDM file attributes (CREATEOP, EOL, LINELEN, LINEOP, PADLINE, and TRUNCEXT), IBM i-specific file attributes are required in order to create new files in the LIB and HFS file systems. However, not all attributes are required for all file types. (For information on which attributes can be used with each file type, refer to IBM i online documentation.)

File Attributes

The LIB File System Attributes table and the HFS File System Attributes table provide the following information about IBM i-specific file attributes and the file types for which they are required:

Name	Name of the attribute to be used in the LIB file system.
Description	Description of the attribute.
Source	Indication of whether or not the attribute is a source attribute. A source attribute is one whose destination side value is taken from its source side unless the user explicitly has overridden the destination side value. Source attributes are used only when both of the these conditions apply: Copying from one IBM i system to another. Both source and destination are in the LIB file systems.
Value	Values that can be assigned to the attribute.
UDM Default	UDM default value that is assigned to an attribute if a value is not otherwise assigned. A UDM default of NULL identifies the attribute as available to be set, but not set initially. If the attribute value is NULL (or empty string), the system default is used.
System Default	IBM i system default value that is assigned to an attribute if its UDM default is NULL or empty string. An attribute can have different system defaults for different file types.
File Type	Types of files in the LIB and HFS file systems to which an attribute applies: LIB Library PF Data physical file SP Source physical file SAVF Save file Stream