On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 15:12:55 -0400, John P. Baker wrote:
>Although spacing out the statement as suggested will give the desired
>results, such an approach is probably not the best resolution. Future
>changes, particularly if performed by someone other than the individual who
>discovered the original problem are likely to reintroduce the problem. This
>approach is a maintenance nightmare.
>
Given that I generate a large part of my JCL from programs rather
than from the keyboard (that would be the more complicated part),
it becomes not only a maintenance nightmare but a coding nightmare.
>The other suggested solution, consisting of using a separate SET statement
>and an addition symbolic variable, is a much better approach.
>
That would appear to be from:
On Mon, 2 Jun 2008 11:04:35 -0700, Edward Jaffe wrote:
>
>That leaves only something like this as a solution:
>
>// SET SYMBOL1=A
>// SET SYMBOL2=B
>// SET SYMBOL3=C
>// SET SYM1X5=&SYMBOL1.&SYMBOL1.&SYMBOL1.&SYMBOL1.&SYMBOL1.
>//*.+....|....+....|....+....|....+....|....+....|....+....|....+....|..
>//STEP1 EXEC PGM=IEFBR14,
>// PARM='&SYM1X5.x&SYMBOL2.y&SYMBOL3.z'
>
Alas, that runs afoul of:
Title: z/OS V1R9.0 MVS JCL Reference
Document Number: SA22-7597-11
#<<< 5.4.2.1 "z/OS V1R9.0 MVS JCL Reference" IBM Library Server
___________________________________________________________________
5.4.2.1 Defining and Nullifying JCL Symbols
...
* Do not specify JCL symbols within other JCL symbols. The results can
be unpredictable, especially if the imbedded JCL symbol is not
previously defined.
I know, it appears to work, but is it advisable to employ a
construct that's explicitly deprecated by the RM?
And if the symbols on the right of the SET are defined to
contain blanks, the SET doesn't work. and if the right of
the SET is enclosed in apostrophes, the symbols are not
substituted (I remember seeing that documented somewhere).
Why can't symbols _always_ be substituted, even between
apostrophes. Simpler Is Better!
And if the continued string is broken within a doubled
apostrophe or a doubled ampersand, a similar failure occurs.
I haven't found those documented yet. I think I'll wait
a while and submit a PMR on the problem with the apostrophe,
and yet another while and submit an additional PMR on the
problem with the ampersand and yet another while and submit
another PMR because "DD DATA,DLM=&SYMBOL" doesn't work,
even though the JCL messages report the substitution was
performed.
I hate JCL!
-- gil
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO
Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
