My problem with gratuitous documentation is that they invariably get it wrong.
Describe the actual requirements and direct the reader to the appropriate
places for details. In this case, something like:
As with any command issued to an external environment, ensure that the
expression you use evaluates to the intended EXECIO command. In
particular, it may be prudent to always quote keywords to avoid
confusion with variables with the same name. For example, if you assign
the variable "stem" to a value other than 'STEM' and then use
EXECIO 5 DISKW ddname '(' STEM
instead of
EXECIO 5 DISKW ddname '( STEM'
in your code, you will not invoke the correct command.
Would be reasonable if they have to spell it out.
--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3
________________________________________
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [[email protected]] on behalf of
Paul Gilmartin [[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, June 5, 2020 11:29 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Gratuitous EXECIO Documentation
In:
https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSLTBW_2.3.0/com.ibm.zos.v2r3.ikja300/dup0037.htm
I see the verbiage:
When you use EXECIO, you must ensure that you use quotation marks
around any operands, such as DISKW, STEM, FINIS, or LIFO. Using
quotation marks prevents the possibility of the operands being substituted
as variables. For example, if you assign the variable stem to a value in
the exec and then issue EXECIO with the STEM option, if STEM is not
enclosed in quotation marks, it is substituted with its assigned value.
Sheesh! A similar caution might be included for any command in the Ref.,
but it doesn't belong.
"must ensure"? Well, not always.
I infer the etiology: A troublesome user once coded:
STEM=SKIP /* perhaps */
EXECIO ...
... got astonishing results; went to SR; got fully proper "REJ; RTFM";
vindictively submitted RCF. A feckless tech writer acceded and added
the paragraph.
I strongly suspect the matter is covered properly earlier (citation needed)
in the Ref., which shouldn't be cluttered with such errant rubbish.
(I was reading that Ref. to see whether EXECIO assembles segments
of V[B]S records. Didn't find it.)
-- gil
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