I have no problem with the DD/member ambiguity:

1. If it's a personal tool and you are happy with the ambiguity, then you
are happy.
2. If it's a "product" then you just document which takes priority.

I wrote a (successful!) product that in one very peripheral feature took an
operand that could represent a member name in a default PDS, a dataset name,
or a zFS file name. I differentiated among the three based on length and the
presence or absence of periods and/or slashes. No one ever complained that
they had a dataset or a zFS file named SHORTNAM and could not reference it.
I think the convenience and simplicity of being able to say simply
FILENAME(whatever) outweighed the perils of the ambiguity. Product design
involves tradeoffs.

Charles


-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Bob Bridges
Sent: Saturday, October 2, 2021 6:36 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: PL/I vs. JCL

No, I think it's possible (though unlikely) for a string to represent both
at the same time.  If nothing else, the TSO alias that's used to catalogue
my datasets is a dataset, sort of, isn't it?  So if I allocate a DD named
BBRIDGE, and then ask DSDD about BBRIDGE, it would at that time be both a
dataset and a DD.  But even if LISTDSI doesn't see a TSO alias as a dataset,
there can be DSNs with just one node.

---
Bob Bridges, [email protected], cell 336 382-7313

/* If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.  -Derek Bok,
President, Harvard University */

-----Original Message-----
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> On Behalf Of
Seymour J Metz
Sent: Friday, October 1, 2021 10:41

Can you guarant[ee] that there will never be a name that is used for both a
member and a ddname?

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