Charles Mills wrote, in part: > If I'm right, then aren't UNIX environment variables the answer? I am not >much of a UNIX guy but can't the shell user set the environment variable >PHIL_HAND=LEFT without upsetting any other applecart, and then your function >could find that environment variable and operate left-handed?
Yes, you've exactly described the situation, and yes, environment variables are the traditional answer. >Or do you want to solve this problem without actually enhancing your >function, or at least without forcing customers to upgrade your product and >re-link their programs? You want some magic little thing they could do in >the shell that would run their application program with whatever arguments >it expects but first define PHILLEFT? You want some little "meta-program" >wrapper that would (a.) first define some specified DD as DUMMY and (b.) >then run some other named program with whatever arguments it expects and are >specified? .we don't want to switch from the DD DUMMY to environment variables globally, because there are too many customer programs out there, right. So yes, a Rexx wrapper is likely the answer. Adding the environment variable check would also be possible, but since There Can Be Only One, and we don't want the overhead of the getenv() in every case (running the TIOT is cheap), we'd probably have to take the "If no DD DUMMY, *then* do the getenv()", but that will still have impact on the many cases that don't need any such setting. Such simple things in concept, so quickly they get deep! Thanks to all-I think we've probably beaten this horse to death (not trying to discourage more ideas/discussion, just saying "I done got what I wanted, thanks")! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
