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Stems z/OS TSO/E REXX Reference SA32-0972-00 |
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A stem is a symbol that contains just one period, which is the last character. It cannot start with a digit or a period. These are stems:
By default, the value of a stem is the string consisting of the characters of its symbol (that is, translated to uppercase). If the symbol has been assigned a value, it names a variable and its value is the value of that variable. Further, when a stem is used as the target of an assignment, all possible compound variables whose names begin with that stem receive the new value, whether they previously had a value or not. Following the assignment, a reference to any compound symbol with that stem returns the new value until another value is assigned to the stem or or that stem or individual variable is dropped. For example:
Thus, you can give a whole collection of variables the same value.
For example:
You can always obtain the value that has been assigned to the whole
collection of variables by using the stem. However, this is not the
same as using a compound variable whose derived name is the same as
the stem. For example:
You can manipulate collections of variables, referred
to by their stem, with the DROP and PROCEDURE instructions. DROP
FRED. drops all variables with that stem (see page DROP), and PROCEDURE EXPOSE FRED. exposes all
possible variables with that stem (see page PROCEDURE).
Note:
REXX symbol and hexadecimal code cross-reference shows the REXX symbols and their hexadecimal values as found in the U.S. Code Page (037). |
Copyright IBM Corporation 1990, 2014
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