SET GLOBAL: Extended syntax

To change the value of any of these variables in an application written in a language other than REXX, (assembler, C, COBOL, FORTRAN, or PL/I), you must use the SET GLOBAL command with extended syntax. For examples of this command, see the sample program for the appropriate language in Appendix A. Sample Code for Callable Interface Languages.

The maximum length of a variable name used with a SET GLOBAL extended syntax command is 17 characters. The maximum length of a variable value is 32 768 characters.

>>-SET GLOBAL--(--| Variable definitions |---------------------><

Variable definitions

|--number of varnames--,--varname lengths--,--varnames--,-------|

|--value lengths--,--values--,--value type----------------------|

number of varnames

The number of variables requested.

varname lengths

A list of lengths for each variable name specified.

The length of the variable name should be equal to the actual length of the global name in your storage area. An 18-character area padded with trailing blanks is allowed.

varnames

A list of names of the QMF variables.

value lengths

A list of lengths of the values of the variables.

The following rules apply to the variable value:

• If the value length you supply is less than the length of the value stored in your storage area, the value is truncated on the right when it is stored in QMF.
• If the value length you supply is greater than the length of the value stored in your storage area, the value might appear to have unrecognizable characters in it when it is stored in QMF.
• Integer lengths should always be 4 bytes.

QMF uses whatever value is in storage, starting at the address you assign for the length you assign. If the length is too long, QMF might abend.

values

A list of variable values.

value type

The data type of the storage area that contains the values. It must be either character or integer.

If you are using SET GLOBAL in the REXX callable interface, you can use only the linear syntax for the SET GLOBAL command, shown in SET GLOBAL. With this linear syntax, the maximum length for the global variable name is 17 characters, and the maximum length for the variable value is 55 characters.

Rules for using global variables

• On the SET GLOBAL command, variable names are not preceded with an ampersand as they are on the RUN and CONVERT commands.
• The QMF form does not recognize global variables set to form variable names or aggregation variable names.
• The QMF form does not recognize global variables with question marks in the names.

Rules for defining global variable names

• Global variable names are limited to 17 characters when entered on the command line and 18 characters when entered through the callable interface. You should use 17-character names, however, because of limitations of the SET GLOBAL command.
• A global variable name can contain a numeric character, but the first character of a global variable name cannot be numeric.
• Global variables cannot begin with DSQ because QMF reserves these letters for QMF predefined global variables.
• The first character of a global variable name must be an alphabetic character (A through Z) or one of these special characters:
  ¢ ! $ ~ { } ? @ # % \
  
• A global variable name cannot contain blanks or any of the following characters:
  * ( ) - + ¬ | : ; " ' < > / . , = &
  
• Trailing blanks are not recognized in global variable names.