Writing Rules › Can You Mask CA ACF2 Option for DB2 Rule Sets? › Masking the Extended Resource Key › Using the Asterisk

Using the Asterisk

Follow these guidelines when using the asterisk (*) to mask the resource rule line extended key:

• You cannot use the asterisk (*) character to mask the period delimiter in a qualified resource name in the extended resource key. You must specify period delimiters; they designate the end of one qualifier and the start of another.

  Extended resource key      Portion of Resource Name
  TEST.NAME***   matches     TEST.NAME
                             TEST.NAME123
                 but not     TEST.NAME.2     (extra qualifier)
  

• When one or more asterisk (*) mask characters occur at the beginning of or between the characters of a qualifier in the extended key, each asterisk matches exactly one character in the corresponding qualifier of the resource name.

  Extended resource key      Portion of Resource Name
  TEST.***WORD   matches     TEST.THEWORD
                             TEST.HISWORD
                 but not     TEST.WORD     (missing characters)
                             TEST.AWORD    (missing characters)
                             TEST.NOTHING  (unmatched characters)
                             TEST.AB.WORD  (too many qualifiers)
  

• When one or more asterisk (*) mask characters occur at the end of a qualifier in the extended key, they match the same number of or fewer characters in the corresponding qualifier in the resource name.

  Extended resource key      Portion of Resource Name
  TEST.NAME***   matches     TEST.NAME
                             TEST.NAME123
                 but not     TEST.NAM       (too short)
                             TEST.NAMX      (different character)
                             TEST.NAME1234  (too long)
                             TEST.NAME.2    (extra qualifier)
  

• When one or more asterisk (*) mask characters form a separate qualifier in the extended key, they match a qualifier with the same number of or fewer characters in the resource name.

  Extended resource key    Portion of Resource Name
  TEST.***.LAST  matches   TEST.A.LAST
                           TEST.ABC.LAST
                  but not  TEST.A          (missing last qualifier)
                           TEST.LAST       (missing middle qualifier)
                           TEST.ABCD.LAST  (qualifier too long)
                           TEST.A.B.LAST   (too many qualifiers)