Writing Rules › Using Variables in Rules › Status Variables › Referencing Parts of Dynamic Status Variables

Referencing Parts of Dynamic Status Variables

You can also use substrings to reference parts of a dynamic status variable.

Example:

If the variable &WORD4 has the value OPEN and the variable &FILE_OPEN has the value 480, then &(FILE_&WORD4)(1:1)=4.

This example uses environmental and dynamic status variables in a rule that sets the clock of a mainframe computer.

During IPL, z/OS issues this message:

   IEA888A LOCAL DATE=2000.173,CLOCK=09.35.06 REPLY U, OR GMT/LOCAL TIME

To set the mainframe clock, you can write this rule:

MSGID(IEA888A LOCAL), WHEN(&(TIMESET_&SESSION) EQ YES),
  OSCMD(R 00, U)

MSGID(IEA888A LOCAL), WHEN(&(TIMESET_&SESSION) NE YES),
  SET(&(TIMESET_&SESSION)=YES),
  OSCMD(R 00, CLOCK='&TIME(1:2).&TIME(4:5).&TIME(7:8),
    DATE=&LJULDATE(1:4).&LJULDATE(5:7)')

If the value of the &(TIMESET_&SESSION) status variable is not YES, the rule sets the variable to the current date and time according to the values in the &JULDATE and &TIME environmental variables.