Interactive User Interface › Identifying a Data Set › Special Characters

Special Characters

Special characters can represent explicit characters or character strings in data set names, volume names, or catalog names. A pattern name consists of the usual alphanumeric and national characters allowed in a data set name, but also the following special characters:

• Asterisk (*)
• Question mark (?)
• Slash (/)
• Exclamation point (!)

Asterisk (*)

The asterisk (*) represents any variable index level or simple name.

*

Selects all single-level data set names.

*.*

Selects all two-level data set names.

A.*.PROD

Selects all three-level names that have A as their first index, any second-level, and a third-level index of PROD.

A*.PROD

Selects all data sets having a first-level index beginning with the letter A followed by any other characters, and a second-level index of PROD.

Question Mark (?)

The question mark (?) represents any single character within an index level or simple name. Multiple occurrences can be used within each level or simple name.

?

Selects all single-character data set names.

A.TEST??

Selects all two-level data set names with a first-level index of A and a simple name six characters in length, the first four of which must be TEST—for example, TEST01, TEST02, TEST1A, and so on.

Slash (/)

The slash (/) represents any variable character from that position to the end of the name. The portion of the name that precedes the slash is referred to as a prefix name.

A/

Selects all data sets that begin with the character A.

A.TEST/

Selects all data sets beginning with the character string A.TEST followed by any characters.

A.*.C?./

Selects all data sets beginning with an index of A followed by any second-level index, and a two-character third-level index starting with C followed by any string.

Exclamation Point (!)

The exclamation point (!) represents any variable character up to the character string following the exclamation point; that is, the exclamation point defines the beginning of a character string (terminated by the next pattern character or the end of data) that can be found anywhere within the name.

!TEST

Selects all data sets that contain TEST somewhere in the name.

A?.!DEPT2

Selects all data sets that have a two-character first-level index that starts with an A and contains DEPT2 somewhere in the remainder of the name.

!TEST!VSAMFILE

Selects all data sets that contain TEST somewhere in the name and VSAMFILE somewhere following TEST.