OPS/REXX Built-in Functions › OPSYSSYM Function

OPSYSSYM Function

The OPSYSSYM function returns information about the z/OS system symbols in any AOF rules or OPS/REXX programs environment. The appropriate IEASYMxx member of the Logical Parmlib Concatenation defines the System symbols.

OPSYSSYM has the following format:

var = OPSYSSYM(function[,prefix][,system])

function

Specifies the type of function that you want the OPSYSYSM function to perform. Always specify the function argument.

Currently, the only valid function codes for OPSYSSYM are:

I

Returns one or more matching system symbol names and values in the external data queue.

R

Returns the value of the specified system symbol as the value of the function. If the symbol does not exist, an empty string is returned. No changes are made to the external data queue.

prefix

(Optional) Specifies one to ten characters that are compared against the defined system symbols. For the function ‘I’, the prefix matches and returns any defined system symbol up to the length of the prefix. If the prefix argument is omitted, then all of the system symbols are returned. For the function ‘R’ only a symbol that matches the prefix exactly is returned as the value of the function.

Note: If you omit the & character as the first character, it is automatically inserted.

system

(Optional) Provides CA OPS/MVS with the capability to execute the OPSYSSYM function on external systems that have been defined to the MSF. The MSF establishes VTAM or CCI sessions between copies of CA OPS/MVS. The establishment of VTAM or CCI sessions permits any copy to issue a command on any other copy and to receive its response.

You can specify any of these values:

• The MSF name of an individual system on which the function is to execute
• The MSF alias of an individual system on which the function is to execute
• *DEFAULT - This value tells CA OPS/MVS to use the default system name set by the ADDRESS OPSCTL MSF DEFAULT host command

If the local MSF system name is used or implied, the system argument is ignored.

The number of seconds that the function waits for a response is determined by the ADDRESS OPSCTL MSF DEFAULT syswait value when it is greater than zero or the value of the MSFSYSWAIT parameter. When the system argument is specified for a remote system within a no-wait AOF rule, no output for the function is returned.

An invalid or inactive MSF system name causes the REXX program to be interrupted for a SYNTAX error. Use the ADDRESS OPSCTL MSF LIST host command to validate the MSF system name before using it as an argument for any REXX function.

Examples: OPSYSSYM Function

Review the following examples for a better understanding of the OPSYSSYM function:

• Example 1: Consider the following sample OPSYSSYM statement:

  temp = OPSYSSYM("I")
  do temp
    pull line
    say line
  end
  

  This statement displays all of the defined system symbols on this system. For example:

  &SYSCLONE. DI
  &SYSNAME. XADI
  &SYSPLEX. LOCAL
  

• Example 2: The following sample OPSYSSYM statement returns the number of system symbols that begin with the string “&SYS”:

  temp = OPSYSSYM("I","&SYS")
  

• Example 3: The following sample OPSYSSYM statement returns the value of the &SYSNAME system symbol:

  value = OPSYSSYM("R","SYSNAME”)
  

• Example 4: This example shows how to use the OPSYSSYM function to display all the system symbols beginning with the prefix '&SYS' on a remote system with an MSF name of SYSB.

  ADDRESS OPSCTL “MSF DEFAULT  SYSTEM(SYSB) SYSWAIT(30)”  
     temp = OPSYSSYM('I','SYS','*DEFAULT')
     do temp
        pull line
        say line
     end