Percent variables
Percent variables can be used to form compound variables and simple variables. Using JCL substitution, you can form compound variables. See Compound variables.
The values of the percent variables making up a compound variable are not substituted directly. Instead, these values are used to form new variables, which have their own values assigned. HCL Workload Automation for Z attempts to resolve such variables in a series of passes. The individual variables making up the compound variable are resolved, moving from right to left.
//STEPLIB DD DSN=MY.&DATA%SET,DISP=OLD
Assume that SET
has been given a value of LIB.
After the first pass, the variable DATA%SET
becomes
variable DATALIB
because the right-most percent variable
is resolved on the first pass. This first pass has now formed a new
variable, DATALIB
, which HCL Workload Automation for Z will
try to resolve on its next pass across this line of JCL.
The new variable DATALIB
is treated the same as
any other JCL variable. That is, it must be predefined in a variable
table and have a value assigned to it. The value can be assigned automatically
by HCL Workload Automation for Z,
a substitution exit, or manually, using the panels.
//DDNAME1 DD DSN=MY.%VAR1%VAR2%VAR3....DATA,DISP=OLD
Assume
that VAR3
has value SIX and VAR2SIX
has
value JUNE. On the first pass over this line of JCL, the variable %VAR1%VAR2%VAR3....DATA
becomes %VAR1%VAR2SIX...DATA
.
On the second pass, the variable %VAR1%VAR2SIX.
becomes %VAR1JUNE..DATA
.
The value assigned to %VAR1JUNE.
determines the final
value that is substituted.At every substitution, a period was discarded when the variable was substituted. You must specify the correct number of periods to ensure that the substitution is performed correctly. In the preceding example, an extra period was required to denote the beginning of the second-level data set qualifier.
//DDNAME1 DD DSN=MY.%VAR1%VAR2%VAR3(MEMBER),DISP=OLD
If you specify a compound variable %VAR1%VAR2...DATA
,
where VAR1
is a promptable variable and VAR2
is
a (not promptable) setup variable, the substitution fails, because HCL Workload Automation for Z resolves
the compound variable right-to-left.