Positional and keyword parameters

A parameter can either be a positional parameter or a keyword parameter. Positional parameters must always appear first in a parameter set. In access method services, positional parameters are never optional. For example, in:

DELETE -
     USERCAT -

USERCAT is a positional parameter that specifies the entry name to be deleted.

A keyword parameter is a specific character string that can have a value following it. For example, in:

VOLUME (25DATA)

VOLUME is a keyword that indicates that the value 25DATA is a volume serial number.

A keyword parameter can have a set of subparameters. Subparameters follow the same rules as parameter sets in general. When the subparameters are positional, the first subparameter is always required.

Positional parameters and subparameters sometimes have lists of items. Unless the list contains only one item, it must be enclosed in parentheses that can be preceded and followed by blanks, commas, or comments. For example:

DELETE(entryname [...])

indicates that the list of entry names must be enclosed in parentheses if more than one entry is to be deleted. If only one entry name is given, the parentheses are not required.

An item in a list can be a parameter set itself. Each such item, as well as the list of items, is enclosed in parentheses. Given:

OBJECTS((entryname NEWNAME (newname))...)

the following are valid:

OBJECTS - 
  (ENTRY1 NEWNAME(NEWNAME1))

Here, only one entry is to be renamed. The entry name and its new name are enclosed in parentheses.

OBJECTS (- 
  (ENTRY1 NEWNAME(NEWNAME1)) - 
  (ENTRY2 NEWNAME(NEWNAME2)) - 
        )

Here, each entry name and its new name are enclosed in parentheses and the entire list is enclosed in parentheses.

All parameters and subparameters must be separated from each other by one or more separators (commas, blanks, or comments). There is one exception: parameters do not need to be separated from the closing parenthesis when they immediately follow a subparameter set already enclosed in parentheses.

A value cannot have commas, semicolons, blanks, parentheses, or slashes unless the entire value is enclosed in single quotation marks. A single quotation mark in a field enclosed in single quotation marks must be coded as two single quotation marks.

The values you specify in the parameters can be surrounded by separators. Some values can be longer than a single record. When a value is longer than a single record, you indicate that it is continued by coding a plus sign followed only by blanks or a comment. The first nonseparator character found in a record following the plus sign is treated as a continuation of the value.