FIND command

The FIND command provides full-screen and line mode search capability in the source object, and full-screen searching of the log and monitor objects.

Read syntax diagramSkip visual syntax diagramFINDstring*leftcolumnrightcolumn*FIRSTLASTNEXTPREVCURSORLOGMONITORSOURCE;
string
The string you want to find, which conforms to the syntax for a character string constant of the current programming language. The string must comply with the following restrictions:
  • The length of the string cannot exceed 128 bytes.
  • If the string contains spaces, or is an asterisk (*), a question mark (?) or a semicolon (;) it must be enclosed in quotation marks (") or apostrophes (') as described in the following rules:
    • For C and C++, use quotation marks (").
    • For COBOL, LangX COBOL, assembler, disassembly, or PL/I, use quotation marks (") or apostrophes (').
      Table 1. Examples of how to specify quotation marks (") and apostrophes (') for strings in a FIND command.
      C C++ COBOL or LangX COBOL Assembler or disassembly PL/I
      "ABC" "IntLink::*" "A5" or 'A5' 'ABC' or "ABC" or C'ABC' 'ABC' or "ABC"
  • If the string contains a quotation mark (") or apostrophe ('), you might have to specify the string with an even number of quotation marks or apostrophes (also known as balance). Use the following rules to determine how to balance the string:
    • For PL/I, if the string has an apostrophe, you must add an apostrophe immediately following that apostrophe. If the string contains a space, surround the entire string with apostrophes.
    • For C and C++, if the string has a quotation mark, you must add a quotation mark immediately following that quotation mark. If the string contains a space, surround the entire string with quotation marks.
    • For assembler, COBOL, LangX COBOL, or disassembly, if the string contains an apostrophe and it is delimited by apostrophes, you must add an apostrophe immediately after the apostrophe that is in the string. If the string contains a quotation mark and it is delimited by quotation marks, you must add a quotation mark immediately after the quotation mark that is in the string. If the string contains a space, you do not have to balance the quotation marks; however you must surround the entire string with a quotation marks or apostrophes.

If no operands are specified, a repeat FIND is performed. The usage notes and IBM® z/OS Debugger User's Guide describes repeat FIND.

*
Use the string from the previous FIND command.
leftcolumn
A positive integer that specifies the leftmost column for the search. This is supported only in the Source window and in line mode. It is ignored in the Log and Monitor windows. If rightcolumn and * are omitted, then the string must start in leftcolumn.
rightcolumn
A positive integer that specifies the rightmost column for the search. This is supported only in the Source window and in line mode. It is ignored in the Log and Monitor windows.
*
Specifies that the length of each source record is used as the right column for the search. This is supported only in the Source window and in line mode. It is ignored in the Log and Monitor windows.
FIRST
Starts at the beginning of the object and searches forward to find the first occurrence of the string.
LAST
Starts at the end of the object and searches backward to find the last occurrence of the string.
NEXT
Starts at the first position after the current cursor location and searches forward to find the next occurrence of the string.
PREV
Starts at the current cursor location and searches backward to find the previous occurrence of the string.
CURSOR (Full-Screen Mode)
Specifies that the current cursor position selects the object searched.
LOG (Full-Screen Mode)
Selects the object in the session log window.
MONITOR (Full-Screen Mode)
Selects the object in the monitor window.
SOURCE (Full-Screen Mode)
Selects the object in the source listing window.

Usage notes

  • If no operands are specified, a repeat FIND is performed. A repeat FIND behaves in the following ways:
    • The string from the previous FIND that you entered is used.
    • If no FIND string has been previously specified, z/OS® Debugger displays an error message.
    • If the previous FIND command that you entered specified or implied the FIRST or NEXT parameter, z/OS Debugger uses the NEXT parameter.
    • If the previous FIND command that you entered specified the LAST or PREV parameter, z/OS Debugger uses the PREV parameter.
    • If the previous FIND command that you entered specified a leftcolumn parameter, z/OS Debugger uses that leftcolumn parameter.
    • If the previous FIND command that you entered specified a rightcolumn parameter, z/OS Debugger uses that rightcolumn parameter.
    • If a repeat FIND immediately follows an unsuccessful FIND or repeat FIND, z/OS Debugger continues searching, wrapping from the last line to the first line. If the original direction of the FIND was backward to the beginning of the object, z/OS Debugger wraps from the first line to the last line.
    • If the cursor is not in a window, z/OS Debugger uses the same window that was used for the previous FIND command.
  • In full-screen mode, z/OS Debugger chooses the window it searches through in the following ways:
    • If you specify a string and you do not place the cursor in a window nor specify an object on the command, z/OS Debugger searches the object in the window specified by the SET DEFAULT WINDOW command or the Default window entry in your Profile Settings panel.
    • If you place the cursor in a window and do not specify a different window on the command, z/OS Debugger searches the object in the window where you placed the cursor.
  • If you specify a string without a direction keyword, forward is the default direction.
  • FIND can be made immediately effective in full-screen mode with the IMMEDIATE command.
  • If the current programming language setting is C or C++, the search is case-sensitive. Otherwise, the search is not case-sensitive.
  • In full-screen mode, searches show the following behavior:
    • If you specify FIRST, the search begins at the beginning of the first line of the object.
    • If you specify LAST, the search begins at the end of the last line of the object.
    • If you specify NEXT or the command defaults to NEXT and the cursor is within the window for the object being searched, the search begins at the first position after the current cursor location.
    • If you specify NEXT or the command defaults to NEXT and the cursor is outside the window for the object being searched, the search begins at the beginning of the first line displayed in the window.
    • If you specify PREV or the command defaults to PREV and the cursor is within the window for the object being searched, the search begins at the current cursor location.
    • If you specify PREV or the command defaults to PREV and the cursor is outside the window for the object being searched, the search begins at the end of the line preceding the first line displayed in the window of the object being searched. If the beginning of the object is displayed, z/OS Debugger wraps to the end of the object and continues from the end of the last line in the object.
    • If z/OS Debugger finds the string, the window for the object being searched is scrolled until the string is visible. If the string is DBCS, it is displayed without alteration. If the string is not DBCS, the string is highlighted as specified by the SET COLOR command and the cursor is placed at the beginning of the string. The highlighted string is protected from overtyping. If you need to overtype the string, press enter and place the cursor where you want to type and proceed with the overtype.
    • If z/OS Debugger does not find the string, the screen does not change and the cursor is not moved. If you specified NEXT or PREV or the command defaults to NEXT or PREV and z/OS Debugger searched only part of the object, then z/OS Debugger displays the message 'Bottom of data reached' or 'Top of data reached', as appropriate. If z/OS Debugger searched through the entire object, then it displays the message 'Search target not found'.
  • In line mode, searches show the following behavior:
    • If you specify FIRST, the search begins at the beginning of the first line of the source.
    • If you specify LAST, the search begins at the end of the last line of the source.
    • If you specify NEXT or the command defaults to NEXT, z/OS Debugger begins searching at the first character of the first line of the source or, if a previous FIND command was done in the same compile unit, at the location after the last string that was successfully found by a FIND command.
    • If you specify PREV or the command defaults to PREV, z/OS Debugger begins searching at the last character of the last line of the source, or if a previous FIND command was done in the same compile unit, at the location before the last string that was successfully found by a FIND command.
    • If you specify NEXT or PREV or the command defaults to NEXT or PREV and z/OS Debugger searched only part of the source and did not find the string, then z/OS Debugger displays the message 'Bottom of data is reached' or 'Top of data is reached', as appropriate. If z/OS Debugger searched through the entire source without finding the string, then it displays the message 'Search target not found'.
    • If z/OS Debugger finds the string, the line that contains the string is displayed and marked with a vertical bar character (|) beneath the string.
  • The search in the Source window and in line mode can be limited to certain columns by choosing one of the following methods:
    • If you enter a pair of column numbers indicating the first and last columns to be searched, the string is found if it is completely contained within the specified columns.
    • If a single column is specified, the string must start in the specified column.
    • If the second column specified is larger than the record size, the record size is used.
    • If the columns are not specified, the columns to be searched default to the columns defined by the SET FIND BOUNDS command. If you have not entered the SET FIND BOUNDS command, the columns default to 1 *.

    The column alignment of the source might not match the original source code. The leftcolumn and rightcolumn specifications are related to the scale shown in the Source window, not the original source.

  • The full-screen FIND command is not logged; however, the FIND command is logged in line mode.
  • If you are searching for strings with trigraphs in them when debugging C or C++ code, the trigraphs or their equivalents can be used as input, and z/OS Debugger matches them to trigraphs or their equivalents. An exception is that column specifications other than 1 * are not allowed in FIND or SET FIND BOUNDS if you search source code and trigraphs are found.
  • If you are searching in the monitor window and SET MONITOR WRAP OFF is in effect, z/OS Debugger will search all of the scrolled data.
  • You cannot use the FIND command in the Memory window.

Examples

  • Indicate that you want to search the monitor window for the name myvar. 
    FIND myvar MONITOR;
  • If you want to search the Source window for the next occurrence of var1, just enter: 
    FIND
    You do not need to provide the variable name, because the z/OS Debugger remembers the string you last searched for. Again, the Source window is scrolled forward, var1 is highlighted, and the cursor points to the variable.
  • If you want to find a question mark (?) in the Source window and you are debugging a PL/I program, enter the following command: 
    FIND '?' ;
  • If you want to find the string User's in the Source window and you are debugging a PL/I program, enter the following command: 
    FIND User''s ;
  • If you want to find the string User's in the Source window and you are debugging a C program, enter the following command: 
    FIND User's ;
  • If you want to find the string User's Guide in the Source window and you are debugging a PL/I program, enter the following command: 
    FIND 'User''s Guide' ;
  • If you want to find the string User's Guide in the Source window and you are debugging a C program, enter the following command: 
    FIND "User's Guide" ;
  • If you entered the command FIND xyz LAST; or FIND xyz PREV; and the cursor is on the found string ("xyz"), then press the PF key assigned to the FIND command to repeat the search. z/OS Debugger runs the command FIND xyz PREV;.
  • If you entered the command FIND xyz;, z/OS Debugger searches in the forward direction. To find the string "xyz" in the backward direction, enter the command FIND * PREV;.
  • If you want to find a COBOL paragraph definition named paraa that starts in column 8 in COBOL’s Area A, enter the following command: 
    FIND paraa 8 ;
  • If you want to find a reference to a COBOL paragraph named paraa in COBOL’s Area B, then enter one of the following commands:
    • FIND paraa 12 72;
    • SET FIND BOUNDS 12 72;
FIND paraa;