TRIM

TRIM returns a nonvarying character string with characters trimmed from one or both ends.

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>>-TRIM(x-+-----------+-)--------------------------------------><
          '-,y-+----+-'     
               '-,z-'       

x, y, and z
Expressions.

Each must have a computational type and should have the attribute CHARACTER. If not, they are converted.

x is the string from which the characters defined by y are trimmed from the left, and the characters defined by z are trimmed from the right.

If z is omitted, it defaults to a CHARACTER(1) NONVARYING string containing one blank.

If y and z are both omitted, they both default to a CHAR(1) NONVARYING string containing one blank.

Example

In the following example, the TRIM function removes
  • all the blanks from the left side of the string.
  • all the blanks and all the asterisks from the right side of the string.
  dcl Source char value(" *** PL/I's got the Power!  ***  ");
  dcl Target char(length(Source)) varying;
 
  Target = trim(Source, ' ', '* ');
               /* "*** PL/I's got the Power!" */
 





Published: 23 December 2018