%PARMS built-in function

The %PARMS built-in function can be used anywhere that CL supports an arithmetic expression. %PARMS can be used alone or as part of a more complex arithmetic expression. For example, %PARMS can be used to compare the number of parameters that were passed to the program to a numeric CL variable in the COND parameter of an IF or WHEN command. %PARMS can also be used to set the value of a CL command parameter, if the associated command object defines the parameter with EXPR(*YES) and TYPE of *DEC, *INT2, *INT4, *UINT2, or *UINT4.

%PARMS()

When %PARMS is used in a program that was called by a bound call, the value returned by %PARMS is not available if the calling program or procedure does not pass a minimal operational descriptor. The ILE CL or ILE RPG compiler always passes one, but other languages do not. So if the caller is written in another ILE language, it will need to pass an operational descriptor on the call. If the operational descriptor is not passed, the value returned by %PARMS cannot be trusted. The value returned by %PARMS will be -1 if the system can determine that the operational descriptor was not passed, but in some cases when the system cannot detect this, the value returned by %PARMS may be an incorrect value that is zero or greater.

The following examples are about the return number of parameters built-in function:

• Return number of parameters when the program was called by a program call by CALL. The name of the following program is PARMSTESTS.

               PGM        PARM(&PARM1 &PARM2 &PARM3)
               DCL        VAR(&PARM1) TYPE(*DEC) LEN(5 2)
               DCL        VAR(&PARM2) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10)
               DCL        VAR(&PARM3) TYPE(*INT)
  
               SELECT
                 WHEN       COND(%PARMS() *EQ 0) THEN(DO)
                   SNDPGMMSG MSG('0 parm was passed in')
                   GOTO     LP0
                 ENDDO
                 WHEN       COND(%PARMS() *EQ 1) THEN(DO)
                   SNDPGMMSG MSG('1 parm was passed in')
                   GOTO     LP1
                 ENDDO
                 WHEN       COND(%PARMS() *EQ 2) THEN(DO)
                   SNDPGMMSG MSG('2 parms were passed in')
                   GOTO     LP2
                 ENDDO
                 WHEN       COND(%PARMS() *EQ 3) THEN(DO)
                   SNDPGMMSG MSG('3 parms were passed in')
                   GOTO     LP3
                 ENDDO
               OTHERWISE  CMD(GOTO CMDLBL(LPE))
               ENDSELECT
  
   LP3:        SNDPGMMSG  MSG('parm3:' *BCAT %CHAR(&PARM3))
   LP2:        SNDPGMMSG  MSG('parm2:' *BCAT &PARM2)
   LP1:        SNDPGMMSG  MSG('parm1:' *BCAT %CHAR(&PARM1))
               RETURN
   LP0:        SNDPGMMSG  MSG('no parameter at all!')
               RETURN
   LPE:        SNDPGMMSG  MSG('error in %parm()')
               ENDPGM

               PGM
               DCL        VAR(&VARDEC) TYPE(*DEC) LEN(5 2) VALUE(123.45)
               DCL        VAR(&VARCHAR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) +
                            VALUE(OUTERPGM)
               DCL        VAR(&VARINT) TYPE(*INT) VALUE(-123)
  
               CALL       PGM(PARMSTESTS) PARM(&VARDEC &VARCHAR +
                            &VARINT)
               ENDPGM

  The output of the above program is:

  3 parms were passed in
  parm3: -123
  parm2: OUTERPGM
  parm1: 123.45

• Return number of parameters when the program was called by a bound call by CALLPRC. Still use program PARMSTESTS in the above example.

               PGM
               DCL        VAR(&VARDEC) TYPE(*DEC) LEN(5 2) VALUE(123.45)
               DCL        VAR(&VARCHAR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) +
                            VALUE(OUTERPGM)
               DCL        VAR(&VARINT) TYPE(*INT) VALUE(-123)
  
               CALLPRC    PRC(PARMSTESTS) PARM((&VARDEC))
               ENDPGM

  The output of the above program is:

  1 parm was passed in
  parm1: 123.45

• Return number of parameters when the program was called by another ILE language, such as ILE C. Still use program PARMSTESTS in the above example.

  #include <stdlib.h>
  #include <stdio.h>
  #include <decimal.h>
  
  void PARMSTESTS (decimal(5,2)*, char*, int*);
  #pragma descriptor (void PARMSTESTS (void, "", void))
  int main(void)
  {
    decimal(5,2) vardec = 123.45;
    char varchar[10] = "OUTERPGMC";
    int varint = -123;
  
    PARMSTESTS(&vardec, varchar, &varint);
    return 0;
  }

  The output of the above program is:

  3 parms were passed in
  parm3: -123
  parm2: OUTERPGMC
  parm1: 123.45

• If you specify the special value *OMIT for any parameter in the parameter list in a bound call by CALLPRC, the number of *OMIT will count in the return number of parameters by %PARMS. Add MONMSG MCH3601 before the fist execution statement in PARMSTESTS.

               PGM
               DCL        VAR(&VARDEC) TYPE(*DEC) LEN(5 2) VALUE(123.45)
               DCL        VAR(&VARCHAR) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) +
                            VALUE(OUTERPGM)
               DCL        VAR(&VARINT) TYPE(*INT) VALUE(-123)
  
               CALLPRC    PRC(PARMSTESTS) PARM((&VARDEC) (*OMIT) (*OMIT))
               ENDPGM

  The output of the above program is:

  3 parms were passed in
  Pointer not set for location referenced.
  Pointer not set for location referenced.
  parm1: 123.45