Quoted-String notation

As indicated previously, instead of using special delimiters to indicate a character string, you can use paired single quotation marks (apostrophes) to accomplish the same function with the CHANGE subcommand. The use of single quotation marks as delimiters for a character string is called quoted-string notation. Following are the rules for quoted-string notation for the string_1 and string_2 operands:

Do not use both special-delimiter and quoted-string notation in the same subcommand.
Enclose each string with single quotation marks; for example, ‘This is string 1’ ‘This is string 2’. Quoted strings must be separated with a blank.
Use two single quotation marks to represent a single quotation mark within a character string; for example, ‘pilgrim's progress’.
Use two single quotation marks to represent a null string; for example,".

You can specify quoted-string notation in place of special-delimiter notation to accomplish any of the functions of the CHANGE subcommand as follows:

Function	*Special-delimiter notation	Quoted-string notation
Replace	!ab!cde!	‘ab’‘cde’
Delete	!ab!!or!ab!	‘ab’ "
Print up to	!ab	‘ab’
Place in front of	!!cde!	" ‘cde’
Note: * - using the exclamation point (!) as the delimiter.

Note the following:

Choose the form that best suits you (either special-delimiter or quoted-string) and use it consistently. It will help you use the subcommand.
If you cause an attention interruption during the CHANGE subcommand, your data set might not be completely changed. You should list the affected parts of your data set before entering other subcommands.