PARSE parameters

You can use the following parameters in PARSE to define the rules for extracting variable position/length data to %nnn, %nn and %n fixed parsed fields:
  • FIXLEN=m: Specifies the length (m) of the fixed area to contain the extracted variable data for this %nnn, %nn or %n fixed parsed field.
  • ABSPOS=p: Start extracting data at input position p.
  • ADDPOS=x: Start extracting data at the current position + x.
  • SUBPOS=y: Start extracting data at the current position - y.
  • STARTAFT=string: Start extracting data at the byte after the end of the character or hexadecimal string.
  • STARTAFT=an: Start extracting data at the byte after the first character found from a specified alphanumeric set.
  • STARTAFT=BLANKS: Start extracting data after the end of the next group of blanks.
  • STARTAT=string: Start extracting data at the first byte of the character or hexadecimal string.
  • STARTAT=an: Start extracting data from the first character found from a specified alphanumeric set.
  • STARTAT=BLANKS: Start extracting data at the start of the first group of blanks.
  • STARTAT=NONBLANK: Start extracting data at the next nonblank.
  • ENDBEFR=string: Stop extracting data at the byte before the start of the character or hexadecimal string.
  • ENDBEFR=an: Stop extracting data at the byte before the first character found from a specified alphanumeric set.
  • ENDBEFR=BLANKS: Stop extracting data at the byte before the next group of blanks.
  • ENDAT=string: Stop extracting data at the last byte of the character or hexadecimal string.
  • ENDAT=an: Stop extracting data at the first character found from a specified alphanumeric set.
  • ENDAT=BLANKS: Stop extracting data at the end of the next group of blanks.
  • PAIR=APOST: Do not search for strings or blanks between apostrophe (') pairs.
  • PAIR=QUOTE: Do not search for strings or blanks between quote (") pairs.
  • REPEAT=v: Repeat this parsed field v times.

See z/OS DFSORT Application Programming Guide for complete details about defining and using %nnn, %nn and %n parsed fields, as well as more examples.

Summary
This chapter provided an overview of how you can use variable position/length fields as %nnn, %nn and %n fixed parsed fields in the BUILD, OVERLAY and IFTHEN parameters of the INREC, OUTREC and OUTFIL statements.