A Target as a Complex String Expression

A complex string expression has the same format as a simple string expression. You can express a string as a complex string by associating it with one or more of the following SET subcommand options:

• SET ARBCHAR
  • lets you specify only the beginning and end of a string, using an arbitrary character to represent all characters in the middle.

• SET CASE
  • lets you specify whether the difference between uppercase and lowercase is to be significant in locating a string target.

• SET SPAN
  • lets you specify if a string target must be included in one file line or if it can span a specified number of lines.

• SET VARBLANK
  • lets you control whether the number of blank characters between two words is significant in a target search.

You can use one or more of these options to suit your individual text processing needs. The editor assigns each of the options an initial setting. You can alter the setting one or more times during an editing session by issuing the appropriate SET subcommand. (See z/VM: XEDIT Commands and Macros Reference for a complete description of these SET subcommand options.)