Well, the distinction doesn't exist in REXX, but in PL/I there are bit strings and character strings, two different types. IMHO it would be clearer to consistently use the nomenclature character string. Possibly also a note that an implementation is free to use multiple internal representations, e.g, UTF-8 versus EBCDIC, as long as the external results are the same.
-- Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3 ________________________________________ From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU> on behalf of Paul Gilmartin <0000000433f07816-dmarc-requ...@listserv.ua.edu> Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 11:22 AM To: IBM-MAIN@LISTSERV.UA.EDU Subject: Re: REXX true/false (was Constant Identifiers) (cross-posting to IBM-Main and TSO-REXX) On 2020-09-08, at 00:23:52, CM Poncelet wrote: > > A *character* string is either any string that has DATATYPE CHAR but not > DATATYPE NUM, or is *any* string (and it might as well then be called > 'anything string' instead of 'character string'). > You're motivating me to an RCF. I invite emendations before I submit it: Hello, MHVRCFs, In: z/OS Version 2 Release 4 TSO/E REXX Reference IBM SA32-0972-40 I see numerous instances of "character string", and fewer of simply "string". I believe this is a distinction without a difference. If there is a difference between "character string" and "string" it should be explained in an introductory chapter. Otherwise, "character string" is a pleonasm and its every occurrence should be changed simply to "string". This has led one reader to misunderstand that "character string" means only a string for which the DATATYPE() function returns CHAR. There are several occurrences of "a single character string". This is ambiguous. I believe in each case it means "exactly one string", but it might be misunderstood as "a string containing exactly one character". This ambiguity would be removed by rephrasing as simply "a single string". Under "Tokens" the document should clarify as: String constanta are denotations of string values. A string constant may have one of four forms: Constant Symbols A constant symbol is a symbol starting with '.' or a number or to which no value has been assigned. Literal Strings [ ... ] The sentence, A literal string with no characters (that is, a string of length 0) is called a null string. is misplaced and overspecified. A null string may also be represented by a hexadecimal string (''X), a binary string (''B), or by an expression. This is adequately described under "Expressions" and should be omitted from "Literal Strings". Hexadecimal Strings [ .... ] Binary Strings [ .... ] Under "Expressions": Expressions ... Terms include: • Literal Strings (delimited by quotation marks), which are constants An overspecification. Hexadecimal strings and Binary strings are also allowed. Simply "Strings" would suffice. (There should be a period at the end of that sentence.) Thanks, gil ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@listserv.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
