The  CHKGENERC command  checks  a  variable to  see  if it  contains  a
generic  value (e.g.   PAY*).   A  return value  contains Y  or N.   An
optional return value returns the same variable without the *.

This  command is  helpful when you  are writing your  own commands that
deal with  generic  values.    The command  definition  PARM  statement
would normally be coded:

             PARM       KWD(FILE) TYPE(*GENERIC) LEN(10) ...

The typical use of the command is as follows:

     CHKGENERC   VAR(&FILE) GENERC(&GENERC)
     IF          (&GENERC *EQ 'Y') DO /* Generic value */
       .
       .             Process generic value
       .
     ENDDO       /* Generic value */

If you want the file parameter without the * then you would specify:

     CHKGENERC   VAR(&FILE) GENERC(&GENERC) RTNVAR(&NEWFILE)

The  &NEWFILE  variable  would   contain  the  file  name  without  the
trailing   *.     This  may  be   helpful  based   on  your  processing
requirements.

You may also use  the same variable for  the VAR and RTNVAR  parameters
such as:

     CHKGENERC   VAR(&FILE) GENERC(&GENERC) RTNVAR(&FILE)

The command can  also be used to determine  the length of a  name.  The
RTNLEN  parameter will always  provide the  length of the  name whether
it is generic or not.

If a special  value (such  as *ALL) may  be specified,  you may  bypass
the checking with SPCVAL(*YES).

Command parameters                                    *CMD
------------------

   VAR           This is  a  10 character  field that  will be  checked
                 for a generic value.

   GENERC        This  is  a   required  return  value  which  must  be
                 defined  as *CHAR  LEN(1).  It  will contain a  Y or N
                 to describe if the variable is generic.

   RTNVAR        This  is  an  optional  return  variable   which  will
                 contain  the variable value  without the  *.   It must
                 be  specified as  *CHAR LEN(10).   If the  variable to
                 be checked is not  generic, this return variable  will
                 be  identical.   The same  variable as  used with  the
                 VAR parameter can be used.

   RTNLEN        This  is   an  optional  return  variable  which  will
                 contain the length of  the variable value without  the
                 *.   It must be  specified as *DEC  LEN(5 0).   If the
                 value of  VAR is not generic, the  length of the field
                 is still returned.

   SPCVAL        A  *YES/*NO value for  whether the name  to be checked
                 may contain  a special  value such  as *ALL.   *NO  is
                 the default  meaning the value  to be checked  must be
                 a  valid  name  or  valid  generic  name  (no  special
                 values exist).

                 *YES may be  specified to bypass  the checking if  the
                 value starts with  an *.  If the value  starts with an
                 *,  an 'N' is returned  for the GENERC  parameter.  If
                 the value does not start with  an *, it is checked  as
                 a valid name or generic name.

Call interface that does not adopt
----------------------------------

A  second  program  is  provided  TAACLPAC2   that  performs  the  same
function, but operates without adopting any authority.

The CALL interface is:

             DCL        &VAR *CHAR LEN(10)
             DCL        &GENERC *CHAR LEN(1)
             DCL        &RTNVAR *CHAR LEN(10)
             DCL        &RTNLEN *DEC LEN(5 0)
              .
             CALL       PGM(TAATOOL/TAACLPAC2) +
                          PARM(&VAR &GENERC &RTNVAR &RTNLEN)

Restrictions
------------

None.

Prerequisites
-------------

The following TAA Tools must be on your system:

        SNDESCMSG     Send escape message

Implementation
--------------

None, the tool is ready to use.

Objects used by the tool
------------------------

   Object        Type       Attribute      Src member     Src file
   ------        -----      ---------      ----------     -----------

   CHKGENERC     *CMD                      TAACLPA        QATTCMD
   TAACLPAC      *PGM          CLP         TAACLPAC       QATTCL
   TAACLPAC2     *PGM          CLP         TAACLPAC       QATTCL