Re: Is there a better way to run SQL in a CL pgm?

Joel

There are 2 manuals for REXX - a reference and a programmer's guide, as I recall. I forget just how simple the examples are. They are available at the various InfoCenters.

REXX is used a lot on mainframes, so there should be stuff out on the 'Net - haven't looked. It's a pretty easy language to work with, after a little playing.

It can be an absolute dream as a command-processing program - parsing lists is incredibly easy - of course, REXX is intended for just that kind of thing.

It doesn't have data types - that's a little interesting to get used to. It does have a kind of array, as I recall, where the element is identified by a string, not a number - pretty cool.

Brian Cowlishaw (I think) is one of the developers of it - he was/is at IBM's labs in England. He has a short book on REXX out there somewhere - that's about the first thing I read years ago. Was curious - not yellow!

Vern

On 3/30/2012 11:29 AM, Stone, Joel wrote:

OK would like to look into REXX. Can you suggest a place to learn with SIMPLE examples to start?

Thanks


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of John Yeung
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2012 11:16 AM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: Is there a better way to run SQL in a CL pgm?

On Fri, Mar 30, 2012 at 10:44 AM, Dave<dfx1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Unfortunately there was an issue with REXX and SQL
after V6R1 in certain conditions.

Well, that doesn't change the fact that REXX has awesome string
handling and awesome integration with CL. So you can still just
compose your SQL string with REXX, and then issue the appropriate CL
command to invoke the SQL-executing tool of choice (in this case, the
OP is happy with RJS's DOCSQL).

Really, using "static" CL commands through REXX is virtually as simple
as using CL itself. (Just wrap your entire CL command in
double-quotes and you are done.) But when you want your CL command to
be dynamically composed, then REXX becomes way, way easier than CL,
because you can just intersperse your literal and variable portions
together (no *TCAT). It's ludicrously easy. And that's not even
touching on REXX's structured programming features and advanced
parsing, etc., etc., etc.

John