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kyrpt8198 · Beginner Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 2 Topics: 1

Is it possible to read the lengths from a working storage group?

Example:

01 WS-Personal-Info.
05 Ws-Name PIC X(20) values spaces.
05 Ws-SSN PIC X(09) values spaces.
05 Ws-AGE PIC X(03) values spaces.

You get the idea. Can i loop thru the 05 levels and get their lengths without specificaly naming them. I hope i am getting my question accross. I guess can i say here is 01 'WS-Personal-Info' and then get what's listed under it or the lengths.

zatlas · Beginner Joined: 17 Dec 2002 Posts: 43 Topics: 4

Use special register length of, for example, using your code

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.

77 WS-LEN PIC 9(4).
01 WS-Personal-Info.
05 Ws-Name PIC X(20) values spaces.
05 Ws-SSN PIC X(09) values spaces.
05 Ws-AGE PIC X(03) values spaces.

PROCEDURE DIVISION.

MOVE LENGTH OF WS-Personal-Info TO WS-LEN.
DISPALY "LENGTH OF WS-Personal-Info IS: " WS-LEN.

ZA

kyrpt8198 · Beginner Joined: 16 Jul 2003 Posts: 2 Topics: 1

I need each individaul variables lenghts. I know how to get the overall length.

slade · Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2003 1:14 am Post subject:

Hi Krypt,

If your compiler supports it you can try this for each of your 05s:

jlmori · Beginner Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 1

Hi
You could try this:

vp · Beginner Joined: 30 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 0

You can also try this using UNSTRING function
WORKING STORAGE SECTION

slade · Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2003 2:25 pm Post subject:

vp,

I don't think your approach will work for a name like "john h smith jr'. Notice that jlmori performs from the end of each string to the beginning for just that reason.

Though, I'd use LENGTH OF WS-NAME instead of "20", etc. It's more flexible.

Regards, Jack.

vp · Beginner Joined: 30 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 0

slade
Unstring statement is very powerfull you can use any delimiters you need.
If you have a Name-Field that has "firstname lastname, mi " you could use delimited by ' ' (double space). It will not work however, if the other fields only have one space in them.
What can be done is to use Unstring Statement on each field.
i.e.
05 ws-double-space pic x(02) value spaces.
05 some-string pic x(100) value spaces.

Unstring ws-name delimited by ws-double-space
into some-string count in ws-name-length
end-unstring

unstring ws-ssn delimited by space
into some-string count in ws-ssn-length
end-unstring

etc.

jlmori · Beginner Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 1

Hi there
I think vp's method is better than mine because my piece of code would not cater for the space(s) between first name and last name in computing the length of ws-name. My piece of code would require extra processing to cater for this, whereupon the code would become too complex, possibly involving nested perform varyings. So I think it's best for kyrpt8198 to go with the 'unstring' command.
Cheers

slade · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2003 2:43 am Post subject:

Sorry guys. I have to disagree. If you want to get the length of a field that contains embedded spaces, the safest way is to approach it from the back end, using the REVERSE function or a PERFORM VARYING ... BY -1.

Regards, Jack.

jlmori · Beginner Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 1

Hi there
In that case this piece of code may do the trick in getting the length of ws-name:

WORKING-STORAGE.
01 WS-COUNTERS.
05 WS-SPACE-COUNT PIC S9(5) COMP-3.
05 WS-SUB-NAME PIC S9(5) COMP-3.
05 WS-NAME-LENGTH PIC S9(5) COMP-3.
PROCEDURE.
INITIALIZE WS-COUNTERS
PERFORM VARYING WS-SUB-NAME FROM LENGTH-OF-WS-NAME BY -1
UNTIL WS-SUB-NAME = 0
IF WS-NAME(WS-SUB-NAME:1) EQUAL TO SPACE
ADD 1 TO WS-SPACE-COUNT
END-IF
END-PERFORM
COMPUTE WS-NAME-LENGTH = LENGTH-OF-WS-NAME - WS-SPACE-COUNT
DISPLAY 'LENGTH OF WS-NAME =' WS-NAME-LENGTH

The same method can be used in computing the length of ws-ssn and ws-age

slade · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2003 1:12 pm Post subject:

Now you're gettin' my drift. 8)

BTW, LENGTH-OF-WS-NAME should be "LENGTH OF WS-NAME".

Regards, Jack.

jlmori · Beginner Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 1

Hi there
Actually you dont necessarily have to approach it from the back end. You could code it as:

PERFORM VARYING WS-SUB-NAME FROM 1 BY 1
UNTIL WS-SUB-NAME = LENGTH OF WS-NAME +1
IF WS-NAME(WS-SUB-NAME:1) EQUAL TO SPACE
ADD 1 TO WS-SPACE-COUNT
END-IF
END-PERFORM

slade · Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2003 1:10 pm Post subject:

If you're looking for the number of spaces in a field or non-spaces your technique works. If you want the length of the string in the field you have to approach it from the back.

The only exception is if you know ABSOLUTELY the number of substrings in the string and the number of spaces separating the substrings.

Regards, Jack.

jlmori · Beginner Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Posts: 9 Topics: 1

Hi fellow programmers
It would be interesting to find out from kyrpt8198 whether any of the above techniques has helped with his initial problem. After reading his initial problem once again I think it would be virtually impossible to find the lengths of the variables, without reference to the name of the variables. As you can see, most of the above methods, name the variables. Eg, my piece of code
IF WS-NAME(SUB-1:1)
refers explicitly to the variable name WS-NAME.
If there is a method of finding the length of a variable without explicitly naming it, I also would be interested to know about it.
Thanks
Justin