OPTIONAL Parameter Data Area

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1

How does one make a whole PDA OPTIONAL?

PARAMETER USING 'PARATEST' OPTIONAL

The code above doesn’t work.
And how would I code the corresponding IS SPECIFIED condition?

Note that the PDA is coded as follows:

01 PARAMETERS  (1:*)
02 PARA1 (A5)
02 PARA2 (N7)
02 PARA3 (N7)
2

You can only make individual parameters optional, but not the entire data area.

3

Well, that may be a problem. Thanks, Wolfgang.

4

Regarding the SPECIFIED keyword, examples may be found in library SYSEXPG in FNAT. Here is a listing of FUNCEX02:

DEFINE FUNCTION F#ADDITION
  RETURNS (I2)
  DEFINE DATA PARAMETER
    1 #PARM1 (I2) OPTIONAL
    1 #PARM2 (I2) OPTIONAL
    1 #PARM3 (I2) OPTIONAL
  END-DEFINE
  /*
  RESET F#ADDITION
  IF #PARM1 SPECIFIED
    F#ADDITION := F#ADDITION + #PARM1
  END-IF
  IF #PARM2 SPECIFIED
    F#ADDITION := F#ADDITION + #PARM2
  END-IF
  IF #PARM3 SPECIFIED
    F#ADDITION := F#ADDITION + #PARM3
  END-IF
  /*
END-FUNCTION
*
END
5

It is not clear from your question what you are trying to accomplish.

I am guessing that you might have an existing PDA and probably have many objects that call a subprogram that uses the pda. You want to know if a calling object does or does not pass arguments. If this is a correct interpretation, you might employ code like the following

define data parameter
1 #a (a35) optional
1 redefine #a
2 #b (a10)
2 #c (n15)
2 #d (a10)
end-define
*
if #a specified
::::
end

This would only require adding a first field to the pda which encompasses all your current fields.

6

Hi Steve. Yes, we had to do away with the whole PDA and use OPTIONAL only on individual parameters.

We merely wanted to know if a whole PDA could be optional, which Wolfgang kindly answered.

Thanks.