Variables function in edit macros in the same way as in CLISTs and REXX EXECs. The only exceptions are dialog variables—variables that communicate with ISPF and the PDF component—which can only have names from 1 to 8 characters in length. This topic presents a brief introduction on using variables; for more detailed information on variables in CLISTs, refer to z/OS TSO/E CLISTs. For information on variables in REXX EXECs, refer to z/OS TSO/E REXX Reference and z/OS TSO/E REXX User's Guide.

When coding macros in CLIST or REXX, remember that all ISREDIT statements are processed for variable substitution before the editor sees the statements. Enclose the variables in parentheses when variable substitution should not occur, such as in cases when ISREDIT statements expect a variable name and not its value. For CLIST variables, omit the ampersand; for REXX variables, use quotes.