SETLANG


>>-SETLANG(-+----------+-)-------------------------------------><
            '-langcode-'

SETLANG returns a three character code that indicates the language in which REXX messages are currently being displayed. Table 1 shows the language codes that replace the function call and the corresponding languages for each code.

You can optionally specify one of the language codes as an argument on the function to set the language in which REXX messages are displayed. In this case, SETLANG returns the code of the language in which messages are currently displayed and changes the language in which subsequent REXX messages will be displayed.

Table 1. Language codes for SETLANG function that replace the function call
Language code	Language
CHS	Simplified Chinese
CHT	Traditional Chinese
DAN	Danish
DEU	German
ENP	US English - all uppercase
ENU	US English - mixed case (upper and lowercase)
ESP	Spanish
FRA	French
JPN	Japanese
KOR	Korean
PTB	Brazilian Portuguese

Here are some examples::

curlang = SETLANG()     -> 'ENU'  /* returns current language (ENU)  */

oldlang = SETLANG("ENP")-> 'ENU'  /* returns current language (ENU)
                                     and sets language to US English
                                     uppercase (ENP)                 */

You can use the SETLANG function in an exec that runs in any MVS™ address space (TSO/E and non-TSO/E).

After an exec uses SETLANG to set a specific language, any REXX message the system issues is displayed in that language. If the exec calls another exec (either as a function or subroutine or using the TSO/E EXEC command), any REXX messages are displayed in the language you specified on the SETLANG function. The language specified on SETLANG is used as the language for displaying REXX messages until another SETLANG function is invoked or the environment in which the exec is running terminates.

Note:

The default language for REXX messages depends on the language feature that is installed on your system. The default language is in the language field of the parameters module (see Characteristics of a Language Processor Environment). You can use the SETLANG function to determine and set the language for REXX messages.
The language codes you can specify on the SETLANG function also depend on the language features that are installed on your system. If you specify a language code on the SETLANG function and the corresponding language feature is not installed on your system, SETLANG does not issue an error message. However, if the system needs to display a REXX message and cannot locate the message for the particular language you specified, the system issues an error message. The system then tries to display the REXX message in US English.
Your installation can customize TSO/E to display certain information at the terminal in different languages. Your installation can define a primary and secondary language for the display of information. The language codes for the primary and secondary languages are stored in the user profile table (UPT). You can use the TSO/E PROFILE command to change the languages specified in the UPT.
The languages stored in the UPT do not affect the language in which REXX messages are displayed. The language for REXX messages is controlled only by the default in the language field of the parameters module and the SETLANG function.

For information about customizing TSO/E for different languages and the types of information that are displayed in different languages, see z/OS TSO/E Customization.
The SYSVAR external function has the SYSPLANG and SYSSLANG arguments that return the user's primary and secondary language stored in the UPT. You can use the SYSVAR function to determine the setting of the user's primary and secondary language. You can then use the SETLANG function to set the language in which REXX messages are displayed to the same language as the primary or secondary language specified for the user. See SYSVAR for more information.

Examples:

The following are some examples of using SETLANG:

To check the language in which REXX messages are currently being displayed, use the SETLANG function as follows:
```
currlng = SETLANG()     /* for example, returns ENU */
```
The SYSPLANG argument of the SYSVAR function returns the user's primary language that is stored in the user profile table (UPT).
The following example uses the SYSVAR function to determine the user's primary language and then uses the SETLANG function to check the language in which REXX messages are displayed. If the two languages are the same, no processing is performed. If the languages are different, the exec uses the SETLANG function to set the language for REXX messages to the same language as the user's primary language.
```
/*  REXX ...   */
⋮
proflang = SYSVAR('SYSPLANG')  /* check primary language in UPT     */
rexxlang = SETLANG()           /* check language for REXX messages  */
IF proflang ¬= rexxlang THEN
   newlang = SETLANG(proflang) /* set language for REXX messages    */
                               /* to user's primary language        */
ELSE NOP                       /* otherwise, no processing needed   */
⋮
EXIT
```