A symbolic name is a name that uniquely identifies a specific entity in a program or procedure. In the RPG IV language, symbolic names are used for the following:
The following rules apply to all symbolic names except for deviations noted in the description of each symbolic name:
The first character of the name must be alphabetic. This includes the characters $, #, and @.
The remaining characters must be alphabetic or numeric. This includes the underscore (_).
The name must be left-adjusted in the entry on the specification form except in fields which allow the name to float (definition specification, keyword fields, and the extended factor 2 field).
A symbolic name cannot be an RPG IV reserved word.
A symbolic name can be from 1 to 4096 characters. The practical limits are determined by the size of the entry used for defining the name. A name that is up to 15 characters can be specified in the Name entry of the definition or procedure specification. For names longer than 15 characters, use a continuation specification. For more information, see Chapter 11. About Specifications.
A symbolic name must be unique within the procedure in which it is defined.