Considerations for Accessing REXX Variables

All commands and programs that invoke IKJCT441 to access REXX variables must be in 31-bit addressing mode.

Programs or commands that are directly invoked from a REXX exec can access only those variables that have valid REXX names. These programs or commands can use IKJCT441 to set and retrieve symbols. IKJCT441 uses the REXX direct interface (rather than the symbolic interface). No substitution or case translation takes place. For more information about the direct interface, see z/OS TSO/E REXX Reference.

Authorized programs or commands that are directly invoked from a REXX exec can access variables created by the REXX exec only if the variable names begin with ‘SYSAUTH’. However, an authorized program or command can access all variables created by the program or command. Furthermore, the authorized command or program can set a variable, even one whose name does not begin with ‘SYSAUTH’, for use by the exec.

Authorized programs or commands invoked from a REXX exec cannot set stems. (A REXX stem is a variable name which contains a single period, which is the last character of the name.) However, these programs or commands can use IKJCT441 to set a compound variable which represents a particular instance of the stem. Also, these programs or commands can use IKJCT441 to retrieve stem variables by specifying the entry code TSVNOIMP in the IKJCT441 parameter list.

For example, an authorized program or command cannot use IKJCT441 to set a value for a stem like ‘A.’. However, it can use IKJCT441 to set values for the compound variables ‘A.1’, ‘A.2’, or ‘A.THIRD’ (that is, particular instances of the stem ‘A.’).

Authorized programs or commands can access variables containing output from the OUTTRAP statement if the variables are created by the exec that invoked the program or command.

Note:

If IKJCT441 is used to fetch an uninitialized REXX variable, the value returned is a null value, rather than the name of the variable itself.
IKJCT441 can be used to access variables with DBCS names when the underlying REXX exec has enabled the use of DBCS variable names by coding the OPTIONS ETMODE instruction.

Unauthorized programs and commands can use either IKJCT441 or another TSO/E service, IRXEXCOM, to access REXX variables. For information about using IRXEXCOM, see z/OS TSO/E REXX Reference.