When only the required name is defined

The following model application program definitions are contained in VTAMLST:

APPL?   APPL  AUTH=(PASS,ACQ),EAS=5,…
 
APPL*   APPL  AUTH=(PASS,ACQ),EAS=1,…
 
A*APPL  APPL  AUTH=(PASS,ACQ),EAS=6,…
 
AP?L    APPL  AUTH=(PASS,ACQ),EAS=3,…

The OPEN macroinstruction, OPENXYZ, specifies that the application program associated with ACB123 requests to open its ACB, as follows:

OPENXYZ  OPEN  ACB123
 
ACB123   ACB   AM=VTAM,APPLID=APPL1A,…

The ACB macroinstruction, ACB123, requests to be associated with the definition of application program, APPL1A. VTAM® cannot find a definition for APPL1A in VTAMLST, but it does find a name that best matches APPL1A, and that is APPL*. The asterisk in APPL* indicates that it can be used as the definition for any application program whose name begins with APPL, followed by zero to four valid characters in length. APPL? is not a valid match in this example because the question mark indicates that it can be used as the definition statement for any application program whose name begins with APPL, followed by only one valid character in length.