My preference is to use: *** b Z Z Z , Z Z 9 . 9 EDMASK DC X'402020206B2020214B20'
Robert Ngan CSC Financial Services Group IBM Mainframe Assembler List <ASSEMBLER-LIST@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> wrote on 2014/07/16 10:01:12: > From: rkueb...@tsys.com > To: ASSEMBLER-LIST@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU > Date: 2014/07/16 10:04 > Subject: Re: EDit mask for floating minus (negative) > Sent by: IBM Mainframe Assembler List <ASSEMBLER-LIST@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> > > IBM Mainframe Assembler List <ASSEMBLER-LIST@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> wrote on > 07/16/2014 10:50:31 AM: > > > From: Steve Hobson <steve_hob...@uk.ibm.com> > > > > > 1st operand - PWORK DC X'4020206B212020' > > > > Can I recommend more readable (IMHO) EDIT patterns, Something like: > > > > DIGIT EQU X'20' > > SIG EQU X'01' > > > > PWORK DC 0CL7,AL1(C' ',DIGIT,DIGIT,C',',DIGIT+SIG,DIGIT,DIGIT) > > There was a time I would have pooh-poohed this. However in this day and > age when we are trying to train new people to use assembler and support > old (and very old) assembler programs before we retire or expire, I wonder > if anyone on the list who is new(er) to assembler would comment on the > readability of this construct. > > Were it my task, I would write a macro to build the edit pattern but that > abstracts the programmer from fundamental knowledge which they should > eventually learn if they are to master assembler. Of course this has been > done. It is called an HLL such as Cobol. > > For reference I was at my 55th high school reunion this past weekend and > am in my 47th year of assembler. >
