SOUL $functions

Some operations are inefficient or impossible to code in a high-level programming language like User Language. To overcome this difficulty, SOUL provides a variety of $functions. Many of these functions are in favor of an OO API method. When that is the case, the $function page notes the matching method.

The mathematical $functions, and those $functions central to a Model 204 product (and which require authorization of that product) are listed separately; you can find links to those sets of $functions in the following table:

$Function set	Description
$xxxmath	Mathematical $functions
$Ftp_xxx	Janus FTP Server $functions
$Sock_xxx	Janus Sockets $functions
$Web_xxx	Janus Web Server $functions

List of standard $functions

The following table lists the standard SOUL $functions in alphabetical order.

See also:

• Using functions, which reviews coding in SOUL with $functions
• The table of other $function sets, above

$Function	Description
$Abbrev	Determine if string is abbreviation within list of words
$Account	Account under which the user is logged in.
$Acct	User ID under which the user is logged in.
$Alpha	Whether a string is composed of only the letters A through Z.
$AlphNum	Whether a string is composed of only the letters A through Z and digits 0 through 9.
$Arr_Find	Find value within array
$Arr_Init	Initialize every element of array to specific value
$Arr_Max	Find maximum value in array
$Arr_Min	Find minimum value in array
$ArrSize	Number of elements in a particular dimension of an array.
$Ascii	Input string, converted from EBCDIC to ASCII.
$A2E	Translate ASCII to EBCDIC
$Base64_Decode	Convert from base 64 to byte string
$Base64_Encode	Convert byte string to base 64
$BgPurge	Cancel "long" sdaemon request initiated with $CommBg
$BgQuery	List of "long" sdaemon requests initiated via $CommBg
$Binary	A number converted into fixed-point binary.
$Bind_List	Return list of bound semaphores onto a $list
$Bind	Fast, easy synchronization of system wide resource
$BitAnd	Bitwise AND of two integers
$BitOr	Bitwise OR of two integers
$BldProc	Enables a request to build a temporary procedure.
$Buffer_Position	Current Universal Buffer position.
$Buffer_Size	Size of user's Universal Buffer.
$Buffer_Used	Amount of data currently in Universal Buffer
$Bump	Bump a user
$CenqCt	Number of unused entries within the resource enqueuing table.
$Center	Center string
$CfStatL	List of statistics for users holding critical file resources
$ChkMod	Whether the terminal operator entered data in any full-screen input field.
$ChkPat	Syntax of a pattern.
$ChkTag	Whether any erroneous full-screen input has been entered by the end user.
$Close	Close file or group in User Language request
$Cms	Determine if online is running under CMS
$Code	Encoding facility.
$Command	Execute Model 204 command on sdaemon, results to image
$CommBg	Execute Model 204 commands on sdaemon
$CommndL	Execute Model 204 command on sdaemon, results to $list
$Context	Determine if string is name of open file or group
$Curfile	Name of the file from which the current record has been selected.
$Currec	Integer equal to the internal number of the current record.
$C2D	Convert binary byte string to integer
$C2X	A translation of each byte within a character string to its two-byte hexadecimal representation.
$DaemonMasterNumber	Get user number of master thread
$DaemonParentNumber	Get user number of parent thread
$Date	Current date in yy-mm-dd format.
$DateChg	Specified number of days, added to or subtracted from a given date.
$DateChk	Whether a given date is valid.
$DateCnv	Date converted to a format specified by the user.
$DateDif	Difference in days between two dates.
$DateP	Current date in "dd mon yy" format.
$DayI	Number reflecting current day of the week.
$Deblank	Substring of a string, with leading and trailing blanks removed.
$Decode	Decoding facility.
$Deflate	Compress a longstring with Deflate
$DelCh	Remove characters from string, compress and strip blanks
$Delg_Subsys	Delete subsystem-wide global
$Delg_Sys	Delete system-wide global
$Delimr	Insert delimiter string into input string at regular positions
$Dscr	Decoding facility.
$Dsn	Data set name when you specify a file's DD name and the ordinal number.
$DsnNum	Total number of data sets defined for a file when you specify the file's DD name.
$D2C	Binary byte representation of integer
$D2X	Hex representation of integer
$Ebcdic	Convert input string from ASCII to EBCDIC
$EcbDGet	Get string data associated with an Event Control Block (ECB)
$EcbDSet	Set string data associated with an Event Control Block (ECB)
$EcbTest	Check an Event Control Block (ECB) to see if it is posted
$EcfStat	Returns the detailed completion code from the previous EXTERNAL statement.
$Edit	Edited numeric and alphanumeric text
$EdScan	Scan list of entities in online
$Eformat	Exponent notations from converted numeric values
$Encrypt	A one-way encryption of a character string.
$Ent_Print	Set automatic character entity substitution
$Ent_Tab	retrieve/modify character entity substitution table
$Ent	Do character entity substitution
$Enter	Efficient terminal dialogue with users of data entry applications.
$ErrClr	Clears the error message text returned by the $Errmsg and $Fsterr functions.
$Errmsg	Prefix and text of the last counting error or request cancellation message received.
$ErrSet	Increment or clear number of counting errors, set $ERRMSG
$E2A	Translate EBCDIC to ASCII
$FakeEnt	Prepare fake ENTER to automatically satisfy next full screen read
$FDef	String that describes the attributes of a field in a Model 204 file.
$Field_Image	Return field values into an image
$Field_List	Return field values into a $list
$Field_ListI	Return field values into a $list mapped to an image
$FieldgroupId	The ID of the current field group. (Available as of Model 204 version 7.5.)
$FieldgroupOccurrence	The current occurrence number of the field group. (Available as of Model 204 version 7.5.)
$FIniTim	File initialization YYDDDMMHHSSTH
$FiStat	Retrieve file's statistics into string
$FiStatL	Retrieve set of files' statistics into list
$FldLen	Length of a field.
$Float	Floating-point to a 4-byte string without conversion (4-byte floating point number to a 4-byte string).
$FloatD	Floating-point to a 4-byte string without conversion (8-byte floating point number to an 8-byte string).
$FlsAcc	User's access rights to a particular field.
$FlsChk	Whether a given set of field level security accesses is valid for a field.
$FreeOpt	Free optional file or group from subsystem
$Fsterr	Variable-length string containing the prefix and the first counting error message or request cancellation message received by the user since the last time the count was reset to zero.
$FunForc	Cancel running or waiting Fast/Unload request
$FunImg	Retrieve data from active Fast/Unload request into image
$FunList	$list of active and enqueued Fast/Unload requests
$FunLoad	Fast/Unload records in Model 204 list or found set
$FunPurg	Purge running or waiting Fast/Unload request
$FunSkip	Skip to next output record for $FunImg, $FunsStr
$FunsStr	Retrieve data from active Fast/Unload request into string
$FunWait	Wait until asynchronous Fast/Unload request completes
$Getg	Information stored by a $SETG function.
$GetL	Line number of the current line on the page on the user's terminal or on the output data set specified by a USE command.
$GetP	Page number currently on the user's terminal or on the output data set specified by a USE command.
$GrmLoc	Location of a missing member.
$GrmName	File name of a missing member.
$GrnLeft	Number of optional files that may fail before MAXFAIL is exceeded.
$GrnMiss	Number of missing members.
$GunZip	Decompress a longstring with GUNZIP
$GZip	Compress a longstring with GZip
$HexA	Convert hexadecimal string to EBCDIC equivalent
$HPage	String of special characters whose length is equal to the value specified as the $HPage argument.
$Hsh	A hash value from a converted string value. A hash value is a distinct numeric representation of a given string value.
$IHexA	Convert EBCDIC string to hexadecimal equivalent
$ImgInf	Retrieve image item by variable name
$ImgOvl	Replace image item value
$Incrg	Performs simple arithmetic on global variables.
$IncStat	Increment local system statistic
$Index	After comparing two strings, a number equal to the first position within the first string at which the second string appears; the same function as $SCAN.
$Inflate	Decompress a longstring with inflate
$Itsopen	Whether or not a file is open.
$Itsremote	Whether the current file or group is remote or scattered.
$JobAuth	Determine if user has authorization for USE $JOB
$Jobcode	Allows a request that is part of one step of a Model 204 batch run to communicate with a subsequent step.
$JpStat	Retrieve Janus port's statistics into string
$LangSpc	String containing the binary value of a character in a specified language.
$LangSrt	A binary string translated to sort according to the NLSORT macro for the specified language.
$LangUst	Previously $LangSrt'ed string translated back to its original form.
$Len	Length of a value in a field.
$List_Add_Ordered	Add an item to an ordered $list
$List_Add_Unique_Ordered	Conditionally add an item to an ordered $list
$List_Add_Unique	Conditionally add an item to a $list
$List_Capture	Capture print data to $list
$List_Conv_Item	Convert $list to single delimited $list item
$List_Copy_Items	Copy items between $lists
$List_Diff_Item	Differences between $list and delimited $list item
$List_Global and $List_Session	Access/create global/session $list
$List_Global_Del and $List_Session_Del	Delete global/session $lists
$List_Global_List and $List_Session_List	List global/session $lists
$List_MaxIL	Return maximum $list item length
$List_Print	Display contents of a $list
$ListAdd_Lstr	Add longstring as new $list item
$ListAdd	Add string as new $list item
$ListAddI	Add image as new $list item
$ListAdj	Adjust length of $list item
$ListChk	Validate a $list identifier
$ListCmp	Compare two $lists and produce $list describing differences
$ListCnt	Number of items in $list
$ListCpy	Copy $list
$ListDel	Release CCATEMP storage used for $list
$ListFind	Find string in $list
$ListFindI and $ListFindI_Up	Find image item in $list
$ListFindI_Sub	Build $list subset based on image item
$ListILn	Length of $list item
$Listimg_Copy	Copy a $list's image association
$ListImg	Associate an image with a $list
$ListInf_Lstr	Retrieve $list item into longstring
$ListInf	Retrieve $list item into string
$ListInfI	Retrieve $list item into image
$ListIns_Lstr	Insert string into a $list
$ListIns	Insert string into a $list
$ListInsI	Insert image into a $list
$ListLoc	Locate string in $list
$ListLup	Locate string in $list, searching backwards
$ListMove	Move a $list
$ListNew	Create empty $list
$ListNewA	Create array of empty $lists
$ListNewAI	Create array of empty $lists associated with image
$ListNewI	Create empty $list associated with image
$ListOvl	Overlay part of $list item with string
$ListOvlI	Overlay part of $list item with image item
$ListRem	Remove item from $list
$ListRep_Lstr	Replace a $list item with a longstring
$ListRep	Replace a $list item with a string
$ListRepI	Replace $list item with an image
$ListRst	Restore global $list
$ListSav and $ListSave	Save global $list
$ListSavL	Count and names of available global $lists
$ListSort and $ListSrt	Sort $list
$ListSub	Create $list that is subset of input $list
$ListUpd	Produce $list from input $list using $list of updates
$Lowcase	A lower case string translated from an uppercase or mixed case string
$LstFld	Field names in a file, along with their field descriptions, into an image.
$LstProc	Information that is stored for a procedure.
$Lstr_Add_UserBuffer	Add longstring to user buffer
$Lstr_Base64_Decode	Convert from base 64 to byte string
$Lstr_Base64_Encode	Convert byte string to base 64
$Lstr_C2X	Convert byte string to hexadecimal
$Lstr_Get_Image and $Lstr_Set_Image	Longstring to/from image
$Lstr_Get_Userbuffer	Get user buffer contents to a longstring
$Lstr_Global and $Lstr_Session	Bind to global/session longstring
$Lstr_Global_Del and $Lstr_Session_Del	Delete global or session longstring
$Lstr_Global_Get and $Lstr_Session_Get	Get global or session longstring
$Lstr_Global_Set and $Lstr_Session_Set	Set global or session longstring
$Lstr_Index	Find a string inside a longstring
$Lstr_Left	Leftmost characters of a longstring
$Lstr_Len	Length of a longstring
$Lstr_Parse	Part of longstring preceding character in delimiter set
$Lstr_ParseX	Part of longstring following character in delimiter set
$Lstr_Right	Rightmost characters of a longstring
$Lstr_Set_UserBuffer	Set user buffer to longstring value
$Lstr_Substr	Substring of a longstring
$Lstr_SubWord	Substring of a longstring using word counts
$Lstr_Translate	Translate longstring
$Lstr_Unblank	Remove extraneous blanks from longstring
$Lstr_Windex	Return the position of a word within a long string
$Lstr_Word	Return a word from a long string
$Lstr_Words	Return the number of words in a long string
$Lstr_X2C	Convert from hexadecimal to byte string
$Lstr	Treat a string as longstring
$MisGrup	Group name if the error occurred in group context, null if in file context.
$MisLoc	Location of a missing member or file.
$MisName	File name of a missing member or file.
$MisNum	Number of files that failed in a group.
$MisStmt	Statement that caused the ON unit to be entered.
$Mod	Remainder that results when one argument is divided by the another argument.
$Occurs	Whether a field has the OCCURS attribute.
$Oneof	Table lookup that can replace a series of IF conditions.
$Pack	Packed decimal representation of a string.
$Pad	Designated character padded to the left.
$PadR	Designated character padded to the right
$Parse	Part of string preceding character in delimiter set
$ParseX	Part of string following character in delimiter set
$Post	Indicates that an event has occurred; the thread waiting on an ECB can resume processing.
$PrcLEx	$list of information about procedures in file
$PrcLExG	$list of information about procedures in group or file
$Priorty	Change a user's priority
$Proc_List	$list of information about procedures in file
$Proc_ListG	$list of information about procedures in group or file
$Proc_Touch	Change a procedure's last-update date and user
$ProcCls	Close procedure before reaching end
$ProcDat	Add lines from procedure to $list
$ProcGet	Next line of procedure
$ProcLoc	Locate any of set of strings in procedure
$ProcOpn	Open procedure for $ProcDat, $ProcGet, $ProcLoc
$Random_Seed	Build seed specifying series of $Random results
$Random	Get next random number
$RdProc	Lines of a User Language procedure, retrieved in sequential order, that is stored in a Model 204 file.
$Read	An echo of the data a user enters as a request is evaluated
$ReadInv	Performs the same function as $READ, except that input from the terminal is not echoed.
$ReadLc	An echo of the data a user enters as a request is evaluated, except that case translation is deactivated, regardless of the current *UPPER or *LOWER setting.
$RegexMatch	Whether string matches regex
$RegexReplace	Replace matching strings
$Remote	VTAMNAME value of the originating Model 204 region when using SNA Communications Server (formerly VTAM) TRANSFER to transfer between Model 204 regions.
$Resetn	Reset or view M204 parameter
$Reverse	Reversed order of a string.
$RlcFile	Name of the file in which the last record locking conflict occurred.
$RlcRec	Internal record number for which the last record locking conflict occurred.
$RlcUid	ID of the user who caused an ON FIND CONFICT or ON RECORD LOCKING CONFLICT. If the conflicting user is on a remote node, $RLCUID also returns the name of the node.
$RlcUsr	User number of the user with which the request conflicted when the last record locking conflict occurred.
$Round	Number, rounded to a specified number of decimal places.
$Scan	After comparing two strings, a number equal to the first position within the first string at which the second string appears; the same function as $INDEX.
$Sclass	Current user's subsystem user class.
$ScrHide	Hide lines in SCREEN
$ScrSize	Change size of field on SCREEN
$ScrWide	Allow SCREEN to accept fields wider than 79
$Session, $Session_Id, $Session_Owner,    and $Session_Timeout	Return values for currently open session
$Session_Close	Close an open session
$Session_Create	Create a new session
$Session_Delete	Delete a session
$Session_List	Get list of sessions
$Session_Open	Open a session
$Setg_Subsys_List	Get list of subsystem-wide globals
$Setg_Subsys	Set subsystem-wide global
$Setg_Sys_List	Get list of system-wide globals
$Setg_Sys	Set system-wide global
$Setg	A created or changed entry in the global variable section of GTBL.
$SetL	Sets the current line counter for the output device currently in effect.
$SetP	Sets the current page number for the output device currently in effect.
$SetStat	Set local system statistic
$Sir_Date	Get current datetime
$Sir_DateFmt	Validate datetime format
$Sir_DateN	Current date and time as number of seconds/300
$Sir_DateND	Current date as number of days
$Sir_DateNM	Current date and time as number of milliseconds
$Sir_DateNS	Current date and time as number of seconds
$Sir_Date2N	Convert datetime string to number of seconds/300
$Sir_Date2ND	Convert datetime string to number of days
$Sir_Date2NM	Convert datetime string to number of milliseconds
$Sir_Date2NS	Convert datetime string to number of seconds
$Sir_Login	Perform secured web or sockets login
$Sir_ND2Date	Convert datetime number of days to string
$Sir_NM2Date	Convert datetime number of milliseconds to string
$Sir_NS2Date	Convert datetime number of seconds to string
$Sir_N2Date	Convert datetime number of seconds/300 to string
$Sir_Wild	Test string against a wildcard string
$SirJGet	Place audit trail data on $list
$SirMsg	Line of current $SirMsgP procedure
$SirMsgP	Load procedure for retrieval via $SirMsg
$SirParm	Set user-specific value, controlling Sirius products
$SirProd	Determine availability of Sirius product or capability
$SirSite	Current Sirius customer site ID
$SirTime	Current time as YYDDDHHMISSXX
$SirVer	Current version number of Sirius product
$SirWarn	Send warning or message to user(s)
$Slstats	Resets the recording of since-last statistics anywhere within a request.
$SndMail	Send an email message
$Sndx	SOUNDEX code of an argument.
$Square	A number multiplied by itself.
$SsStat	Retrieve subsystem's statistics into string
$SsStatL	Retrieve statistics for set of subsystems into $list
$Stat	Current value of any user statistic.
$StatD	Calculate differences and rates for statistics strings
$StatLD	Calculate differences and rates for statistics $lists
$Status	The success or failure of the last executed external I/O or program communication statement.
$StatusD	More detailed description of a condition returned by $STATUS.
$Str	Treat a longstring as string
$StrAnd	Bit-wise AND two strings
$Strip	A number with suppressed leading zeros.
$StrOr	Bit-wise OR two strings
$StrXor	Bit-wise exclusive OR two strings
$SubCnt	Count occurrences of one string in another
$SubErs	Remove occurrence of one string from another
$SubIns	Insert string inside another string
$SubRep	Replace occurrences of string
$Substr	Substring of a string.
$Subsys	Status of an APSY subsystem.
$SyStat	Retrieve system statistics into string
$TableC	Information provided by TABLEC command
$TermId	Terminal ID of current user thread
$Time	Current time in hh:mm:ss format.
$TkStat	Retrieve task's statistics into string
$TkStatL	Retrieve statistics for all tasks into $list
$TsoAtt	Attach program in user's TSO address space
$TsoCall	Call program in user's TSO address space
$TsoCan	Cancel program invoked via $TsoAtt
$TsoCmd	Invoke command in user's TSO address space
$TsoExec	Invoke CLIST in user's TSO address space
$TsoExit	Terminate TSO full screen interface session, stack command
$TSOId	TSO userid user's thread
$TSOStat	Status of program invoked via $TsoAtt
$TSOWait	Wait for program invoked via $TsoAtt to complete
$Unbin	Value converted from binary to string representation.
$Unbind_and_$UnbindW	$Unbind and $UnbindW: Unbind resource previously bound via $Bind
$Unblank	Contents of an argument, removing leading and trailing blanks, and compressing multiple embedded blanks to one blank character.
$Unfloat	Character string that represents a numeric counted string of 4 or 8 bytes, which contains a floating point.
$Unpack	Unpacked decimal data
$UnPost	Resets a specified Event Control Block (ECB) to an unposted state.
$UnqRec	In the case of a uniqueness violation, returns the file-relative record number of the record that already contains the field name = value pair If no uniqueness violation occurred. returns -1.
$UnSpace	Normalize spaces and quotes
$Upcase	An uppercase string converted from a lower or mixed case string.
$Update	Name of the group update file or the current file.
$UpdFile	Name of the file in which a field level constraint violation has occurred, or a blank if no violation occurred.
$UpdFld	Name of the field for which a field level constraint violation has occurred, or a blank if no violation occurred.
$UpdLoc	Location name (node name) of the current update unit (Parallel Query Option/204 only).
$UpdOval	Value of the original field occurrence causing a constraint violation, when invoked from an ON FCC unit following the detection of an AT-MOST-ONE field-level constraint conflict.
$UpdRec	File-relative record number of the record whose update caused a field level constraint violation, or -1 if no violation occurred.
$UpdStat	Numeric value denoting the type of field level constraint violation that has occurred, or 0 if no violation occurred.
$UpdStmt	Type of User Language updating statement causing a field level constraint violation, or a blank if no violation occurred.
$UpdVal	Field value causing a field level constraint violation, or a blank if no violation occurred.
$UseASA	Prevent carriage control in USE output
$User	User's user number.
$Userid	User ID under which the user is logged in.
$UsrPriv	Whether a user ID has been granted specific Model 204 privileges.
$UsStat	Retrieve user's statistics into string
$UsStatL	Retrieve statistics for set of users into $list
$Verify	Whether every character in one string is present in a second string.
$View	Value of a parameter.
$Vnum	Whether a given argument is in a valid format for a SORT BY VALUE NUMERICAL statement or for any type of mathematical operation.
$Wait	Suspend a user until an Event Control Block (ECB) is posted.
$WakeUp	Pause user until specified time
$Web_xxx	List of Janus Web Server $functions
$Windex	Word number of first occurrence of word in phrase
$Word	P word in a specified string, delimited by a blank or optionally specified character.
$Words	Number of words in a specified string, delimited by a blank or optionally specified character.
$X2C	One-byte EBCDIC characters translated from a string of 2-byte hexadecimal character.
$X2D	Convert hex string to integer

Using functions

You can use functions in several ways, including, as a term in:

• An expression in a variable assignment statement, for example:

%X=$EDIT(2573,'99999')

• The specifications in a PRINT statement

A PRINT statement can include a function call anywhere a field name can be used. For example:

PRINT $EDIT(2573,'99999')

• An expression in a conditional statement, for example:

IF $EDIT(2573,'99999') EQ 02573 THEN...

• An expression which serves as the argument to another function, for example:

%L=$LEN($EDIT(2573,'99999'))

The direct use of function calls in some statements, such as FIND, results in compilation errors.

Comparing successful and unsuccessful $function code

If your request is coded as follows:

BEGIN $EDIT(2573,'99999') END

The following error is your result:

*** 1 M204.0229: INVALID STATEMENT $EDIT(2573,'99999')

However, if you code your request as follows, it works properly:

BEGIN PRINT $EDIT(2573,'99999') * Or * * %X=$EDIT(2573,'99999') * END

Function return values

Each function returns a single value to the calling request. For example, this function sets %A equal to the user's login account name:

%a = $account

This function causes the length of the current value of the FULLNAME field to be compared to 10:

IF $LEN(FULLNAME) GT 10 THEN . . .

Function arguments

Some functions require one or more arguments which allow you to pass information to the subroutine. Some functions take no arguments. Arguments must be enclosed in parentheses and separated by commas. For example:

IF $READ('CONTINUE?') EQ 'YES' THEN . . . %X = $mod(COUNT IN CT, %BASE)

Rules for function arguments

Function arguments follow the normal rules for arithmetic expressions. Arguments can include other function calls and can perform any type of computation. See the section Expressions for detailed information on expression syntax.

Argument evaluation and conversion

Model 204 evaluates each argument to a function as either a string or a number. When this data type conflicts with the data type required by the function, the following rules apply:

• If an argument is expected to be numeric but is a string, Model 204 converts the string to a number according to the conversion rules described in the assignment statement discussion in Relationship between %variable assignment and declaration and Conversion.
• If an argument is expected to be a string but is numeric, Model 204 converts the number to a string.
• If the original number contains decimal places, they are lost during the conversion.

Sending email messages via $SndMail

The SOUL $SndMail function simplifies sending an email message to issuing a single function call. You can easily send an email message using SOUL without writing a procedure and without having an extensive knowledge of sockets or SMTP protocol.

Internet Protocol (IP) addressing

On z/OS systems only, Model 204 supports both IPv6 and IPv4 addressing.

Limitations of $SndMail under z/VM and z/VSE

$SndMail is supported with the following exceptions:

• The SMTPCADD and SMTPSADD addresses must be supplied in internet protocol (IP) address protocol, not as domain names. You must supply IPv4 (dotted-decimal) internet addresses for the SMTPCADD and SMTPSADD parameters.
• Likewise, if the client and server names are specified using the SMAILD image rather than using the CCAIN parameters SMTPCADD and SMTPSADD, the SERVERDDNAME and CLIENTDDNAME values must be supplied rather than the SERVERNAME and CLIENTNAME values.
• Model 204 does not support IPv6 addressing on z/VM or z/VSE systems.

Enabling $SndMail

The first requirement for enabling the use of $SndMail is to set the following four required CCAIN parameters:

Parameter	SMTP purpose
SMTPCADD	SMTP client address. The client is the Model 204 address space. On z/OS systems: Set this parameter to one of the following: Symbolic name, such as MYMVS1, or SMTP.MYDOMAIN.COM. Dotted decimal address, such as 182.148.55.206. IPV6 address, with up to 8 halfwords separated by colons, such as C0:12:46:F0:00:00:00:01, which can also be written as C0:12:46:F0::01. In other words, the double colon shows that there are missing halfwords of binary zeros. On z/VM or z/VSE systems: Set this parameter to the dotted decimal address, such as 182.148.55.206.
SMTPCPRT	SMTP client port. The default value is 7700.
SMTPSADD	SMTP server address. On z/OS systems: Set this parameter to one of the following: Symbolic name, such as MYMVS1, or SMTP.MYDOMAIN.COM. Dotted decimal address, such as 182.148.55.206. IPV6 address, with up to 8 halfwords separated by colons, such as C0:12:46:F0:00:00:00:01, which can also be written as C0:12:46:F0::01. On z/VM or z/VSE systems: Set this parameter to the dotted decimal address, such as 182.148.55.206.
SMTPSPRT	SMTP server port. The default value is 25, which is standard for most SMTP servers.

Your system manager can dynamically reset these parameters while the run is up. If you use the domain name for either SMTPCADD or SMTPSADD, you must have the following DD allocated to the Online:

//SYSTCPD DD DSN=TCPIP.PROFILE(TCPDATA),DISP=SHR

This is the TCP/IP profile data set required to support the resolution of IP domain names.

On some SMTP servers, a valid email address is required for the %from argument in the $SndMail function. Most SMTP activity requires a valid SMTP server.

$SndMail and BATCH204

$SndMail is supported in BATCH204 if you relink BATCH204 with the following objects after V7R4 installation:

• TC62 (or TC62DOS on z/VSE systems)
• TCIU
• TCSE
• LU62
• FUNR (or FUNRDOS on z/VSE systems)

After relinking you need to ensure that the following SMTP parameters are set in the ONLINE and BATCH204 CCAIN:

• SMTPCADD
• SMTPSADD
• SMTPCPRT
• SMTPSPRT

$SndMail syntax

The $SndMail function sends an email message using the values you enter for the $SndMail arguments. $SndMail lets you send an email message with an optional attachment.

The syntax for the $SndMail function is:

$SndMail(%subj, %rcpt, %body, %from, %to, %cc, %bcc, 'EMAILD', %attach, 'C')

Where:

• %SUBJ, which is optional, specifies a %variable or literal that contains the topic line.
• %RCPT, which is optional, specifies a %variable or an image that contains the destination addresses, separated by commas.

  If %RCPT is omitted, the destination addresses are taken from the %TO, %CC and %BCC arguments.

  If %RCPT is an image, the image name must be enclosed within quotation marks, for example 'DEPT-ADDR'.

• %BODY specifies a %variable or an image that contains the text of the message. If %BODY is an image, the image name must be enclosed in quotation marks, for example 'MSG-TXT'.
• %FROM specifies a %variable that contains the FROM header field of up to 255 bytes. Although %FROM is optional, you should supply it, otherwise messages could fail when speaking to another SMTP server. If %FROM is omitted, the logged-on user ID is used. The email server may append the domain name to the given %FROM value.
• %TO, %CC, and %BC, which are optional, specify a %variable that contains the TO, CC, and BCC header fields, respectively, of up to 255 bytes each.

  Address must be enclosed in carets (<>), for example: M204-help <M204support@rocketsoftware.com>.

• 'EMAILD', which is optional, specifies image data. The parameter provides the ability to override the values specified in CCAIN for SMTPSPRT, SMTPCPRT, SMTPSADD, and SMTPCADD. If 'EMAILD' is present, it must be in the following format, with the items in the following order:

  * EMAILD - IMAGE WITH SMTP PARAMETERS IMAGE EMAILD SERVERPORT IS BINARY LEN 4  ;*SMTPSPRT CLIENTPORT IS BINARY LEN 4  ;*SMTPCPRT SERVERNAME IS STRING LEN 255  ;*SMTPSADD CLIENTNAME IS STRING LEN 255  ;*SMTPCADD SERVERDD IS STRING LEN 15  ;*Server dotted decimal address IPv4 format (optional) CLIENTDD IS STRING LEN 15  ;*Client dotted decimal address IPv4 format (optional) SERVERIPV6 IS STRING LEN 45  ;*Server dotted decimal address IPv6 format (optional) CLIENTIPV6 IS STRING LEN 45  ;*Client dotted decimal address IPv6 format (optional) END IMAGE

  The SERVERIPV6 and CLIENTIPV6 fields are provided for the IPv6 colon-separated network addresses. These two fields are optional, to provide backward compatibility.

• %ATTACH, which is optional, specifies a %variable or literal with the name of an attachment that will be appended to the message. The attachment is assumed to be in the Universal Buffer at offset 0 (also called position 1). The length of the attachment is defined by the $Buffer_Used value. If the %ATTACH parameter is omitted, there is no attachment.

  The function encodes the attachment using Base64 encoding, and may also translate it depending on the 10th argument.

• 'C', which is optional and is available as of Model 204 version 7.5, specifies that the object in the buffer will be translated to ASCII before being attached to the email. Alternatively, you can set this parameter to a percent variable with the value 'C'. For example, translation to ASCII could be useful if the $SndMail attachment is a CLOB (CHARACTER-LARGE-OBJECT) such as a text document. If this argument is not specified with the value 'C' or 'c', the attachment is sent as binary, that is, without translation.

  In this example, the CLOB.TXT attachment will be translated to ASCII before being attached to the email:

  %RC = $SndMail(%SUBJECT,,%BODY,%FROM,%TO,,,,'CLOB.TXT','C')

Setting CCAIN parameters for $SndMail

You can set the following CCAIN parameters as default values for $SndMail.

• SMTPCADD is the default SMTP client address, the TCP/IP domain for the operating system, for $SndMail. You can sp ecify SMTPCADD as:
  • (z/OS, z/VM, or z/VSE) Internet Protocol (IP) address, IPv4 format.
  • (z/OS) Domain name of up to 255 bytes. If the first character of the address is an alphabetic character (A to Z), it is automatically evaluated as a domain name.
  • (z/OS) IPV6 address, with up to 8 halfwords separated by colons, such as: C0:12:46:F0:00:00:00:01, which can also be written as C0:12:46:F0::01. In other words, the double colon shows that there are missing halfwords of binary zeros.

  You can override SMTPCADD for a specific call by entering a different value in the EMAILD argument of the $SndMail function call.

• SMTPCPRT is the default SMTP client port for the $SndMail function. The value can be any value in the user range — normally above 4095 and up to 32767.

  You can override SMTPCPRT for a specific call by entering a different value in the EMAILD argument of the $SndMail function call.

• SMTPSADD is the default SMTP server address for $SndMail. You can specify SMTPSADD as:
  • (z/OS, z/VM, or z/VSE) Internet Protocol (IP) address, IPv4 format.
  • (z/OS) Domain name of up to 255 bytes. If the first character of the address is an alphabetic character (A to Z), it is automatically evaluated as a domain name.
  • (z/OS) IPV6 address, with up to 8 halfwords separated by colons, such as: C0:12:46:F0:00:00:00:01, which can also be written as C0:12:46:F0::01. In other words, the double colon shows that there are missing halfwords of binary zeros.

  You can override SMTPSADD for a specific call by entering a different value in the EMAILD argument of the $SndMail function call.

• SMTPSPRT is the default SMTP server port for $SndMail. SMTPSPRT is normally set to the standard SMTP value of 25. You can override SMTPSPRT for a specific call by entering a different value in the EMAILD argument of $SndMail.

Examples of running $SndMail

Example 1

%FROM = 'me@mydomain.com' %TO = 'My Friend <you@yourdomain.com>' %BNAME = 'mypicture.jpg' MODIFY BUFFER CLEAR IN LOBSVR FOR 1 RECORD WHERE SVRKEY = %SVRKEY %ISIZE = $LOBLEN(SVRLOB) PRINT 'SIZE OF ' WITH %SVRKEY WITH ' IS ' WITH %ISIZE BUFFER, 1, %ISIZE = SVRLOB, 1, %ISIZE END FOR PRINT 'BUFFER USED IS ' WITH $buffer_used %SUBJECT = 'THIS SENDS A JPG FROM LOBSVR - ' WITH %SVRKEY %BODY = 'THIS BODY CONTAINS ' WITH %SVRKEY %RC = $SNDMAIL(%SUBJECT,,%BODY,%FROM,%TO,,,,%BNAME)

In the previous example, a binary object (BLOB) is retrieved from the database and placed at position 1 in the buffer. $SndMail sends this as a Base64-encoded attachment.

Note: The second parameter (the RCPTTO addresses) is omitted. The function creates this using the %TO parameter.

Example 2

%TO ='JANE <YOU@YOURCORP.COM>' %BODY='See you at 9:30 AM tomorrow in the conference room' %RC =$SNDMAIL(,,%BODY,,%TO)

Example 3

The EMAILD argument is used to override the default domain names and ports.

IMAGE EMAILD SERVERPORT IS BINARY LEN 4  ;*SMTPSPRT CLIENTPORT IS BINARY LEN 4  ;*SMTPCPRT SERVERNAME IS STRING LEN 255  ;*SMTPSADD CLIENTNAME IS STRING LEN 255  ;*SMTPCADD END IMAGE PREPARE IMAGE EMAILD %EMAILD:SERVERNAME = 'MAIL.SERVER.COM' %EMAILD:CLIENTNAME = 'MYMVSSYSTEM' %EMAILD:SERVERPORT = 25 %EMAILD:CLIENTPORT = 5601 %FROM = 'ME@MYCORP.COM' %TO = 'JANE <YOU@YOURCORP.COM>' * RCPTTO is defined as an image here, allowing the string of * addressees to be more than 255 bytes long. IMAGE RCPTTO EMRCPT1 IS STRING LEN 255 END IMAGE PREPARE IMAGE RCPTTO %RCPTTO:EMRCPT1 = 'YOU@YOURCORP.COM' IMAGE BODY BODY1 IS STRING LEN 240 BODY2 IS STRING LEN 240 END IMAGE PREPARE IMAGE BODY %S = 'EXAMPLE 1' /? SUBJECT LINE  ?/ %BODY:BODY1 = 'THIS IS BODY1 WHICH IS PART OF AN IMAGE' %BODY:BODY2 = 'SO THE BODY TEXT CAN BE MORE THAN 255 BYTES LONG' %RC = $SNDMAIL(%S,'RCPTTO','BODY',%FROM,%TO,,,'EMAILD')

Example 4

This example illustrates using EMAILD in an IPV6 environment. The lines that differ from Example 3 are shown in bold.

IMAGE EMAILD SERVERPORT IS BINARY LEN 4  ;*SMTPSPRT CLIENTPORT IS BINARY LEN 4  ;*SMTPCPRT SERVERNAME IS STRING LEN 255  ;*SMTPSADD CLIENTNAME IS STRING LEN 255  ;*SMTPCADD SERVERDD IS STRING LEN 15  ;*Server dotted decimal address IPv4 format (optional) CLIENTDD IS STRING LEN 15  ;*Client dotted decimal address IPv4 format (optional) SERVERIPV6 IS STRING LEN 45  ;*Server dotted decimal address IPv6 format (optional) CLIENTIPV6 IS STRING LEN 45  ;*Client dotted decimal address IPv6 format (optional) END IMAGE PREPARE IMAGE EMAILD %EMAILD:SERVERPORT = 25 %EMAILD:CLIENTPORT = 5601 %EMAILD:SERVERNAME = 'MAIL.SERVER.COM' %EMAILD:CLIENTIPV6 = 'C0:12:46:F0::01' %FROM = 'ME@MYCORP.COM' %TO = 'JANE <YOU@YOURCORP.COM>' * RCPTTO is defined as an image here, allowing the string of * addressees to be more than 255 bytes long. IMAGE RCPTTO EMRCPT1 IS STRING LEN 255 END IMAGE PREPARE IMAGE RCPTTO %RCPTTO:EMRCPT1 = 'YOU@YOURCORP.COM' IMAGE BODY BODY1 IS STRING LEN 240 BODY2 IS STRING LEN 240 END IMAGE PREPARE IMAGE BODY %S = 'EXAMPLE 1' /? SUBJECT LINE ?/ %BODY:BODY1 = 'THIS IS BODY1 WHICH IS PART OF AN IMAGE' %BODY:BODY2 = 'SO THE BODY TEXT CAN BE MORE THAN 255 BYTES LONG' %RC = $SNDMAIL(%S,'RCPTTO','BODY',%FROM,%TO,,,'EMAILD')

ASCII translation

All text, except an optional binary attachment, is translated from EBCDIC to ASCII before sending.

Line ends

Text that is part of the header and body can include EBCDIC CRLF strings (X'0D25') that are translated to ASCII along with the rest of the text.

Reserved names

$SndMail uses Interface names CCAEM000 through CCAEM999. The user does not specify these names — the link name is generated by the function.

Socket limits

Up to 31 sockets are available on each link. If no more sockets are available on a particular link (CCAEM000, for example), the next link is tried. Thus, a maximum of 31,000 simultaneous email threads is theoretically possible.

Size of email message

The FROM, TO, CC, BCC, RCPTTO addresses, and body length, excluding the optional binary attachment, must total less than 27454 bytes.

Return code

$SndMail returns a fixed full word binary return code. See Handling error condition return codes for possible values.

RCPTTO parameter

If the $SndMail EMAILD argument is omitted, the RCPTTO addresses are constructed from the addresses contained in the %TO, %CC, and %BCC arguments.

The sum of the lengths of the RCPTTO address string, (If supplied) and the body text cannot exceed 30,700.

Using quotation marks

You must enclose the names of images within quotation marks, for example: 'BODY'. However, do not enclose the percent variable values within quotation marks, for example: %SUBJECT, not '%SUBJECT'.

Server and client names in the EMAILD parameters

In the EMAILD image, on a z/OS system, you can specify either or both the server and client names as domain names, for example: SMTPSERVER.YOURDOMAIN.COM or as an Internet Protocol (IP) address. If you specify the domain name, a TCP/IP call looks up the IP address.

• If one field is present, all fields must be present, even if the optional fields are left blank.
• If a name or port field is absent, it is taken from the CCAIN parameters SMTPSADD, SMTPCADD, SMTPSPRT, and SMTPCPRT.

The two port parameters have defaults: the SMTPSPRT default is 25; the SMTPCPRT default is 7700.

The two address parameters, SMTPSADD and SMTPCADD, can be specified either as domain names of up to 255 bytes or as IP addresses. If the address begins with an alphabetic character (A to Z), it is automatically evaluated as a domain name.

The four CCAIN default parameters SMTPSADD, SMTPCADD, SMTPSPRT, and SMTPCPRT can be examined using VIEW and changed using RESET.

References

For more information about the standards used in this function, please refer to these Internet Request for Comments documents:

• RFC822, Standard for the format of ARPA Internet Text Messages
• RFC2821, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
• RFC3548, The Base16, Base32, and Base64 Data Encoding

Error codes for $SndMail

$SndMail issues a return code. An error in $SndMail gives a return code of -1, and it is $StatusD that contains the error code.

The negative error codes starting with -999 are listed in Handling error condition return codes.

It is also possible that $SndMail will return a positive error code, which comes from TCP/IP and is documented in the IBM TCP/IP documentation, TCP/IP V3.2 for MVS: API Reference, Appendix D. For example, an error code of 60 means that the connection attempt timed out. $SOCKET calls give the same errors.

However, in the case of a non-zero (error) return code, the following message is issued to the user:

M204.2799: $SndMail error errortext

When an attempt is made to set or reset the SMTPCADD or SMTPSADD parameters and the address translation fails, Model 204 issues the following messages:

RESET SMTPCADD CCAGGGG *** M204.2834: ADDRESS LOOKUP FAILED FOR CCAGGGG *** 1 M204.1123: PARAMETER SMTPCADD NOT RESET

Handling error condition return codes

Handling error condition return codes lists the possible $SOCKET return codes.

$Socket return codes

SMTP Error text	Numeric value	Meaning
ERBADARG	-999	BAD ARGUMENT
ERNOTOPN	-998	NOT OPEN
ERNOSTOR	-997	NO STORAGE
ERIMAGER	-996	IMAGE FAILURE
ERBADLNK	-995	BAD LINK
ERNOTREL	-994	SOCD NOT RELEASED
ERPHYERR	-993	LINK DEAD
ERNOLINK	-992	LINK UNKNOWN
ERTRUNC	-991	VARIABLE TRUNCATION (READ CALL)
ERNOSOCK	-990	SOCKET NOT FOUND
ERTRUNC2	-989	TRUNCATION ERROR ON IMAGE
EROPSYS	-988	FUNCTION UNSUPPORTED ON THIS OPSYS
	-987	Not used
ERNOSRCD	-986	NO SRCD
ERFDSLIM	-985	TOO MANY SOCKETS
ERBADUBN	-984	UNIVERSAL BUFFER NOT THERE
ERBADUBL	-983	UNIVERSAL BUFFER LENGTH ERROR
ERBADUBA	-982	UNIVERSAL BUFFER ALLOCATION ERROR
EREMREAD	-981	ERROR WITH EMAIL SERVER READ
EREMWRIT	-980	ERROR WITH EMAIL SERVER WRITE
ERGHBERR	-979	SKIP=0 ERROR ON GETHOST CALL
ERGHERR1	-978	T1 LT 0 ERROR ON GETHOST CALL
ERGHERR2	-977	NO ADDRESSES RETURNED

When an error message (with code 5xx) is returned from the SMTP server, the following error message is displayed:

M204.2796: 'SMTP %C'

where %C is the error message returned by SMTP.

For the other error codes above, the following error message is returned, in addition to $StatusD being set.

M204.2799: '$SndMail error errorText'

where %C is listed in the following table:

Error text message possibilities for M204.2799

%C in message 2799	$StatusD code(s)
IN PARAMETER	999
- SOCKET NOT FOUND	990
- FUNCTION NOT SUPPORTED ON THIS SYSTEM	998
- NO SRCD	986
- TOO MANY SOCKETS	985
WITH UNIVERSAL BUFFER	984, 983, 982
Reading from SMTP server	981
Writing to SMTP server	980
Using GETHOSTBYNAME lookup	979, 978, 977
GETTING STORAGE	997
IN IMAGE PROCESSING	996
WITH TCP LINK	995, 998, 993, 992
- SOCD NOT RELEASED	994
READING DATA - TRUNCATION	991

User-written functions

In addition to the functions provided by SOUL, some customer sites write their own functions based on their particular needs. Before using any user-written functions, make sure that your site's FUNU module has been reassembled with the macro library supplied with the current release. Also, please be sure to carefully test your user-written functions before your system goes into production.

Notes:

• It is recommended that all user-written functions use the STMG/LMG Assembly Language instructions to save and restore any registers that are modified.
• The RESULT macro does not work in Model 204 Version 5.1 and later. Change any use of the RESULT macro in $functions to use the standard LEAVENUM, LEAVEF0 and LEAVESTR macros.
• In addition to the above considerations, see the installation instructions relating to FUNU.

Customers are individually responsible for any functions they write. Rocket Software takes no responsibility for user-written functions or their documentation.