To find an array of words (sys-symbols) inside members

alonki · New User Joined: 24 Jan 2022 Posts: 1 Location: ISRAEL

Hi to ya all,

Is there any way or technique that I can use in order to find an array of words (sys-symbols) inside members/modules? We want to know who use all the long list of our sys-symbols in order to cancel the ones that are not in use. Maybe there is some other way to do that without dealing with those kind of long and deep searches?

* I'm looking for a solution that I can implement in a job or a script (JCL, REXX, SYNCSORT, etc)

Thanks a lot,

Al.

sergeyken · Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 10:55 pm

You definitely cannot do it using JCL. No way.

Depending on your more detailed requirements, there are two most affordable, and quite simple solutions:

1) write a REXX script for almost any sophisticated search criteria.

2) for relatively simple search criteria, you can use some combination of system utilities used sequentially, several of this list:
- SUPERC
- IEBPTPCH
- IEBGENER
- FILEAID
- FILEMAN
- SYNCSORT/DFSORT (including SYNCTOOL/ICETOOL)
From my experience that list covered 90-95% of all required searches throughout libraries, and datasets; for the rest 5-10% REXX was more than enough.

P.S.
When you use either REXX script, or system utilities to perform your task, you often call many of them from a batch JCL, but this doesn't mean the problem is solved by JCL

My approach always was: not doing any task more complicated than it really is.

prino · Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:45 am

Use the squeak system.

Joerg.Findeisen · Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:03 pm

All methods referred to by @sergeyken are valid choices. You do not need to have all Utilities installed, the basic ones work very well.

Pete Wilson · Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 4:26 pm

PDSMAN's PDSM18 can also scan PDS members for specified strings, and optionally replace them. You can concatenate the PDS's to be searched on the input DD as well.

The problem with sys-symbols is they could be referenced on a JCL SET statement that assigns the value to a different name that is used within a proc or other bit of JCL.

Lynne · Active User Joined: 15 Jan 2015 Posts: 103 Location: USA

you can run the ISPF search in batch. I do it all the time to search all members of my specified datasets. You do have to specify what datasets you want to search.

It is explained in the ISPF User Guide II -do a find on SRCHFOR or SRCHFORC

here is an explanation with some jcl:
ruifeio.com/2017/07/11/using-superc-to-search-for-text-strings/

sergeyken · Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2022 7:05 am

Lynne · Active User Joined: 15 Jan 2015 Posts: 103 Location: USA

true. but examples always help.

Joerg.Findeisen · Posted: Mon Jan 31, 2022 5:01 am

Lynne · Active User Joined: 15 Jan 2015 Posts: 103 Location: USA