How do I return a Stem variable from a procedure?

[cpjust]

Hi,
Rexx is driving me crazy...
I'd like to call a function (procedure, whatever) and have it populate a stem with data, then return that stem.

I'm using TSO/Rexx on z/OS 1.4, and I wrote a sample program to test it and figure out how to get it working before trying to do it in my real script.

ADDRESS TSO
SIGNAL ON NOVALUE

arr. = ""
arr. = TestArray()
SAY "arr[0]:" arr.0
SAY "arr[1]:" arr.1
SAY "arr[2]:" arr.2
EXIT 0

TestArray: PROCEDURE
   array. = ""
   array.0 = 2
   array.1 = "Hello"
   array.2 = "World"
RETURN array.

When I run it, it just prints:
arr[0]:
arr[1]:
arr[2]:

Is it possible to do what I'm trying to do in Rexx?

 

[JoseAngel]

No. You cannot.
You must eliminate the keyword PROCEDURE, because it does all variables in the procedure local.
Perhaps you should use the REXX stack for that instead of stem variables.

Hope this help you

 

[cpjust]

Thanks, I expected as much. :-(
I'll keep PROCEDURE and just EXPOSE the stem.
Bad programming with a bad language...

 

[rexxhead]

No, simply bad programming. You expect to be able to type letters and numbers on your keyboard and get coherent results without actually understanding what you are typing. That hasn't ever worked, and it still doesn't.

Step #1: RTFM.


Frank Clarke
Tampa Area REXX Programmers' Alliance
REXX Language Assn Listmaster

 

[cpjust]

Using global variables is definitely bad programming, but a programming language that is so deficient that you have no choice but to use global variables or other bad programming practices is a bad language.