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REXX on VM/CMS

This tutorial accompanies the book The REXX Language on TSO.

Buy the book, then print out this document. Insert the pages into your REXX book.

You’ll also need my book "REXX Reference for TSO, OS/2 and CMS".

This short tutorial will show some of the differences between REXX on TSO and REXX on VM/CMS.

Naming your REXX program.

Give your program a 3 part name, such as MYPROG EXEC A1.

MYPROG is the program’s name.

EXEC is the required type qualifier. It means REXX or EXEC or EXEC2 language.

A1 is the disk qualifier. A1 is the default, read and write disk.

Executing the program.

type the name of the program on the command line

if program file name is MYPROG EXEC A1, type MYPROG

if you are in the editor, XEDIT, type CMS MYPROG

Use of Quote Marks

Quotes or apostrophes are suggested on CMS

‘ERASE MYPROG COBOL A1’ /* on CMS */

The Stack

On CMS, use "MAKEBUF" and ‘DROPBUF" instead of "NEWSTACK" and "DELSTACK".

External functions/subroutines get their name from their CMS file name.

A file named MYSUB EXEC A1 would be the external subroutine "MYSUB".

Host command environments

IBM VM/CMS has CMS, COMMAND, XEDIT

The default is CMS

EXECIO under VM/CMS has some extensions not found in TSO

can read from the reader

"EXECIO * CARD"

can send data to the punch and the printer

"EXECIO 1 PRINT"

"EXECIO 1 PUNCH"

can write a literal

"EXECIO 1 DISKW file type a1 (STRING MY OUTPUT"

can execute CP commands and capture the displayed output

"EXECIO * CP (STRING QUERY TIME"