# Natural Statements - MASK or IS **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Natural, Natural-on-Mainframes\ **Created:** [February 4, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683 "2019-02-04T14:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Prakash_Parandhaman)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/1 "2019-02-04T14:00:00Z")
Hi, I am trying to find a variable length by using MASK parameter, but its not working. eg: Local 01 #INPUT (a8) end-define IF #INPUT EQ MASK(AAAAAAAA) write stmts else write stmts END-IF The #INPUT value may have 5 or 8 byte of alpha numeric data. If its 5 byte of data, then it should fall on else part. But its not happening. Kindly advice ---
**Author:** ![Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Prakash_Parandhaman)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/2 "2019-02-04T14:02:26Z")
#INPUT (a 8) ---
**Author:** ![Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Prakash_Parandhaman)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 2:04pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/3 "2019-02-04T14:04:11Z")
#INPUT (a 8 ) ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/4 "2019-02-04T18:26:25Z")
To get the length of the contents of a variable use EXAMINE. ```auto DEFINE DATA LOCAL 1 #A (A8) INIT <'12345'> 1 #L (I4) END-DEFINE EXAMINE #A FOR PATTERN '.' GIVING LENGTH #L DISPLAY #A #L END ``` ```auto Page 1 02/04/19 09:25:11 #A #L -------- ----------- 12345 5 ``` ---
**Author:** ![Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Prakash_Parandhaman)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/5 "2019-02-04T18:45:23Z")
Thanks… Is it not possible do via MASK stmt ---
**Author:** ![Ralph\_Zbrog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/ralph_zbrog/32/78_2.png) [@Ralph\_Zbrog](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Ralph_Zbrog)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/6 "2019-02-04T22:26:17Z")
If valid values were restricted to alphabetic characters or numeric digits, then MASK could be used, as long as there were no leading or embedded spaces. ```auto DEFINE DATA LOCAL 1 #A (A8) INIT <'AbCdEf'> 1 #L (I4) END-DEFINE IF #A = MASK (AAAAAAAA) THEN WRITE 'length is 8' ELSE IF #A = MASK (AAAAA' ') THEN WRITE 'length is 5' ELSE WRITE 'length is bad' END-IF END-IF END ``` ```auto DEFINE DATA LOCAL 1 #A (A8) INIT <'1234567'> 1 #L (I4) END-DEFINE IF #A = MASK (nnnnnnnn) THEN WRITE 'length is 8' ELSE IF #A = MASK (nnnnn' ') THEN WRITE 'length is 5' ELSE WRITE 'length is bad' END-IF END-IF END ``` But you can’t mix alpha and numeric because the mask for alphanumeric, C, includes ‘space’ as a valid character. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Robinson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/steve_robinson/32/107_2.png) [@Steve\_Robinson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Steve_Robinson)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/7 "2019-02-05T01:22:57Z")
If there is a value of five characters are the last three characters always blanks? If so, the most efficient solution would be: 1 #INPUT (a8) 1 redefine #input 2 filler 5x 2 #lastthree (a3) ::: IF #lastthree = ’ ’ /\* three blanks in the apostrophes \*\* guaranteed a five character value else guaranteed an eight character value end-if ---
**Author:** ![Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Prakash_Parandhaman)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 5:11am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/8 "2019-02-05T05:11:31Z")
Thanks Ralph & Steve ---
**Author:** ![Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Prakash\_Parandhaman](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Prakash_Parandhaman)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 5:20am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/9 "2019-02-05T05:20:05Z")
Hi Steve, Nope, the value on the field sometimes carries 3 or 5 or 8 byte of data and cant guarantee last characters with blank. May be I can move the value to left justified and try it out ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Robinson](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/user_avatar/techcommunity.softwareag.com/steve_robinson/32/107_2.png) [@Steve\_Robinson](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Steve_Robinson)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/10 "2019-02-05T13:51:39Z")
Hi Prakash, Originally you posed your problem with just 5 or 8 characters. You just changed that to 3, 5, or 8. So which is it , 5-8 or 3-5-8 ? If the last three characters are not blank for a 5 character value, how can you differentiate 5 from 8 characters? Can the first three characters be blank and the next 5 characters the value? If it is really a 3-5-8 problem and not a 5-8 problem, what are the possibilities? Would a three character value always have 5 leading blanks or 5 trailing blanks? Or, could it be, for example, bbXXXbbb, where X is a character and b a blank. Please clarify the problem. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/natural-statements-mask-or-is/202683/11 "2021-04-02T15:42:15Z")