# Question about Functions and Dynamic variables **URL:** \ **Category:** Forum\ **Tags:** Adabas-Natural, Natural, Natural-News-and-General-Topics\ **Created:** [April 3, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230 "2010-04-03T01:26:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@Stevie\_Lee](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Stevie_Lee)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/1 "2010-04-03T01:26:33Z")
I’m wanting to write a Function that will receive a string and determine if there are “invalid” characters in the string. I’d like the Function to handle flexible string sizes (dynamic) but the calling program shouldn’t have to define it’s string as dynamic. For example. program ```auto 0001 DEFINE DATA LOCAL 0002 1 #STR (A25) INIT <'ABC$123'> 0003 END-DEFINE 0004 * 0005 DEFINE PROTOTYPE HAS_INVALID_CHARS RETURNS (L) 0006 DEFINE DATA PARAMETER UNKNOWN 0007 END-DEFINE 0008 END-PROTOTYPE 0009 * 0010 IF HAS_INVALID_CHARS() 0011 write 'This string has invalid characters.' 0012 END-IF 0013 END ``` Note to web master: In line 10 above, the message editor removed a # before STR. function ```auto 0001 DEFINE FUCNTION HAS_INVALID_CHARS RETURNS (L) 0002 DEFINE DATA PARAMETER 0003 1 #PARM-STRING (A) DYNAMIC 0004 LOCAL ... 0009 END-DEFINE ...determine if string contains any specific special characters. I need more power than using MASK(S) 0013 IF #INVALID 0014 MOVE #INVALID TO HAS_INVALID_CHARS 0015 END-IF 0016 END-FUNCTION 0017 END ``` The problem: I’m getting a runtime error (NAT0969) indicating that the parameters don’t match. Yes, I could define a dynamic string (#str-d) in the program, move #str to #str-d, then pass #str-d to the function but that reduces the power using the function. Any ideas? By the way, Functions are awesome and if you’re not using them yet, you need to take a good look at them. Thanks, Stevie Lee J ---
**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:** [April 3, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/2 "2010-04-03T03:10:42Z")
I have not tried it and am leaving in 2 minutes; but have you tried to make the DYNAMIC parameter BY VALUE or BY VALUE RESULT? steve ---
**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:** [April 3, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/3 "2010-04-03T15:49:47Z")
I have now had time to try this. It works just fine. For example: define data local 1 #a (a10) INIT \<‘QWE’\> 1 #b (a10) INIT \<‘ASD’\> end-define \* define prototype dyntest returns (a10) define data parameter 1 #a (a10) 1 #b (a10) end-define end-prototype \* WRITE 5T ‘DATA FOR THIS PROGRAM’ / 5T ‘---------------------’ / 5T ‘=’ #A / 5T ‘=’ #B /// \* write 5t ‘output is :’ dyntest () END And here is the function dyntest DEFINE FUNCTION DYNTEST \* RETURNS (A10) \* - NOTE THE USE OF BY VALUE RESULT IN THE PDA - DEFINE DATA PARAMETER 1 #A (A) DYNAMIC BY VALUE RESULT 1 #B (A) DYNAMIC BY VALUE RESULT END-DEFINE - NOW WE GET TO THE “BODY” OF THE FUNCTION IF #A = #B MOVE ‘EQUAL’ TO DYNTEST ELSE MOVE ‘NOT EQUAL’ TO DYNTEST END-IF - END-FUNCTION END The above works just fine. Note that by making #a and #b not only DYNAMIC, but BY VALUE RESULT, I could accept any compatible format for them (different A, or (A) DYNAMIC), and also could change them in my function and have the change show up back in the program. I could also have define RETURNS as (A) DYNAMIC. steve ---
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Lee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ea924/32.png) [@Stevie\_Lee](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Stevie_Lee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/4 "2010-04-05T17:43:34Z")
Thanks Steve, by changing line 3 of the Function as follows ```auto 0003 1 #PARM-STRING (A) DYNAMIC BY VALUE ``` I’m getting the exact result I desired. Thanks, Stevie Lee J ---
**Author:** ![Anthony\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anthony\_Rose](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/Anthony_Rose)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/5 "2010-04-15T19:00:06Z")
I was interested to see your post, as I have written a function recently which provides extended MASK functionality for just this kind of purpose. In case you might find it helpful I’ve attached it to a post in the Natural Code Samples forum section. Here are the extended mask characters it provides: ```auto * @ = Any letter or digit, but not space * ^ = Space * + = Tab * | = Any of the delimiters Tab, Pipe, Comma or Semi-Colon. * - = Any of the date format delimiters Dash, Slash or Period. * {} = Hex string eg {0D0A09} = carriage return, line feed, tab * ~ = Any number (or none) of the next mask char. * Can be followed by m[:n] where m and n * are the min and max number of the char to find: * ~0x is the same as ~x * ~1x is at least one of the mask character x * ~2:5x scans for 2 to 5 instances of the character x * Note that this test finds the longest match it can. * Therefore, without a max, the subsequent mask test char * (after x) must not be a subset of x, as this will fail, * since all the string x's will have been passed by the ~x. * ¬ = Any one char which is NOT the next mask char. * Can be used with ~[m:n], eg ~1:2¬x * (but not directly before the ~) * [] = Optional characters, to be accepted if possible. * Note that preceding mask chars are tested independently, * whereas subsequent are tested together with the optional, * so YY[YY] means YY, optionally followed by another YY, * whereas [YY]YY means either YY or YYYY. * $ = User-defined set of characters * * Mask Examples: * * ¬A Any character except a letter. * ~@ Any letters or digits. * ~¬C Any chars which are not letters or digits or space. * ~^~$ Any spaces, then any chars which are in Set. * ¬$ Not a Set char, * e.g. if Set = '+-*/=' then any char but +-*/= * ~1¬@ One or more chars which are not letters or digits. * *A¬/ String contains a letter which is not at the end. * *P{0D}P String contains a carriage return * surrounded by printable characters. * * Call Examples: * * 1. IF MASK$( #String,'*|*¬|/' ) * * is TRUE if #String contains a delimiter, * and does not end with a delimiter. * * 2. IF MASK$( #String,'~1:5$/','"AEIOUaeiou"' ) * * is TRUE if #String contains 1 to 5 vowels only. * * 3. IF MASK$( #String,'*DD-MM-[YY]YY',,50,20 ) * * is TRUE if SUBSTRING(#String,50,20) * contains a date as dd,mm,yy or yyyy * separated by dashes, slashes or periods. * * 4. RESET #S #L * IF MASK$( #String,'*U*","N',,#S,#L ) * * is TRUE if #String contains an upper case letter * followed later by a comma & digit. * #S returns the position of U in the string * and #L returns the length * from U to first ,N inclusive. ``` ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/6 "2010-12-20T11:21:20Z")
Sorry to come in so late on this thread … . I tried Steve’s PROGRAM and FUNCTION with Natural v6.3.8 on Windows but it doesn’t work. It gets a NAT0285 error on the line: WRITE 5T ‘output is :’ DYNTEST () /\* error line Perhaps this was just a typo or a strange early behaviour which has been fixed ?? . 1. In the Program, the function call should be: WRITE 5T ‘output is :’ DYNTEST () /\* explicit Function call - and the “DEFINE PROTOTYPE” statement is optional - because we call the function explicitly with the correct function name (not dynamically with the function name in a variable) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 11:23am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/7 "2010-12-20T11:23:28Z")
Correction: DYNTEST () /\* ie. DYNTEST () ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/techcommunity/original/3X/c/d/cd19967bb605d28a72d77eb83a1cae22f3df2eb8.svg) [@system](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2010, 11:24am UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/8 "2010-12-20T11:24:54Z")
Ahh, I see the problem … stupid Editor replaces good text with garbage ! DYNTEST ( ) /\* Hash-A, Hash-B ---
**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, 2:58pm UTC](https://techcommunity.softwareag.com/t/question-about-functions-and-dynamic-variables/93230/9 "2021-04-02T14:58:18Z")