How can I run my Rexx program as a batch job?

Question

I have a Rexx program that I want to run as a batch job. How can I do this?

This is my program :-

/* Rexx – HELLO – Write Hello World */
Say \"hello Worl         


        

Answer 1

Yet more additional comments to the answer by MikeT...

Suppose you want your JCL to be self-contained: you want to include a REXX exec as an in-stream data set in the JCL, rather than referring to a REXX exec stored in a PDS member.

Here's the "trick" (for IRXJCL; I haven't tested this trick with other programs): specify a single null (X'00') byte as the value of the PARM attribute of the EXEC statement.

To specify the null byte, use the z/OS ISPF editor with HEX ON:

//REXX     EXEC PGM=IRXJCL,PARM=' '
66DCEE44444CECC4DCD7CDEDCD6DCDD7707
1195770000057530774E997133B7194ED0D

For example, if you entered PARM=' ' with a space as the value, overtype the 4 of the hex value of that space with a 0.

Here's an example job step containing an in-stream REXX exec that processes the output from a previous step in the same job:

//* PARM value is a single X'00' byte                          
//REXX     EXEC PGM=IRXJCL,PARM=' '                            
//SYSEXEC  DD   DATA,DLM=$$                                    
/*                                                             
   Transposes first line of input CSV into one record per field
   Reads CSV from ddname SYSTSIN.                              

   Writes output to ddname SYSTSPRT.                           
*/                                                             
columnSeparator = ","                                          

/* Get the header row */                                       
parse pull row                                                 
/* Get column names */                                         
do i = 1 until row = ""                                        
  parse value row with columnName "," row                      
  say columnName                                               
end                                                            
exit 0                           
$$                               
//SYSTSIN  DD  DSN=&&CSV,DISP=OLD
//SYSTSPRT DD  SYSOUT=*          

Notes:

• In this context, the first line of the REXX exec does not need to contain the string "REXX"
• DLM=$$ enables you to use REXX comment syntax (/*) without prematurely ending the in-stream data set
• &&CSV refers to a CSV file created by a previous job step (not shown)

I use this "in-stream REXX" technique mostly for ad hoc execs to transform the output of a batch program into what I really want. This technique can be useful for demonstrations and quickly bouncing ideas around; other developers can view the REXX code in situ in the JCL in SDSF output, tweak it, and then submit the tweaked version.