Micro Focus Enterprise Developer 2.3 Update 2 for Eclipse > Programming > Mainframe Programming > AppMaster Builder > Reference > Customizer/Micro Focus Generator (MFG) > MFG Structures > &STRING

&STRING

Concatenates text strings, variable values, or expressions, and returns the result. Use &STRING instead of evaluation brackets to increase the level of semantic expression in the program, in the sense of indicating a string is being constructed.

Restriction: This topic applies only when the AppMaster Builder AddPack has been installed, and applies only to Windows platforms.

Syntax:

&STRING (expression, expression, ...)

Aliases:

&string (expression, expression, ...)
&String (expression, expression, ...)&CONCAT (expression, expression, ...) 
&concat (expression, expression, ...)
&Concat (expression, expression, ...)&CAT (expression, expression, ...) 
&cat (expression, expression, ...)
&Cat (expression, expression, ...)

Comments:

If any of the arguments are stored as a numeric type, MFG converts those arguments to a temporary text form before performing the matching process.

Examples:

Use &STRING instead of evaluation expressions to form concatenations.

Instead of <%&SQ&VAR1&VAR2&SQ>, where &SQ is a quote, code &STRING (&VAR1, &VAR2).
Instead of <%&CQ&VAR1+TEXT&VAR2&CQ>, where &CQ is an apostrophe, code &STRING (&VAR1, "TEXT", &VAR2).

Sample generated values.

&CONCAT ("ABC")  = "ABC"
&CONCAT ("")  = ""
&CONCAT ("ABC", "DEF")  = "ABCDEF"
&CONCAT ("ABC", 123)  = "ABC123"
&CAT ("ABC", "DEF")  = "ABCDEF"
&CAT ("ABC", "DEF", &I)  = "ABCDEFHIJ"  (where &I = "HIJ")
&STRING ("ABC")  = "ABC"
&STRING ("ABC", "DEF")  = ABCDEF
&STRING ("ABC", 123)  = ABC123