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Using Host Variables to Pass Parameter Values [ ALLBASE/SQL Advanced Application Programming Guide ] MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation


ALLBASE/SQL Advanced Application Programming Guide

Using Host Variables to Pass Parameter Values 

You can specify up to 1023 parameters for passing data between an
application and a procedure.  You can pass values into a procedure using
any SQL expression except a subquery, an aggregate function, or a LONG
column, string, TID or Date/Time function.  Refer to the ALLBASE/SQL 
Reference Manual "Expressions" chapter for more information.  (Built-in
variables cannot be used as parameters, since they are only available
within the procedure.)  Input parameter values can be passed using host
variables or literal values.  For any OUTPUT parameters, you must use
host variables.  (In the EXECUTE PROCEDURE clause of a CREATE RULE
statement, you can pass a column name as an input parameter, but column
names are not permitted in procedures invoked through the EXECUTE
PROCEDURE statement.)[REV BEG] Note that this section discusses static
parameters.  Dynamic parameters are discussed in the following section,
"Using Dynamic Procedure Parameters."[REV END]

The following example shows a procedure definition, followed by an
excerpt from an application program that executes the procedure
programmatically:

     CREATE PROCEDURE ManufDB.Process12
     (Operator CHAR(20),
     Shift CHAR(20),
     FailureType CHAR(10) NOT NULL) AS
     BEGIN
        INSERT INTO ManufDB.TestMonitor
            VALUES (:Operator, CURRENT_DATETIME,
            :Shift, :FailureType);
        IF ::sqlcode = 0 THEN
           COMMIT WORK;
           RETURN 0;
        ELSE
           RETURN 1;
        ENDIF;
     END;

The following example shows the execution of procedure ManufDB.Process12
using host variables to pass in the values for Operator, Shift, and
FailureType:

     First, declare host variables.  Note that the same names are used
     for host variables in the application program that were used in the
     parameter definitions of the CREATE PROCEDURE statement.  While
     this is not required, it helps in seeing the relationship between the
     procedure and the application program. 

          C Declarations:               COBOL Declarations: 

     EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION;   EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION END-EXEC.
        char Operator[21];             01   OPERATOR            PIC X(20).
        sqlind OperatorInd;            01   OPERATORIND         SQLIND.
        char Shift[21];                01   SHIFT               PIC X(20).
        sqlind ShiftInd;               01   SHIFTIND            SQLIND.
        char FailureType[11];          01   FAILURETYPE         PIC X(10).
     EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION;     EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION END-EXEC.

     A routine within the application program obtains values for
     Operator, Shift, and FailureType from a user who enters the data.
     If either Shift or Operator is null, the corresponding indicator
     variable is set to -1. 

     Next, call the procedure to enter the failure information into the
     database: 

     In C:                             In COBOL:

     EXEC SQL EXECUTE PROCEDURE        EXEC SQL EXECUTE PROCEDURE
     ManufDB.Process12(:Operator       ManufDB.Process12 (:OPERATOR
     :OperatorInd, :Shift              :OPERATORIND, :SHIFT
     :ShiftInd, :FailureType);         :SHIFTIND, :FAILURETYPE) END-EXEC.

Each host variable name in the EXECUTE PROCEDURE statement maps in
sequential order to a parameter definition in the CREATE PROCEDURE
statement.  Inside the procedure, values are referenced by parameter
name, not by host variable name.  Thus, parameter names and host variable
names need not be the same.

As in the example, you use indicator variables in the parameter list of
the EXECUTE PROCEDURE statement to indicate null values.  But inside the
procedure, the parameter itself contains the null value.  In order to
pass a null operator name to the procedure, you set the indicator
variable OperatorInd to -1 and the content of the host variable Operator 
is undefined.  Inside the procedure, the parameter Operator is set to
NULL, and this fact can be determined through a test:

     IF :Operator IS NULL THEN
       PRINT 'Parameter is null';
     ELSE
       PRINT :Operator;
     ENDIF;
[REV BEG]



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