Strip Formatting

Summary

The following are the RPG/LE fully free-form definitions and instructions needed for using the Strip Formatting service procedure. This service procedure simply allows the caller to strip all specified formatting delimiters out of a character string. If the delimiters are omitted then, by default, only blanks are stripped—including embedded blanks.

By Dave Clark

Service Prototype

Place the following in a separate copybook for inclusion in both the caller and the service program source members.

**free

//==============================================================================
// Strip all occurrences of the specified delimiter(s) from a string --
//       including embedded occurrences of those delimiters.  If delimiters
//       are omitted, then all blanks are stripped by default.
//==============================================================================
dcl-pr GenUtl_StripFormatting     varchar(512) rtnparm;
  StringValue           varchar(512)   const;
  DelimsValue           varchar(64)    const     options(*omit);
end-pr;

Service Procedure

Place the following in a service program source member.

**free
ctl-opt NoMain AlwNull(*UsrCtl) Debug Option(*SrcStmt:*NoDebugIo)
        DatFmt(*ISO) TimFmt(*ISO);

//==============================================================================
// Strip all occurrences of the specified delimiter(s) from a string --
//       including embedded occurrences of those delimiters.  If delimiters
//       are omitted, then all blanks are stripped by default.
//==============================================================================
dcl-proc GenUtl_StripFormatting   export;
  dcl-pi *n             varchar(512)   rtnparm;
    StringValue         varchar(512)   const;
    DelimsValue         varchar(64)    const     options(*omit);
  end-pi;

  dcl-s x               packed(3:0);
  dcl-s OutputString    like(StringValue);

  if %parms() < %parmnum(DelimsValue); // if omitted strip all blanks by default
    OutputString = GenUtl_ScanAndReplace(' ': %trim(StringValue): '');
  else;
    OutputString = %trimr(StringValue); // else, strip only trailing blanks
    for x = 1 to %len(DelimsValue);    // loop on formatting characters
      OutputString = GenUtl_ScanAndReplace( %subst(DelimsValue: x: 1)
                                          : OutputString: '' );
    endfor;
  endif;

  return OutputString;                 // return result string to caller
end-proc;

Examples

See the Format Phone Number service procedure.

See the Format Zip Code service procedure.

References

• GenUtl_ScanAndReplace service procedure