REDEFINE

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# REDEFINE

`REDEFINE` |  | operand1 ( |  | n `X` |  | ) |
operand2

This document covers the following topics:

- REDEFINE Usage

- REDEFINE Restriction

- REDEFINE Syntax Description

- REDEFINE Examples

For an explanation of the symbols used in the syntax diagram, see Syntax Symbols.

Belongs to Function Group: Reporting Mode Statements

## REDEFINE Usage

The `REDEFINE` statement is used to redefine a field. The resulting definition may consist of one or more user-defined variables.

With one `REDEFINE` statement, several fields may be redefined.

## REDEFINE Restriction

The `REDEFINE` statement is only valid in reporting mode. To redefine a field in structured mode, use the `REDEFINE` clause of the `DEFINE DATA` statement.

## REDEFINE Syntax Description

Operand Definition Table:

Operand | Possible Structure | Possible Formats | Referencing Permitted | Dynamic Definition
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
`operand1` |  | S | A | G |  | A | U | N | P | I | F | B | D | T | L | C |  |  | yes | no
`operand2` |  | S | A | G |  | A |  | N | P | I | F | B | D | T | L | C |  |  | yes | yes

Syntax Element Description:

Syntax Element | Description
--- | ---
`REDEFINE operand1 operand2` | Method of Redefinition: The byte positions of `operand1` are redefined from left to right regardless of format. The format of `operand2` can be different from the format of `operand1`. However, the data at the byte positions of `operand2` should match the format specification of `operand2` to avoid strange results in the output report. For example, if an alphanumeric field is redefined as numeric and does not contain numeric data according to the format specification, an abnormal termination may result when it is used. Further Redefinition: Fields defined using a `REDEFINE` statement may be subsequently redefined with another `REDEFINE` statement.
`nX` | Filler Notation: The `nX` notation is used to denote filler bytes within the field/variable being redefined. Any trailing `nX` notation is optional.

## REDEFINE Examples

- Example 1

- Example 2

- Example 3

- Example 4

### Example 1

The user-defined variable `#A` (format/length A10) contains the value `123ABCDEFG`.

    REDEFINE #A (#A1(N3) #A2(A7))

The value in `#A1` is `123`. The value in `#A2` is `ABCDEFG`.

### Example 2

The user-defined variable `#B` (format/length A10) contains the value (shown in hexadecimal format) `12345CC1C2C3C4C5C6C7`.

    REDEFINE #B (#B1(P4) #B2(A7))

The value in `#B1` is `12345C` (in hexadecimal format).

The value in `#B2` is `C1C2C3C4C5C6C7` (in hexadecimal format).

    REDEFINE #B (#BB1(B2)8X)) or REDEFINE #B(#BB1(B2))

The value in `#BB1` is `1234` (in hexadecimal format).

Note
For packed data (Format P), the number of decimal positions required must be specified. The following formula can be used to determine the number of bytes that the packed number occupies:

`Number of bytes = (number of decimal positions + 1) / 2`, rounded upwards to full bytes.

### Example 3

    COMPUTE #V (N8.2) = #Y (N10) = ...
    REDEFINE #V (3X  #A(N3)  2X  #P (N2))  #Y (#B(N3)  7X)

### Example 4

This example redefines the value of the system variable `*DATN`, which is in the form `YYYYMMDD`, and displays the result as three separate fields in the order day/month/year:

    MOVE *DATN TO #DATINT (N8)
    REDEFINE #DATINT (#YEAR (N4) #MONTH (N2) #DAY (N2))
    DISPLAY NOTITLE #DATINT #DAY #MONTH #YEAR
    END

#### Output:

     #DATINT  #DAY #MONTH #YEAR
    --------- ---- ------ -----

     20140326  26    3     2014

### On this page

- REDEFINE Usage
- REDEFINE Restriction
- REDEFINE Syntax Description
- REDEFINE Examples