Normally, the ACCEPT statement causes the system to display the message specified by the parameter and then waits for an AX response. The ACCEPT statement then overwrites the parameter with the response text followed by a null character.
If the parameter is a pointer expression, then the pointer expression must point to EBCDIC characters and the message must be terminated by the EBCDIC null character (48"00"). If the parameter is a string variable or a subscripted string variable then they must be of type EBCDIC.
The response text is placed left-justified with leading blanks discarded into the parameter. In the case of a pointer expression, the ACCEPT statement puts a null character at the end of the response text.
If the program was run with AX attribute set or if the operator or user issued the command <mix number> AX <text> before the program called the ACCEPT statement, then the ACCEPT procedure does not display the text in the parameter.
If the parameter to the ACCEPT statement is a string variable or subscripted string variable, then the contents of the specified string are displayed on the ODT. The string variable or subscripted string variable must be of type EBCDIC. Following the display of the characters, the program is suspended until a response is entered at the ODT. The response is placed in the string variable or subscripted string variable, and the program continues execution with the statement following the ACCEPT statement.
The ACCEPT statement can be used as a Boolean function. In this case the ACCEPT procedure does not display the text in the parameter. If a response is not available, the value of the ACCEPT statement is FALSE. If a response is available, the value of the ACCEPT statement is TRUE and BOOLEAN (<length of response>) [47:11], and the response is placed in the specified location. The program continues execution regardless of the value returned by the ACCEPT statement.
No more than 430 characters can be displayed by the ACCEPT statement. No more than 960 characters can be accepted as a response.
The response to the ACCEPT statement can be entered before the actual execution of that statement. The response can be entered using the AX (Accept) system command. For more information, refer to the System Commands Reference.
