The macro processor
interprets the line submitted immediately after a %INPUT statement
as the response to the %INPUT statement. That line can be part of
an interactive line mode session, or it can be submitted from within
the
Program Editor window during a windowing
environment session.
When a %INPUT statement
executes as part of an interactive line mode session, the macro processor
waits for you to enter a line containing values. In a windowing environment
session, the macro processor does NOT wait for you to input values.
Instead, it simply reads the next line that is processed in the program
and attempts to assign variable values. Likewise, if you invoke a
macro containing a %INPUT statement in open code as part of a longer
program in a windowing environment, the macro processor reads the
next line in the program that follows the macro invocation. When you
submit a %INPUT statement in open code from a windowing environment,
ensure that the line that follows a %INPUT statement or a macro invocation
that includes a %INPUT statement contains the values that you want
to assign.
When you name variables
in the %INPUT statement, the macro processor matches the variables
with the values in your response based on their positions. That is,
the first value that you enter is assigned to the first variable named
in the %INPUT statement, the second value is assigned to the second
variable, and so on.
Each value to be assigned
to a particular variable must be a single word or a string enclosed
in quotation marks. To separate values, use blanks. After all values
have been matched with macro variable names, excess text becomes the
value of the automatic macro variable SYSBUFFR.