PL1 structure assignment with BY NAME option at runtime or compilation

Question

In PL1 it is possible to assign a structure with the option BY NAME. Is this functionality used during runtime or during compile only?

The IBM documentation is not very helpful in this case.

Answer 1

Are you talking about the BY NAME in procedure assignment (better known as BY Reference) or the BY NAME in assignment ???.

From the manual reference, I presume you are talking about the BY NAME assignment option in PL1 assignment which is a variation on the Cobol Move Corresponding clause.

Yes it is possible to assign a pl1 structure with the BY NAME option. It would be determined at compiled time exactly what is assigned to what.

See By Name Example in PL1

This basically lists:

  declare      declare       declare
  1 One,       1 Two,        1 Three,
   2 Part1,     2 Part1,      2 Part1,
    3 Red,       3 Blue,       3 Red,
    3 Orange,    3 Green,      3 Blue,
   2 Part2,      3 Red,        3 Brown,
    3 Yellow,   2 Part2,      2 Part2,
    3 Blue,      3 Brown,      3 Yellow,
    3 Green;     3 Yellow;     3 Green;

Assignment statements using by name clause

 One = Two, by name;
 One.Part1 = Three.Part1, by name;

1 The first assignment statement is the same as the following:

  One.Part1.Red    = Two.Part1.Red;
  One.Part2.Yellow = Two.Part2.Yellow;

2 The second assignment statement is the same as the following:

  One.Part1.Red = Three.Part1.Red;