The following should work for removing single and double quotes
from a string (msg).

while pos("'",msg) <> 0
  setvar single_quote_pos pos("'",msg)
  setvar single_quote str(msg,single_quote_pos,1)
  setvar msg msg - single_quote
endwhile
while pos('"',msg) <> 0
  setvar double_quote_pos pos('"',msg)
  setvar double_quote str(msg,double_quote_pos,1)
  setvar msg msg - double_quote
endwhile

> -----Original Message-----
> From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Schlosser, Robert J
> Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2003 10:27 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Parsing stings with embedded quotes
>
>
> I have been asked to post this to the list:
>
> Robert Schlosser _ MPE-CSM
> Ochsner Health Plan
> (504) 219-8134
>
>
>
> I have a need to scan several lines of JCL some of which may
> include either single or double quotes, and some of which may
> not appear in pairs. The commonest example being the
> appearance of an apostrophe. THis can be made to work
> provided it is not, itself, in a string delimited by double quotes.
>
> The problem is that any of the standard ways of cleaning up a
> line before processing it don't work! Things I've tried include:
>
> setvar s "Here's an example of a string with a single quote in it!   "
> echo !s
> setvar s3 repl(!s,"'"," ") These work fine for a string with
> ONLY a single instance of a single quote - we can use the
> double quotes to surround it.
>
> However, put it in a pair of double quotes, and it doesn't
> work!  (Similarly for any line with both types of quotes!)
>
> setvar s3 '"'+"!s"+'"'
> calc pos(!s3,"'") returns 0, rather than 6!
> calc pos("!s3","'") has unmatched quotes
> calc pos('!s3',"'") has unmatched quotes, and so on!
>
>
> Now - granted the number of times this is likely to happen is
> very small, but I have no way of knowning prior to testing,
> if a line will contain single quotes or double quotes and in
> what sort of combination.
>
> Bottom line question is - how can I safely process any
> combination and sequence of single and double quotes in a
> string, using the only MPE parsing functions?
>
> Tony Furnivall
>
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