OpenVMS RTL String Manipulation (STR$) Manual

This document is the OpenVMS RTL String Manipulation (STR$) Manual, published by Compaq Computer Corporation in April 2001. It is intended for system and application programmers working with OpenVMS Alpha Version 7.3 and OpenVMS VAX Version 7.3.

The manual provides detailed usage and reference information about the string manipulation routines found in the STR$ facility of the OpenVMS Run-Time Library.

It is structured into two main parts:

1. STR$ Tutorial Section: Offers an overview of the STR$ facility and its routines, along with detailed explanations on:

   • String semantics (fixed-length, varying-length, dynamic-length strings).
   • Descriptor classes and their relationship to string handling.
   • Conventions for reading and writing string arguments.
   • Guidance on selecting appropriate string manipulation routines, including efficiency and error handling considerations.
   • Allocation and deallocation of dynamic string resources, including the concept of the "string zone."
   • Highlights 64-bit addressing support for Alpha systems.

2. STR$ Reference Section: Contains comprehensive, alphabetical descriptions of each routine in the STR$ facility. The routines cover functions such as:

   • Mathematical operations on decimal strings (Add, Divide, Multiply, Reciprocal, Round/Truncate).
   • String comparison (case-sensitive, case-blind, multinational character set).
   • Extraction, replacement, appending, concatenation, and copying of strings.
   • Searching for characters and substrings.
   • Allocation and deallocation of dynamic strings.
   • Miscellaneous functions like duplicating characters, wildcard matching, translating, trimming, and converting to uppercase.