Using the REXX Macro Space

You should load often-used REXX programs into the REXX Macro Space. Functions to do this are, for example, in the DLL RXU or in the new REXXUTIL DLL. (for an example usage see LoadMac.cmd, see also The functions to work on the macro space and REXXCC - a REXX "compiler")

Advantages of the macro space are:

• routines in the macro space are useable by all REXX programs running on the machine (like routines loaded from a DLL)

• routines in the macro space are already tokenized, thus the REXX interpreter can execute them more quickly than external REXX routines

• You don't need to waste an entry in the PATH variable to implement global routines

• The REXX interpreter can find routines in the macro space quicker than other external routines because it's not necessary to search through the directories listed in the PATH variable.

Be aware that the routines in the macro space have their own variable scope (like other external REXX routines). You cannot use variables from within the calling program in routines that reside in the macro space.