SCREEN DELETE_CHARS

SCREEN DELETE_CHARS deletes a specified number of characters, starting at a specified row and column. The remaining characters on the line are shifted to the left to occupy the vacated spaces. This statement/command deletes characters only on a single line.

If more characters are specified than are available for deletion, SCREEN DELETE_CHARS deletes all characters from the specified column to the end of the line. The cursor is positioned at the first deleted character.

SYNTAX

SCREEN DELETE_CHARS /USING/ window_id, number_of_characters, start_row, start_column

window_id	is an integer system field, Global Storage (GS) field, or user-defined field that contains the window ID assigned to the window.
number_of_characters	is an integer expression that specifies the number of characters to be deleted.
start_row	is an integer expression that specifies the row position at which to start the deletion.
start_column	is an integer expression that specifies the column position at which to start the deletion.

EXAMPLE

SCREEN DELETE_CHARS USING MAIN_ID,40,5,10

This example deletes 40 characters, starting at row 5, column 10. The remaining characters in the line are shifted to the left to fill the vacated spaces.