ELSE Statement

Purpose

The ELSE statement provides an alternative execution path in JCL conditional processing. It follows a THEN block and specifies the JCL statements to be executed when the preceding IF condition evaluates to false.

Syntax

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//[name] IF (condition) THEN
//         statements to be executed if condition is true
//[name]   ELSE
//         statements to be executed if condition is false
//[name]   ENDIF

Key Points

• ELSE is optional in IF/THEN/ENDIF structures
• It appears after the THEN block and before the ENDIF statement
• It introduces statements to be executed when the condition is false
• Only one ELSE is allowed per IF statement

Examples

Basic IF/THEN/ELSE Structure

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//         IF STEP1.RC = 0 THEN
//STEP2    EXEC PGM=NORMALPROC
//         ELSE
//STEP2    EXEC PGM=ERRORPROC
//         ENDIF

Conditional SET with ELSE

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//         SET ENV='TEST'
//         IF &ENV = 'PROD' THEN
//           SET DATASET='PROD.MASTER'
//           SET SYSOUT='A'
//         ELSE
//           SET DATASET='TEST.MASTER'
//           SET SYSOUT='X'
//         ENDIF
//STEP1    EXEC PGM=REPORT
//INPUT    DD DSN=&DATASET,DISP=SHR
//OUTPUT   DD SYSOUT=&SYSOUT

Nested IF/THEN/ELSE

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//         IF &SYSDAY = 'FRIDAY' THEN
//           IF &SYSTIME > '17:00' THEN
//             SET BACKUP='FULL'
//           ELSE
//             SET BACKUP='INCR'
//           ENDIF
//         ELSE
//           SET BACKUP='QUICK'
//         ENDIF
//STEP1    EXEC PGM=BACKUP,PARM='&BACKUP'

Notes

• The ELSE statement is optional in IF/THEN/ENDIF structures
• If there is no ELSE and the condition is false, execution continues at the ENDIF statement
• The name field in the ELSE statement is optional and is typically omitted
• ELSE applies to the most recent IF that hasn't been matched with an ELSE
• In nested IF statements, each ELSE is paired with the closest preceding unmatched IF
• JCL statements in the ELSE block can include any valid JCL, including EXEC, DD, and SET statements

Common Mistakes

• Adding multiple ELSE statements for a single IF
• Incorrectly pairing ELSE with nested IF statements
• Forgetting the ENDIF statement after the ELSE block
• Using ELSE without a preceding IF/THEN

Related Concepts

• IF Statement - Begins the conditional block
• THEN Statement - Follows the IF and precedes ELSE
• ENDIF Statement - Required to end the conditional block
• Conditional Execution - Overall concept in JCL
• COND Parameter - Alternative method for conditional execution

Related Pages

• IF Statement - Provides the condition for ELSE
• THEN Statement - Precedes the ELSE statement
• ENDIF Statement - Terminates an IF/THEN/ELSE structure
• SET Statement - Commonly used in ELSE blocks
• Symbolic Parameters - Often referenced in conditions