>>>To me, getPem() returning an object is equally non-obvious as a cryptic macro expansion. And if we assign this object to a properly prefixed local variable, it's even more readable than a macro or an eval() call.
>>>
>>>But then, de gustibus non est disputandum.
>>
>>Taste should never be as important as engineering. :)
>
>"Less obvious" tastes like having a taste... towards "I like this better because I'm used to it". For me, getpem() is pretty much a straight system call, while eval() or a macro are workarounds.

Dragan

You've convinced me. I take back my statement. It should not be avoided, just properly documented.

MS should document that GETPEM will return any contained object and not just PEMs. As long as variables are named appropriately GetPEM should be fine.