# Re: \[personal kdb+\] Pass a file name to script
**URL:** https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166
**Category:** Community Support
**Tags:** kdb-and-q
**Created:** [March 4, 2013, 8:31am UTC](https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166 "2013-03-04T08:31:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@prashant1](https://forum.kx.com/u/prashant1)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2013, 8:31am UTC](https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166/1 "2013-03-04T08:31:00Z")
is it z.x or .z.x?
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### Author:  [@manni\_patel](https://forum.kx.com/u/manni_patel)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2013, 9:13am UTC](https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166/2 "2013-03-04T09:13:00Z")
.z.x gives a tring, which you need to put a : in front of and then cast to symbol
Sent from my iPhone
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### Author:  [@WooiKent\_Lee](https://forum.kx.com/u/WooiKent_Lee)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2013, 10:07am UTC](https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166/3 "2013-03-04T10:07:00Z")
Or you can use “hsym” too.
data:(“SFJ”;“,”) 0:hsym `$.z.x 0
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### Author:  [@WooiKent\_Lee](https://forum.kx.com/u/WooiKent_Lee)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2013, 9:10am UTC](https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166/4 "2013-03-06T09:10:00Z")
hsym is a function in kdb+ that can converts a symbol into a file name, a hostname, or an ipaddress
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### Author:  [@Ash3](https://forum.kx.com/u/Ash3)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://forum.kx.com/t/re-personal-kdb-pass-a-file-name-to-script/8166/5 "2013-03-06T19:14:00Z")
All hsym does adds a colon “:” in front of passed symbol if it is not there already which effectively turns a file name into a file handle or a hostname into a handle to host etc. here is the hsym def: **_ hysm:{$[“:”=first string x;x;`$“:”,string x]}_**