Doric 9.65 INFO software, INFO-Text software Reference Manual

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Reference Manual

Revision 3

April 2000

Doric

Computer

Systems

Head Office:

7 The Old Maltings

135 Ditton Walk Tel: +44 (0)1223 516521

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United Kingdom Web site: http://www.doric.com

USA Office:

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Seattle Fax: 206 368 2702

WA 98155 E-mail: [email protected]

Hot Line Support: 1 800 223 2942

INFO & INFO-Text Relational Databases

Printed in the United Kingdom 2nd Revision July 1998 3rd Revision April 2000

All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , electronic or manual, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976

The information contained in this document is the exclusive property of Doric Computer Systems Ltd. except as otherwise indicated, and shall not be disclosed or reproduced in whole or in part, without prior written consent from Doric Computer Systems Ltd.

Because we are continually upgrading our products, the information contained in this document is subject to change without notice.

Whilst every effort has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this document is correct at the time of printing Doric

Computer Systems Ltd. cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions.

This manual was designed to bring together into one reference manual the additions, changes upgrades and utilities for both INFO and INFO-

Text on all platforms to cover the versions of INFO created by Doric

Computer Systems Ltd. and released generally as “revision 9.6” during the period 1992 to 1996. The latest version of INFO at any one time may vary slightly on different platforms. It is our policy to release new versions as soon as possible rather than hold back versions while all platforms are upgraded.

Please note some options are NOT available on every platform or may work in a different manner. Where possible major differences have been highlighted in this manual.

Contents page

Introduction

Starting INFO

Syntax Conventions

Building Expressions

INFO commands and brief description

. (dot command)

ADD

ADDRECS

ADIR

ALTER

ARET

ASELECT

ATOE

BOTM

BOX

BROFF

BRON

CALCULATE

CATALOG

CCASE

CCCT

CCHR

CHANGE

CHECK

CLAC

CLEAR

CNAME

COMINPUT

COMOUTPUT

Perform operating system command

Accept a value

Add records

Add records to a selected or related file

Alternate directory setting

Alter item characteristics

Automatic return setting

Additionally select

ASCII to EBCDIC

Position to last record in set

Paint a box on the screen

Disable the break keys

Enable the break keys

Calculate and assign a value

*List files in operating system directory :

Prime INFO-Text only

Change case to upper or lower

*Change Concordance Character Table : INFO-Text only

Control character setting

Change a Program, IPF, Report or Special Form

Check whether the spool file is in use

Classify a character item by its contents

Clear all internal variables

Change a file name at operating system level

Command input

Command output xi xvii xix

INFO Reference Manual Contents i

Contents

DICTIONARY

DIF

DINT

••

operating_system_command

The dot command allows the user to execute an operating system command and to return to the INFO environment without losing the current INFO settings or altering the current INFO select/relate states.

arguments

An unqualified command will create a sub-process at unix level. Entering exit or CTRL-D will return to the INFO session.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >.ls *dr9

The above will list all files on the current unix directory ending in dr9

ENTER COMMAND >

===== Sub-process created. Type exit to return to INFO ====

<unix prompt>ls *dr9

The above will list all files on the current unix directory ending in dr9

see also

SPAWN and SYSTEM

INFO Reference Manual Commands 1

VMS

••

operating_system_command

The dot command allows the user to execute an operating system command and to return to the INFO environment without losing the current INFO settings or altering the current INFO select/relate states.

arguments

An unqualified command will create a sub-process at VMS level. Entering LO will return to the INFO session.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >.DIR *.DR9

The above will list all files on the current VMS directory ending in .DR9

ENTER COMMAND >

===== Sub-process created. Type LO to return to INFO ====

see also

SPAWN and SYSTEM

INFO Reference Manual Commands 3

PRIME

••

operating_system_command

The dot command allows the user to execute an operating system command and to return to the INFO environment without losing the current INFO settings or altering the current INFO select/relate states.

arguments

An unqualified command will create a sub-process at

PRIMOS level. Entering X will return to the INFO session.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >.LD @@DR9

The above will list all files on the current Primos directory ending in DR9

ENTER COMMAND >

*** ENTERING PSEUDO PRIMOS - TYPE “X” TO EXIT ***

OK>

see also

SPAWN and SYSTEM

INFO Reference Manual Commands 5

ACCEPT

ACC

EPT

AT

row column DF_item system_item system_variable

ACC

EPT DF_item system_item system_variable

[error_row error_column]

allows you to enter a value that is assigned to the specified data file item, system item or system variable.

arguments notes

AT row column specifies a row and column position on the terminal screen where the value you enter appears.

Row and column may be separated by a comma.

DF_item | system_item | system_variable the name of the item or variable whose value will be entered.

[error_row error_column] specifies the position on the terminal screen where the cursor is to be positioned if

INFO detects an error with the value you enter. Row and column may be separated by a comma. For the cursoraddressed ACCEPT command error messages are displayed at $ERROR-POSITION, 1. This system item can be modified.

ACCEPT is used in one of two ways. Either a row and column position is specified at which the data entered will appear, or the data entered will appear at the cursor's current row and column position as the command is processed.

ACCEPT can be used in INFO programs or interactively.

(see also ARET)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 7

ACCEPT

In odd-numbered program sections, ACCEPT should be used to receive values only for system items or system variables. If you try to use ACCEPT to enter or receive a value into a data file item, INFO ignores the value entered, leaving the specified data file item unchanged.

For interactive use, ACCEPT can receive data only for system items and system variables.

In even-numbered program sections, ACCEPT allows you to enter data for data file items as well as system items and system variables.

With error_row and error_column, ACCEPT allows special handling when you enter a value in an incorrect format.

When INFO detects an error in the format of the value entered, INFO displays an error message at a row on the terminal screen determined by the value of the system item $ERROR-POSITION; the cursor is then positioned to the error_row and error_column position. INFO pauses again so you can enter the correct value.

If ACCEPT is used without error-row and error-column, a data format error causes an error message to be displayed on the next line, and INFO positions the cursor at column

1 of the line following the message so that you can enter the correct value.

If ACCEPT is used with AT, a data format error causes an error message to be displayed according to the value of the system item $ERROR-POSITION, and INFO repositions the cursor at the value specified by AT. You can then re-enter the data.

If you specify cursor positioning and the row you specify is more than the length of the screen or if the column you specify is more than the width of the screen, INFO ignores your cursor positioning specifications.

8 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ACCEPT

INFO-Text only

When you use the ACCEPT command to assign values to

A-type items, INFO enters the editor or wordprocessor so that you can create the text file. By pressing

<SPACE><RETURN> INFO retains the text file name currently assigned to the A-type item and enters the editor or wordprocessor so that you can edit that text file. The editor defaults to the default operating system editor, but any editor or word-processor can be invoked by setting the environment variables _TEXTEDIT and _TEXTEXT.

<RETURN> in the first position of an accept field blanks that field. <TAB> or =<RETURN> in the first position will leave its contents unchanged.

Input form style accept statements may be used in programs where appropriate as an alternative to accept statements. See example.

Accept Attribute Settings can be set for cursor-addressed

ACCEPT statements. The system item $DISPLAY-MODE should first be set to 1, then the following system items can be used:

$ACC-ATTRIBUTE Any string used to set attibutes, such as reverse video, on ACCEPT. INFO has its own set of system items containing the ANSI escape sequences for such attributes, eg. $REVERSE.

$ACCEPT-FILL Set to 1, will cause INFO to display

ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR across the accept field rather than the field contents.

$ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR Any character to be displayed across the accept field width.

$LEFT-DELIMITER Any character used as a left delimiter for an accept field. Displayed at row,col - 1.

$RIGHT-DELIMITER Any character used as a right delimiter for an accept field. Displayed at row,col + 1.

$DELIM-ATTRIBUTE Any attribute to be associated with the delimiter characters.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 9

ACCEPT examples

FORMAT $NUM1,6,I

$DISPLAY-MODE = 1

$ACC-ATTRIBUTE = $REVERSE

$ACCEPT-FILL = 1

$ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR = '.'

$LEFT-DELIMITER = ='['

$RIGHT-DELIMITER = =']'

$DELIM-ATTRIBUTE = $BOLD

ACCEPT AT 10,24 $NUM1

Data entry with ACCEPT AT

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 FORMAT $CHR20,20,C

10002 DISPLAY =

10003 ACCEPT AT 10,20,$CHR20

10004 SLEEP 4

10005 DISPLAY =

Data entry with ACCEPT

10007 CURSOR 10,20

10008 ACCEPT $CHR20

10009 SLEEP 4

10010 DISPLAY =

Data entry with IPF style accept

10008 10,20,$CHR20,L,’Yes’,’No’

10 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ADD

ADD

syntax cont’d

DF_item_1,...DF_item_#

F

ROM file_path

[reject_file_path] [

N

OTEXT]

appends new records to the selected data file. The new records become part of the selected set of records.

arguments notes

DF_item_1,...DF_item_# you can specify one or many items in the INFO data file to which you are adding records. INFO will prompt you for the values of only these items. If no items are specified then INFO will prompt for all items defined, in the order they are defined.

FROM file_path allows you to specify an existing operating system file from which values will be read to make up the added records in the selected file. If no

FROM file path is specified then the input is taken from the keyboard with prompts going to the screen

[reject_file_path] specifies a system file to which records are written if they are rejected when added from the

FROM file.

NOTEXT Instructs INFO-Text to add records to the datafile without invoking the editor for A-type items.

An unqualified ADD command directs INFO to prompt you to enter a value for each data file item, in the order in which the items were defined, for as many new records as you want to add.

You can respond to ADD command prompts with more than one item value (corresponding to successive data file items) per entry by entering a series of values separated by the current delimiter character, usually a comma. See the DELIMITER command for more information. If you enter more values before a <RETURN> than there are items specified to receive values, INFO ignores the extra values entered. Thus, you can enter values for, at most, one new record before each <RETURN>.

It is not possible to ADD records to an ISAM SET

INFO Reference Manual Commands 11

ADD

Table ADD-1 data value

<BACKTAB> (\) equal sign (=)

<RETURN>

SYSTEM file-path

(A-type only) n

You can issue the ADD command with a list of data file items specified. When used this way, ADD prompts you to enter information at the terminal for the first item in the item list, then for the second item in the list, and so on, for as many new records as you want to add. You can specify alternate item names or names of redefined items in the item list.

Entering <RETURN> on the first prompt of an unqualified

ADD session terminates the ADD.

<SPACE><RETURN>

(A-type items only)

Responses to prompts when using ADD

checks for type, width and, if necessary, number of decimal places before it is accepted as part of a record.

redisplays the prompt for the previous item and allows you to change that value. You cannot backtab further than the beginning of the current record copies the value of the item in the preceding data file record to the current one. The '=' can be specified only for the second or following data record added.

assigns a null value to the item. The null value for C- and A-type items is a blank. The null value for numeric and date items is 0. If you enter <RETURN> as the first value in a new record, or as the first response when using an item list, the ADD command ends.

creates a text file under a unique name formed by INFO-Text, and enters the editor to allow entry of text. Required for non-user namable text files: optional for user-namable text files.

creates a text file of the specified name and items the item’s specified root characteristic, and enters the editor to allow entry of text. The item must be defined as user-namable, and you must specify a valid SYSTEM file name

12 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ADD with

FROM option

ADD

When the ADD command is issued with the FROM option, records can be added using values from a file that was not necessarily created by INFO. This FROM file must be an existing operating system file.

In the FROM file's records, as in an ADD command dialog, one or more values can be provided. If more than one value is read from a FROM file record, the values must be separated by the current delimiter character, usually a comma. See the DELIMITER command for more information. INFO ignores values read from a FROM file record that do not correspond to an item in the data file record being added The FROM file record size can be up to 1000 characters, including delimiters, before it is truncated.

If you use the FROM option, you can specify a system file to receive FROM file records whose values are not successfully added to the selected data file. The values in a record from a FROM file might not be successfully added to the selected data file because one of the values is numerically too large or too small, or is in an illegal format. If any value is not accepted into a record read from a FROM file, then all values taken from that record are rejected.

If a reject_file_path specified does not already exist, INFO creates the reject_file and writes rejected FROM file records into it as they are encountered. The reject_file must have a logical record length equal to that of the

FROM file. If the reject_file already exists, INFO appends to the existing reject_file any rejected FROM file records as they are encountered.

When you use the FROM option with no reject_file specified, INFO sends any error messages generated during the ADD operation to your current INFO spool or output file. These error messages do not include the erroneous input records from the FROM file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 13

ADD

If you use the FROM option to add non-user-namable item values to an extended datafile and the NOTEXT option is not specified, INFO-Text displays the error message NOT

A USER NAMABLE TEXT ITEM for each item and creates the file-name. INFO-Text creates file-names if you use the

NOTEXT option alone.

Adding data and text to concordable items

When you add data to A-type items, and you do not specify the NOTEXT option, INFO-Text creates a file to hold text information, enters the editor, and allows you to enter text to the new file. When you have finished adding text to the file, store it and INFO-Text returns to the next item in the ADD dialog.

Several possible operations can occur when you use the

ADD command to add data and text to A-type items: n

If the item is defined as user-namable and you specify a file-name to add text to, and the file exists, you enter the editor with that file loaded for editing. If the specified file does not exist, INFO-Text creates the file using the name and root you specified, enters the editor, and allows you to enter text to the new file.

If the item is defined as user-namable and you do not specify a file name, you can press <SPACE><RETURN> to enter the editor. INFO-Text creates a unique name for the text file. When you finish adding text, INFO-Text stores the file under the SYSTEM file name it created. If you enter only a <RETURN>, INFO-Text does not create a file-name n

If the item is defined as user-namable, you include the

NOTEXT option, and you specify a name, INFO-Text assigns the name to the item but does not create a filename.

If the item is defined as user-namable, you include the

NOTEXT option, and you press <SPACE><RETURN>,

INFO-Text creates a unique SYSTEM file-name if you have a default document format. Otherwise, the item is left without a value.

14 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ADD

If the item is not defined as user-namable, and you do not include the NOTEXT option, press <SPACE><RETURN> to enter the editor. When you file the text you add, INFO-

Text names the file for you and saves the text in that file.

If the item is not defined as user-namable and you specify a file-path, INFO-Text displays an error message and then enters the editor. When you are ready to save the text you add, INFO-Text names the file for you and saves the text in that file.

example 1

The following sample ADD command dialog shows values entered for data file record 8 as INFO prompts one item at a time, and several data values entered for data file record

9 on one line:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT ADDRESSES

7 RECORDS SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ADD

L.NAME>DARCY

Record number being added.

F.NAME>JOAN

ADDRESS1>456 PINE AVE

ADDRESS2><RETURN>

No data is entered.

CITY>CORVALLIS

STATE>OR

ZIP>97401

L.NAME>WALL,HADRIAN,124 CENTER ST,SALEM,MA,03402

L.NAME><RETURN>

2 RECORD(S) ADDED

Ends ADD processing.

example 2

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT FILE

9 RECORDS SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ADD FROM OPERATING-SYSTEM FILE

15 RECORDS SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >

INFO Reference Manual Commands 15

ADD example 3

The following example shows the addition of both a user- namable and a non-user-namable text file

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT AND UPDATE EXAMPLE

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME><RETURN>

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS LONG

DATAFILE NAME: ADD-UPDATE-EXAMPLE

2 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

4/2/1996

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

NAMABLE-A

FRMT REPORT

20 20

21 NOT-NAMABLE-A 20 20

FRMT REPORT

A -

Y Y Y

Y Y N

ENTER COMMAND >ADD

NAMABLE-A>A.FIL<RETURN>

NOT-NAMABLE-A><SPACE> <RETURN>

NAMABLE-A>B.FIL<RETURN>

NOT-NAMABLE-A><SPACE> <RETURN>

NAMABLE-A><RETURN>

2 RECORD(S) ADDED

On each <RETURN> you will enter the editor specified by the

environment/logical/global variable .INFOEDIT (or the system editor if not set).

ENTER COMMAND >LIST TEXT

NAMABLE-A =A.FIL

This is the content of the file called A.FIL

NAMABLE-A =X00000302

This is the contents of a system-named text file.

NAMABLE-A =B.FIL

This is the contents of the second text file named by the user.

NAMABLE-A =X00000402

This is the second text file named by INFO-Text.

16 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ADDRECS

ADDR

ECS relate_# # [system_variable] [

D

UPS]

adds records to a selected or related file.

argument notes

relate_# related file number or 0 for selected file.

# number of records to be added.

system_variable this will be set to the record number of the last record added.

DUPS Option to create records containing whatever data is in the internal buffer at the time. If DUPS is not specified then all the fields are either set to blank or zero as appropriate to their data type.

(INFO-Text) ADDRECS to an extended file will update the

LRN file.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT FILE -A

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ADDRECS 0 3

3 BLANK RECORDS WILL BE ADDED TO FILE -A

ENTER COMMAND >ADDRECS 0 2 $NUM1

2 MORE BLANK RECORDS WILL BE ADDED TO FILE-A AND $NUM1 WILL BE

SET TO 5

ENTER COMMAND >REL FILE-B BY ITEM

ENTER COMMAND >ADDRECS 1 1

1 BLANK RECORD WILL BE ADDED TO FILE-B

INFO Reference Manual Commands 17

ADIR

ADIR

directory_path

assigns or displays the current alternate directory setting.

argument

directory_path an operating system directory name. The directory path may include external variables enclosed in

‘%’ characters

notes discussion

An unqualified ADIR command displays the current alternate directory setting.

The initial ADIR value is INFOSYS n

INFO does not validate the legality of the system directory name when you change the ADIR setting.

Once the ADIR setting is changed from its default value, you must use the ADIR command to set INFOSYS as the alternate directory for INFO's HELP command to operate.

If you quit an INFO session and enter another user name in response to the ENTER USER NAME> prompt instead of STOP, ADIR is not reset to INFOSYS.

Be aware that shared use of an ADIR setting among simultaneous INFO users can cause file access problems in some situations.

With the ADIR command, you can specify an alternate system directory in which INFO files can be found during an INFO session. If properly prepared, INFO automatically searches for files in the alternate system directory when it cannot find the file in your user area.

You can also use the ADIR command to name a system directory for a subsequent TAKE command to search for a user area and file. See the TAKE command for more information.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 19

ADIR example

ENTER COMMAND >ADIR home/prospects

ENTER COMMAND >ADIR

THE CURRENT ALTERNATE DIRECTORY IS home/prospects

20 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ALTER

ALT

ER DF_item [,item_characteristics]

allows you to change any item characteristic, except internal width, of any existing item in the selected data file, whether or not the datafile contains records.

arguments

DF_item the item in the selected INFO data file that you want to change.

item_characteristics the new values for one or several item characteristics. Separate the new values from each other and from the DF_item with a comma.

notes discussion

If you issue an unqualified ALTER command, INFO prompts you for the name of the item whose characteristics you want to change.

You can enter one or a series of item characteristics when you issue the ALTER command.

If you want to use the ALTER command to change an item in a data file defined with protection passwords, you must select the data file with the control-level password. See the

PASSWORD and SELECT commands for information about providing protection passwords for access to protected data files.

Part or all of an arrayed item can be redefined over the internal width of another item.

To change a non-redefined item to an arrayed item, follow the second sample dialog below, but note that the item being changed is previously defined, not redefined.

With the ALTER command, you can change any item characteristic, except internal width, of any existing item in the selected data file.

You cannot use the ALTER command to define new items for the data file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 21

ALTER

ALTER operates on data files that contain data records. In contrast, the MODIFY command allows you to change any item characteristic, including internal width, of any existing item in the selected data file; however, you cannot use

MODIFY with a data file that contains records, except on

Redefined Items.

Entering item characteristics

After you issue the ALTER command, follow the prompts displayed on the screen, changing the applicable item characteristics. The tables at the end of this discussion, list, in order of occurrence, the prompts and responses for item characteristics.

To leave an item characteristic unchanged once you are in the ALTER dialog, enter <RETURN> in response to the prompt for that characteristic. To terminate the ALTER dialog and return to ENTER COMMAND > level, enter the current CCHR setting for <KEEP> and <RETURN>. This leaves unchanged the remaining item characteristics of the item being altered, and also leaves unchanged the characteristics of all other items in the data file.

You can supply information for more than one item characteristic in response to an ALTER prompt. Separate multiple characteristics in one entry with commas. To skip an item characteristic — that is, to leave it unchanged — enter two commas together.

If after entering multiple responses to an ALTER prompt, applicable item characteristics remain for which you have not provided a response, INFO prompts you for the remaining information.

Should you include an incorrect response in an entry containing multiple responses, INFO displays an error message and prompts you for a corrected item characteristic entry. INFO ignores any information in an entry of multiple responses that follows an incorrect item characteristic response. You must re-enter any response(s) that followed the incorrect one.

22 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ALTER

Defining arrayed items

Altering concordable items

(INFO-Text)

Special considerations

To define an arrayed item, first define an area that encompasses the multiple occurrences of the arrayed item, and then redefine the area as an arrayed item. The length of the defined area should be an even multiple of the length of the arrayed item.

Once the length of the array has been defined, use ALTER for the appropriate OCCURS count and INDEX characteristics. The OCCURS count defines the number of times the array element repeats in each record; the INDEX identifies which $IDX# system item controls access to individual elements in the array.

You can use ALTER to change an arrayed item to a nonarrayed item. Simply repeat the ALTER operation, responding N to the ENTER INDEX NUMBER prompt.

You can change any characteristic of concordable items with the ALTER command. You cannot change the name of a synonym file associated with an extended datafile with with the ALTER command; you must use the MODIFY command instead.

If you use the ALTER command to change any item characteristic that pertains to concording an A- or concordable C-type item, the entire extended datafile is made "concord inconsistent" – that is, the concordance does not reflect the concord attributes of the concordable items in the datafile. Use the CONCORD ALL command to concord the datafile again before using the RESELECT command with word expressions or the CONTEXT command.

If you want to use the ALTER command to change a protected item, you must select the datafile with the control-level (level-0) password

See the PASSWORD command for information about entering passwords to provide access to protected datafiles.

Part or all of an arrayed item can be redefined over the internal width of another item.

To change a datafile item to an arrayed item, follow the example dialog above, but note that the item being changed is previously defined, not redefined.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 23

ALTER examples

The first example contains two sample ALTER dialogs that request the same ALTER operation for an I-type item. In the first example, all applicable ALTER prompts appear because only a single response is given for each prompt. In the second, all responses are entered with the ALTER command.

Full ALTER dialog:

ENTER COMMAND >ALTER PART.NO

1 PART.NO

6 6 I 0 -

ITEM NAME><RETURN>

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ITEM TYPE><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ITEM PROT. LEVEL>3

Change to increase protection.

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME><RETURN>

ENTER KEY LEVEL><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ENTER INDEX NUMBER><RETURN>

If not an arrayed item.

1 PART.NO

6 6 I 3 -

All responses entered with the ALTER command:

ENTER COMMAND >ALTER PART.NO,,,,3,,,,

1 PART.NO

6 6 I 3 -

24 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ALTER

The ITEMS listing below shows the redefined item

PRICE.ARRAY in the PRICE-SCHEDULE data file. The

ALTER dialog changes the output width of PRICE.ARRAY, defines an alternate item name, and provides index and occurrence information.

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS LONG

DATAFILE NAME: PRICE-SCHEDULE

2 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

1 PART.NO

6 6 I 4 -

7 PRICES 80

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

80 C 4 -

7 PRICE.ARRAY

10 10 N 2 0 -

ENTER COMMAND >ALTER PRICE.ARRAY

7 PRICE.ARRAY

10 10 N 2 0 -

ITEM NAME><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ITEM STARTING COLUMN><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ITEM WIDTH><RETURN>

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH>12

Leave as is.

Change output width to 12.

ITEM TYPE><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES><RETURN>

Leave as is.

ITEM PROT.LEVEL><RETURN>

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME>PRICE

Leave as is.

Assign alternate name

PRICE

ENTER KEY LEVEL><RETURN>

ENTER INDEX NUMBER>1

Control counter is $IDX1.

ENTER NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES>8

Array element repeats 8

7 PRICE.ARRAY

times.

12 N 2 0 8 1 - -

The next example shows altering a concordable C-type item. When you do not enter an index, the occurrences prompt does not appear. When you next select the file, you receive a warning that the concordance is not consistent until you concord the data file again.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 25

ALTER

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT TRIP.DATA

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME ><RETURN>

30 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS LONG

DATAFILE NAME: TRIP.DATA

12/ 1/93

7 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

1 DATE 8 8 D — 4 — — — — — — —

TRIPNUM

TRUCK

—

DRIVER

MILES

LOAD

—

ROOT

49 CUSTOMER

ALTCUST

KET000

10 10 C — 4 — — — W N N —

ENTER COMMAND >ALTER CUSTOMER

49 CUSTOMER

ALTCUST

ITEM NAME><RETURN>

10 10 C — 4 — — —

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME><RETURN>

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH><RETURN>

W N N —

ITEM WIDTH><RETURN>

ENTER CONCORDANCE LEVEL><RETURN>

Change concordance level.

CONCORD UPPER AND LOWER CASE LETTERS SEPARATE?><RETURN>

CONCORD NUMBERS IN TEXT ITEMS?><RETURN>

ITEM PROT. LEVEL><RETURN>

ENTER KEY LEVEL><RETURN>

ENTER INDEX NUMBER><RETURN>

CUSTOMER 10 10 C — 4

ALT CUST

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT TRIP.DATA

— — — R N N —

WARNING, DATAFILE IS CONCORD FORMAT INCONSISTENT

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME ><RETURN>

30 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >CONCORD

279 WORDS

DONE SORT

ENTER COMMAND >

26 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO ALTER

Dialog

ITEM NAME

ITEM STARTING COLUMN

ITEM WIDTH

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH

ITEM TYPE

(Redefined items only)

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES

(N, V, F, L, O & T-types only, plus B-types on VMS)

ITEM PROT. LEVEL

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME

ENTER KEY LEVEL

IS KEY IN BITS?

IS KEY IN BYTES?

(PRIME only)

(PRIME only, if N answered to

IS KEY IN BYTES?

above prompt)

(PRIME only, if N answered to above 2 prompts)

ARE DUPLICATE KEYS ALLOWED?

(on UNIX and PRIME, key level > 0 only)

ENTER INDEX NUMBER

ENTER NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES

(for INDEX NUMBER 1-9 only)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 27

ALTER INFO

Table ALTER-1 ALTER dialog prompts and responses for INFO-Text

Prompt Possible responses

ITEM NAME If you did not specify an item in the ALTER command line, enter the name of the item whose characteristics you want to change

A second ITEM NAME > prompt then appears.

Here you can specify a new-item-name, or enter <RETURN> to leave the item name unchanged.

ITEM STARTING COLUMN Enter the new start column, if the item is

(for redefined items only) redefined.

ITEM WIDTH

(for redefined items only)

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH

Enter a new item width for the redefined item.

Enter the item width for output. This replaces the item's defined output width.

ITEM TYPE Enter the 1-character item type.

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES Enter the number of places to the right of the

(for numeric items that have decimal point.

decimal positions only)

ITEM PROT. LEVEL Enter the protection level for the item. Enter R following the protection level (with no preceding comma) to restrict the protection to read-only.

(See the PASSWORD and PROTECT commands for more information.)

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME Enter a name to be used as an alternate name for the item.

ENTER KEY LEVEL For ISAM files only. The key level of the field that the item represents in the file, specified by key level. Enter -1 or N to cancel a key level.

IS KEY IN BITS? (Y OR N)> Indicates whether the key field is a bit string.

(PRIME)

IS KEY IN BYTES? (Y OR N)> Indicates whether the key field is a byte string.

(PRIME)

IS KEY IN WORDS? (Y OR N)>Indicates whether the key field is a word.

(PRIME)

28 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO ALTER

Table ALTER-1

ALTER dialog prompts and responses for INFO (cont'd

)

Prompt Possible responses

IS KEY STORED IN DATA?> Indicates the primary key is a data segment in

(PRIME) the record.

(for key level 0 only)

ARE DUPLICATE KEYS

ALLOWED?>

ENTER INDEX NUMBER

ENTER NUMBER OF

OCCURRENCES

Indicates whether duplicate keys values are accepted for a secondary key

For an arrayed item, enter a number that represents which $IDX# system item acts as subscript for the item.

Enter the number of array elements in the arrayed item.

note see also

On Prime, it is essential that the answer to the ‘IS KEY IN

BITS?’ prompt is consistent with the MIDAS CREATK template.

CWID

INFO Reference Manual Commands 29

ALTER INFO-Text

Table ALTER-2

ALTER Dialog Prompts and Responses for INFO-Text

Prompt Possible Responses

ITEM NAME If you did not specify an item in the ALTER command line, enter the name of the item whose characteristics you want to change.

A second ITEM NAME > prompt then appears.

Here you can specify a new-item-name, or enter <RETURN> to leave the item name unchanged.

Enter a name to be used as an alternate name ALTERNATE ITEM NAME for the item.

ITEM STARTING COLUMN Enter the new start-column, if the item is

(for redefined items only) redefined.

ITEM WIDTH

(for redefined items only)

Enter a new item width for the redefined item.

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH Enter the item width for output. This replaces the item's defined output-width.

ITEM TYPE Enter the 1-character item-type.

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES Enter the number of places to the right of the

(for numeric items that have decimal point.

decimal positions only)

USER-NAMABLE

TEXT FILES?

(default is N)

For A-type items only. Enter Y (yes) if you want to have the option of naming your text files when you add records to the file; otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>. If you enter N, INFO names your text files automatically during an ADD command.

30 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text ALTER

Table ALTER-2

ALTER Dialog Prompts and Responses for INFO-Text (cont’d)

Prompt Possible Responses

USER-NAMABLE

TEXT ROOT?

(default is N)

ENTER ROOT NAME>

(no default)

ENTER

CONCORDANCE LEVEL>

(no default).

For A-type items only. Enter Y (yes) if you want to define a root name. The root name can include a directory name. If you enter N, INFO creates new text files in your current operating system directory.

If you want a null root name, enter Y (yes) here and <RETURN> for the next prompt. This option is easy to use because the file name is created as entered with no prefix.

For A-type items only. Applies if you entered

Y above. Enter the 1- to 8-character name to use as prefix root of text datafile names. It can be an environment variable containing the prefix root name enclosed in '%' characters (eg. %DOCS%). INFO stores and accesses the free-text files beginning with this standard name. Enter <RETURN> for a null root name.

For A- and concordable C-type items only

Enter one of the values described below to define the level to which INFO indexes the text when this file is concorded. The index levels are listed in order from least to most comprehensive. Concordable C-type items must specify R (record), I (item), or W

(word) level.

N — No indexing. Item is not available for freetext query. The next two prompts do not appear if you set concordance level to N.

R — Record-level indexing.

I — Item-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include the "@ DF-item" specification.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 31

ALTER INFO-Text

Table ALTER-2

ALTER Dialog Prompts and Responses for INFO-Text (cont’d)

Prompt Possible Responses

CONCORD

UPPER AND LOWER

CASE LETTERS

SEPARATE?>

P — Paragraph-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include "W PARAGRAPH".

S — Sentence-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include "W SENTENCE".

W — Word-level indexing. This is the most common level of indexing. It is required for queries using phrases or proximity searching.

(When you specify any concordance level except N.) For A- and concordable C-type items only. Enter Y (yes) to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase during concordance and free-text queries; otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>.

CONCORD NUMBERS IN

TEXT ITEMS?

(default is N)

ITEM PROT. LEVEL

(When you specify any concordance level except N.) For A- and concordable C-type items only. Enter Y (yes) to index numbers during concording; otherwise, enter N

(no) or <RETURN>.

Enter the protection level for the item. Enter R following the protection level (with no preceding comma), to restrict the protection to read-only.

(See the PASSWORD and PROTECT commands for more information.)

ENTER KEY LEVEL For ISAM files only. The key level of the field that the item represents in the file, specified by key-level. Enter -1 or N to cancel a key level.

IS KEY IN BITS? (Y OR N)> Indicates whether the key field is a bit string.

(PRIME)

IS KEY IN BYTES? (Y OR N)> Indicates whether the key field is a byte string.

(PRIME)

32 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text ALTER

Table ALTER-2

ALTER Dialog Prompts and Responses for INFO-Text (cont’d)

Prompt Possible Responses

IS KEY IN WORDS? (Y OR N)>Indicates whether the key field is a word.

(PRIME)

IS KEY STORED IN DATA?> Indicates the primary key is a data segment in

(PRIME) the record.

(for key level 0 only)

ARE DUPLICATE KEYS

ALLOWED?>

Indicates whether duplicate keys values are accepted for a secondary key

ENTER INDEX NUMBER For an arrayed item, enter a number that represents which $IDX# system item acts as subscript for the item.

Enter the number of array elements in the arrayed item

ENTER NUMBER OF

OCCURRENCES

ENTER

CONCORDANCE

LEVEL>

(no default)

For A- and concordable C-type items only.

(word) level.

N — No indexing. Item is not available for freetext query. The next two prompts do not appear if you set concordance level to N.

R — Record-level indexing.

I — Item-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include the "@ DF-item" specification.

P — Paragraph-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include "W PARAGRAPH".

INFO Reference Manual Commands 33

ALTER INFO-Text

Table ALTER-2

ALTER Dialog Prompts and Responses for INFO-Text (cont’d)

Prompt Possible Responses

CONCORD

UPPER AND LOWER

CASE LETTERS

SEPARATE?>

CONCORD NUMBERS IN

TEXT ITEMS?

(default is N)

S — Sentence-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include "W SENTENCE".

W — Word-level indexing. This is the most common level of indexing. It is required for queries using phrases or proximity searching.

(When you specify any concordance level except for A- and concordable C-type items

N.) (default is N) only. Enter Y (yes) to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase during concordance and free-text queries; otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>.

(When you specify any concordance level except N.) For A- and concordable C-type items only. Enter Y (yes) to index numbers during concording; otherwise, enter N (no) or

<RETURN>.

34 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text ALTER

Dialog

ITEM NAME

ITEM STARTING COLUMN

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME

(Redefined items only)

ITEM WIDTH

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH

ITEM TYPE

(Redefined items only)

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES

(N, V, F, L, O & T-types only, plus B-types on VMS)

USER NAMABLE TEXT FILES?

A-types only

USER NAMABLE TEXT ROOT?

A-types only

ENTER ROOT NAME

A-types only (if Y replied to

ENTER CONCORDANCE LEVEL

previous prompt)

A- and C-types only

CONCORD UPPER AND LOWER CASE LETTERS SEPARATE?

CONCORD NUMBERS IN TEXT?

ITEM PROT. LEVEL

defined items only

defined items only

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME

ENTER KEY LEVEL

IS KEY IN BITS?

IS KEY IN BYTES?

(PRIME only)

(PRIME only, if N answered

IS KEY IN BYTES?

to above prompt)

(PRIME only, if N answered to above 2 prompts)

ARE DUPLICATE KEYS ALLOWED?

(on UNIX and PRIME, key level > 0 only)

ENTER INDEX NUMBER

ENTER NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES

(for INDEX NUMBER 1-9 only

see also

CWID to alter item widths.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 35

ARET

ARE

N

Y

changes or displays INFO's automatic return setting.

arguments note discussion

N turns the automatic return setting off (is off by default).

Y turns the automatic return setting on.

An unqualified ARET command displays the current automatic return setting.

The ARET command is used during operation of the

ACCEPT and INPUT FORM commands to determine whether INFO should skip automatically to another input field if the length of a data entry matches the length of the corresponding input field.

If the setting is on, INFO continues to the next specified input field when the maximum input width of the current item has been reached.

If the setting is off, INFO does not skip to another input field, but rather allows you to complete the entry with a

<RETURN>. If the width of the value entered is greater than the width of the input field, or if some other error in the data entered is detected, INFO issues an error message and allows you to re-enter a value for that input field.

With the ARET setting on, you can save keystrokes during data entry where potential truncation of the entered data does not cause problems in an application. However, in many data entry applications, when data is entered that is wider than a predefined input width, you may wish re-entry of that data or some other special handling to occur. For such cases, it is preferable for the ARET setting to be off

(N).

By default the ARET setting is off (N). If you have your own copy of the INFO message file, you can change the

ARET setting so that it retains its setting from session to session. See the chapter ‘Controlling default assignments’ for more information.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 37

ASELECT

AS

ELECT [FOR] logical_expression word_expression

allows you to add records to the currently selected records. An unqualified ASELECT command selects all records in the selected data file.

arguments notes discussion

Up to 8 logical or word expressions may be combined using Boolean operators.

An unqualified ASELECT command causes every record in the selected data file to become part of the selected set.

Use ASELECT when you want to add some or all unselected records in the selected data file to the selected set. You specify the ASELECT criteria by including a logical expression in the command line. When you use the ASELECT command to add records to the selected set, INFO searches through the previously unselected records and adds to the selected set those records which meet the criteria of the logical expression.

example

FOR is used only for documentation or ease of understanding.

logical_expression the statement that INFO evaluates before adding records to the selected set of records. See

‘Building Expressions’.

word_expression (INFO-Text only) See ‘Building

Expressions’

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMP.INFO

220 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT FOR SEX EQ 'M'

Narrows

120 RECORD(S) SELECTED

selected set.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 39

ASELECT

ENTER COMMAND >ASELECT FOR SEX EQ 'F' OR DEPS GT 3

145 RECORD(S) SELECTED

Additionally select all

employees who are women

or who have more than 3 dependents.

ENTER COMMAND >ASELECT

Unqualified ASELECT

220 RECORD(S) SELECTED

additionally selects all unselected records

see also

DSEL

LIMIT

NSELECT

POSTINGS

RESELECT

SET

XRES

40 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ATOE

ATOE

item-1 [TO] item-2

ASCII To EBCDIC Conversion allows the user to perform a pseudo ASCII to EBCDIC conversion on a character field. A

SORT on the output field will sort letters before numbers.

argument discussion item-1

Source item to be moved.

item-2 Destination item: may be the same as item-1.

ATOE performs a character-by-character move to the destination field. The characters 0—9 inclusive are moved unmodified. All other characters have the parity bit switched off, thus causing these characters to sort before numbers. The destination field will appear to be unchanged on output.

error responses

INVALID DESTINATION

INVALID SOURCE

INFO Reference Manual Commands 41

BOTM

Will reposition to the last record in the working set

note

Even numbered program sections only.

BOTM

INFO Reference Manual Commands 43

BOX

BOX

Syntax cont’d

Syntax cont’d from co-ordinates

[

F

ILL (variable)]

(constant)

[

A

TTR (variable)]

(constant)

[

B

ORDER (variable)]

(constant) to co-ordinates

paints a box on the terminal screen to emphasize or isolate displayed data or to give the screen a ‘window' effect.

arguments notes

FILL Sets up the box fill characters; the default fill character is a space. A string may be specified, although it will be truncated if longer than the width of the box.

ATTR Sets up the attributes for the inside of the box, i.e.

an ANSI character such as reverse video or screen blink.

Used in conjunction with FILL

BORDER Specifies the character to be used when outlining the box. The default is a straight line.

THIS COMMAND IS FOR ANSI TERMINALS ONLY.

The co-ordinates may be numeric items or constants in the format row,column.

If all the options are to be used, they must be specified in the order as above.

In Input Forms all BOX commands are run only once and before any other commands.

If the row co-ordinates are equal (e.g. BOX 10,5 10,20), a straight horizontal line will be drawn. If the column coordinates are equal (e.g. BOX 10,5 20,5), a straight vertical line will be drawn.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 45

BOTM discussion examples

A box will be painted on the screen.

BOX 10,20 15,65

BOX 10,20 15,65 FILL '*'

BOX 10,20 15,65 FILL '*' ATTR $REVERSE

BOX 10,20 15,65 BORDER '+'

BOX $NUM1, $NUM2, $NUM3, $NUM4 FILL $CHR5

ATTR $CHR6 BORDER $CHR7

error responses

INVALID STARTING ROW

INVALID ENDING ROW

INVALID STARTING COLUMN

INVALID ENDING COLUMN

ATTRIBUTE STRING IS NOT REALLY AN ATTRIBUTE

46 Commands INFO Reference Manual

BROFF

BROF

The break off command disables a user interrupt to an INFO program using the appropriate break key(s)

discussion see also

This command is particularly useful in applications where there is a lot of data entry via the screen, so that if the break key is inadvertently hit, it is ignored.

The MODE SET COND command provides a more complete way of trapping such interrupts

INFO Reference Manual Commands 47

BRON

BRON

A break on command enables the user to interrupt an INFO program using the relevant break key(s)

discussion note see also

If the Break key was used while BROFF was in effect,

BRON will cause the break to be activated.

Upon such an interrupt the INFO break handler prompts the user before returning to ENTER COMMAND >

The MODE SET COND command provides a more complete way of trapping such interrupts.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 49

CALCULATE

CA

LCULATE DF_item system_item system_variable

or

DF_item system_item system_variable

=

arithmetic_expression

=

arithmetic_expression

computes and assigns a numeric value to numeric data file items, numeric system items and date variables.

arguments

The specified datafile item, system item or system variable must be numeric.

= the operator 'equals'.

arithmetic_expression the expression that INFO computes before assigning the new value. You may also specify a single numeric value.

commandless syntax it is not necessary to include the command name CALCULATE in the statement.

CA $NUM1 = 99

$NUM1 = 99

can be coded as

notes

CALCULATE computes and assigns the value of an INFO arithmetic expression into the named numeric data file item, system item, or system variable. For more information on arithmetic expressions, see the chapter

'Building Expressions' in the beginning of this guide.

Once INFO computes the value of the arithmetic expression, at the time that it stores that value, INFO tailors the result to the target item or variable, as follows:

If the receiving data file item, system item, or system rounding variable is other than an I (integer) or (not VMS)

B (binary) type, INFO rounds the value to the nearest value that fits within the allowed precision for that item or variable.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 51

CALCULATE

If the receiving data file item, system item, or system truncating variable is an I or (not VMS) B type, INFO truncates the result to fit the input width of the item or variable.

The operation of the CALCULATE command varies, depending on whether you use it interactively or in an

INFO program.

In interactive mode, the CALCULATE command operates on every selected record. If no records are selected, you can use the CALCULATE command to perform calculations on system items or system variables, but not on data file items.

In program processing, the results of a CALCULATE depend on whether the command is issued from within an odd-numbered or even-numbered section. Each

CALCULATE command in an odd-numbered section is executed repeatedly, once for each selected record, before processing passes to the next INFO command. On the other hand, each CALCULATE command in an evennumbered section operates only on the currently positioned selected record.

If you attempt to assign a numeric value too large or too small for the receiving item or system variable, INFO displays an error message. INFO then checks the value of the $ARITH-QUESTION system item to determine whether to prompt you with the message DO YOU WANT

TO TRY AGAIN?>. Respond to this prompt as follows:

Y instructs INFO to repeat the calculation that caused the error message and assign the overflow/underflow value

(which is truncated to fit) in the item, system item, or system variable.

N instructs INFO not to repeat the calculation that caused the error message. The item value, system item, or system variable involved is not changed.

52 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CALCULATE notes for using $DAT and $NUM

INFO maintains accuracy of up to 12 significant positions.

Remember to include a space between each term and operator in an arithmetic expression.

When a CALC is performed from an item on a related file where there is a ‘NO-MATCH’, by default the target item is zero-filled. This can be avoided by setting the system variable $MOVFLG to 1. If this is done the target item will be left intact if the source item has not been matched.

Special considerations apply when a CALCULATE command references the $DAT# and $NUM# system variables, either interactively or within an odd-numbered program section.

If you set the value $DAT# or $NUM# without looping — that is, without using the same variable on both sides of the CALCULATE equation — then the CALCULATE operation occurs once, regardless of the number of records selected.

CALCULATE $DAT3 = 5/7/1983 n

If you assign the value of a $DAT# or $NUM# variable in loop processing — that is, while using the same variable on both sides of the equation — then the CALCULATE operation occurs repeatedly, once for each selected record.

CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + PRICE n

At the end of the looping process, the value of the variable

($NUM1 above) equals the total of all the calculated values (in the above example, the total of the PRICE field in all selected records). If no records are selected, the calculation does not occur.

If you include more than one $DAT# or $NUM# variable in the arithmetic expression, then the CALCULATE operation occurs once, regardless of the number of selected records.

CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + $NUM2

INFO Reference Manual Commands 53

CALCULATE example

ENTER COMMAND >CALCULATE GROSS = HRS_WORKED * HRLY_WAGE

ENTER COMMAND >CALCULATE $REPDAT = $TODAY - 3

When performing complex calculations, INFO processes expressions inside parentheses first.

ENTER COMMAND >CALC WAGE = RATE / ( HRS_WRKD * WKS_MO )

Note that there is a space on either side of each operator and each parenthesis.

see also

Appendix L, Functions.

54 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text PRIME

CAT

ALOG [directory_path] [

L

IKE identifier]

lists the files in an operating system directory.

CATALOG arguments note

directory-path — a valid operating system directory name. The default is the current directory.

LIKE identifer — requests a display of only those files within the default or specified directory whose names resemble that of the specified identifier, ( that is , either contain the characters in the name or that resemble the identifier closely).

An unqualified CATALOG command requests a display of all files in the default directory.

This would be equivalent to LD on Prime, DIR on VAX or

ls on UNIX n

It is possible to use wildcards in the identifier.

example

ENTER COMMAND >CATALOG LIKE *.DR9

All files ending in .DR9 will be displayed.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 55

CCASE

CCAS

U

PPER

L

OWER item-1 [TO] item-2

moves character strings, forcing alpha characters to upper or lower case.

arguments

item-1 INFO character item (not literal).

item-2 INFO character item (not literal).

note discussion

Item-1 and item-2 can be the same, e.g.

CCASE UPPER SURNAME TO SURNAME

In effect CCASE is MOVE with forcing of alphabetic characters to upper or lower case. It therefore mimics

MOVE used interactively and in odd/even program sections.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 57

INFO-Text CCCT

CCCT

keyword [item-1]

Change Concordance Character Table applies temporary changes to the concordance character table.

arguments notes discussion

Changes to the INFO-Text concordance character table

(CHATAB) last only for the duration of a session. So put your CCCT statements into PROFILE to customize

CHATAB each time you use it.

Remember that CHATAB is only used by the CONCORD command.

Allows you either to PRINT / DISPLAY concordance character table or to change it by specifying that a given character is to be treated as UPPER = upper case letter,

LOWER = lower case letter, DIGIT = digit, SPECIAL = special character, DELIMITER = word delimiter, NULL = null (i.e. ignored by concorder).

examples

keyword UPPER, LOWER, DIGIT, SPECIAL,

DELIMITER, NULL, PRINT or DISPLAY.

item-1 is the character to be changed in concordance table (must be character item or literal).

CCCT UPPER ‘a’

Treat ‘a’ as ‘A’ when concording

CCCT UPPER ‘I’

No longer treat ‘l’ as a word delimiter, rather as an uppercase character

CCCT DISPLAY

Display the current concordance character table settings to the screen.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 59

CCHR

CCH

R syntax cont’d

[character_1[,character_2[,character_3

[,character_4[,character_5]]]]]

changes or displays the INFO control character settings <KEEP>,

<CLEAR>, <TAB> and <BACKTAB>.

Also TRUNCATION (INFO-Text only )

arguments notes

character_1 refers to the setting for <KEEP>

character_2 refers to the setting for <CLEAR>

character_3 refers to the setting for <TAB>

character_4 refers to the setting for <BACKTAB>

character_5 refers to the setting for TRUNCATION

(INFO-Text only) n

An unqualified CCHR command displays each CCHR setting. INFO prompts you for a response after each

CCHR setting is displayed.

INFO displays the CCHR settings in decimal form (octal on Prime), which represents the ASCII code values for the settings.

UNIX only

When INFO is installed, the default character settings are :

KEEP

CLEAR

TAB

= Dec 01

= Dec 02

= Dec 09

BACKTAB = \ 92

TRUNCATION = ! 33

(Ctrl-A)

(Ctrl-B)

(TAB key)

(\ key)

(! key)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 61

CCHR

VMS only

When INFO is installed, the default character settings are :

KEEP = Dec 12 (Ctrl-L)

CLEAR

TAB

= Dec 16

= Dec 09

BACKTAB = \ 92

TRUNCATION = ! 33

(Ctrl-P)

(TAB key)

(\ key)

(! key)

PRIME only note discussion

When INFO is installed, the default settings are :

KEEP = 129 (Ctrl-A)

CLEAR

TAB

= 130

= 137

BACKTAB = \ 220

TRUNCATION = ! 161

(Ctrl-B)

(TAB key)

(\ key)

(! key)

The above characters are the decimal equivalent of the octal values of the numbers

The CCHR settings are named for their default ASCII control character values. These settings are used during

INPUT FORM, ALTER, ADD and UPDATE processing as described below.

<KEEP>, or setting, is used during execution of INPUT

FORM and ALTER.

For INPUT FORM, it is used to skip (to move the terminal screen cursor) to the end of the form without changing any remaining field values.

For ALTER, it is used to accept the current values for all remaining record item characteristics and return to ENTER

COMMAND > level.

<CLEAR>, or setting, is used with the INPUT FORM command to skip to the end of the form while filling all remaining fields with appropriate null values (blanks or zeros).

62 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CCHR

<TAB> is used with the INPUT FORM command to skip ahead one field without changing the value of the current input field.

<BACKTAB>, or backslash character (\), is used with the

INPUT FORM, ADD and UPDATE commands.

For INPUT FORM, it is used to skip back one field without changing the value of the current field.

For ADD and UPDATE, it is used when INFO prompts for individual items to display the value of the previous item, with a prompt for you to re-enter a value. This allows you to change the last value entered. Once you re-enter the changed value, INFO again prompts for the next item.

<TRUNCATION> is used in specifying “wild-carded” word items in word expressions. (INFO-Text only).

You can process the CCHR command in one of three ways: n

Enter only the command CCHR with no control characters.

INFO displays the current <KEEP> setting and waits for you to respond. If you press <RETURN>, INFO leaves the current setting unchanged; if you enter any other character, INFO changes the current setting to the specified character. INFO then displays the current setting of the <CLEAR> control character and again waits for a

<RETURN> or replacement character. INFO proceeds in this way for the <TAB> , <BACKTAB> and

<TRUNCATION> control settings, and then returns you to

ENTER COMMAND > level.

Enter the command CCHR followed by the character values which correspond to the settings you wish to change. Separate setting characters with commas. To skip over one of the character values — that is, to leave it unchanged — enter an extra comma to correspond to the position of the character. For example, to leave only the

TAB character unchanged, you might enter CCHR X,Y,,Z.

After you enter the CCHR command, INFO displays the new settings.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 63

CCHR example

Enter the command CCHR followed by four commas.

INFO displays the current values of all four settings.

Note: When changing the CCHR settings, under Unix and

VMS you may enter either the character itself or its decimal value. On PRIME, you must enter the character itself.

A CCHR command dialog in which you change CCHR settings might look like this:

ENTER COMMAND >CCHR

THE CURRENT CONTROL CHARACTERS ARE:

KEEP = Dec 01 ><CONTROL><X>

Changes <KEEP>

CLEAR = Dec 02 ><CONTROL><Y>

Changes <CLEAR>

TAB

BACKTAB

= Dec 09 ><RETURN>

= \ 92 >

TAB> unchanged

Changes<BACKTAB>

TRUNCATION = ! 33 ><RETURN>

TRUNCATION unchanged (INFO-Text only)

ENTER COMMAND>CCHR

THE CURRENT CONTROL CHARACTERS ARE:

KEEP = Dec 24 >

CLEAR

TAB

BACKTAB

= Dec 25 >

= Dec 09 >

= \ 92 >

64 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE

CH

ANGE IF_name

PG_name

RP_name

SF_name

[

S

D

MART]

UMB] file_path

S

YSTEM [

P

RINT]

[

P

RINT]

CH

ANGE

changes the content of any ASCII text file or INFO source file, that is, a program, report, special form, or input form. CHANGE is synonymous with ED and is a line editor

arguments

IF_name | PG_name | RP_name | SF_name the INFO file to be changed.

[SMART | DUMB] you can tell INFO to verify or not to verify changes to the file.

SMART directs INFO to verify that inserted lines and changed text are valid for the current report, program, input form, or special form. SMART is the default mode for the CHANGE command, except when you also specify the SYSTEM option.

If you try to insert an invalid new line, INFO rejects the line and issues an error message. If you change text on an existing line so that the command is invalid, INFO aborts the change process and issues an error message.

In addition, INFO ensures that changes to a program do not violate program section boundaries, and that changes to a report do not violate column content and heading correspondence.

DUMB directs INFO not to verify any modified or inserted text during CHANGE execution. DUMB is the default mode when you use CHANGE to edit system files.

[PRINT] sends a copy of the source file to your spool file

before you make any changes to it. If you include the

PRINT option for an ASCII file, INFO assumes that all data in the file is printable; it does not perform any data conversion before printing.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 65

CHANGE

file_path the full system pathname of an ASCII file.

SYSTEM indicates that the specified file is an ASCII text file.

notes discussion

Before you use the INSERT or REPLACE requests on a source file, be sure to take the following steps:

1) Format any of the system variables, $CHR#, $DAT#, and

$NUM#, that are referenced in the source file (see the

FORMAT command for instructions to do this).

2) Relate all data files to be used when the source file is executed, in the order in which they were related when the source file was defined.

Note that if you save the move or copy range of a program file to an INFO file, INFO creates a directory entry for the saved file and generates a PROGRAM SECTION ONE statement at the beginning of the saved file. If the first saved statement is an even-numbered program statement,

INFO generates a PROGRAM SECTION TWO statement immediately following the PROGRAM SECTION ONE statement. If you save to an ASCII file, INFO does not perform any validity checking on the saved file.

Be careful if you change an ASCII text file that contains

INFO program or report text that you want INFO to use subsequently. If you use the CHANGE command to edit the file, INFO does not perform any validity checking on lines in the file. You must ensure that the format and syntax of the program/report lines are correct.

In the following discussion, the term source file means an

INFO program, report, special form, or input form. Unless otherwise specified, all CHANGE options apply to each of the four INFO source files.

When you enter a CHANGE command, INFO starts a dialog with the prompt ENTER OPTIONS>. You can then make changes to the file using one of the CHANGE options. See 'Table CHANGE-1, Change options'.

66 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE

Many of the CHANGE options reference the current line of the source file. When INFO first begins the CHANGE dialog, it considers the current line to be the top of the file, just before the first line, and displays BEGINNING OF

FILE. Subsequent options cause INFO to point to other lines as current. REPLACE, CHANGE, COPY, DELETE and MOVE first affect the current line. The options that involve putting lines between existing lines, like INSERT,

LOAD and the second phase of COPY or MOVE, insert immediately after the current line.

To stop the CHANGE processing, use the Q (quit) option to save all the changes you requested and return you to

ENTER COMMAND >. You can also use the K (kill) option to stop editing without saving any of the changes.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS when changing

INFO source files when replacing or inserting lines

When changing any INFO source file, use any of the options described in Change-1 to change the contents of the source file. You can request that the CHANGE session operate in SMART or DUMB mode.

When you issue an unqualified REPLACE for any source file, or you request an unqualified INSERT for a program, input form, or special form, INFO prompts with ENTER

TEXT:

When you issue an unqualified INSERT for a report, INFO issues a prompt appropriate to the current line for the file:

ENTER COLUMN CONTENT>, if the current line is a heading line, or ENTER COLUMN HEADING>, if the current line is a report item definition.

In any of the above cases, enter your changes or a

<RETURN> to abort the request and return to the ENTER

OPTIONS> prompt.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 67

CHANGE when revising programs when revising reports

When you change a program, INFO automatically renumbers the lines in the program on leaving the

CHANGE editor. These numbers do not affect program execution. They are strictly for reference. After inserting lines in a program and when the mode setting is SMART,

INFO ensures that the odd/even program section sequence is still correct. If necessary, INFO inserts a

PROGRAM SECTION statement to maintain the odd/even program section sequence.

If you want to insert lines before the first existing program line, specify TOP, then INSERT. INFO generates a

PROGRAM SECTION ONE statement before the inserted lines and deletes the original PROGRAM SECTION ONE statement.

If you repeatedly try to point beyond the last line, INFO might alter the number of the last line. However, this cannot affect how the program works, and INFO renumbers the program the next time you issue a

CHANGE command.

INFO saves each column definition on two lines in the report file. The first line includes spacing instructions, column content, and any specified options. The second line includes all the elements of the column heading.

INFO preserves this separation when you use the

CHANGE editor.

When you enter a new report line using the INSERT or

REPLACE option, INFO takes you through a dialog parallel to column definition. The prompts you receive depend on your location in the report. Remember that

INSERT starts inserting after the current line.

If the current line is a column heading, or a column definition that appears in the second or subsequent line of the report, INFO first prompts with ENTER COLUMN

CONTENT>. Respond by entering an item name, text string, arithmetic expression, space saver, tab indicator, or equal sign (=), as described in the REPORT command.

68 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE

Because only the first line of a multi-line report can have column heading information defined for each report item,

INFO ensures that any changes you make do not affect this sequence, as follows:

1) If you replace an existing column definition line with an equal sign to begin a new report line, INFO deletes all column-heading lines that follow the replaced line.

2) If you replace the first existing equal sign with a report item definition to lengthen the first line of the report, INFO inserts blank column-heading lines for each column definition line that follows the replacement line until it encounters a line break (an equal sign).

To avoid getting the next ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> prompt, place a comma at the end of your column content response.

If you do not terminate the previous entry with a comma,

INFO prompts with ENTER REPORT OPTIONS>. Follow the REPORT command instructions for entering options.

If the current line is on the first line of the report, you get the ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> prompt.

If the current line is a column definition on the first line of the report, INFO first prompts ENTER COLUMN

HEADINGS>. Enter a new heading for the column, following the rules or the REPORT command.

You can enter <RETURN> to request that INFO not change the headings. If you do this, INFO tries to fit the headings to the column width if that has been changed. If the headings are wider than the new column width, INFO truncates the right-hand characters from the headings.

If your report width changes, INFO recentres the title to fit the report. If you want to change the title, position the cursor to the title line and use the CHANGE or REPLACE options to make the desired changes. You cannot change the number of lines in a report title by deleting or inserting lines, or by inserting an equal sign specification within the existing title.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 69

CHANGE when moving or copying lines

When you request a MOVE or COPY option during a

CHANGE command, you must first indicate the range of lines to be moved or copied Use the positioning options to locate the first line you want to move or copy. Then follow either of these two procedures to indicate the last line to be moved or copied:

1) Issue the MOVE or COPY option and specify the number of lines or a search string to delineate the end of the range. INFO marks the current line as the starting line of the move/copy range and locates the ending line using the specified number or search string.

2) Issue an unqualified MOVE or COPY option. INFO marks the current line as the starting line and prompts you to indicate the ending line, as follows: MOVE WHAT> for a move request, or COPY WHAT> for a copy request. Use the positioning options to locate the last line to be moved or copied, and then enter another unqualified MOVE or

COPY option. INFO marks the located line as the ending line. If you try to mark a line that precedes the starting line as an ending line, INFO issues an error message and returns you to the ENTER OPTIONS> prompt. You cannot move or copy title lines in a report; if you try to do so, INFO issues an error message and aborts the request.

After you indicate the range of lines, INFO prompts MOVE

TO WHERE> for a move request, or COPY TO WHERE> for a copy request. Again use the positioning options to locate the target line for the move or copy operation. The target line can be anywhere in the file, except within the range of lines to be moved or copied. When you locate the target line, enter another unqualified MOVE or COPY, and INFO completes the operation.

In response to the prompt for the target location, or at any time after INFO issues the prompt but before you mark the target line, you can enter the SAVE option to save the range of lines marked for the MOVE or COPY option. Use the SAVE option as described in Table CHANGE-1, except that you must specify an INFO or an ASCII text file name; you cannot enter an unqualified SAVE command in this instance.

70 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE

If you save the move/copy range of a report to an INFO file, INFO creates a directory entry for the saved file that has the same attributes and contains the same report definition information as the report file from which you issue the SAVE option. If you send the saved information to an ASCII text file, INFO cannot create a directory entry for the file that contains the report attributes. See

'Considerations when using ASCII text files' in this command reference for information about using reports from system text files.

After moving or copying program lines, INFO determines whether or not to generate or delete PROGRAM SECTION statements to preserve the odd/even program section sequence as follows:

1) Following a move, INFO checks the statements at the beginning and end of the moved text at the target location, and the statements remaining at the source location. If necessary, INFO generates or deletes a PROGRAM

SECTION statement at these locations.

2) Following a copy, INFO checks the statements at the beginning and end of the copied text. If necessary, INFO generates or deletes a PROGRAM SECTION statement at the two locations.

1) Following a move or copy operation within a program file, the program line numbers may be out of sequence. INFO renumbers the program when you end the CHANGE session. Alternatively, you can issue the SAVE option;

INFO renumbers the program lines when it processes the

SAVE.

After moving or copying report lines, INFO checks to ensure that report item definitions and column headings are sequenced properly. If necessary, INFO generates or deletes column heading lines, as follows:

1) If INFO finds a report item definition line without a column heading in the first line of the report, INFO adds a blank column heading line for that report item line.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 71

CHANGE

2) If INFO finds a report item definition line with a matching column heading line following a line break, INFO deletes the column- heading line.

3) If INFO finds a column heading line without a matching report, item definition line, INFO deletes the column heading.

When INFO generates or deletes lines, it issues an error message warning you to examine the file to see if further editing is necessary.

You can terminate the move/copy request at any time with the KILL option.

when loading from a file

When processing the LOAD option in DUMB mode, INFO does not verify the lines loaded. When loading a file in

SMART mode, INFO verifies each line of the file. If

INFO finds an invalid line, it aborts the load request and issues an error message, leaving the file you wanted to change in the condition it was before you issued the LOAD option.

When loading a program, INFO examines the first and last of the loaded lines to ensure correctness of the odd/even section sequence. If necessary, INFO generates or deletes a PROGRAM SECTION statement at the two locations.

When loading a report, INFO loads only report itemdefinition and column heading lines; it ignores title lines.

INFO checks that report item definitions and column headings are in proper order, as described under

'Considerations when revising reports'. If necessary, INFO generates or deletes column heading lines, as follows:

1) If the target location for the load is in the first line of the report, that is, before an equal sign (=), INFO adds a blank column heading line for any loaded report item definition line that does not have a column heading line.

2) If the target location for the load is in the second or subsequent line of the report, that is, after an equal sign

(=), INFO does not load any column heading lines into the file you are changing.

72 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE when using

ASCII text files

When using the CHANGE command with an ASCII text file, INFO operates in the DUMB mode. You cannot specify the SMART mode in this situation. Use any of the options in Table CHANGE-1 to change lines in the text file. Text file names cannot be longer than 32 characters.

If you want INFO to use a program or report that exists in a text file, you must take the following steps to load the text file into an existing INFO file:

1) Create an INFO source file of the same type (such as program or report) as the ASCII text file. The source file can contain commands. Use the PROGRAM command to create a program file or the REPORT command to create a report file, following the instructions for those commands. If you use an INFO report file that contains an existing report definition, it must reference the same data file items as the report to be loaded from the text file.

2) Enter the CHANGE command and the INFO program or report file.

3) Use the LOAD option to load the text file into the

CHANGE file.

4) Perform any necessary edits.

5) Use the QUIT option to exit the CHANGE session.

You can now request that INFO execute the program or report.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 73

CHANGE example

In the example below, the program called PB.RUN.REP, which now produces the report RP.STATUS, is changed to produce the report RP.YTD.SALES.

ENTER COMMAND CHANGE PB.RUN.REP

ENTER OPTIONS>P 25

BEGINNING OF FILE

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT DF.SALES RO

Display 25 lines.

10010 REPORT RP.STATUS Y 60

10011 DISPLAY =

10012 DISPLAY AT 10,20 ‘READY TO SPOOL’

10013 ELSE

10014 IF $CHR1 = 'N'

10015 REPORT RP.STATUS N/W 23

10016 ELSE

10017 GOTO RETRY

10018 ENDIF

10019 ENDIF

END OF FILE

ENTER OPTIONS>T

BEGINNING OF FILE

ENTER OPTIONS>F 10010

Position to top of file

Find line 10010

10010 REPORT RP.STATUS Y 60

ENTER OPTIONS>C /STATUS/YTD.SALES/6

10010 REPORT RP.YTD.SALES Y 60

Search the next 6

lines

for the

10015 REPORT RP.YTD.SALES N/W 23

value STATUS and

ENTER OPTIONS>Q

change it to

YTD.SALES

74 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE

Table CHANGE-1 Change options

Option syntax

PPEND [string]

OTTOM

C HANGE [options]

Unless noted otherwise, source file, as used below, refers to an INFO program, report, special form, or input form.

Description of function performed

Append text. Requests that INFO append text to the end of the current line.

If you include the string specification, INFO appends the string contents to the end of the current line. String can be any combination of characters, separated from the APPEND option by one space; if you enter two spaces following the APPEND, INFO assumes that the second space is the first character of the string.

If you do not include the string specification,

INFO prompts you to ENTER TEXT>.

Respond by entering the string contents you want appended to the current line. The length of a source file line following the append operation cannot exceed the maximum command length for your operating system.

Locate Bottom. Points to below the last line in the file and displays the END OF FILE message.

Change text. Changes the value of a text string in the current line. If the

request is entered alone, INFO prompts

FROM>

and waits for you to enter the string you want to change.

Once you enter the string, INFO prompts

TO> and waits for you to enter the new string. The following dialog changes $NUMS:

ENTER OPTIONS>C

FROM>$NUMS

TO>$NUM1

INFO Reference Manual Commands 75

CHANGE

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed

You can also enter all of the command specifications on a single line. When you use this option, you can also specify:

1) the number of lines INFO should search for the FROM text

2) whether to change only the first instance of the string in the searched lines or to change all instances of that string

To enter the command in this way, follow the syntax below:

C/old-text/new-text[/[line-count] [G]] where: n old-text and new-text are the string to be replaced and the replacement string, respectively.

Line-count is an integer that tells INFO how many lines to search for the old-text. If a linecount is not entered, the other specifications apply only to the current line.

n requests that INFO globally change all old-text strings in the file. If

is not entered, INFO only changes the first occurrence of the old-text in each line.

To separate the old and new text, instead of the slash (/), you can use any character (except a blank space) that does not appear within either string.

76 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

CO PY [# | string]

DE LETE[#]

F IND # the

(programs only)

CHANGE

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed

Copy line(s). Requests that INFO copy the number of lines indicated to another location in the file, leaving the source lines intact in their current location. If you specify #, where # is a positive integer, INFO copies the number of lines indicated, beginning with the current line.

If you specify string, where string is any combination of characters separated from the

COPY request by one space, INFO copies text from the current line to the first line containing the string value. If INFO cannot locate a line containing the specified string, it issues an error message and aborts the COPY request.

If you do not include the # or string specification, INFO prompts you to mark the lines to be copied, as discussed in

'Considerations when moving or copying lines'.

Delete line(s). Deletes the current line in the file or, if the # specification is provided, where

# is a positive integer, deletes # lines from the file, starting with the current line. Moves to the next available line and displays that line at the terminal. If the value of # exceeds the number of lines left in the file, INFO deletes all remaining lines and displays the message END

OF FILE. The # specifier must be a positive integer.

Find program line. Locates the line that has line specified by #, where # is within 100000 of the current line. Moves to the new line and displays that line at the terminal. To find a line more than 100000 lines away, use repeated F requests.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 77

CHANGE

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

I NSERT[string]

K ILL

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed

Insert line(s). Requests that INFO insert one or more lines following the current line. If you include the string specification, INFO inserts the specified line of text following the current line and moves to the newly inserted line.

String can be any combination of characters, separated from the INSERT request by one space. If you enter two spaces following

INSERT, INFO assumes that the second space is the first character of the string. If you do not include the string specification, INFO prompts you to ENTER TEXT:.

You can enter any number of new lines after the ENTER TEXT

prompt. If you are changing a program or text file, enter the lines together following the initial prompt; for the other types of files, INFO prompts separately for each line.

When you are finished, enter <RETURN>.

Make sure that the new lines are consistent with the type of source file being processed, and that they follow all rules regarding that source file. At the end of an INSERT, INFO moves to the last line entered.

Kill the CHANGE session. Ends the CHANGE session without updating the file; any changes made since you issued the CHANGE command will be lost. If you changed the file, INFO prompts: DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE (Y

OR N)>. Respond Y (yes) to abort the session and return to the ENTER COMMAND > prompt. Any other response aborts the KILL request and returns you to the ENTER

OPTIONS> prompt.

78 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

Change options (cont'd)

CHANGE

Description of function performed

L OCATE string

LO AD file-name

Locate string value. Searches forward in the file, starting with the next line, until it finds a line that contains the value of the string argument. Moves to the located line and displays that line. String is separated from the

LOCATE request by a space.

Load from specified file. Requests that INFO insert records from the specified file immediately following the current line. Records in this case refer to lines from the specified file.

If positioned at the top of the file, INFO loads the requested file before the first line of the

CHANGE file; if positioned at the bottom of the file, INFO loads the requested file after the last line of the CHANGE file. Alternatively, you can specify loading from an ASCII text file, limit the number of records loaded, or request that INFO load a specified INFO file from another INFO user area using the following syntax:

LOAD <file_name> [beg_rec_#[

, end_rec_#]] [FROM user_name] or

LOAD <file_path SYSTEM>[beg_rec_#[

, end_ rec_#]] where: n file_name is the name of the INFO file you want loaded into the CHANGE file. Note that the file must exist in your INFO user area and must be the same file type as the CHANGE file.

n file_path SYSTEM is the name of the ASCII text file from which you want to load records.

You must include the word SYSTEM to indicate that the file is a system file rather than an INFO file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 79

CHANGE

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed n beg_rec_# and end_rec_# are optional specifications that identify the numbers of the first and last records to be loaded from the file.

If you include a beg_rec_# without an end_rec_#, INFO loads records from the starting record to the end of the file. If you do not include beginning or ending record numbers, INFO loads the entire contents of the specified file.

MOD E[SMART | DUMB]

MO VE[# | string] n

FROM user_name is an optional specification that applies only to INFO files and directs INFO to search the specified INFO user area for the file.

See 'Considerations when loading a file' for more information about the LOAD request.

Switch mode setting. Requests that INFO change or display the mode in which the

CHANGE command is operating. If you include a SMART or DUMB request, INFO establishes that mode immediately. If you issue an unqualified MODE request, INFO displays the current mode setting.

Move line(s). Requests that INFO move the number of lines indicated to another location in the file and delete the source lines from their original location following the move. If you specify #, where # is a positive integer, INFO moves the number of lines indicated, beginning with the current line. If you specify string, where string is any combination of characters separated from the word MOVE by one space,

INFO moves the lines beginning with the current line and ending with the first line containing the string value. If INFO cannot locate a line containing the specified string, it

80 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

N EXT [#]

P RINT [#]

PO INT #

INFO Reference Manual

CHANGE

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed issues an error message and aborts the MOVE request. If you do not include the n or string specification, INFO prompts you to mark the lines to be moved, as discussed in

'Considerations when moving or copying lines'.

Point to Next line. Points to the next line, or, if the # specification is provided as a positive or negative integer, to the line that is +# or -# lines from the current line. Displays the new line at the terminal. The value of # defaults to

If a NEXT -# request would point above the top of the file, INFO moves to the line before the first line and displays the message

BEGINNING OF FILE.

If a NEXT # request would point below the last line of the file, INFO moves to the last line and displays the message END OF FILE.

Print line(s). Displays the number of lines specified by # at your terminal, beginning with the current line. Specify # as a positive integer. If you do not include the # specification, INFO displays the current line.

After printing, the last line printed is the current line. If the number of lines specified by # is greater than the number of lines in the file,

INFO moves to the last line in the file and displays the message END OF FILE.

Point to specified line. Points to the line specified by # where # is a positive integer

(including 0). INFO moves to the requested line and displays that line. If you specify # as

0, INFO moves in front of the first line and displays the message BEGINNING OF FILE.

Commands 81

CHANGE

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

Q UIT

R EPLACE [string]

S AVE

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed

If you specify # as greater than the number of lines in the file, INFO moves beyond the last line in the file and displays the message END

OF FILE.

Quit the change dialog. Saves all of your changes, exits from the CHANGE processing and returns you to ENTER COMMAND >.

Replace line. Requests that INFO replace the current line. If you include the string specification, INFO replaces the current line with the string contents.

string can be any combination of characters, separated from the keyword REPLACE by one space. If you enter two spaces following the

REPLACE request, INFO assumes the second space to be the first character of the string. If you do not include the string specification,

INFO issues a prompt for a new line that replaces the current line.

In this case, enter the new line. Unlike the

INSERT request, you can enter only one line here. If you are changing a form, make sure that the new line is consistent with the type of form being processed and that it follows all rules regarding that form. To abort the replace request, enter a <RETURN>. At the end of a

REPLACE, INFO points to the new line.

Save file. Directs INFO to save the current contents of the CHANGE file, except as discussed below for a MOVE/COPY request, using the following syntax:

SAVE [file_name | file_path SYSTEM]

82 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

CHANGE

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed where file_name is the name of an INFO or

ASCII text file. If you do not include the file_name specification, INFO saves the current CHANGE file contents into the original file. If file name or file path is a text file, you must include SYSTEM; otherwise, INFO assumes the requested file is an INFO file. If the requested file name does not exist, INFO creates and opens a new file by that name. If the requested file name exists but is not the same type of file, INFO displays an error message and aborts the SAVE request. If the requested file name does exist and is the same type of file, INFO prompts you:

OK TO OVERWRITE OLD COPY>.

Respond Y (yes) to request that INFO overwrite the specified file with the current CHANGE file contents; otherwise, enter N (no) or

<RETURN> to abort the SAVE request.

Following successful completion of the SAVE operation, INFO ends the CHANGE session and returns to the ENTER COMMAND > prompt. If the CHANGE file is a program,

INFO renumbers the program lines.

During a MOVE or COPY request, after you have marked a range of lines to be moved or copied, but before marking the target location, you can enter a SAVE request to save the range of lines marked for the MOVE/COPY request. Use the SAVE option as described above, except you must specify an INFO or text file name; you cannot enter an unqualified

SAVE request in this instance.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 83

CHANGE

Table CHANGE-1

Option syntax

T OP

see also

Change options (cont'd)

Description of function performed

Locate Top. Points to the line before the first line in the file. INFO displays the message

BEGINNING OF FILE.

Re-executes the previous CHANGE command.

e.g.

P 23 display 23 lines

X display next 23 lines

N -5 re-position 5 lines back

X re-position a further 5 lines back

Point to next line or return to the ENTER

OPTIONS> prompt. When entered in response to the ENTER OPTIONS> prompt, directs

INFO to point to the next line in the file. During

CHANGE option processing, such as an

INSERT or SAVE request, exits the current option and returns to the ENTER OPTIONS> prompt.

EDIT

84 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CHECK

CHEC

K [item-name]

allows a user to see if the spool file is in use upon entry into INFO

arguments discussion

item-name is the optional numeric internal variable to receive the return code. If omitted, $NUM40 will be used.

This command is useful for verifying that a user has access to a spool (XXXNSP) file when in INFO. The named item is set to 1 if a spool file is not open on logical unit 8 where it should normally be. This may happen upon entry into INFO if another user has the spool file open because of his/her prior entry into the same INFO directory.

example

10000 PROG PROFILE

10001 CHECK

10002 IF $NUM40 NE 0

10003 Q STOP

10004 ENDIF

10005 .....

INFO Reference Manual Commands 85

CLAC

CLAC

item-1 item-2

Classify Character Variable classifies a given character string by its contents

arguments note discussion

Use ENCODE to classify a character field as numeric or date.

This command examines contents of item-1 and returns classifications in item-2. The contents of item-2 are not changed.

item-1 contains

“ ” (space)

item-2

A-Z

A-Z, “ ”(space)

A-Z,0-9

A-Z,0-9,“ ”(space) other

examples

item-1 a character system-variable, system-item or string literal.

item-2 a numeric system-variable or system-item.

CLAC ‘ABCD’ $NUM40

DISPLAY $NUM40

FO $CHR1,8

$CHR1 = ‘AB 89’ $NUM40

DISPLAY $NUM40

$IDX2 = 1

$WORK-BUFF = ‘AB12 !’

CLAC $WORK-BUFF $WORK-INT

DISPLAY $WORK-INT

INFO Reference Manual Commands 87

CLAC error message see also

INVALID SYNTAX will occur if file items are used.

ENCODE

88 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CLEAR

CLEA

clears all internal variables ($CHR#, $NUM# and $DAT#, where # is 1-40) to nulls

INFO Reference Manual Commands 89

CNAME

CNAM

E from_filename to_filename [pathname]

allows the user to change the name of a SYSTEM file to which he/she has access

arguments

from_filename is the name of the operating system level file you wish to change.

to_filename is the name you wish to change the operating system level file to.

pathname is the directory the file is on - the default is the current directory.

notes discussion

n from_filename and to_filename are entered as literals without quotes n

(VMS only) it is possible to specify a version number against the filenames, if none is specified, all versions will be processed.

If the pathname is omitted then the from-file is assumed to be in the current directory

INFO Reference Manual Commands 91

COMINPUT

CO

MINPUT path_name

CONT

INUE

PAUSE

TTY

used to direct, redirect and otherwise control the flow of INFO command input.

arguments notes

path_name must refer to an ASCII text file in the INFO directory of your current workspace. path_name can include global variables.

CONTINUE resumes reading command input from a previously suspended COMINPUT file (see the description of the PAUSE option just below). The command stream resumes with the command following the COMINPUT

PAUSE command in the suspended COMINPUT file.

PAUSE suspends processing of the COMINPUT file and redirects the command input to come from your terminal.

A subsequent COMINPUT CONTINUE command resumes reading the command input from the suspended

COMINPUT file.

TTY closes the COMINPUT file and redirects command input to come from your terminal. A COMINPUT TTY command can occur anywhere in a COMINPUT file; however, you can only issue the COMINPUT TTY command from your terminal after the file has ended and the host system has passed control back to the terminal.

The COMINPUT command may function differently on different computer systems. For this reason, be careful when using it in applications that might be moved to different types of hardware.

The file the commands are taken from must exist in your current operating system directory.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 93

COMINPUT discussion

If the CO command is used in a program, it is not executed until the program has finished, regardless of where it is in the program.

INFO also accepts a dash (-) in front of CONTINUE,

PAUSE and TTY.

The COMINPUT command, when used interactively, directs INFO to begin accepting commands from a file

(called a COMINPUT file) instead of from your terminal.

You specify an existing ASCII text file in the COMINPUT command line, and INFO begins to read INFO commands from that file. This COMINPUT file should contain a series of INFO commands, one command per line in the file. INFO reads commands from this file until it reaches the end of the file or a COMINPUT TTY command.

You can include COMINPUT commands within a

COMINPUT file to redirect command input to come from the terminal temporarily (with the PAUSE option) or permanently (with the TTY option).

examples

On the following page is a listing of an ASCII text file called example.cmi, which contains INFO commands, and an example of how this file can be executed from within INFO using the COMI command.

94 Commands INFO Reference Manual

COMINPUT example.cmi

SELECT DF.SALES

DISPLAY SALES.REP

RUN PG.STATUS.REP Y 60

COMI TTY

ENTER COMMAND >COMI EXAMPLE.CMI

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT DF.SALES

25 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY SALES-REP

HARVEY

JACK

JILL

TODD

ROD

COMI file execution begins here

ENTER COMMAND >RUN PG.STATUS.REP Y 60

ENTER COMMAND >COMI TTY

ENTER COMMAND >

Last command in the COMI file.

You can now enter an INFO command at your terminal.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 95

COMOUTPUT

COMO

UTPUT path_name

-E

creates an ASCII text file in which INFO records everything that is displayed at your terminal during your INFO session.

arguments

path_name is the name of a file that will be created in the directory of your current workspace. It can include global variables.

-END closes the current COMO file.

notes discussion

The COMOUTPUT command may function differently on different computer systems. For this reason, be careful when using it in applications that might be moved to another manufacturer's computer. For instance, on the

Prime, the response to any system command issued from within INFO (with SPAWN or

•

) is written to the como file, but not on UNIX or VMS. Also, the dash (-) in front of

END is obligatory on Prime, but optional on UNIX or VMS.

Make sure you close your COMOUTPUT file; otherwise, the file becomes large very quickly. The file remains open until you issue a COMOUTPUT -END command, you issue a COMOUTPUT command specifying another file, or you exit INFO (except on Prime).

You can use the COMOUTPUT command to open, and at some later time to close, an ASCII text file in which INFO records everything that is displayed at your terminal during your INFO session. This COMOUTPUT file receives a copy of all prompts, responses and other messages that are displayed at your terminal, whether they originate from interactive usage of INFO or from execution of INFO programs.

Note that all INFO prompts and all your responses processed while using a COMINPUT file are displayed at the terminal and, therefore, recorded in the COMOUTPUT file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 97

COMOUTPUT

COMOUTPUT operates independently of the commands

COMINPUT, OUTPUT, LOG and SPOOL. While the displays associated with these commands are logged to the COMOUTPUT file, the data these commands generate is routed as usual.

If you issue a second COMOUTPUT command specifying a second COMOUTPUT file, INFO terminates logging to the first COMOUTPUT file before logging to the second

COMOUTPUT file. If the first and second COMOUTPUT files are the same file, or if a second COMOUTPUT file specified already exists, INFO overwrites the existing file.

INFO never appends information to a COMOUTPUT file.

example see also

ENTER COMMAND >COMO TEST.COMO

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 'WELCOME TO INFO!'

WELCOME TO INFO!

ENTER COMMAND >COMO —END

If you send TEST.COMO to your printer, the output looks like this:

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 'WELCOME TO INFO!'

WELCOME TO INFO!

ENTER COMMAND >COMO —END

LOG

98 Commands INFO Reference Manual

COMPILE

COMP

ILE PG_name

IF-name

RP_name

SF_name

[

L

P

IST]

RINT] [

[

S

INGLE]

LOCAL

]

prepares an INFO source file for execution. All source files must be compiled before they can execute.

arguments notes

PG_name an INFO program.

IF_name input form name.

RP_name report name.

SF_name special form name.

LIST displays each line of your source file on the terminal screen as it is compiled. This can also be achieved by setting the INFO system variable $LISTON to 1.

PRINT sends the compiled program with any accompanying messages from the COMPILE command to your spool file.

SINGLE compiles the specified program and programs that are RUN LINK within it.

LOCAL compiles the specified program and input forms, special forms, reports and programs that are RUN LINK within it.

An unqualified COMPILE on a program compiles all programs, input forms, special forms and reports called within it.

Before you compile a program, you must take the following steps:

1) If your program assumes a specific format for one or more

INFO system variables, you must format them, before you compile the program, to correspond to their first use in the program. Don't do this if the program itself formats the system variables.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 99

COMPILE discussion

Input forms, special forms

and reports

2) Select and relate all data files in the order in which they will be selected and related when the program begins execution. Don't do this if the program itself performs these steps.

If you do not take these steps, INFO misinterprets the program and displays error messages.

With INFO's RUN command, you specify an INFO program to execute. If you issue a RUN command for a program that has not been compiled, INFO compiles the program before executing it. However, using the RUN command to compile a program is an inefficient use of resources and is not recommended. If, in response to a

RUN command for a program needing compiling, INFO finds errors in a program during compilation, INFO does not allow the program to begin execution.

If $DECODE-EXT-PG is set to 1 (default = 0) COMPILE will ignore decoded external programs, forms and reports.

The COMPILE command prepares an INFO program for subsequent execution. When using the COMPILE command, INFO checks the program for errors and displays appropriate error messages or displays an

ERRORS = 0 message.

If you write an INFO program that RUNS other INFO programs within it, the COMPILE command compiles and checks those programs as well. You can compile up to

1000 nested programs with one COMPILE command.

Input Forms, Special Forms and Reports can be compiled interactively, but all referenced files must be selected and related and all referenced variables formatted correctly.

When a program is compiled, it will also compile all forms and reports referenced in it, except when the SINGLE option is specified, rather like RUN prog LINK programs.

In addition to this program and form execution statements can be traced, and the tracing is set on either by RUN ...

LIST or COMP ... LIST or by using the systems item

$LISTON.

100 Commands INFO Reference Manual

example

COMPILE

$LISTON = 0 trace off.

$LISTON = 1 trace to screen — in input forms will trace the statements to the $ERROR-POSITION.

$LISTON = -1 trace statements to the print file (as RUN

PRINT does).

$LISTON can be set anywhere and so turned off or on at will.

If you issue a COMPILE command without options, your screen displays the name and current status of the program(s) being compiled. In the example below, programs PG.UPD.TIMESHEET and PG.MENU are compiled, as are any special forms, input forms and reports called by the programs.

ENTER COMMAND >COMPILE PG—UPD—TIMESHEET

COMPILING PG: PG—UPD—TIMESHEET

COMPILING SF: SF—UPD—TIMESHEET

END SF: SF—UPD—TIMESHEET

Level 0

Level 1

Errors = 0

Level 1 COMPILING IF: IPF—UPD—TIMESHEET

END IF: IPF—UPD—TIMESHEET

COMPILING RP: RP—UPD—TIMESHEET

END RP: RP—UPD—TIMESHEET

COMPILING PG: PG—LINK

END PG: PG—LINK

Errors = 0

Level 1

Errors = 0

Level 1 Link

Errors = 0

COMPILING PG: PG—MENU

END PG: PG—MENU

END PG: PG—UPD—TIMESHEET

Level 1

Errors = 0

END OF COMPILATION. 4 OF 4 PROGRAMS COMPILED TOTAL ERRORS =0

END OF COMPILATION. 1 OF 1 REPORTS COMPILED TOTAL ERRORS =0

END OF COMPILATION. 1 OF 1 SPECIAL FORMS COMPILED

TOTAL ERRORS =0

END OF COMPILATION 1 OF 1 INPUT FORMS COMPILED

TOTAL ERRORS= 0

END OF COMPILATION 7 OF 7 TOTAL ENTRIES COMPILED

TOTAL ERRORS =0

INFO Reference Manual Commands 101

COMPILE

If you specify the SINGLE option, COMPILE ignores the nested program. The nested program must exist in your current user area when you compile the outer program.

ENTER COMMAND >COMPILE PG.UPD.TIMESHEET SINGLE

COMPILING PG: PG—UPD—TIMESHEET LEVEL 0

SF: SF—UPD—TIMESHEET IGNORED — CONTINUING

IF: IPF—UPD—TIMESHEET IGNORED — CONTINUING

RP: RP—UPD—TIMESHEET IGNORED — CONTINUING

COMPILING PG: PG—LINK LEVEL 1 LINK

END PG: PG—LINK

PG: PG—MENU IGNORED — CONTINUING

ERRORS = 0

END PG: PG—UPD—TIMESHEET ERRORS = 0

END OF COMPILATION 2 OF 2 PROGRAMS COMPILED

TOTAL ERRORS = 0

If you use the LIST option, your program is displayed line by line on your terminal screen. If you use the PRINT option, the same information is sent to your spool file. In the following example, both the PRINT and SINGLE options are used.

ENTER COMMAND >COMPILE PG.UPD.TIMESHEET PRINT SINGLE

102 Commands INFO Reference Manual

COMPILE

If you issue a SPOOL command after compiling the program, this is what your printout would look like:

PROGRAM NAME: PG—UPD—TIMESHEET

1000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT MASTER—FILE

10002 RELATE PROJ 1 BY PROJ-NO RO

12/1/96

10008 SF SF—UPD—TIMESHEET N

SF: SF—UPD—TIMESHEET IGNORED — CONTINUING

10009 IPF IPF—UPD—TIMESHEET

IF IPF—UPD—TIMESHEET IGNORED — CONTINUING

10014 REPORT RP—UPD—TIMESHEET

RP: RP—UPD—TIMESHEET IGNORED — CONTINUING

10018 RUN PG—LINK LINK

10000 PROGRAM SECTION DNE

10001 DIS 'This line comes from PG-LINK'

END PG: PG—LINK ERRORS = 0

10019 RUN PG—MENU

PG: PG—MENU IGNORED — CONTINUING

END PG: PG—UPD—TIMESHEET ERRORS = 0

INFO Reference Manual Commands 103

COMPILE

$COMP-LINK-ONCE

COMPILE may also be used in conjunction with the INFO system variable $COMP-LINK-ONCE

.

If this variable is set to 0 (the default), any programs that are RUN with the

LINK option will be compiled each time they are encountered. If $COMP-LINK-ONCE is set to 1, each LINK program will be compiled once only, at the first time it is encountered.

Table COMPILE-1 Compile options for programs

$COMP-LINK-ONCE

0 1

COMPILE Every occurrence of all forms, reports and RUN LINK programs.

First occurrence of each non-LINK program.

First occurrence of all forms, reports and programs.

COMPILE SINGLE Every occurrence of all RUN LINK, First occurrence of all programs.

RUN LINK programs.

COMPILE LOCAL Every occurrence of all forms, reports and RUN LINK programs.

First occurrence of all forms, reports and RUN

LINK programs.

104 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CONCATENATE

CON

CATENATE DF_item [FROM] DF_item_1 system_item system_item_1 system_variable system_variable_1 string syntax cont’d

[+] [,source_item2,...,source_item15]

DF_item system_item system_variable

=

DF_item_1 system_item_1 system_variable_1 string

assigns a value to a data file item, system item, or system variable

(target items) by combining the values of from 1 to 15 data file items, system items, system variables, or strings (source items).

arguments

DF_item | system_item | system_variable the target item. A value can be assigned to any of these items or variables.

[FROM] is used only for documentation or ease of understanding.

DF_item_1 | system_item_1 | system_variable_1 |

string the source item.

DF_item is an INFO data file item.

system_item_1 is an INFO system item.

system_variable_1 is an INFO system variable.

string is a character string enclosed within single quotes.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 105

CONCATENATE commandless syntax

[+] directs INFO to place a space before the next source item. INFO does not leave the space if the previous source item has a value of all blanks.

[,source_item2,...,source_item15] when you give more than one source item, you must separate them with commas (or current delimiter). Valid items are the same as for the source item.

It is not necessary to include the command name

CONCATENATE in the statement.

CONCAT $CHRIO FROM ‘INFO9.6’ ‘IS’, ‘AVAILABLE’, ‘NOW’ can be coded as

$CHRIO=‘INFO9.6’, ‘IS’, ‘AVAILABLE’, ‘NOW’

notes

The results of concatenating into a B-, F-, or P-type data file item, system item, or system variable are unpredictable.

If you wish to produce a space in the resulting target item in the position after a string source item, and if the string is followed by a data file item, you must include the space as the last character of the string value. To produce a space in the resulting target item in the position between two concatenated strings, you must include the space as either the last character of the first string or the first character of the second string.

When a CONCATENATE is performed from an item on a related file where there is a ‘no-match’, by default the target item is blank-filled. This can be avoided by setting the system variable $MOVFLG to 1. If this is done, the target item will be left intact if the source item has not been matched; a ‘no-match’ condition for any of the source items with $MOVFLG set to 1 will suffice to activate this option.

106 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CONCATENATE discussion

The CONCATENATE command operates according to the following rules:

1) CONCATENATE ignores trailing blanks in source items.

2) Source items that are strings are used exactly as specified.

3) If the target item is a C-type item and is not wide enough to hold the resulting concatenated value, the result is truncated on the right.

4) If the target item is wider than the resulting string, the target item is blank padded on the right.

5) INFO allows you to use the CONCATENATE command to build ASCII numeric string values (INFO numeric item types other than B, F, or P). If the target item is an ASCII numeric string value, the following considerations apply: a) The length of the target item must equal the sum of the lengths of all source items specified.

b) The source item(s) must be formatted appropriately for the target item. For example, if the target item is an I-type item, source items cannot contain embedded blanks; if the target item is an N-type item, the concatenation of the source items must result in a decimal point that is properly located in the target item.

You can control the concatenation process for C-type items using the WD (width) unary arithmetic operator (see

'Building expressions’). Using the WD operator, you can determine the width of a C-type item, excluding trailing blanks, and perform subsequent operations based on whether that length is appropriate for the target item.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 107

CONCATENATE example

In this example, the item FIRST-NAME is not included if it causes the target item ($CHR2) to exceed its maximum length. The plus sign (+) is used to leave a space between the concatenated source items, if the preceding source item is not blank.

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 FORMAT $CHR2,20,C

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20004 CALC $NUM1 = WD FIRST-NAME + WD LAST-NAME + WD TITLE

20005 IF $NUM1 LE 20

20006 CONCATENATE $CHR2 FROM TITLE +,FIRST-NAME +,LAST-NAME

20007 ELSE

20008 CONCATENATE $CHR2 FROM TITLE +,LAST-NAME

20009 ENDIF

108 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text CONCORD

CONCORD

[

A

LL] [[DF_name

[

N

EW] [system_item]

[system_variable]

[numeric_literal]

[

R

EPEAT]]

builds a concordance of words and phrases found in the text files referenced in the A- or concordable C-type items in the selected extended datafile.

arguments

ALL indexes text in concordable items in all selected records whether or not they are currently concorded. ALL deletes the old index information in the associated dictionary file and replaces it.

NEW indexes text in concordable items in the selected records that need to be concorded. It flags unselected records that need to be concorded for concording at a later time. These unselected records are not available for text query until they have been concorded. The dictionary file is deleted and rebuilt, saving none of the old entries.

An unqualified CONCORD command indexes only the concordable items in those selected records that have been added or changed since you last issued the

CONCORD command for the selected extended datafile.

The selected set may contain both concorded and unconcorded datafile records.

DF_item | system_item | system_variable |

numeric_literal this argument refers to batch size in terms of the number of input records needing concording that INFO-Text will use. By default, CONCORD will concord all records needing concordance. Sometimes, due to disc file quotas and other system constraints, the user may prefer to release a limited number of records for concordance. When used on its own, without the REPEAT qualifier, CONCORD will concord only as many records as are specified in the batch.

REPEAT a qualifier of batch (argument 2). When used in conjunction with batch, CONCORD will run repeatedly in sizes of batch until all records have been concorded.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 109

CONCORD notes

INFO-Text

You cannot include more than 30 concordable items per extended datafile. The maximum length in characters of a concordable word (or number) is 40 characters.

For protected datafiles, you can use the CONCORD command only if you used the SELECT command with the control-level protection key. (See the PROTECT and

PASSWORD commands for more information about protected datafiles.) n

INFO-Text treats concorded dates as three groups of numbers. Concorded numbers containing colons are treated similarly (for example 9:28 is concorded as 9 and

28).

The dictionary associated with a concorded datafile is available for processing word expressions only when that datafile is selected. The dictionaries of related extended datafiles are not available for querying.

If you issue the CONCORD NEW command from an oddnumbered program section, INFO-Text keeps the current stopword list and does not ask you if you want to retain it.

discussion

The CONCORD command builds a concordance, an index of all occurrences of terms in the concordable items in the selected extended datafile. Building the concordance is based on the concord-level defined for each concordable item in an extended datafile. The concordance information is used by INFO-Text in subsequent ASELECT and

RESELECT commands to allow queries based on word expressions. (See the Building Expressions chapter for more information about word expressions.)

The CONCORD command indexes each record in the selected set that is marked for concording, or all records whether or not they have been marked for concording.

INFO-Text marks a record in an extended datafile for concording whenever it is added, updated, or modified in any way using INFO-Text.

110 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text CONCORD

There are several concord levels, listed below in order from least to most comprehensive concordance. Though concordable C-type items must be concorded to the record, item, or word level, A-type items can be concorded to any of the following levels: n

Record level INFO-Text can tell you the record that contains the word expression.

Paragraph level INFO-Text can tell you the record, item, and paragraph that contains the word expression. Use only with X-type items.

Sentence level INFO-Text can tell you the record, item, paragraph, and sentence that contains the word expression.

Word level INFO-Text can tell you the record, item, paragraph, sentence, and word that contains the word expression.

As INFO-Text concords a file, it issues messages as follows: n

nnnWORDS tells the total number of indexed words. If an item is defined for upper- and lower-case concording, the number of words will be at least double the number of items. (For example, if a word appears twice in an item that is defined for upper- and lower-case concording, the number of words displayed reflects four occurrences of that word for the item.) n

SORT COMPLETE indicates that processing is complete and the new dictionary entries are sorted.

If the datafile is marked concord inconsistent (that is, the concordance option for an item definition has been altered or modified), you must use the NEW option. If all datafile records are selected, the ALL option should be used. It is more efficient in that case.

When performing a CONCORD NEW command, INFO-

Text displays the prompt:

DO YOU WISH TO RETAIN EXISTING STOPWORDS (Y OR N)?

INFO Reference Manual Commands 111

CONCORD INFO-Text

Respond with Y (yes) to retain the set of stopwords currently associated with the selected extended datafile. If you respond with N (no), INFO-Text uses either your own default stopword file or the INFO-Text default stopword file for the new concord operation. See the STOPWORD command for more information regarding stopwords.

112 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text CONTEXT

CONT

EXT [string]

displays the text immediately surrounding the most recently specified word expression/search term for all selected records in an extended datafile.

argument

An unqualified CONTEXT command displays lines in text files (referenced by A-type items in the selected records) that contain any of the words fitting the word expression specified in the most recently issued ASELECT or

RESELECT command.

notes discussion

Using strings longer than 75 characters can result in incorrect highlighting of the context string on the screen.

The CONTEXT command searches the text files referenced in concordable items of all selected records, looking for lines of text that contain words fitting the word expression specified in the most recent ASELECT or

RESELECT command. If you specify a string in the

CONTEXT command, INFO-Text searches the text files referenced in concordable items of all selected records for lines of text that contain the specified string value.

For A-type items, when INFO-Text finds a line of text fitting the word expression, it displays the located text plus the two lines before it and the two lines after it.

The displayed values of all concordable items in the selected records are highlighted. INFO-Text does not display any text for text files that do not have word expressions that match the word expression or search term.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 113

CONTEXT INFO-Text example

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO UNO DOS

1 FILE.1 FILE.A

2 FILE.2 FILE.B

3 FILE.3 FILE.C

ENTER COMMAND >LIST TEXT

UNO =FILE.1

The cat sat on the mat.

DOS =FILE.A

This is a file called FILE.A. It exists only to help show the context feature of INFO-Text.

UNO =FILE.2

The rat ate the hat.

This is another file devised to help explain the context feature. This file is named FILE.B

UNO =FILE.3

The bat saw the rat eat the hat worn by the cat that lived in the house that Jack built.

DOS =FILE.C

This is the last file created just to explain the context feature. It should come as no surprise that it is called

FILE.C

114 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text CONTEXT

The following example reselects all documents where the word explain is within 3 words of feature.

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT EXPLAIN W 3 FEATURE

RESELECT EXPLAIN W 3 FEATURE

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

OCCURRENCES TERM

2 explain

2 feature

ENTER COMMAND >CONTEXT

UNO =FILE.2

DOS =FILE.B

This is another file devised to help [explain] the context [feature], named FILE.B

UNO =FILE.3

DOS =FILE.B

This is the last file created just to [explain] the context [feature]. It comes as no surprise that it is called FILE.C

ENTER COMMAND >

INFO Reference Manual Commands 115

COPY

COPY

IF_name

PG_name

RP_name

SF_name

[INTO] identifier

duplicates an existing report, input form, special form, or program and saves it in your INFO directory under a new name.

arguments notes

IF_name | PG_name | RP_name | SF_name the nondata file that you want to copy.

[INTO] is used only for documentation or ease of understanding.

identifier the name of the new INFO non-data file.

The COPY command creates a new file in your INFO directory that is a duplicate of the file you specify. INFO assigns a unique internal name to the new file and marks it for compiling or decoding.

You cannot use the COPY command to duplicate an INFO data file.

You cannot use the COPY command to overwrite an existing file.

The name of the new file must be unique in your INFO directory.

example

Assume that there is a program called PB.SALES which produces a quarterly sales report. You would like a similar program, with minor modifications, for your monthly sales figures. To create a duplicate copy of PG.SALES, called

PG.SALES.INT, that you can modify, enter:

ENTER COMMAND >COPY PG.SALES INTO PG.SALES.INT

INFO Reference Manual Commands 117

PRIME

CPL

‘cplname arguments'

a PRIME CPL routine can now be invoked from within INFO.

CPL note

If an error occurs during execution of the CPL command, the PRIME error value is placed in the system item

$ERROR-CPL. This system item is initialized to zero each time the CPL command is executed.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 119

CREATE

CREA

TE sub-directory-name [directory-path]

allows users to create an operating system sub-directory in any directory to which they have access

argument sub-directory-name [directory-path]

If directory-path is omitted, then the sub-directory is created in the current directory.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 121

CURSOR

CUR

SOR row column

allows you to position the cursor to a specified position on your terminal screen.

argument

row column defines the line on your screen where you wish the cursor to be positioned. Row and column may be separated by a comma.

Row the row number can be a data file item, system item, system variable, or literal integer value between 0 and 24.

Column the column number defines the position of the cursor on a given line. The column number can be any number from 1 to the maximum width of your terminal screen.

notes

A row number of 0 clears the screen and positions the cursor at row 1, column 1. If you specify row number as 0, you must specify a column number, even though INFO ignores the specified column. A row number between 1 and 24 positions the cursor to that row. Note: Some screens scroll if you move the cursor to row 24.

The CURSOR command does not operate correctly if your

INFO TERMINAL setting is incorrect. See the TERMINAL command for more information.

When using the CURSOR command interactively or in an odd-numbered section of an INFO program, if you specify the row or column as a data file item, INFO uses that item's value in only the first selected record as the row or column number.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 123

CURSOR discussion example

The CURSOR command is often used with the ACCEPT command in programs to allow you to enter information to be used in the program. You can use the CURSOR command to place the terminal cursor anywhere on the terminal screen, then use the DISPLAY command to display information at that screen location.

The following program clears the screen, allows you to enter a message starting at screen position row 10 and column 20, displays a message on the screen for four seconds and clears the screen again:

PROGRAM NAME: CURSOR.TEST

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 FORMAT $CHR1,30,C

10002 CURSOR 0,1

10003 CURSOR 10,20

10004 ACCEPT $CHR1

10005 DISPLAY 'VALUE RECEIVED: ',$CHR1

10006 DISPLAY ' PREPARING TO RUN UPDATES...'

10007 DISPLAY ' '

10008 SLEEP 4

10009 CURSOR 0,1

124 Commands INFO Reference Manual

CWID

CWID

datafile_name

Change Width Command expands or reduces the internal and output widths of a data item in a datafile. Some redefined items are appropriately amended. The data file is reformatted to correspond to the new definition.

argument datafile_name discussion

This command allows the user to alter the widths of data items or delete data items completely. The data file is automatically reformatted to the new layout. When increasing the width of an item, the field is padded with blanks on the right for character items and on the left for numeric items. When decreasing the widths, character items are truncated on the right and numeric items on the left. No check is carried out for loss of data. No check is performed on the validity of the new item width.

The command cannot be used directly to insert a new item. However the effect can be achieved as follows:

1) Increase the size of an existing item by the width of the item you want to insert.

2) SAVE TEMP INIT

3) PURGE

4) Use MOD to insert the new item and return the widened item to its original width. Don't forget that the inserted item must come after a widened character item or before a widened numeric item.

5) GET TEMP COPY

An item may be removed completely by reducing by an amount equal to the item width.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 125

CWID example

ENTER COMMAND >SEL PERSONNEL

4 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >IT

DATAFILE NAME: PERSONNEL 1/2/1993

4 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME

1 NAME

WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT

20 20 C — 4

KEY

—

SALARY 10

BIRTH-DATE 8

PHONE-NO 12

N 2

D —

C —

—

DOLLARS

YEAR

AREA-CODE

REDEFINED ITEMS **

7 7 I —

—

ENTER COMMAND >CWID PERSONNEL

Enter Name of Item to be Expanded or Reduced >NAME

Enter No. of Columns to Expand or Reduce >10

NOW REFORMATTING DATA IN DATAFILE ***

ENTER COMMAND >IT

DATAFILE NAME: PERSONNEL 1/2/1993

4 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME

1 NAME

31 SALARY

WDTH OPUT TYP DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX

BIRTH-DATE 8

PHONE-NO 12

—

— —

—

REDEFINED ITEMS **

DOLLARS 7 7

YEAR 4 4

AREA-CODE 3 3

—

OCCRS INDX

— —

—

126 Commands INFO Reference Manual

restrictions see also

CWID

REDEFINED data items that begin or end in the middle of an expanded or reduced data item will not have their starting columns or their internal and output widths changed. REDEFINED data items that completely encompass an expanded or reduced data item will be handled completely.

Cannot be used on gotten or ISAM files.

MODIFY

MRED

INFO Reference Manual Commands 127

DAY

DAY

[item-1] [item-2]

Will return the day of week for a given date.

argument discussion

An unqualified DAY command will display the current day.

item-1 date-item (DF-item in even program sections only).

item-2 character-item to receive day of week.

(DF-item in even program sections only)

NB: Wednesday is 9 characters!.

This command will return the day-of-week into an internal character variable. If item-2 is omitted and no date is given, then today's day is displayed on the user's terminal.

If a date is given, then the day-of-week for that date is either displayed or received by item-2.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 129

DECODE

DEC

ODE IF_name

PG_name

RP_name

SF_name

*

marks a report, program, input form, or special form so that INFO compiles it before it is next executed.

argument discussion

IF_name | PG_name | RP_name | SF_name the nondata file in your INFO directory that is marked for decoding or compiling.

marks all the non-data files in your INFO directory for compiling.

DECODE marks one or more of your INFO report, program, or form files for decoding or compiling. Use the

DECODE command to notify INFO that a report, program, or form must be decoded or compiled before it is next executed. Once a non-data file has been decoded, INFO automatically compiles the non-data file just before next executing it.

For your reports, programs, or forms to execute correctly, you must use the DECODE command in the following situations:

When you use an editor or other tool outside of INFO to change a report, program, or form, use the DECODE command to notify INFO that the report, program, or form should be decoded or compiled again before it is next executed.

When you change the characteristics of any item in a data file that is used or referenced by a previously decoded or compiled report, program, or form, you must use the

DECODE command to mark for recompiling each report, program, or form that references the changed data file in any way. Otherwise, any previously compiled report, program, or form cannot use the changed data file correctly.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 131

DECODE

When you use the EDIT or CHANGE command to edit an

INFO report, program or form, INFO automatically marks the edited file for redecoding or recompiling. No use of the DECODE command is necessary in these situations.

If the system variable $DECODE_EXT_PG is set to 1, when the DECODE * command is issued, no external programs, forms or reports will be marked for decoding or compiling.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >DECODE PAYCHECKS

If you want to ensure that all of your non-data files are properly decoded, use the

*

option as follows:

ENTER COMMAND >DECODE *

132 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DEFINE

DEF

INE syntax cont’d identifier [ password_0 ] [ password_1 ]

[ password_2 ] [password_3 ]

initiates a dialog with INFO in which you create a new data file template.

arguments

identifier represents a legal INFO file name unique to your user area (maximum of 32 characters).

[password_#] is a 1- to 4-character string.

notes

If you enter key or array information for an item, it is best to enter the information together on one line, being careful to include all necessary specifications. See Table

DEFINE-2 for specifications. You can also use the ALTER or REDEFINE commands to enter key and array information separately.

When you define a data file, be sure that the file name consists of at least one non-numeric character; otherwise, you cannot use the RELATE command with the data file.

Defining Arrayed Items

An arrayed item is an item that has multiple values in one record that can be accessed individually using one of the

INFO system items $IDX# as a counter. To define an arrayed item, define an item whose width includes the total length of the multiple value item. The length of the defined area should be an even multiple of the length of the arrayed item.

Once the length of the array has been defined, include the

OCCURS count and INDEX characteristics. The

OCCURS count defines the number of times the array element repeats in each record; the INDEX identifies which $IDX# system item controls access to individual elements in the array.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 133

DEFINE

Defining an ISAM Key

An ISAM key item is a data file item that corresponds to an ISAM key field in an ISAM file. You can specify those items to be considered ISAM keys once the datafile has an

EXTERNAL association with an ISAM file. To notify INFO that an item is an ISAM key, respond to the ENTER KEY

LEVEL> prompt. INFO then provides the prompts to lead you through a complete key definition.

For more information about using ISAM key items in

INFO-Text datafiles, see Appendix J, ISAM

Considerations.

discussion

134

With the DEFINE command you create a data file template by specifying the characteristics (such as name, type, size, and so on) of the items that make up the data file.

In the DEFINE command, you can assign passwords that

INFO uses later to restrict access to the data file. If you include a password or passwords, anyone selecting the data file in the future must enter one of the passwords to gain access to those items defined with some level of protection. Each password controls a different level of access to the file. See the section on 'Item protection levels' in this command reference for a description of how you can use INFO to restrict access to specific items in a data file.

Once you initiate the DEFINE dialog, INFO begins a series of prompts for item characteristics, beginning with the first item in the file.

When you finish defining the data file template, enter a

<RETURN> in response to the ITEM NAME> prompt and

INFO returns you to the ENTER COMMAND > level.

You can enter the full definition for an item on one line, without waiting for the individual prompts from INFO for each item characteristic. Separate multiple responses using a comma. To skip an item value (for example, to accept the default number of decimal places), enter two commas together. To assist you, INFO lists the generalized syntax description before the first ITEM

NAME> prompt.

Commands INFO Reference Manual

DEFINE

ITEM NAME,WIDTH[,OUTPUT WIDTH],TYPE[DECIMAL PLACES][PROT.LEVEL]

ITEM NAME>

You can enter multiple characteristics on any subsequent line, following the rules above but entering only those characteristics remaining.

When you enter multiple values together, the total line length is restricted to 200 characters maximum, including the commas. If required items remain for which you have not entered a response, INFO prompts for the remaining information; otherwise, it goes on to prompt for the next item in the file.

Not all information is required for all types of items. In some cases, when it is likely that you want a value for an optional characteristic (such as output width), INFO prompts you for that value. In other cases, the only way you can define the characteristic is to enter it with a previous prompted item or to alter the item later with the

ALTER command. The prompts you receive depend on the type of item you are defining. Table DEFINE-1 shows the data types available, with size restrictions and a description for each.

If you enter an error among the multiple responses, INFO displays a message and prompts again for the corrected response. You must re-enter all subsequent responses, as

INFO ignores responses that follow an error.

Each time INFO begins to prompt for a new item definition, it displays a number. This number is the starting position of the next item in the file. For example, before the first item, INFO displays the number 1. If you then define a 20-character item, INFO displays the number 21 before the prompt for the next item.

When you see each prompt, enter a value appropriate to the prompt for the item being defined. If you do not want to enter a value and choose to accept the default instead, respond <RETURN>. You can only do this where a default is assigned; otherwise, INFO reprompts you to enter a value.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 135

DEFINE

ENTER COMMAND >DEFINE EMP-MASTER

ITEM NAME,WIDTH [,OUTPUT WIDTH] ,TYPE [,DECIMAL PLACES][,PROT. LEVEL]

ITEM NAME>EMP-NO

ITEM WIDTH>4

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH><RETURN>

ITEM TYPE>N

DECIMAL PLACES>0

ITEM NAME>DEPT,3,I

ITEM NAME>DATE-HIRED,8,8,D

ITEM NAME>START-SALARY,9,N,2,0

ITEM NAME><RETURN>

Table DEFINE-1

Item type

(Binary)

(Character)

INFO item types

Internal width

9-32 bytes

(INFO-Text only)

1-4 bytes

1-8 bytes

(VMS only)

1-4,096 bytes

(1-4091 if concordable)

Description

Contains the name of a file which holds free text in ASCII format.

Number stored as binary integer. No decimal positions are allowed.

Number stored as binary integer. Can have implied decimal point.

Fixed-length character string. Can be concorded if extended datafile.

136 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Table DEFINE-1

Item type

(Date)

(Integer)

(Lead-fill)

(Number)

(Overpunch on Output)

(Packed)

DEFINE

INFO item types (cont’d)

Internal width Description

8 bytes

4-8 bytes

(Floating)

1-16 bytes

(digits)

1-16 bytes

(digits plus

Number)

1-16 bytes

(digits plus decimal point)

1-16 bytes

(digits)

1-8 bytes

(packed digits)

Date item stored internally as YYYYMMDD. Input and output formats can be user defined. The default format is

MDY/. See the DFMT command for information about date formats.

Number stored in floatingpoint format.

Integer item. No decimal positions are allowed.

Number that will be left-padded on output with the current

LCHAR characters. Can have up to 15 decimal points with the decimal point implied.

Number with decimal places.

Can have up to 16 characters including the decimal point.

Number that will be overpunched over the last digit on output. Can have up to

16 decimal positions with a decimal point implied.

Number stored in packed decimal format with trailing sign

Byte 1 holds one digit. Each subsequent byte holds up to two additional digits. Can have up to 15 decimal positions with the decimal point implied.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 137

DEFINE

Table DEFINE-1

Item type

INFO item types (cont’d)

Internal width Description

(Trailing sign, Zero fill)

1-16 bytes

(digits plus

Zero sign) implied

1-16 bytes

Number stored in external decimal format with trailing sign. Zero- filled on output.

Can have up to 14 decimal positions with fill and an decimal point.

Unsigned number stored in external (Zero Fill) decimal format, zero-filled to the left.

Can have up to 14 decimal positions with an implied decimal point.

* INFO maintains precision to 12 significant positions.

138 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DEFINE

The define dialog

When you enter a DEFINE command, INFO initiates a dialog that includes a combination of the following prompts.You can respond by entering only the specific information described by the prompt, or you can enter further information about that data item.

Make sure that you leave a positional comma when you skip a characteristic of the data item being defined, and that you enter the information in the correct order. The DEFINE dialog prompts are described below.

INFO dialog

ITEM NAME

ITEM WIDTH

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH

ITEM TYPE

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES

(N, V, F, L, O & T-types only, plus B-types on VMS)

ITEM NAME

ITEM WIDTH

In response to this prompt, enter the 1- to 16- character name for the item. The name can be any combination of characters, except blanks, commas and the current delimiter character. However, the first character of an item name cannot be a number (0-9), hyphen (-), asterisk (*), slash (/), plus sign (+), single quotation mark (‘), or left or right parenthesis.

Do not define an item name that includes a character used as an INFO control character (for instance, a backslash (\) when it is the CCHR setting BACKTAB character). Also, do not use an INFO reserved word as an item name; problems can occur when trying to reference the item name as an

INFO command.

This is also referred to as input width. In response to this prompt, enter the internal storage width in number of characters (bytes) that this item requires. See Table

DEFINE-1 for restrictions on item widths. This specification is required.

ITEM OUTPUT

Enter one of the following responses for this prompt.

WIDTH

The output character width for the items (see Table

DEFINE-1). If this width exceeds that possible for your terminal or printer, INFO wraps the item on output.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 139

DEFINE

<RETURN> to accept system default for output width.

Defaults are 10 to D (date) items; 5 for B (binary) items with input widths of 1 to 5 bytes; 12 for F (floating point) items; and input width for all other items.

ITEM TYPE

For C-type items defined with an ITEM WIDTH greater than

200 character, INFO defaults to 200 characters for the output width. Enter an output width if the item is displayed with commas or other formatting characters or is displayed using fewer characters than the stored width. See the discussion of $COMMA-SWITCH in Appendix D “System

Items” for information about controlling the display of commas for numeric items.

Always specify OUTPUT WIDTH for numeric item types that

INFO stores with an implied decimal. To include the decimal point when such item values are displayed or printed, specify OUTPUT WIDTH as 1 greater than the

INPUT WIDTH.

Enter the item type, as described in Table DEFINE-1. This specification is required.

ITEM DECIMAL

For numeric items with decimal positions only. In

PLACES

response to this prompt, enter the number of decimal positions in the item. For item types F, L, N, and O, (and B types under VMS) the number cannot exceed

OUTPUT WIDTH minus 1. For item types T and V, it cannot exceed OUTPUT WIDTH minus 2. If there are no decimal points, enter zero (0).

This specification is required for F, L, N, O, T and V types and for B types under VMS.

Following the last applicable prompt above (either ITEM

TYPE or ITEM DECIMAL PLACES), you can enter, on the same line as the prompt response, any of the information shown in Table DEFINE-2. You must enter all information that is relevant for the item being defined, in the order shown. INFO never prompts you for this information unless you terminate the previous line with a comma. For example, if you enter item type, protection and then terminate that line with a comma, INFO prompts you for the next characteristic, in this case, ALTERNATE ITEM

NAME>. If you enter the same item type and protection, but do not terminate the line with a comma, you do not receive any further prompts for the item being defined but return to the ITEM NAME> prompt for a new item.

140 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO

Table DEFINE-2

Information being entered

Protection level

Alternate item

Key level

Whether key is stored in bits (default is N)

Whether key is stored in bytes

Whether key is stored in words

Whether key is part of of the data (default is N)

Duplicate keys

(default is Y)

Index number

Occurrence count

DEFINE

Define dialog specifications after item type

Description

ITEM PROT. LEVEL. Protection level for

(default is 4) the field, using the syntax: protection-level[R] where protection-level is an integer from 0-4 and R requests read-only protection for the field. The R specification applies only if protection -level is 1-3. See the

PROTECT and PASSWORD command discussions for more information.

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME. Any name used as another name for the item name. Can be used interchangeably with the item name.

ENTER KEY LEVEL. For ISAM files only. The key level of the field that the item represents.

IS KEY IN BITS? (Y OR N)> (PRIME only)

IS KEY IN BYTES? (Y OR NO)> PRIME only)

IS KEY IN WORDS? (Y OR NO)> (PRIME only)

IS KEY STORED IN DATA?> (PRIME only)

ARE DUPLICATE KEYS ALLOWED?>

ENTER INDEX NUMBER. For arrayed items only, enter a number from 1 to 9 that corresponds to the index counter used to control processing of the array ($IDX1 through

$IDX9).

ENTER NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES. For an arrayed item only, enter the number of elements in the array.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 141

DEFINE

Item protection levels

INFO

Protection levels act as locked doors to restrict access to individual data file items. You define data file items to have one of five levels of protection, level 0 through level

4. Protection level 0 is the most restrictive, and level 3 is the least restrictive. Protection level 4 signifies no protection at all on an item. When defining an item, if you do not specify a protection level, INFO assigns protection level 4 to that item.

Once you have specified protection levels for items in a new data file, you use the PROTECT command to assign passwords for each protection level used by the protected items. You can also assign passwords in the DEFINE command line itself. See the DEFINE command's syntax description above.

To use a protected data file, you use the PASSWORD command with the password or passwords (you can use up to four passwords) that unlock access to the protected item or items wanted. You distinguish different levels of access offered to subsequent users of a data file by specifying different protection level numbers to various items when those items are defined.

Level-0 (control level) protection on an item allows you full access to that item's values, to change the passwords for other levels in the data file and to redefine the protected item.

Level-1 protection allows you access to items with level-1 and with level-4 protection.

Level-2 protection allows you access to items with level-2 and level-4 protection.

Level-3 protection allows you access to items with level-3 and level-4 protection.

Level-4 protection allows you access only to items with level-4 protection.

142 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text DEFINE

INFO-Text dialog

EXTENDED DATAFILE?

EXTERNAL DATABASE?

ITEM NAME

ALTERNATE ITEM NAME

ITEM WIDTH

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH

ITEM TYPE

only if Y replied to above prompt

ITEM DECIMAL PLACES

(N, V, F, L, O & T-types

USER NAMABLE TEXT FILES?

USER NAMABLE TEXT ROOT?

only, plus B-types on VMS)

A-types only

A-types only (if Y replied

ENTER ROOT NAME

ENTER CONCORDANCE LEVEL

to previous prompt)

A- and C-types only

CONCORD UPPER AND LOWER CASE LETTERS SEPARATE?

CONCORD NUMBERS IN TEXT?

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME

EXTENDED

DATAFILE

EXTERNAL

DATABASE

Specify Y (yes) if the datafile you are defining is to be concorded. Only extended datafiles, those that contain Aor concordable C-type items, can be concorded.

Otherwise, specify N (no) or press <RETURN>. If you specify N or <RETURN> and later define a concordable item, INFO-Text creates the datafile as extended.

Specify Y or N (default N).

The following message appears if the answer to the

EXTERNAL DATABASE? prompt was Y:

USE EXTERNAL TO LINK TO A DATABASE OR CANCEL THE LINK

ITEM NAME

In response to this prompt, enter the 1- to 16-character name for the item. The name can be any combination of characters, except blanks, commas and the current delimiter character. However, the first character of an item name cannot be a number (0-9), hyphen (-), asterisk

(*), slash (/), plus sign (+), single quotation mark (‘), or left or right parenthesis.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 143

DEFINE INFO-Text

ALTERNATE

ITEM NAME

ITEM WIDTH

ITEM OUTPUT

WIDTH

ITEM TYPE

Any name used as another name for the item name.

Can be used interchangeable with the item name.

This is also referred to as input width. In response to this prompt, enter the internal storage width in number of characters (bytes) that the item requires. See

Table DEFINE-1 for restrictions on item widths. This specification is required.

Enter one of the following responses for this prompt.

The output character width for the item (see Table

DEFINE-1). If this width exceeds that possible for your terminal or printer, INFO wraps the item on output.

<RETURN> to accept system default for output width.

Defaults are 10 to D (date) items, 5 for B (binary) items with input widths of 1 to 5 bytes, 12 for F (floating point) items; and input width for all other items.

For C-type items defined with and ITEM WIDTH greater than 200 characters, INFO defaults to 200 characters for the output width. Enter an output width if the item is displayed with commas or other formatting characters or is displayed using fewer characters than the stored width.

See the discussion of $COMMA-SWITCH in ‘System items’ for information about controlling the display of commas for numeric items.

Always specify OUTPUT WIDTH for numeric item types that INFO stores with an implied decimal. To include the decimal point when such item values are displayed or printed, specify OUTPUT WIDTH as 1 greater than the

INPUT

Enter the item type, as described in Table DEFINE-1.

This specification is required.

144 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text DEFINE

ITEM DECIMAL

For numeric item with decimal positions only.

PLACES

In response to this prompt, enter the number of decimal positions in the item. For item types F, L, N, and

O, (and B types under VMS) the number cannot exceed

OUTPUT WIDTH minus 1. For item types T and V, it cannot exceed OUTPUT WIDTH minus 2. If there are no decimal positions, enter zero (0).

This specification is required for F, L, N, O, T and V types and for B types under VMS.

USER-NAMEABLE Applies if A was entered for ITEM TYPE.

TEXT FILES?Y Enter (yes) if you want the option of naming your text files when you add records to the file: otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>, if you enter N the systemcreates the file name automatically during an ADD. If you enter Y, the system still created a file name if you do not enter a name during the ADD procedure. Filenames can be up to 32 characters long.

USER-

NAMEABLE

TEXT ROOT?

Applies if A was entered for ITEM TYPE. Enter Y (yes) if you want to specify a string used as a prefix to each text file name; otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>

ENTER

ROOT NAME>

If you enter N, INFO-Text forms a text file root for the item based on the selected datafile’s internal name.

If you want a null root name, enter Y (yes) here and

<RETURN> at the next prompt. This maximizes the number of text file names available to be stored in the item.

Applies if you entered Y above. Enter the 1- to 32character (including the directory syntax) name to be used a prefix root of text file names. A prefix plus the item value cannot exceed 32 characters; however, by using external variables, the exported string may exceed this limit. A file name and the part of a text root that is a directory path cannot exceed 80 characters. INFO-Text stores the text files beginning with this standard name.

Enter <RETURN> for a null root name.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 145

DEFINE INFO-Text

ENTER

Applies if A or C was entered for ITEM

CONCORDANCE

TYPE. Enter one of the values described

LEVEL>

below to define the level of which INFO-Text indexes the data item when this file is concorded. Note that the index levels are listed in order from least to most comprehensive level. C-type items must specify R

(record), I (item), or W (word) level.

N or <RETURN> - No indexing. Item is not available for free-text query.

R Record-level indexing.

note

CONCORD

UPPER AND

LOWER CASE

LETTERS

SEPARATE?>

(default is N)

I Item-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include ‘@ item’ syntax

P Paragraph-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include

‘W PARAGRAPH’.

S Sentence-level indexing. This is the minimum level required for queries using word expressions that include

‘W SENTENCE’.

W Word-level indexing. This is the most common level of indexing. It is required for queries using phrases or proximity searching for A- and C-type items.

If you do not specify paragraph-, sentence- or word-level indexing for an item, INFO-Text is not able to perform phrase or proximity searching of the item. See the section

Word Expressions in “Building Expressions” for more information about searching text items.

Applies if you did not enter N above. Enter Y (yes) to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase during concording and free-text query processing; otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>.

146 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text DEFINE

CONCORD

NUMBERS IN

TEXT ITEMS?>

(default is N)

Applies if you did not enter N to the ENTER

CONCORDANCE LEVEL> prompt, described above.

Enter Y (yes) to index numbers during the concording process; otherwise, enter N (no) or <RETURN>.

Follow this entry with any of the information shown in

Table DEFINE-3, if applicable.

Following the last applicable prompt above, you can enter, on the same line with the prompt response, any of the information shown in Table Define-3. You must enter all information that is relevant for the item being defined, in the order shown. INFO never prompts you for this information unless you terminate the previous line with a comma. For example, if you enter item type, protection and then terminate that line with a comma, INFO prompts you for the next characteristic, in this case, KEY LEVEL.

If you enter the same item type and protection, but do not terminate the line with a comma, you do not receive any further prompts for the item being defined but return to the

ITEM NAME> prompt for a new item.

ENTER SYNONYM This is the last prompt displayed for datafiles defined as

FILE NAME>

extended. You can specify that a synonym file (which, if

(default is N) specified, must already exist) be associated with the datafile. If specified here, the synonym file becomes permanently associated with the datafile you are defining.

Subsequent SELECT commands using this datafile do not prompt for the synonym command for more information about synonym files.

Table DEFINE-3 Define dialog specifications after item type

Information being entered

Protection level

Description

ITEM PROT. LEVEL. Protection level for

(default is 4) the field, using the syntax: protection-level [R] where protection-level is an integer from 0-4 and R requests read-only protection for the field. The R specification applies only if protection-level if 1-3. See the PROTECT and

PASSWORD command discussions for more information.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 147

DEFINE INFO-Text

Table DEFINE-3

Information being entered

Key level

Whether key is stored in bits (default is N)

Whether key is stored in bytes

Whether key is stored in words

Whether key is part of of the data (default is N)

Duplicate keys

(default is Y)

Index number

Occurrence count

Define dialog specifications after item type (cont’d)

Description

ENTER KEY LEVEL. For ISAM files only. The key level of the field that the item represents.

IS KEY IN BITS? (Y OR N)> (PRIME only)

IS KEY IN BYTES? (Y OR N)> (PRIME only)

IS KEY IN WORDS? (Y OR N)> (PRIME only)

IS KEY STORED IN DATA?> (PRIME only)

ARE DUPLICATE KEYS ALLOWED?>

ENTER INDEX NUMBER. For arrayed items only, enter a number from 1 to 9 that corresponds to the index counter used to control processing of the array ($IDX1 through

$IDX9).

ENTER NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES. For an arrayed item only, enter the number of elements in the array.

Concordable items

Two item types refer to unstructured text information that can be concorded and used in INFO-Text's query and display commands.

A-type items contain names of files which contain unstructured text as item values. A-type items refer to text files stored as ASCII files which can be edited using any system editor.

The file names contained in A-type items have two components: the root and the file-name. The root is a string used as a prefix when INFO-Text forms names for text files stored as A-type item values. When INFO-Text creates, assigns, or deletes a text file associated with an

A-type item value, it first forms the text file's name by combining the root defined for the item with the file name found in the A-style item value itself.

148 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text DEFINE

Both the root and the file names of A-type items can be defined as either user-namable or non-user-namable. A user-namable root or file name means that you specify the root value (when you define the item) or each file name (in each record in the datafile) for the applicable A-type item.

INFO-Text cannot validate a given root and file name combination until actually trying to create, assign, or delete the text file whose name is formed from the root and file name.

The maximum length of a text filename will depend on the operating system. The number of characters used as a text file name prefix in a user-namable text root plus the

A-type item value cannot exceed 32. External variables may be used in the root name.

If you specify the root for an A-type item as not usernamable, INFO-Text creates a prefix from the first six characters of the datafile's internal name. For example, if the datafile's internal name is XXX0001DAT, the non-usernamable text root is XXX001. This occurs whether or not you defined the file name portion as user-namable.

To have the greatest number of file names available in a given A-type item, define the root for that item usernamable and then specify the root as null (with a

<RETURN>). This allows complete flexibility in specifying the text file names stored in the A-type item value.

Remember that INFO-Text is limited to a 32-byte maximum file name length when forming a text file name, regardless of the defined INPUT WIDTH of an A-type item. Included in the 32-byte length is the root prefix if one exists. INFO-Text creates text root prefixes six bytes long for non-user-namable text roots.

The second type of concordable item is the concordable

C-type item. Concordable C-type items contain text whose length is some fixed number of characters. Concordable

C-type items are concorded and queried against in the same way as A-type items. See the CONCORD (Text) command for more information about concording C-type items.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 149

DEFINE see also

INFO-Text

You can define a maximum of 30 concordable items in an extended datafile.

ALTER

CWID

EXTERNAL

MODIFY

REDEFINE

SYNFILE

SYNONYM

150 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DELETE

DELE

TE file_spec

deletes an operating system file.

argument note file_spec

DELETE will give an error message and continue if the delete fails, except no error message is given for FILE

NOT FOUND. A DELETE failure will not cause a program execution error.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 151

DELIMITER

DELI

MITER delimiter_character

changes or displays the current delimiter character setting.

argument note

delimiter_character changes the current delimiter character setting to delimiter_character.

An unqualified DELIMITER command displays the current delimiter character.

Never use a blank space as the delimiter character.

discussion

The DELIMITER command assigns or displays the character used to separate individual values when multiple values occur in one entry during certain data input situations.

By default, the delimiter character is a comma (,).

In situations when a comma is significant to a value you enter to a data file, you must change the DELIMITER setting to some other character that does not occur as part of any value. An example is the interactive use of the

ADD command or the ADD command with a FROM file.

Another example is the character string 'Doric Computer

Systems International Ltd, Watford.' or the numeric value

1,000.00.

example

ENTER COMMAND >DELIMITER

THE CURRENT DELIMITER IS ,

ENTER COMMAND >DELIMITER #

ENTER COMMAND >DELIMITER

THE CURRENT DELIMITER IS #

Displays delimiter.

Changes delimiter.

Displays delimiter.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 153

DEXT

DEXT

[

PR

INT]

displays all externals in the INFO directory.

argument [PRINT] discussion

The Display Externals command displays all external data files, programs, reports, input forms and special forms in a user's directory, along with their external treenames. The

PRINT option directs the output to the SPOOL file.

example

ENTER COMMAND >DEXT

TYPE FILENAME EXTERNAL TREENAME

XX DF INVOICE ARREC\ARE001DAT

XI DF CASH-RECEIPTS ARREC\CASH-RECEIPTS

XX PG PRINT-STATEMENTS

INFOSYS\PRINT-UFD\SAI023DAT

XX IF CHECK-ENTRY

INFOSYS\ENTRY-ROUTINES\SAI123DAT

XI DF GENERAL-LEDGER LEDGER\GENERAL-LEDGER

see also

The DIRECTORY command provides a more comprehensive means of listing such entries.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 155

DFMT (

DATE FORMAT)

DFMT DMY

[separator-1 [separator-2]] [

M

] [

C

[####]] [

A

[##

][

+

]

DYM

B -

MDY

MYD

YDM

YMD

changes or displays the date format setting.

arguments

An unqualified DFMT command displays the current

DFMT setting

[DMY | DYM | MDY | MYD | YDM | YMD] alternative formats for the order in which the day, month and year of the applicable date value are displayed. If Y is the third component of the format, the ADD, UPDATE, INPUT

FORM and ACCEPT commands allow the omission of the year portion of the applicable date value, and instead may use the value of the system item $YEAR. This short form is not accepted in arithmetic or logical expressions if the month and day components are separated by a period (.) or a hyphen (-).

[separator-1 [separator-2]] Any character, except a blank, can be a separator character. Note that a separator of a period (.) allows entry from a numeric keypad. To leave an existing separator character unchanged, specify that character as a blank. For example, DFMT MDY / leaves the existing first separator character unchanged and sets the second separator character to a slash. The first character is the one used for display; both can be used for input.

[M] requests a military format for output; that is, the month is expressed as a 3-character abbreviation such as

JAN, FEB, or MAR. While M-type dates are in effect,

INFO accepts either full numeric or military-type dates, but displays military format only. Suggested output widths, if you use the M option, are 6 (JAN-30), 9 (JAN-30-96), or 11

(JAN-30-1996).

INFO Reference Manual Commands 157

DFMT

(DATE FORMAT) discussion

[C[####]] — sets default year for date entry. An unqualified C argument cancels the existing value and resets to $YEAR

[A [##]]

] — sets pivotal decade and year

A =ABOVE

B =BELOW

## sets the pivotal decade and year

+ or - determines whether dates above or below the pivot get century added or subtracted. Default is B+ or A-.

An unqualified A or B argument cancels the existing setting.

The DFMT command changes or displays the format used in displaying or printing data file items, system items, system variables, or literals that are date values. The

DFMT setting applies for screen input, calculations involving dates and the display of output. DFMT does not control the way dates are stored internally; INFO stores all dates as yyyymmdd; for example, 19960504.

You can retain changes to the DFMT setting for your individual use; see Appendix G Controlling Default

Assignments'

DFMT does not control the output length of the date values; this is controlled by the OUTPUT LENGTH item characteristic as specified when you use the DEFINE,

ALTER, MODIFY, REDEFINE, or FORMAT commands to format a D-type data file item or system variable. For output, a date value is formatted within the spaces allowed for it; the month, day, and year values are positioned as specified, and the specified separator character is inserted.

158 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DFMT (

DATE FORMAT) examples

ENTER COMMAND >DFMT MDY/.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $TODAY

8/31/1996

ENTER COMMAND >DFMT DMY./

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $TODAY

31.8.96

ENTER COMMAND >DFMT DMY - ,M

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $TODAY

31 - AUG -1996

DFMT C2000 A30-

1/2/95 generates 1/2/1995

1/2/01 generates 1/2/2001

1/2/30 generates 1/2/2030

1/2 generates 1/2/2000

DFMT C1996 B30+

1/2/95 generates 1/2/1995

1/2/01 generates 1/2/2001

1/2/30 generates 1/2/1930

1/2 generates 1/2/1996

see also

$REPDAT

$ZDATE

Appendix T Dates

INFO Reference Manual Commands 159

DICE

DICE ON

OFF

[

D

ISPLAY]

[

N

ODISPLAY]

[

IPF

DISP]

[

IPFN

ODISP]

enables editing to be performed on all INFO terminal input. When

DICE is ON, all input is via an edit buffer. Depending on the current INFO activity, there may or may not be data in the edit buffer when input commences.

arguments discussion

ON switches the editor on.

OFF switches the editor off.

DISPLAY Causes the contents of an accept field to be displayed for editing.

NO DISPLAY An accept field will not be displayed for editing. (This is the default.)

IPFDISP Contents of the same item in the previous record are displayed for editing in input forms. (This is the default.)

IPFNODISP Switches off IPFDISP. This has no effect on forms used for update.

If DICE ON is issued interactively, the current ERASE and

KILL characters will be reported on the screen.

The KILL key will erase the line from the current cursor position. If the current position is the end of the line, the whole line will be erased. The KILL character will be the character set at the operating system.

The ERASE key will erase the current character, or the last character typed if you are at the end of the line or if you are in insert mode. The ERASE key will be that set for

SYSTEM unless there is a conflict with one of the arrow keys (e.g. both BACKSPACE and left arrow send the same character on some terminals), in which case DICE will assign another key, either DEL if that is not in use as the KILL character or ".

INFO Reference Manual Commands 161

DICE

The left and right arrow keys will position the cursor on the line. At the start of any input line, the editor is in overwrite mode and characters typed will be overlaid on the existing characters. You can switch to insert mode by pressing the down arrow key. The same key pressed again will cause the editor to return to overwrite mode.

The up arrow key can be used to recall any of the last twelve lines typed in. (This function is not in operation when you are in an input or update form.)

Control-R will retype the line and reposition the cursor to the start of the line. If the cursor is already at the start of the line, it will be repositioned to the end of the line thus giving a fast move from end to end.

In input forms and update forms, the item being updated will be displayed for editing. This means that in input forms the data from the previous record will be displayed unless the user explicitly clears the field before accepting into it or he/she has used the IPFNODISP option.

In input and update forms, the INFO special characters have their usual effect. These characters may be keyed into the first position in the field even if there is already data on the line. The data will be erased before return of the special character to INFO.

The current ARET setting is observed.

Non-printing characters will only be accepted into the line if preceded by the ^ character. The exception to this rule is the bell character Control-G which will be accepted without an escape. The non-printing character will be displayed as a space on the line. If your KILL character is ?, you may also use ^ to get a ? into your line. The ^ character itself is not displayed.

In the current implementation of DICE, lines longer than a screen width will not be handled correctly on terminal types ANSI and VT52. If you want to use the editor for very long lines, e.g. for program input, set the screen width to 132 if possible.

162 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DICE programming considerations whilst using

DICE

The DICE ON command uses the local file DORIC.TRM or the same file in the alternate directory to find the arrow key definitions for the current INFO terminal types. In interactive mode, if the DORIC.TRM file does not contain a definition for the current terminal, you will be invited to supply the necessary information by pressing the arrow keys in turn. When the definition is completed, you will be asked to test the correctness of the definition by keying in and editing a line of text. Each of the arrow keys should be tested when doing this check. You may have to wait for write access to the DORIC.TRM file if another user is currently defining a terminal.

To change your terminal type after DICE ON, you must issue DICE OFF followed by DICE ON again.

On some ADM3 type terminals, the down arrow sends

Control-J. The SYSTEM ignores this character. On these terminals it is necessary to define some other key to perform the function of switching modes from overwrite to insert. On this type of terminal, when all the arrow keys are pressed in turn in response to screen messages, the error message "ARROW CHARACTER STRINGS NOT ALL

THE SAME LENGTH" is displayed. When this is seen, you should repeat the define procedure selecting a different key to act as the down arrow, e.g. HOME or Control-Z.

It is not possible merely to switch DICE ON in an existing INFO application and expect everything to work immediately, for the following reasons:

In INPUT FORMS data already present in a field will be moved into the edit buffer and displayed. This data will typically be the value entered for the previous record. In some applications, when there is a high degree of data duplication, this might be desirable. If not it would be necessary to clear the record first or use IPFNODISP, e.g.

1,1 RECORD,S''

INFO Reference Manual Commands 163

DICE

An IPF or UPDATE session with DICE OFF can be terminated by keying RETURN on the first field. With

DICE ON it is necessary to hit the KILL key first to clear the edit buffer before pressing RETURN.

In an IPF or UPF, a null or blank value, except for the first field on the form, can currently be entered by keying

RETURN. With DICE ON it is necessary to KILL the field first if there is data in the edit buffer.

If an application simulates an IPF by means of DISPLAY and ACCEPT, the keyboard operator is likely to be confused by the fact that the displayed data is not actually in the edit buffer but has to be keyed over. This can be overcome by using the DICE DISPLAY option which causes the contents of the ACCEPT field to be moved into the edit buffer. However, if the ACCEPT field is formatted to a large width, this may cause problems because DICE will clear the entire width to blanks before displaying the contents of its edit buffer. This may result in characters already on the screen being blanked out. On terminal types ANSI and VT52, which do not handle wrap-around, the cursor can end up in the wrong position.

IPFNODISP should only be used when BACK TAB or "No" to "IS THIS FORM ACCEPTABLE?" are not going to be used. If BACKTAB or "No" are used, the item contents will be displayed by INFO on the second pass, but they will not be in the DICE edit buffer. Because of the above considerations, it is preferable for new systems to be designed with DICE ON from the start. To avoid operator confusion, it is also desirable for all systems accessed by one operator to run either with DICE ON or DICE OFF. A mixture of systems, some with DICE ON and some with

DICE OFF, will inevitably confuse an operator, as it is not possible merely by looking at the screen to tell whether the characters which are being keyed over are in the edit buffer or not.

164 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text DICTIONARY

DIC

TIONARY [matchword] [

PR

INT]

<

occurs-count

>

occurs-count

[

STOPWORDS

[matchword]]

displays entries in the dictionary file associated with the selected extended datafile, which must be concorded.

arguments notes

An unqualified DICTIONARY command displays all entries in the dictionary file associated with the selected concorded datafile. If the selected extended datafile is not concorded, an unqualified DICTIONARY command displays the default file of stopwords in effect.

PRINT sends output from the DICTIONARY command to the current INFO-Text output file.

<occurs-count requests a display of only those words or terms that occur fewer than the number of times specified by occurs-count.

>occurs-count requests a display of only those words or terms that occur more than the number of times specified by occurs-count.

STOPWORDS requests a display of all the stopwords (if no matchword is specified) or the stopwords specified in the word expression, (wildcards may be used).

match word A match word represents a combination of characters valid for a word and including the special characters \ (backslash) or % (percent sign). The backslash, also called the truncation character, indicates any prefix, suffix, or infix string in a word, as illustrated in the following n

If, when you defined an extended datafile, you requested concording separately by uppercase and lowercase letters, an unqualified DICTIONARY command distinguishes the case of indexed words or terms; otherwise, the

DICTIONARY displays shows all words without regard to

INFO Reference Manual Commands 165

DICTIONARY INFO-Text discussion

case. If you restrict the DICTIONARY display to one particular indexed word, INFO-Text operates as follows:

1) If the specified word is uppercase, INFO-Text matches the word only to uppercase occurrences in the text.

2) If the specified word is lowercase, INFO-Text matches the word to both upper and lowercase occurrences of the word in the text.

If the word or term concorded is in uppercase, the number in the occurs column on the DICTIONARY display includes those times the word or term or phrase appears in uppercase. If the word or term concorded is in lowercase, the number in the occurs column on the DICTIONARY display includes those times the word or term or phrase appears in upper- and lowercase.

The DICTIONARY command displays, in ascending order, entries in the dictionary file associated with the selected concorded datafile. Dictionary entries, which comprise concorded words or phrases, are shown with the following information:

For users with control-level access to the datafile, the total number of occurrences of the word or term. For stopwords

INFO-Text displays 'STOPWORD' instead of an occurrence count.

The number of datafile records in which the word or term appears.

The word or phrase itself.

The format of the DICTIONARY display is:

OCCURS

#########

REC'S

#####

INDEX TERM word

You can specify that the DICTIONARY command display only a particular word or text term, only stopwords, only a particular stopword, or only information for words that occur fewer or more times than a specified number.

166 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text examples

DICTIONARY

ENTER COMMAND >DICTIONARY

OCCURS REC'S INDEX TERM

STOPWORD a

STOPWORD an

STOPWORD and

STOPWORD are

STOPWORD at

1 1 ate

1 1 bat

STOPWORD be

STOPWORD that

STOPWORD the

STOPWORD this

STOPWORD to

STOPWORD w

STOPWORD will

STOPWORD xor

ALPHA\ Matches all words that begin with the string

'ALPHA'.

\ALPHA Matches all words that end with the string 'ALPHA'.

\ALPHA\ Matches all words that contain the string

'ALPHA'.

ALP\\A Matches all words that begin with the string

'ALP' and end with the string 'A'.

The percent sign represents a character position in a word which can take any value, as illustrated below:

%%A Matches any 3-character word that ends with the character 'A'.

A%%%% Matches any 5-character word that begins with the character 'A'.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 167

DICTIONARY INFO-Text

You can combine the backslash and percent sign in the same match word.

A list of alternate prefix, suffix, or infix strings enclosed in square brackets ([ and ]) can also represent the literal string or character portion of a match word. For example:

[A,B,D]!

Matches any word that begins with the characters 'A', 'B', or 'D'.

[A,B]%%%% Matches any 5-character word that begins with the characters 'A' or 'B'.

168 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DIF

DIF

input-form-name

can be used to dump an INFO Input Form format to a command file for editing by the SYSTEM editor and later execution from within INFO to replace the current input form.

arguments

The input form name entered by the user is dumped to a

SYSTEM sequential file with the same name, complete with the INFO commands necessary to regenerate it by the execution of the command file from INFO. The dumped file may be edited with the SYSTEM editor.

examples

DIF INVOICE-SCREEN

You would then edit the SYSTEM file via the SYSTEM editor and type:

CO INVOICE-SCREEN

The necessary files must first be selected and related.

This can be done with the SETUP command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 169

DINT

DINT

Displays the format and content of the user formatable internal variables $CHR#, $NUM#, $DAT# (where # is 1-40).

example

ENTER COMMAND >DINT

$CHR01,4,9,B = BEGIN

$CHR02,8,8,C =

$NUM03,4,9,B = 123456789

$NUM04,8,10,F,2 = 1234567.76

etc.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 171

DIRECTORY

DIR

ECTORY [

DF

][file_name] [

EXTE

[XX] [

PRIN

T] [

LONG

]

[XI]

[

IF

]

[

PG

][

COMP

[CI]

[

COMP

[

RP

][

DECO

]

[

SF

]

displays information about the files in your INFO directory.

arguments

[DF | IF | PG | RP | SF] displays all the files in your INFO directory of the specified type.

DF data files

IF input forms

PG programs

RP reports

SF special forms

May specify one or more of these arguments to list entries of that type.

An unqualified DIRECTORY command displays information about all of the directory entries in your INFO directory.

file_name may include the * character as a wild card to list entries with a particular prefix, infix or suffix.

EXTE unqualified, displays all external directory entries.

If used with datafiles, more external types XX, XI and CI.

may specify one or

COMP Y displays all compiled entries.

COMP N displays all non-compiled entries.

DECO displays all entries except datafiles : gives the same result as DIR PG IF RP SF

PRINT copies the directory information into your spool file instead of displaying it at your terminal.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 173

DIRECTORY

LONG displays all the information that INFO provides about the files in your INFO directory. The information displayed depends on the type of file.

notes

The * character may be used as a wildcard to list directory entries with a particular prefix, infix or suffix.

eg.

DIR ABC* will list all entries beginning with ABC

DIR *ABC* will list all entries containing ABC

DIR *ABC will list all entries ending in ABC n

An entry in the EX column of the DIRECTORY command display indicates that a directory entry is associated with a file external to your INFO user area. See the EXTERNAL command for more information.

discussion examples

The OTHER column indicates whether the entry has been compiled or not (if a program, form or report); also for reports it indicates the number of title lines, column headings and columns, and for special forms the number of lines and columns.

The DIRECTORY command displays or prints information about some or all of the files in your INFO user area. The

DIRECTORY command displays the internal and external names of the files in your INFO user area, their type, size and whether or not they are external to your INFO user area.

For a displayed list of all the files in your INFO user area, enter:

ENTER COMMAND >DIRECTORY

TYPE NAME INTERNAL RECORDS LEN EX OTHER

DF D.PROJ TIM000DAT 9 12

DF D.MASTER.FILE TIM001DAT 211 33 XX

PG P.MEMU TIM002SRC 34 200 Y

PG P.UPD.TIME TIM003SRC 8 200 N

IF I.MASTER.FILE TIM004SRC 19 500 Y 0/0

RP R.PROJECT TIM005SRC 13 500 Y 1/2/132

SF S.PAYCHECK TIM006SRC 11 500 Y 60/120

174 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DIRECTORY

For more information on a specific file, enter the

DIRECTORY command with the file name and the LONG option.

ENTER COMMAND >DIR MASTER-FILE LONG

TYPE NAME NO.RECORDS

DF MASTER-FILE 211

INTERNAL TIM001DAT

RECORD LENGTH 33

NO.ITEMS 4

EXTERNAL XX HOST FIXED LENGTH

DATAFILE |home|info964sys|master

ENTER COMMAND >DIR PROJECT LONG

TYPE NAME NO.RECORDS

RP PROJECT 13

INTERNAL TIM005SRC

COMPILED Y

NO.TITLES 1

NO.HEADERS 2

MAX.WIDTH 132

INFO Reference Manual Commands 175

DISPLAY

DIS

PLAY syntax cont’d syntax cont’d

[beg_rec_1,end_rec_1 & beg_rec_2...]

DF_item system_item system_variable string

T

X

*TAB

[#] [

,

...]

*X

[#]

*L

[#]

*W

[#]

*EJ

ECT

*A

row

,

column

*C

*CONT

EXT

*T

EXT

[

,=

] [

PRIN

NOLINE

CONT

EXT

T

EXT]]

[

,

...]

or

DIS

PLAY

AT

row

,

column [DF_item system_item system_variable [

,

...] string

X

T

]

or

DIS

PLAY

=

[PRINT]

displays or prints the values of data file items in selected records, system items, system variables, or strings.

arguments

[beg_rec_1,end_rec_1 & beg_rec_2...] you can display ranges of records by specifying the beginning and ending

INFO Reference Manual Commands 177

DISPLAY

record numbers. beg_rec_# and end_rec_# must be numeric literals.

DF_item an INFO data file item.

system_item an INFO system item.

system_variable an INFO system variable.

string a character string enclosed with single quotes.

*TAB#

or #T specifies the column at which to position the next display item where n is the number of the column (1 to 200). An unqualified *TAB positions the next display item seven spaces to the right of the current column. If you use nT, you must include the tab column value. The examples below display the LAST-NAME from records 1 to 3 and records 9 to 12 starting in column 25.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 1,3&9,12 *TAB25,LAST-NAME

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 1,3&9,12 25T,LAST-NAME

*X# or #X specifies the spaces to insert before the next display item where n is the number of spaces (1 to 200).

An unqualified *X inserts five spaces. If you use nX, you must include the space count value. The examples below display the LAST-NAME, 15 spaces and then the DEPT for every record selected.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY LAST-NAME,*X15,DEPT

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY LAST-NAME,15X,DEPT

*L# inserts the number of line feeds specified by n. The line count defaults to 1. To double-space, specify *L2.

The following example displays the LAST-NAME from the first 10 records using triple spacing:

178 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DISPLAY

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 1,10 *L3,LAST-NAME

*W# specifies the display width for the next display item.

If the item is a character item and the # specified is less than the item's defined output width, INFO truncates the item value to the specified number of characters. If the item is numeric and the n is less than the item's defined output width, INFO displays blanks for the item. The following example displays the LAST-NAME from the first

10 records using one character as the display width. As a result, only the first character of each name appears in a column.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 1,10 *W1,LAST-NAME

*EJECT clears the screen before INFO processes the next display item or format specifier. The following command clears the screen before each LAST-NAME value is displayed for the first five records. As a result, you will have five screens of output with a single LAST-

NAME displayed at the top of each screen.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 1,5 *E,LAST-NAME

*Arow,column takes the number of the row specified and displays the next display item that many rows below the last row displayed and in the specified column. Assuming a previous INFO command left the screen cursor on row

10, the example below displays LAST-NAME from the first selected record at row 15, column 10 and LAST-NAME from the second selected record at row 20, column 10.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY 1,2 *A5,10,LAST-NAME

INFO Reference Manual Commands 179

DISPLAY

*C# displays a C-type data file item in a column where n specifies the width of the column. If n is less than the defined output width for the item, INFO truncates the item to n characters and wraps the remaining characters in the item to the next line of the same column. Each line of the column conforms to the # width specification. The example below displays the first three characters of LAST-

NAME on one line, displays the next three characters on the next line directly below the first three characters, and so on, until the number of characters defined in the output width is used up.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY *C3,LAST-NAME

INFO-Text only

*CONTEXT displays the specified A-item in context, by including with the search text the two lines before and the two lines after the search text.

INFO-Text only

CONTEXT displays all A-items referenced in the command line in context, by including with the search text the two lines before and the two lines after the search text.

INFO-Text only

*TEXT displays the text portion of the specified A-item.

TEXT displays the text portion of all A-items referenced in the command line.

[,...]any of the previous options may be specified, each preceded by a comma, for a total of 16 specifications.

,= an equal sign at the end of a display list prevents the carriage return after data from each selected record is displayed. INFO continues to display information on the same line, wrapping only when the display fills the screen width. Subsequent DISPLAY commands always reset this effect. It is used most often to save space when displaying one or two items.

180 Commands INFO Reference Manual

notes

DISPLAY

The = (equal sign) used as the first display specification clears the screen. If this is followed by the PRINT option, a page eject symbol is placed in your spool file.

PRINT writes the otherwise displayed information to your spool file.

NOLINE operates like the equal sign (=) when the equal sign is used at the end of a display list. This NOLINE effect does not carry over to subsequent DISPLAY commands.

AT displays the requested information at the specified row and column.

row,column row can be a value from 0 to 24. A value of

0 clears the screen. A value of 1 corresponds to the first usable line on the screen and a value of 24 to the last usable line. A value of 24 may cause the screen display to scroll. Column can be a value from 1 to the maximum screen width of your terminal.

An unqualified DISPLAY command displays all item values for all selected records with each record starting on a new line.

There cannot be more than 16 specifications (including format specifiers) per DISPLAY command.

The greater the number of formatting specifiers or the longer the literals you provide in the command line, the fewer the number of list terms that can be included in the

DISPLAY command line.

If a displayed line exceeds the screen width, your terminal wraps the line, unless the terminal is set otherwise.

Display Attribute Settings can be set for cursor-addressed

DISPLAY statements. The system item $DISPLAY-MODE should first be set to 1, then the following system items can be used:

INFO Reference Manual Commands 181

DISPLAY discussion

$DISP-ATTRIBUTE Any string used to set attibutes, such as reverse video, on. INFO has its own set of system items containing the ANSI escape sequences for such attributes, eg. $REVERSE. Items or variables will be displayed with this attribute.

$MESS-ATTRIBUTE Works as $DISP-ATTRIBUTE for default and user-defined error messages (Input Form format only).

$RESET-ATTRIBUTE Should be set to the system default display attribute setting when using $DISPLAY-MODE = 1.

Screen output will then return to normal upon returning to interactive use from an INFO program.

For example, $RESET-ATTRIBUTE = $NORMAL.

INFO processes the DISPLAY command request by building a display page in memory for each selected record, formatted according to the display specifications in the DISPLAY command line. INFO outputs each display page at the current cursor location unless the first display specification is an equal sign.

Output line width is determined by the totaling of each item, including the larger of output width or item name width, plus one for each item in the list. You can specify more spaces by using either the *X, #X, *TAB, or #T options.

If you end a display list with an equal sign (=), INFO leaves the cursor in the first position following the last character displayed. For example, the display command

DISPLAY 5T,' ',= displays a blank in column 6 and leaves the cursor in column 7.

182 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Displaying

A-type items

(INFO-Text)

examples

DISPLAY

You can also use the DISPLAY command with the TEXT option to list the text associated with A-type items. If a

RESELECT command using a word expression was issued previously, while displaying text from A-type items, word terms that meet the criteria of the word expression are highlighted on the screen in reverse video. If a

DISPLAY command including the TEXT and PRINT options follows a RESELECT command the printed output contains an asterisk (*) in the left margin of each line containing an occurrence of the word specified in the

RESELECT command word expression.

The CONTEXT option (used with or without the PRINT option) can be used to display only the two lines preceding and the two lines following each highlighted term. Use of the CONTEXT and TEXT options are mutually exclusive.

The following sequence displays the literal 'CLIENT

NAME: ', the value of the NAME data item, 10 spaces, a dollar sign and an amount.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.ACCOUNT

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >

DISPLAY 'CLIENT NAME: ',NAME,*X10,'$',BAL-DUE

CLIENT NAME: GIANT MANUFACTURING $10,000.00

CLIENT NAME: MIDGET WIDGETS 872.00

INFO Reference Manual Commands 183

DISPLAY

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT ADD-UPDATE-EXAMPLE

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME <RETURN>

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY

1 A.FIL X00000302

2 B.FIL X00000402

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY TEXT

A.FIL

This is the contents of the file called A.FIL.

X00000302

This is the contents of a system-named text file.

B.FIL

This is the contents of the second text file named by the user.

X00000402

This is the second text file named by INFO-Text.

184 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DO...DOEND

DO

W

HILE

U

NTIL logical_expression

DOEN

allows you to perform a sequence of commands repetitively in an

INFO program.

arguments notes

WHILE instructs INFO to repeat the sequence of commands as long as the logical expression is true. This is the default when neither UNTIL or WHILE are specified.

UNTIL instructs INFO to repeat the sequence of commands until the logical expression is true.

logical_expression statement that INFO evaluates at the top of the DO loop.

DO and DOEND are two different commands that denote, respectively, the beginning and ending of the repeated sequence of commands. The DO command instructs

INFO to repeat the INFO commands bounded by the DO and DOEND commands according to the condition specified by the option and logical expression in the DO command.

Up to 100 DO...DOEND pairs can be nested in one INFO program.

If you include a DO command in an odd-numbered program section, avoid referencing data file items in the commands within the DO...DOEND group unless you wish to process the entire selected set.

To test the value of an item in a selected record or corresponding related record in an odd program section, use MOVE or CALCULATE to assign the item value to an appropriate system variable and test the value of the system variable.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 185

DO...DOEND

example

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

For the selected

20001 DO WHILE $NUM1 LE 4

20002 CALCULATE QTR = QTR + MNTH

record currently positioned, perform a

20003 CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + 1

sequence of commands.

20004 DOEND

186 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DOCDF

DOCD

F DF_name [output filename]

*

helps to document an INFO data file.

arguments note

DF_name an INFO datafile: if no output filename is specified, the print will go to a file called df_name.doc where df_name is the name of the INFO datafile.

* all datafiles will be processed. If no output filename is specified, an output file will be created for each datafile; if an output filename is specified, all print will go to that file.

output filename a filename may be specified to override the default filename.

Output files produced by this command are intended for further processing with a word processor or an editor for eventual incorporation into a larger document.

sample output

DATAFILE NAME: SUPEREG

Description of file usage **

COL ITEM NAME WID OUT TYPE DEC KEY COMMENTS

REDEFINED ITEMS **

1 TYPE 20 20 C — —

21 QTR1 10 10 N 2 —

31 QTR2 10 10 N 2 —

41 QTR3 10 10 N 2 —

51 QTR4 10 10 N 2 —

61 YEAR 10 10 N 2 —

71 DUMMY 4 4 C — —

INFO Reference Manual Commands 187

DOCIF

DOCI

F IF_name [output filename]

*

helps to document an INFO input-form.

arguments discussion note

IF_name an INFO input form: if no output filename is specified, the print will go to a file called if_name.doc where if_name is the name of the INFO input form.

* all input forms will be processed. If no output filename is specified, an output file will be created for each input form; if an output filename is specified, all print will go to that file.

output filename a filename may be specified to override the default filename.

This command produces an output file containing a sample layout of the screen defined by the input form.To

use this command, the INFO command 'FILES input-formname SAVE' must previously have been used while the files necessary to the input form were selected and related. The DOCIF command creates the form layout in the file input-form-name.DOC and appends the selected and related file details. The * option causes all input-forms in the directory to be documented.

Output files produced by this command are intended for further processing with a word processor or an editor for eventual incorporation into a larger document.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 189

DOCIF sample output

FIGURE X-XX: SUPIPF

TYPE ...........

YEAR .....

QUARTER 1 ......

QUARTER 2 ......

QUARTER 3 ......

QUARTER 4 ......

MENU OPTION DESCRIPTION

WHERE USED:

FILENAME REL ITEM NAME OPTION

FILES USED: SUPEREG 0

error responses

NO FILES SAVE WAS DONE FOR THIS ENTRY

190 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DOCRP

DOCR

P RP_name [output filename]

*

helps to document an INFO report.

arguments discussion note

RP_name an INFO report: if no output filename is specified, the print will go to a file called rp_name.doc where rp_name.doc is the name of the INFO datafile.

* all reports will be processed. If no output filename is specified, an output file will be created for each report; if an output filename is specified, all print will go to that file.

output filename a filename may be specified to override the default filename.

To use this command, the INFO command 'FILES reportname SAVE' must previously have been used while the files necessary to the report were selected and related.

The DOCRP command puts the report in the current INFO output file into a file called report-name.DOC and appends details of the selected and related files. It is therefore necessary first to run the report to the printer with enough data to illustrate the layout.

Output files produced by this command are intended for further processing with a word processor or an editor for eventual incorporation into a larger document.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 191

DOCRP sample output

FIGURE X-XX: SUPREP

10/ 1/96

SALES

PURCHASES

DIRECT LABOUR

GROSS PROFIT

MARKETING

TRANSPORT

FINANCE

ADMIN

OTHER

NET PROFIT

QTR 1

240.00

75.00

90.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

PAGE 1

SUPERCOMP TEST

QTR 2

250.00

75.00

100.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

35.00

QTR 3

250.00

75.00

90.00

85.00

15.00

10.00

0.00

15.00

30.00

15.00

QTR 4

260.00

75.00

90.00

95.00

15.00

10.00

15.00

30.00

15.00

615.00

192 Commands INFO Reference Manual

DOCSF

DOCS

F SF_name [output filename]

*

helps to document an INFO special form.

arguments discussion

SF_name an INFO special form: if no output filename is specified, the print will go to a file called sf_name.doc where sf_name is the name of the INFO special form.

* all special forms will be processed. If no output filename is specified, an output file will be created for each special form; if an output filename is specified, all print will go to that file.

output filename a filename may be specified to override the default filename.

To use this command, the INFO command 'FILES specialform-name SAVE' must previously have been used while the files necessary to the special form were selected and related. The DOCSF command creates the form layout in the file special-form-name.DOC and appends the selected and related file details. The * option causes all special forms in the directory to be documented.

DOCSF is a synonym for DOCIF and its output is therefore identical to DOCIF.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 193

DONE

DONE

terminates processing of the current even-numbered program section and passes control to the next odd-numbered program section.

notes example

Use the DONE command in an INFO program to exit from an even-numbered program section before all instructions or selected records have been processed.

Specify DONE as the last command in an even-numbered program section if you want to terminate processing after a single execution of the section, even though many records are selected.

The sample program below is designed to accumulate the value of COST for the first six records only and then display the total.

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE P.EXAMPLE

PROGRAM NAME: P.EXAMPLE

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT D.COST.FILE

10002 FORMAT $NUM1,8,N,2

10003 CALCULATE $NUM1 = 0

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + COST

20002 IF $RECNO = 6

20003 DONE

20004 ENDIF

Stop execution of this program after the sixth record.

30000 PROGRAM SECTION THREE

30001 DISPLAY AT 15,20 'TOTAL COST = $NUM1

INFO Reference Manual Commands 195

DPG

DPG

program-name

used to dump an INFO program to a command file for editing by the SYSTEM editor and later execution from within INFO to replace the current program.

discussion examples

The program name entered by the user is dumped to a sequential SYSTEM file with the same name, complete with the INFO commands necessary to regenerate it by the execution of the command file from INFO. The dumped file may be edited with the SYSTEM editor.

DPG POST-INVOICES

You would then edit the SYSTEM file and type:

CO POST-INVOICES

INFO Reference Manual Commands 197

DRP

DRP

report-name

used to dump an INFO Report Format to a command file for editing by the SYSTEM editor, and later execution from within

INFO to replace the current report format.

discussion

The report format name entered by the user is dumped to a sequential SYSTEM file with the same name, complete with the INFO commands necessary to regenerate it by the execution of the command file from INFO. The report format is dumped with the commands necessary for specifying the "LONG" option (number of title lines, number of column header lines, and report width) to give the user more flexibility in modifying the report format.

The dumped file may be edited with the SYSTEM editor.

examples

DRP INVOICE-REPORT

You would then edit the SYSTEM file and type:

restrictions

CO INVOICE-REPORT

The necessary files must first be selected and related.

This can be done with the SETUP command.

The dumped format will not contain TABs that were entered when the report was first defined. The best way to preserve extra space between columns is to define blank fields (' ') when defining the report, as these are picked up when the report is dumped.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 199

DSEL

DSE

'deselects' the current record from the working set and branches to the end of the even-numbered program section.

note discussion

Any changes to the selected and related records are retained.

If conditional processing within a program even section determines that the current record will not be required for further processing, the record can be dropped from the working set.

example

PROGRAM SECTION TWO

IF $1PRODUCT-REVISION = '9.2'

MOVE 'OLD' TO $1STATUS

DSEL

ENDIF

PROGRAM SECTION THREE

REPORT CURRENT-PRODUCT-REP

DSEL will cause INFO to branch to the end of the evennumbered program section, write out the current file buffers (if they have been updated), remove the current selected record from the set, and proceed with the next selected record as normal.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 201

DSF

DSF

special-form-name

used to dump an INFO Special Form format to a command file for editing by the SYSTEM editor, and later execution from within

INFO to replace the current special form format.

note discussion

The special form name definition entered by the user is dumped to a sequential SYSTEM file with the same name, complete with the INFO commands necessary to regenerate it by the execution of the command file from

INFO. The dumped file may be edited with the SYSTEM editor.

example

DSF CHECKS

You would then edit the SYSTEM file and type:

CO CHECKS

The necessary files must first be selected and related.

This can be done with the SETUP command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 203

EDIT

EDIT

filepath [

S

YSTEM] [

PR

INT]

IF_name

PG_name

RP_name

SF_name

[

L

INE]

runs the system editor specified in external variable .INFOEDIT for

VMS/PRIME or _INFOEDIT for UNIX with command line options set by .INFOEXT for VMS/PRIME or _INFOEXT for UNIX.

arguments

IF_name | PG_name | RP_name | SF_name the INFO file to be changed

SYSTEM indicates that the specified file is a SYSTEM file.

[PRINT] sends a copy of the non-datafile to your spool file after you make any changes to it. If you include the PRINT option for a SYSTEM file, INFO assumes that all the data in the file is printable; it does not perform any data conversion before printing.

[LINE] edits an INFO program with the source line numbers intact.

notes

The option PRINT behaves differently with CHANGE. With

CHANGE the PROGRAM is written to the SPOOL file only at start up time, meaning amendments made do not reflect to the SPOOL file. EDIT writes to the SPOOL file at the end of your editing session whether it has been amended or not.

When editing an INFO report, the current number of column headers and the report width will be displayed, and you will be asked if these are to be changed or retained.

The title lines are displayed with a (TITLE) prefix and any new titles should be input in the same format. On leaving the editor, if you quit or file with no changes, you will be asked if you wish to apply your title or column changes.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 205

EDIT examples

When editing an INFO special form, the current number of lines per page and columns per line are displayed, and you are asked if these are to be changed or retained. On leaving the editor, if you quit or file with no changes, you will be asked if you wish to apply your line and column changes.

With EDIT you can use your choice of editor or wordprocessor; the default is the SYSTEM editor.

If you wish to change EDIT to use another editor, simply change the logical/global variable .INFOEDIT or environment variable _INFOEDIT to the name of the editor. If your editor has any command line options, then set the logical/global variable .INFOEXT or environment variable _INFOEXT to the command line options you usually use with the editor.

Quitting from the editor will not decode the program, input form, etc. Only writing the file will decode it, thereby requiring a compilation when it is next executed.

For INFO utility command:

ENTER COMMAND >GVSET '._INFOEDIT' 'EMACS'

ENTER COMMAND >GVSET '._INFOEXT' '-W-TERM ANSI'

For SYSTEM:

OK,SET_VAR. _INFOEDIT:= EMACS

OK,SET_VAR. _INFOEXT:= -W-TERM ANSI

see also

CHANGE

206 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ELAPSED

ELAP

SED item-name

returns the elapsed CPU time since LOGIN in seconds.

argument error message

item-name numeric item to receive the returned value.

ITEM NOT NUMERIC

INFO Reference Manual Commands 207

ENCODE

ENCO

DE item-1 [TO] item-2 [item-3]

tries to convert character data to numeric or date Format.

argument discussion

item-1 character_item to be converted.

item-2 numeric_item or date_item to receive the converted data item.

item-3 optional numeric_item to receive an error return code.

Tries to convert item-1 to item-2. Item-2 is left unchanged if conversion fails. Optional item-3 set to 0 if conversion succeeds, otherwise set to 1.

error message

ITEM NOT NUMERIC

see also

CLAC

INFO Reference Manual Commands 209

END

when executed within an INFO program, ends that program.

END notes

Use the END command in an INFO program to stop the execution of that program independently of the actual end of the program.

Note that INFO returns control to INFO command level even if the program in which the END command occurs was executed from a RUN...LINK command.

example

20020 IF $CHR1 = 'E'

20021

20022

END

ELSE

Terminate program execution here.

20023 RUN R.INCREMENT LINK

20024 ENDIF

INFO Reference Manual Commands 211

ERASE

ERA

SE file_name

deletes an entry from your INFO directory.

argument notes

file_name specifies the name of the entry to be deleted from your INFO directory.

The ERASE command operates only on entries that exist in your INFO directory; you cannot delete an INFO entry from an alternate directory using ERASE. Also note that you cannot use ERASE to delete an entry with an

EXTERNAL association.

A data file must be selected before it can be erased.

discussion

To delete a data file it must be selected and, if protected, must have been selected with the control-level password.

(See the PROTECT and PASSWORD commands for information about protected data files.) You can delete a report, program, input form, or special form regardless of the selected data file.

When you enter a valid ERASE command, INFO requests verification as follows:

THIS COMMAND WILL ERASE THE SPECIFIED file-type

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE (Y OR N) >

INFO-Text where file-type denotes the type of INFO entry (e.g., DF,

PG). Enter Y (yes) to delete the entry; enter any other character or RETURN to abort the request.

If the file-type to be erased is an extended data file, you are additionally prompted as to whether the text item files should be deleted:

DELETE TEXT ITEM FILES (Y OR N) >

INFO Reference Manual Commands 213

ERASE example

THIS COMMAND WILL ERASE THE SPECIFIED DF

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE (Y OR N) >Y

DELETE TEXT ITEM FILES? (Y or N) >

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.TEST

ENTER COMMAND >ERASE D.TEST

THIS COMMAND WILL ERASE THE SPECIFIED DF

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE (Y OR N) >Y

The data file D.TEST no longer exists in this user's

INFO directory.

214 Commands INFO Reference Manual

EXECUTE

EXEC

UTE DF_item system_variable literal

passes the value of a specified data file item or system variable to

INFO to execute as an INFO command.

arguments notes

DF_item is an item in an INFO data file containing a valid

INFO command.

system_variable is one of the INFO system character variables containing a valid INFO command.

literal is a string containing a valid INFO command

An unqualified EXECUTE will execute the contents of the system variable $CHR1.

When used interactively, the specified item or system variable must contain a valid interactive command. INFO reads the INFO command only from the first 200 characters of the specified item or $CHR# system variable.

An EXECUTE command used in a program is decoded when the program is executed, because INFO does not know the contents of the stored command entry until the program is actually executing.

Do not use the following commands with EXECUTE:

ALTER EXECUTE REDEFINE

COPY EXTERNAL RELATE

DEFINE GET SELECT

ERASE MODIFY TAKE

In any section of a program (odd- or even-numbered), you cannot use the EXECUTE command to perform any command that would normally be invalid in a program, or any of the following commands that are normally valid in a program:

DO...DOEND FIRST

DONE GOTO

LABEL

PROGRAM

IF...ENDIF

INFO Reference Manual Commands 215

EXECUTE discussion

In even-numbered program sections, you cannot use

EXECUTE to perform the command NEXT.

The EXECUTE command passes the value of the specified data file item or system variable to INFO to execute as an INFO command. The specified value must have been previously stored in the item or system variable.

The length of the value that is interpreted as an INFO command is determined by the defined width of the data file item or by the formatted width of the system variable.

The value interpreted as a command must be appropriate for the environment in which the EXECUTE command is performed; otherwise, the results of executing the stored value as an INFO command can be unpredictable, and almost certainly wrong.

Also remember that all rules regarding odd- and evennumbered program section processing apply for the stored command. For example, if you issue the EXECUTE command in an odd-numbered program section, and if the stored command is an active INFO command, the stored command processes the entire selected set.

example

ENTER COMMAND >FORMAT $CHR1,40,C

ENTER COMMAND >FORMAT $CHR6,40,C

ENTER COMMAND >MOVE 'RUN P.MAIN.MENU' TO $CHR1

ENTER COMMAND >MOVE 'REPORT R.YTD.SALES Y 60' TO $CHR6

ENTER COMMAND >EXEC $CHR6

ENTER COMMAND >EXEC

By default, INFO executes as a command the value in

$CHR1

216 Commands INFO Reference Manual

EXPAND

EXP

AND item-1 [INTO] item-2

translates a numeric value into appropriate English text.

arguments note discussion

item-1 the numeric_item that contains a numeric value.

[INTO] used for documentation or ease of understanding.

item-2 the numeric DF_item, system_variable or system_item that will contain the English translation of the numeric value.

The target DF_item or $CHR must be large enough to hold the translated words.

The EXPAND command translates the integer portion of a numeric value into words and the decimal position into the form AND nn/100. As necessary, EXPAND rounds the decimal portion to two positions before translation. If the item you are translating is defined as an integer, INFO includes AND 00/100 at the end of the translated value.

For example, the stored value 124.67 translates into

English as shown below:

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR AND 67/100

You can use the EXPAND command followed by a

CONCATENATE command to fill any remaining right-most characters in the translated field. This can be used, for example, for security reasons during check processing.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 217

EXPAND examples

ENTER COMMAND >$NUM2 = 124.67

ENTER COMMAND >EXPAND $NUM2 INTO TARGET

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY TARGET

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR AND 67/100

ENTER COMMAND >CONCATENATE TARGET FROM TARGET, DLS*******'

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY TARGET

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR AND 67/100 DLS***

Notice that the string of asterisks being concatenated with the translated value is longer than necessary. INFO truncates the fill string to fit the field, following the normal rules for concatenation. See the CONCATENATE command for more information.

ENTER COMMAND >FO $CHR1,30

ENTER COMMAND >EXPAND 4.565 INTO $CHR1

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $CHR1

FOUR AND 57/100

218 Commands INFO Reference Manual

EXPORT

EXPO

RT file_path

ASCII

[

NORM

AL]

SDF

[

TRAN

SPOSE] [

[

APPE

INIT

]

ND]

2020

DIF

SYLK

CSV

syntax cont’d

[DF_item]

[system_item]

[,...]

[system_variable]

writes the contents of a data file into a system file. The system file is written in one of six delimited formats.

arguments

file_path the system file name of the output file.

ASCII | SDF | 2020 | DIF | SYLK | CSV the file format of the output file. See Appendix P, Import/Export File

Formats.

ASCII produces an output file that resembles a standard print file Places each item value on its own line. Uses a blank line to separate records. Encloses character data in quotation marks.

SDF produces an output file in BASIC format. Separates item values with commas. Places each new record on a new line. Encloses character data in quotation marks.

2020 produces an output file ready to be imported into

20/20. Passes only cell contents. Uses # sign between item values. Precedes character data with quotation marks showing justification.

DIF produces an output file in industry-standard DIF format. Includes a header section sharing the file name and overall format. Provides a data section with row and column indicators along with cell type and contents.

SYLK produces a file whose format meets all Multiplan requirements.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 219

EXPORT notes

CSV comma separated values. Produces a file with numerics, character items and dates held as strings separated by commas, with no quotation marks around the characters or dates. The output file would be suitable for use with ADD FROM

Note. If character items contain commas, this is not a suitable option. Date fields are exported in a form not compatible with IMPORT.

[NORMAL | TRANSPOSE] are positioning modes.

NORMAL is the default positioning mode. Each data file record goes out as one row for the spreadsheet.

TRANSPOSE is the alternate positioning mode. Each data file record goes out as a column for the spreadsheet.

TRANSPOSE cannot be used in an even-numbered program section.

[APPEND | INIT]

defines the writing mode.

APPEND is the default writing mode. If a system file already exists, INFO adds the new information to the end.

INIT is the alternative writing mode. With INIT, INFO purges the existing system file before it writes the new data.

[

DF_item | system_item _ | system_variable] the name of the item or variable whose value will be exported.

DF_item is an INFO data file item .

system_item is an INFO system item.

system_variable is an INFO system variable.

If no items are specified all items on the selected file are

EXPORTED.

The EXPORT command copies the records of a data file into a system file. You can use the command interactively, in odd-numbered program sections, and in even-numbered program sections.

220 Commands INFO Reference Manual

note

EXPORT

If the system file does not already exist, INFO creates it.

You must select the source data file before you can issue the command. INFO uses the currently selected/related data files as the source.

All EXPORT formats excepting CSV output dates in military format.

Each of the file formats uses one delimiter between item values and a different delimiter between records. During an export, INFO reads one item value out of the data file and places that value in the next sequential delimited field of the system file. At the end of each record, INFO places a record delimiter.

When you include data file items in the command line,

INFO exports item values in the order in which the items are listed.

INFO logs the results of EXPORT to your spool file. INFO also displays brief versions of any error messages on your terminal screen.

The maximum item length that may be exported is 200 bytes: if an exported item is longer than this it will be truncated. N.B. if the exported data is to be imported back into INFO, IMPORT has a maximum item length of 189 bytes.

The maximum record length for the various EXPORT formats is as follows:-

ASCII

SDF

2020

DIF

SYLK

CSV

4096bytes

2048 bytes

4096 bytes

These maximum lengths include the various field delimiters

INFO Reference Manual Commands 221

EXPORT

Exporting during programs

Within each program section, the first time INFO executes

EXPORT with a new data file name, it positions itself at the first record. At the end of each section, INFO closes the system file.

TRANSPOSE is not allowed in even-numbered program sections.

Considerations

The DIF and SYLK file formats include the number of rows

for DIF and

in the file as a piece of information in the header. When

SYLK files

you create a DIF or SYLK file in an even-numbered program section, INFO assumes that the total number of selected records is the number of rows to be written. Be careful when writing your programs: if you should write out fewer records than this, the number INFO puts in the file header is wrong. Some applications give you error messages when they encounter files with this type of inconsistency.

If you use EXPORT to append records to an existing DIF or SYLK system file, INFO places those records at the end of the file after the end-of-data record. Your application might stop when it reaches the end-of-data record. In this case, your application ignores the appended records.

We strongly suggest that you use only one EXPORT command per even-numbered program section. If you use

EXPORT twice in the same even-numbered section and the command specifies two different system files in DIF or

SYLK format, INFO writes an end-of-data only to the last active system file. The other system file does not receive the mandatory end-of-data record.

222 Commands INFO Reference Manual

EXPORT example

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT TEST

3 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BLDG Q1

A -500.00

3950.00

B 9450.00

0550.00

C 4275.00

4950.00

4050.00

10575.00

4950.00

ENTER COMMAND >EXPORT SAMPLE1 ASCII

3 RECORD(S) EXPORTED

ENTER COMMAND >EXPORT SAMPLE2 DIF Q1,Q2

3 RECORD(S) EXPORTED

ENTER COMMAND >EXPORT SAMPLE3 DIF TRANSPOSE INIT

5 RECORD(S) EXPORTED

4050.00

10575.00

4950.00

To create your own customized EXPORT format, see the

INFO Exchange Manual.

see also

IMPORT

Appendix P Import/Export File Formats.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 223

EXST

EXS

T file_path return-code

Checks for the existence of an operating system file.

arguments

file_path character variable or string literal (the string literal may be an external variable enclosed in ‘%’ characters).

return-code

numeric variable

0 = File exists

1 = File does not exist.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 225

EXTERNAL

EXT

ERNAL file_name

allows you to create, cancel, or display a permanent association between an INFO object and a file outside of your INFO user area. An external association gives you automatic access to a file outside your INFO user area whenever the associated INFO entry is accessed.

argument notes

file_name is used to reference an entry in the INFO directory. Enter the name of an INFO datafile, report, program, input form or special form.

An unqualified EXTERNAL allows you to associate the selected data file with an operating system file; the INFO file must not contain any records. If the selected data file is already associated with an operating system file,

EXTERNAL displays the name of the associated external file.

A full system pathname for a file with which you are making an external association cannot be longer than 80 characters under Unix and Primos and 64 characters under VMS. However, by using external variables on part or all of a pathname, the expanded pathname may be of any length the operating system allows.

You can create external associations for any INFO file in your INFO user area.

There are important differences between creating an external association for an INFO data file and for an INFO program, report, input form, or special form. The use of the EXTERNAL command differs in the two cases, and there are different file access considerations for them.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 227

EXTERNAL

Making a data file external

To associate an external file with a data file: n

Create or find a file outside of your INFO user area containing data records; this file, to be made external, can reside in any operating system directory.

The file can contain data records just as INFO data files contain data records. In fact, this file can be an INFO data file in another INFO user area or in another system directory, or it can be a file created by another application or program on your computer.

Use the DEFINE command to create a data file in your

INFO user area with a template identical to that of the file to be made external. Another method would be to use the

TAKE command.

Use the EXTERNAL command:

ENTER COMMAND >EXTERNAL

ENTER COMPLETE FILE NAME OF EXTERNAL FILE.

/plat2/fred/info/abc000dat

DATABASE (C/R FOR DEFAULT, LIST FOR OPTIONS)>

Respond with the full operating system pathname of the file to be associated externally. For an INFO data file in a different INFO directory, use the internal name of the file, as in the above example. Or, after the prompt, enter

<RETURN>, which terminates the command with no external association created.

The DATABASE default is XX, for most fixed or variable length files. If the file to be externalled to is an ISAM file then the value CI (UNIX) or XI (VMS or PRIME) should be entered. LIST will display a list of currently available options.

228 Commands INFO Reference Manual

EXTERNAL

Changing or cancelling a data file external

You no not need to SELECT a data file to change its external; specify the data file name as an argument to

EXTERNAL. INFO creates the external association with the extenal file when the data file is next selected or related.

Until you cancel the external association, the external file and its data records are accessed when the associated INFO data file is referenced.

Once an external association exists for a selected data file, you can enter an unqualified EXTERNAL command to display the pathname of the external file.

ENTER COMMAND >EXTERNAL

EXTERNAL FILE NAME:

/plat2/fred/info/abc000dat

DO YOU WISH TO CANCEL EXTERNAL (Y OR N) >

Respond N (no) or <RETURN> to retain the association; or Y (yes) to cancel the association. If you respond yes, you can optionally specify another file name to associate with the selected data file. If the response is Y, INFO prompts:

ENTER COMPLETE FILE NAME OF EXTERNAL FILE

If you want to associate the selected file with a new external file, enter a new pathname and file name. The new association will be recognised the next time the data file is selected or related.

After a Y response to the ...CANCEL EXTERNAL (Y OR

N) prompt, you can also enter <RETURN> . This cancels the external association and terminates the external command.

The external association is canceled for future use, but not closed immediately. The data is still available until you enter another SELECT command.

For information on how to create a new empty ISAM template; see Appendix J, ISAM considerations.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 229

EXTERNAL

Making a non-data file external

You can associate an external file with an INFO report, program, input form, or special form.

Verify that the program, special form, report, or input form exists in your INFO user area. If the file does not exist, create and define a dummy file using the following guidelines:

A program file must contain at least one program line after the statement PROGRAM SECTION ONE.

An input form must contain at least one row, column entry.

A special form must contain size information. Specifically, when the form is defined, you must respond to the LINES

PER PAGE> and COLUMNS PER LINE> prompts. See the SPECIAL FORM command for information about defining a special form.

A report must contain title-line and header-line information. Specifically, when the report is defined, you must respond to the NUMBER OF TITLE LINES> and

NUMBER OF HEADER LINES> prompts, whether or not any report lines are defined. See the REPORT command discussion for information about defining a report.

Make sure that the program, report, or form has been compiled or executed at least once.

Verify the existence of the OBJ file you are linking to your non-data file. If you plan to look at the source version of the non-data file after the EXTERNAL association is made, you must also verify the existence of the corresponding

SRC file.

Use the EXTERNAL command:

ENTER COMMAND >EXTERNAL non-DF_name

ENTER FULL NAME OF EXTERNAL OBJECT FILE.

230 Commands INFO Reference Manual

EXTERNAL

Respond with the fully qualified pathname of the OBJ file for the non-data file.

ENTER COMMAND >/plat2/fred/info/abc018obj

INFO then prompts:

ENTER FULL NAME OF EXTERNAL SOURCE FILE.

Respond with the fully qualified pathname of the SRC file for the non-data file. If the SRC file will not be displayed in future INFO processing (that is, no RUN with LIST or

TYPE commands using the SRC file will be executed), you can respond with <RETURN> to this prompt.

To display the pathname of an external file after it is associated with a non-data file, enter:

ENTER COMMAND >EXTERNAL non-DF_name

INFO displays the file name and then prompts:

DO YOU WISH TO CANCEL EXTERNAL (Y OR N)>

Respond N (no) or <RETURN> to preserve the association, or respond Y (yes) to cancel the association or to specify a new external file.

If the response is Y, INFO again prompts:

ENTER FULL NAME OF EXTERNAL OBJECT FILE.

Now, enter a pathname for the OBJ file to be made external. If you enter <RETURN> at this point, INFO ignores the response and retains the existing external association. Once INFO receives the OBJ file name, it prompts:

ENTER FULL NAME OF EXTERNAL SOURCE FILE.

Enter the pathname of the SRC file to be made external, or a <RETURN> if the SRC file will not be displayed in future INFO processing (that is, if no RUN with LIST or

TYPE commands using the SRC file will be executed).

INFO Reference Manual Commands 231

EXTERNAL example

To cancel an existing external association for a non-data file, you must delete the non-data file from your INFO user area with the ERASE command. This removes the dummy file from your user area, but does not harm the operating system file.

The following example establishes an external association between the empty data file DF.MASTER and the file

busch/prospects/mydata.dat:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT DF.MASTER

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >EXTERNAL

ENTER COMPLETE FILE NAME OF EXTERNAL FILE

busch/prospects/mydata.dat

ENTER COMMAND >SEL DF.MASTER

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

232 Commands INFO Reference Manual

FILES

FILE

S [IF_name

PG_name

RP_name

SF_name]

[

S

G

AVE]]

ET]

displays information about selected and related files.

arguments notes

IF_name is the name of an INFO input form file.

PG_name is the name of an INFO program file.

RP_name is the name of an INFO report file.

SF_name is the name of an INFO special form file.

SAVE restores a record of the file relationships and internal variable formats used with the named program, report or form.

GET restores the file relationships and internal variable formats used with the named program, report or form once they have been saved.

Make sure, when you use the FILES command with the

SAVE option, that the currently selected and related files are those for the specified program, report, or form.

There are three forms of the FILES command, as follows:

1) An unqualified FILES command displays the names of all currently selected and related files.

2) When used with the SAVE option, the command stores the names of the currently selected and related files and the formats of the internal variables ($CHR#, $NUM#, $DAT#) against the named program, report or form. Once the file information is saved, you can display the saved file information for that report or form so that you can establish the same file environment before execution.

3) If the file information for the specified program, report, or form was saved using the FILES...SAVE command, a

FILES command followed by a program, report, or form name displays that file information.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 233

FILES discussion

The column headings for the FILES display are described below:

RELNO is the relate number of the file in the buffer: 0 for the selected file, 1 for the first related file, and so on.

DATAFILE is the name of the selected or related file.

START is the starting position, within the buffer, for the file.

LENGTH is the file record length, in bytes.

RELATED BY is the name of the common item by which the file is related to the previously named file.

OPTION lists the options used when the data file was related using the RELATE command. See the RELATE command for more information about RELATE command options.

example

The following sequence of commands selects a file, relates two files, and requests a FILES display:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT TIME-CLOCK

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RELATE PAY-MASTER 1 BY CLOCK-NO ORDER NUMERIC

ENTER COMMAND >RELATE COST-CODE 2 BY $1COST-CODE SEQUENTIAL

ENTER COMMAND >FILES

RELNO

DATAFILE

TIME-CLOCK

START

LENGTH

250

RELATED BY OPTION

PAY-MASTER

COST-CODE

251

605

354

110

CLOCK-NO

$1COST-CODE

ORDE NUME

SEQU

see also

SETUP

234 Commands INFO Reference Manual

FILL

FILL

relno

O

OF

permits the turning on and off of the fill option on a related file.

arguments description

relno identifies the related file

ON or OFF switches the fill option on the related file

This command permits the turning on or off of the FILL option on a RELATEd file which is identified by its relate number.

By using this technique, it is possible to generate records from the selected working set as and when required, rather than for each selected record. See the examples below.

examples

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SEL ANY-FILE

10002 REL ISAM-FILE 1 BY KEY

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 IF DATA CN ‘NEW’

20002 FILL 1 ON

20003

20004

20005 ENDIF

20006

FILL 2 OFF

$1DATA = DATA

no option on FILL switch FILL option on switch FILL option off

3000 PROGRAM SECTION THREE

In the above example, a record will be created on the related ISAM file only if the item DATA in the selected record contains the string NEW and if the KEY value did not already exist on the ISAM file.

Note that reference to the related record ($1DATA = DATA in the example above) must be made for the record to be created: the record is actually written when INFO reaches the end of the program section.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 235

FILL

This technique is also useful when building up a composite key in a selected transaction file, in anticipation of creating a record on a related ISAM file.

examples

10000

10001

10002

10003

10004

ADD-ISAM-IPF

PROGRAM SECTION ONE

SEL TRANSACTION-FILE

PURGE

REL ISAM-FILE 1 BY KEY

IPF ADD-ISAM-IPF

3,10,KEY-PART1

prompt for first part of key

3,20,KEY-PART2

prompt for second part of key

rem Check if key exists on related ISAM file

IF $RELREC1 = 0

FILL 1 ON

FILL 1 OFF

key does not exist on ISAM file switch FILL option on switch FILL option off

ENDIF

$1DATA = DATA

reference to related record required to create record, which is written at the end of the input form

see also

RELATE

$FORCE-WRITE in Appendix D, Systems Items

236 Commands INFO Reference Manual

FIRST

FIR

A

LL relate_# ...

[Label]

positions the specified related file(s) to the record at which processing began for the currently selected record.

arguments notes

ALL requests FIRST processing for all files that are currently related. INFO processes the files in order of their relate numbers, beginning with the lowest relate number.

relate_# ... the relate number(s) of the file(s) to be processed. Up to nine related files can be specified.

Label valid LABEL name in the program or input form.

When you use an unqualified FIRST command, INFO processes only the first related file (whose relate number is

1).

To process a different related file or more than one related file, enter the relate number for the first file to be processed, followed by the relate number of the second file to be processed, and so on. If you cannot remember the relate numbers of your related data files, use the

FILES command to display them.

The FIRST command instructs INFO to reposition, within a related file, to the first record for which the value of the relate key item matches the related item in the selected

(or previously related) record.

A single FIRST command can work on up to nine different related files, processing them in the specified order.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 237

FILL restriction example

Use the FIRST command after one or more NEXT commands, to reaccess related records having the same related key item value. See the NEXT command for more information.

When a label is specified, control is passed to this label on a match rather than to the following statement in the evennumbered program section or input form. If no match is detected control will be passed to the following statement.

If MODE SET EXACT (see MODE command) is on for a related file, INFO will permit a partial key match determined by the value in the common related item.

When used with the FIRST and NEXT commands with blank in the selected record key, INFO positions to the first record in the related file(s) using FIRST, then can read the whole file(s) using NEXT. Using the same technique with a ‘B’ in the selected record key, INFO positions to the first record in the related file(s) whose related item begins with

‘B’, then can read all the related records which also meet this criteria.

Not valid interactively or in odd-numbered program sections.

In the following example, there are multiple matches in the

D.BILLING file for each value of BILL-CODE in the

D.ACCOUNTS file. Note that the D.BILLING file has been sorted on BILL-CODE. The program will process the

NEXT command (statement 20003) within the set of billing records for each unique value of the item BILL-CODE in the D.ACCOUNTS file and accumulate the total quantity and price into $NUM1 and $NUM2, respectively.

When the NEXT processing finds no more matches for a particular BILL-CODE value in the D.BILLING file, the

FIRST command is executed (statement 20004). This causes INFO to reposition the related data file to the first record matching the current BILL-CODE value in the selected data file. The accumulated amounts are then placed in this first record's $1QTY and $PRICE items, overriding the original values.

238 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE P.FIRST.EXAMPLE

PROGRAM NAME: P.FIRST.EXAMPLE

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT D.ACCOUNTS RO

10002 RELATE D.BILLING BY BILL-CODE RO

10003 FORMAT $NUM1,5,I

10004 FORMAT $NUM2,8,N,2

10005 CALCULATE $NUM1 = 0

10006 CALCULATE $NUM2 = 0

10007 REM

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + $1QTY

20002 CALCULATE $NUM2 = $NUM2 + $1PRICE

20003 NEXT

20004 FIRST

20005 CALCULATE $1QTY = $NUM1

20006 CALCULATE $1PRICE = $NUM2

20007 CALCULATE $NUM1 = 0

20008 CALCULTATE $NUM2 = 0

20009 REM

30000 PROGRAM SECTION THREE

30001 REPORT R.MO.BILLING Y 60

FIRST

INFO Reference Manual Commands 239

FORMAT

FO

RMAT $NUM#

,width [,output_width] [,type] [,decimal_places]

$CHR#

$DAT#

defines new characteristics for one of the INFO system variables

$CHR#, $DAT#, or $NUM#.

arguments notes

$NUM# variables store numeric values.

$CHR# variables store character values.

$DAT# variables store date values.

,width the internal width of the variable.

[,output_width] the output width of the value of the variable.

[,type] INFO item type. Item types are described in the

DEFINE command reference.

[,decimal_places] only for numeric item types with decimal positions.

It is important to format all system variables both before they are used in a form, program, or report and before any corresponding form, program, or report is executed.

System variables must also be formatted correctly before a program is compiled.

FORMAT specifications are similar to those for data file items specified with the DEFINE command and follow all rules established for that command. Aspects of concern are described below for each of the system variable types.

MODE SET FORMAT allows you to save off the format

320-byte internal variable buffer and reset it to the saved format at a later time, or in another part of a program.

See the MODE command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 241

FORMAT discussion

The FORMAT command sets formats for the system variables $NUM#, $CHR# and $DAT#. Using FORMAT, you can control the internal width, output width, data type and decimal positions for each system variable.

With the FORMAT command, you define the characteristics of one of the 40 locations that can be formatted in a 320-byte buffer that is internal to INFO.

Each of the 40 locations can be defined at a given time, as a numeric value, formatted as $NUM#; a character value, formatted as $CHR#; or a date value, formatted as

$DAT#.

By default, each system variable occupies an 8-byte portion of the system variable buffer: $NUM1, $CHR1, or

$DAT1 ($xxx1) occupies bytes 1—8; $xxx2 occupies bytes

9—16; $xxx3 occupies bytes 17—24, and so on. Default formats for the system variables are shown below.

Table FORMAT-1 System variable default formats

Item type Input width Output width Type Dec.

positions

$NUM#

$CHR#

$DAT#

NB. If you change the format of any system variable, the variable will occupy the buffer area necessary to accommodate the new format, starting with the first position allocated to that variable. The system variable

$xxx1 starts in position 1, $xxx2 starts in position 9, and so on; therefore the maximum of $CHR1 is 320 byes, that of $CHR2 is 312, etc.

Be careful when you extend the width of a $CHR# or

$NUM# item beyond the default width: the storage for the trailing contiguous system variables is overwritten when you next assign a value to that $CHR# or $NUM# system variable. For example, if you define $CHR4 to be 30 characters long, the space normally reserved for $xxx4—

$xxx7 is used by the $CHR4 variable. You cannot display or calculate using the values in $NUM4, $NUM5, and so on, as INFO interprets information stored in $CHR4 as character information.

242 Commands INFO Reference Manual

$NUM# variable items

$CHR# variable items

$DAT# variable items

FORMAT

$NUM# items are often used for accumulators or other storage areas, where the defined length of a data file item is too small. By varying the type defined for a $NUM# item, you can control its storage capacity, both for integer and decimal positions. All types available for the DEFINE command are available for $NUM# variables.

No $CHR# system variable can be formatted to extend past the last byte of the 320-byte system variable buffer.

$CHR# system variables can store character strings that can be executed as INFO commands using the EXECUTE command.

The width of a $DAT# system variable is always 8 bytes.

If you try to change the width of a $DAT# system variable,

INFO displays an error message. The output width for a

$DAT# item can be up to 11 characters.

Dates are stored internally in the format yyyymmdd.

Months and days less than 10 are stored and displayed with a leading space; to display these with leading zeroes, set the internal variable to $ZDATE to 1.

When a $DAT# system variable is displayed or printed, its output format follows the format specified by the current

DFMT setting. Be aware of the effects of output width changes for $DAT# items. As you shorten the output width of the system variable, characters are dropped from the right-most display positions. See the DFMT command for more information. Table FORMAT-2 below shows the effects of varying width specifications.

Table FORMAT-2 $DATn output displays

Date displayed Output width

11/12/1996

11/12/96

11/12

INFO Reference Manual Commands 243

FORMAT example see also

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE P.FORMAT

PROGRAM NAME: P.FORMAT

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 FORMAT $CHR1,20

10002 FORMAT $NUM4,5,I

10003 FORMAT $DAT5,8,8

10004 MOVE 'WELCOME TO INFO' TO $CHR1

10005 CALCULATE $NUM4 = 12345

10006 CALCULATE $DAT5 = $TODAY

10007 DISPLAY $CHR1,3X,$NUM4,$DAT5

ENTER COMMAND >RUN P.FORMAT

WELCOME TO INFO 12345 1/ 2/96

An extra 2048 bytes of storage exists for programmers to use called $WORK-BUFFER. It has been redefined as follows:

$WORK-BUFF 128,C occurs 16, indexed by $IDX2

$WORK-CHR 8,C occurs 64, indexed by $IDX2

$WORK-NUM

$WORK-INT

8,N,C occurs 64, indexed by $IDX2

8,I occurs 64, indexed by $IDX2

$WORK-BIN 2,5,B occurs 64, indexed by $IDX2

$WORK-FLOAT 8,15,F occurs 48, indexed by $IDX2

CLEAR is used to clear all internal variables (1-40) to nulls.

DINT is used to display the format and content of all of the system variables.

INTERNAL is used to display the characteristics of a given variable or item.

NAME is used to rename internal variables in order to give them more descriptive names.

REFORMAT is used to reformat all internal variables back to their default formats. Each internal variable's format is reset to a width of eight, output width of sixteen, data type of floating point (F), and two decimal places.

244 Commands INFO Reference Manual

FORMS CONTROL

FC

CL

OSE

C

REATE end_line,page_width

D

UMP start_line,line_count [

SCREEN

]

F

ORM SF_name

I

NIT start_line,line_count

PR

INT line DF_item system_item system_variable string

X

T

FC P

UT line,column,content [,content_width [,decimals]

D

[,content_width]]

allows you to create or execute output forms in INFO programs.

arguments

CLOSE terminates the FC session and closes all files used by INFO in processing the FC commands.

CREATE end_line,page_width opens and initializes the form, and defines its page size. End_line defines the total number of lines in the form (1—1200). Page_width defines the number of characters (1—200) per line.

DUMP start_line,line_count [SCREEN] requests that

INFO copy the FC form to the screen or spool file, starting with the line defined by start_line for the number of lines specified by line_count. If you omit the line_count, INFO copies the entire form.

SCREEN option requests that the dump be displayed at the terminal; otherwise, the dump goes to the spool file.

FORM SF_name identifies a special form used to write information in the FC form work area. The named SF must be defined in the current directory. Generally, a special form is used to move standard information

(headers, footers, etc.) to the work area.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 245

FORMS CONTROL

INIT start_line,line_count clears the number of lines specified by line_count from the FC work area, beginning with start_line.

PRINT line [DF_item | system_item | system_variable |

string | #X | #T] writes an entire line to the FC form work area. This option uses all of the PRINT command options.

DF_item an INFO data file item.

system_item an INFO system item.

system_variable an INFO system variable.

string a character string enclosed with single quotes.

#X specifies the number of spaces (1—131) to insert before the next print item.

#T indicates the column number (limited by the width of your printer) at which to position the next print item.

If you use the space or tab options, your specifications should, in most cases, not cause the line to extend beyond the form width. If a line exceeds the form width, your printer may wrap the lines.

PUT line,column,content [,content_width [,decimals] |

,D [,content_width]] writes a single item to the FC form work area.

line,column defines the position on the form to place the item: line is the vertical position on the form; column is the horizontal position. The top left-hand position is line 1, column 1. However, any character that appears in column

1 will be treated as a carriage control character. Each argument can be a constant, an item, or a system variable.

content is the information to be placed on the form. It can be a string, a data item, a system item, a system variable, or an arithmetic expression whose value becomes the content.

content_width defines the output width of the content field. In the absence of a width specification, the default is the defined or formatted OUTPUT WIDTH value for the data item or system variable, or 12 spaces for an arithmetic expression.

246 Commands INFO Reference Manual

notes

FORMS CONTROL

decimals an integer that defines the number of decimal places for the associated content field. It applies only for numeric content fields and requires the preceding width specification. It defaults to 2 positions for calculated values and to the defined or formatted DECIMAL PLACES value for other items.

D formats the content into a date (D type) and is valid only when the content is an arithmetic expression involving dates. When processing a date, INFO assumes the result is a numeric field unless you include the D option to specify a date result. When D is specified, content-width is required and is generally defined as 5, 8, or 10.

For example, FC PUT 10,10,$REPDAT + 3,D,8 puts the value of the report date, plus 3 days, in the format

10/ 7/96, at position line 10, column 10 on your form.

Note that FC definitions are never saved; each FC command overwrites the area used by previous FC commands.

If you use both a tab (T option) and space specification (X option) to position an item on a line and the two specifications conflict (such as 20X,5T), then the tab specification overrides the X option.

Note that DUMP does not clear the FC work area; all data remains unchanged and can be added to or replaced using subsequent FC commands.

There cannot be more than 30 data file items specified using a PRINT option.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 247

FORMS CONTROL discussion example

The FC command permits customized formatting of output forms from within INFO programs. Using the FC command, you can define a form of any size up to a maximum page length of 1,200 lines and a maximum page width of 200 characters. Space on the FC form is referenced in terms of line, column co-ordinates, or a starting line and number of lines. For optimal efficiency, specify the form top to bottom, serially processing all information for each line completely before moving on to the next line. You must start the FC sequence using the

CREATE option, and you should end it using the CLOSE option.

The FC command allows you to represent multiple records on a single page, whereas the SF command allows only one record per form.

The program example below produces an invoice for each customer in a file called ACCOUNTS, listing the multiple purchases for each account from a related SALES file.

The top of each invoice is generated from a predefined special form file called S.HEADING. Following is a sample of an invoice.

ACCOUNT NO: 2000

COMPANY: ACME CONSTRUCTION

25 BEACON STREET

BOSTON, MA 02211

10/7/96

*************************************************************

3/12/1992

4/11/1992

6/ 6/1993

TOTAL SALES :

400.00

765.00

2000.00

3,165.00

248 Commands INFO Reference Manual

FORMS CONTROL

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE F.EXAMPLE

PROGRAM NAME: F.EXAMPLE

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT ACCOUNTS

10002 RELATE SALES BY ACCT-NO

10003 FC CREATE 40,80

10004 FC FORM S.HEADING

10005 FORMAT $CHR1,30,C

10006 FORMAT $NUM10,2,I

10007 CALCULATE $NUM10 = 10

10008 FORMAT $NUM15,8,10,N,2

10009 CALCULATE $NUM15 = 0

10010 MOVE NAME TO $CHR1

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 IF NAME NE $CHR1

20002 MOVE NAME TO $CHR1

20003 FC FORM S.HEADING

20004 ENDIF

20005 FC PRINT $NUM10 25T,$1DATE,38T,$1TOTAL-SALES

20006 CALCULATE $NUM15 = $NUM15 + $1TOTAL-SALES

20007 CALCULATE $NUM10 = $NUM10 + 1

20008 NEXT

20009 CALCULATE $NUM10 = $NUM10 + 3

20010 FC PRINT $NUM10 20T,'TOTAL SALES :',36T,$NUM15

20011 FC DUMP 1,40

20012 FC INIT 1,40

20013 CALCULATE $NUM10 = 10

20014 CALCULATE $NUM15 = 0

30000 PROGRAM SECTION THREE

30001 SPOOL

30002 FC CLOSE

99999 PROGRAM END

see also

SPECIAL FORM (SF)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 249

FULL

FULL

Switches user terminal into full duplex mode.

discussion see also

This command allows terminal input to be displayed on the user's screen. It is normally used after the HALF command to turn terminal display back on.

HALF

System item $DUPLEX

INFO Reference Manual Commands 251

GET

GET

file_path [

CO

PY] [

EXT

]

[

R

requests that INFO accesses data from an existing file using the item descriptions of the currently selected file.

arguments notes

file_path full system pathname of the existing file, which can be an ASCII text file, a binary file, or an INFO file. The file path may include external variables enclosed in ‘%’ characters.

COPY appends the contents of the specified file to the currently selected file, leaving the specified file unchanged. INFO assumes the file is a binary file unless the keyword ASCII is also specified.

RO requests read-only access to the file.

EXT for extended datafiles (INFO-Text only).

Warning

If you issue a GET with COPY after a GET command for the same file, INFO appends the selected file to itself continuously, until the disk’s available space is full or you interrupt the command. To avoid this situation, always

SELECT the appropriate file immediately before issuing the GET with COPY command.

You cannot GET an Isam file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 253

GET discussion

GET without the COPY option

The GET command allows you to use the items description of your selected file as a template to access data from another data file. The file accessed by the GET command can be either an INFO data file or an external file.

The GET command without the COPY option accesses the specified file temporarily. With the COPY option, GET appends the specified file records permanently to the selected data file. Separate discussions of the GET command with and without the COPY option follow below.

For a system file, specify the full pathname of the file. For an INFO data file, specify the INFO internal file name for the file. An INFO internal file name is formatted

xxx###dat, where xxx is the 3-character abbreviation for the corresponding INFO user name, and ### is a number

INFO assigns to the file when it is created.

A GET without the COPY option temporarily associates the records from the specified file with your currently selected data file. Any data records originally selected are unassigned, the file containing the unassigned records is left intact, and the data records from the GET file are assigned instead. The newly assigned records constitute the selected set after the GET is issued. This association exists until you issue another SELECT, GET,

NEWMAP or QUIT command.

INFO performs the following processing for a GET command:

Records from the file specified in the GET command are associated temporarily with the selected data file. Unless you specify the RO option, you gain read-write access to the specified file, which means that you can update and manipulate data within the file. However, the existing data and any updated data remain in the selected file only until you select another file. You cannot use the PURGE command to delete records from the GET file.

254 Commands INFO Reference Manual

GET with the

COPY option

GET with the

COPY option for extended datafiles

(INFO-Text)

GET

GET with COPY causes all records in the specified file to get copied into the selected file. These records become a permanent part of the selected data file. Any changes you make to records copied into the selected file do not affect the file from which the records were copied.

For extended datafiles, that is, files which are defined as extended or have A- or concordable C-type items, a

GET command with the COPY option performs as for nonextended datafiles with the following additional processing:

INFO-Text creates a logical record number for each record appended to the selected datafile and sets the selected datafile's concord flag to indicate that the new records need concording.

When the GET command copies an extended datafile, it does not copy any associated text files. If the A-type items had user-namable root names, or were in the same operating system directory as the copied template, the associated text files are still accessible. Otherwise, the files must be renamed before you can access them through the new datafile.

If you are copying from non-extended datafiles into an extended selected datafile, use the EXT option to append necessary concordance information to the end of each record. Do not use the EXT option on when copying an extended datafile or a file that was saved with the EXT.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 255

GET examples

In the following example, GET associates the records from the system file arc019dat with the selected file EMP-INFO only until you issue another SELECT command.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMP-INFO

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >GET ARC019DAT

180 RECORD(S) SELECTED

180 records from arc019dat are associated with the

template in EMP-INFO..

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMP-INFO

The EMP-INFO file contains

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

only 10 records and the arc019dat records are no longer associated with

EMP-INFO.

In the following example, GET with COPY copies all records in arc019dat into the selected file EMP-INFO.

These records become a permanent part of EMP-INFO.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMP-INFO

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >GET ARC019DAT COPY

180 records from

190 RECORD(S) SELECTED

arc019dat are copied

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMP-INFO

190 RECORD(S) SELECTED

permanently into

EMP-INFO.

The records copied from arc019dat are appended permanently to to EMP-INFO.

256 Commands INFO Reference Manual

GETL

OG item-1 [item-2]

returns the LOGIN name and SYSTEM user number.

GETLOG arguments

item-1 character internal variable wide enough to receive the login name.

item-2 numeric internal variable to receive the user number (optional).

error response

FIELD UNSUITABLE TO RECEIVE DATA

Either item-1 or item-2 is of the wrong type is or not an internal variable. If no parameters are given, only the user number is returned in $NUM40.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 257

GNAME

GNAM

Get Internal Name Command returns the internal name of an

INFO datafile in $CHR40.

discussion

This command returns the SYSTEM filename prefix of the most recently referenced INFO directory entry into

$CHR40. The command must immediately follow the

SELECT or RELATE command for the file whose internal name is required. $CHR40 should be formatted to a width of 6. No error checking is performed.

example

ENTER USERNAME> JOE

ENTER COMMAND > FORMAT $CHR40,6

ENTER COMMAND > SELECT FRED

ENTER COMMAND > GNAME

ENTER COMMAND > DISPLAY $CHR40

JOE001

(internal filename prefix of FRED)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 259

GOTO

GOTO

label_name

transfers control to the specified LABEL command, which must reside in the same program section.

argument notes examples

label_name location in a program specified by the LABEL command.

GOTO allows you to go from one set of INFO program statements to another. Corresponding GOTO and LABEL commands must be in the same program section.

You can have up to 200 GOTO statements within any one program section.

Any number of GOTO statements can refer to the same

LABEL label name.

When you write programs that have a GOTO command in an odd-numbered program section, make sure that file and format assignments are referenced correctly.

In the following program sequence, the commands that follow the command LABEL WORK process records in the data file D.TAX whenever the GOTO command (program line 10010) is executed.

10001 SELECT D.EMPS

10002 LABEL WORK

10008 SELECT D.TAX

10009 IF $NUM2 LE 10

10010 GOTO WORK

The data file D.EMPS

is selected.

GOTO returns to here; BUT D.TAX

is still selected.

D.TAX is selected.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 261

GOTO

When INFO processes the GOTO WORK command, it passes control to line 10002. D.TAX is still the selected file but D.EMPS is needed. To avoid this situation, simply place the LABEL statement before the command line that selects D.EMPS.

10001 LABEL WORK

10002 SELECT D.EMPS

D.EMPS is selected.

10008 SELECT D.TAX

10009 IF $NUM2 LE 10

10010 GOTO WORK

While GOTO is most often used for simple branching to another program command, you can use it to establish a program loop, similar to a DO...DOEND sequence.

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 LABEL START

20002 CURSOR 20,22

20003 DISPLAY 'ENTER OPTION:',=

20004 ACCEPT $NUM1

Destination of loop

20005 IF $NUM1 LT 1 OR $NUM1 GT 12

20006 DISPLAY 'ERROR — VALUE MUST BE 1 TO 12'

20007 GOTO START

Loops back to START

20008 ELSE

if an invalid number is entered.

20015 ENDIF

262 Commands INFO Reference Manual

GTIM

GTIM

item-1

allows user to get current time of day into a character item in the format HH:MM:SS.

arguments discussion see also

item-1 internal character variable to receive the time. If omitted, $CHR39 is used.

This command allows for the retrieval and use of the current time of day from the system.

The system item $TIME also contains the current system time.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 263

GVGET

GVGE

T item-1 item-2 [item-3]

allows user to get the contents of an external variable: ie.

environment variable (Unix), logical (VMS) or global variable

(Prime).

arguments

item-1 character constant or internal variable containing the name of the logical or variable.

item-2 character internal variable to receive the value from the logical or variable.

item-3 (VMS only) character constant or internal variable containing the name of the table from which to get the logical. The default is the LNM$PROCESS table.

error response

INVALID SYNTAX item of wrong type or not an internal variable

examples see also

Unix: GVGET ‘printername’ $CHR1

VMS: GVGET ‘printername’ $CHR1 ‘LNM$GROUP’

Prime: GVGET ‘printername’ $CHR1

The value of the variable ‘printername’ will be returned to

$CHR1.

GVSET

INFO Reference Manual Commands 265

GVSET

GVSE

T item-1 item-2 [item-3]

allows user to assign a value to an external variable: ie.

environment variable (UNIX), logical (VMS) or global variable

(PRIME).

arguments

item-1 character constant or internal variable containing the name of the logical or variable.

item-2 character internal variable containing the value to be assigned to the logical or variable.

item-3 (VMS only) character constant or internal variable containing the name of the table from which to get the logical. The default is the LNM$PROCESS table.

error response

INVALID SYNTAX item of wrong type or not an internal variable

examples

Unix: GVSET ‘printername’

VMS: GVSET ‘printername’

‘head-office’

‘HEAD-OFFICE’ ‘LNM$GROUP’

Prime: GVSET ‘

PRINTERNAME’ ‘HEAD-OFFICE’

The variable PRINTERNAME will be set to the value

HEAD-OFFICE.

see also

GVGET

INFO Reference Manual Commands 267

HALF

HALF

switches user terminal into half duplex mode.

discussion see also

This command prevents terminal input from being displayed on the user's screen. Valuable for invisible input of passwords.

FULL system item $DUPLEX

INFO Reference Manual Commands 269

HELP

HELP

topic file_path

displays information about individual INFO commands or topics, or other HELP text that you create.

arguments notes discussion example

topic refers to an INFO command or subject.

file_path is the name of an ASCII text file containing userdefined help information.

An unqualified HELP command instructs INFO to display a description of the HELP facility, the list of valid INFO commands and available HELP topics.

If you have used the ADIR command and not set the ADIR directory back to INFOSYS, INFO's own help files are not available.

The HELP command displays tutorial and reference information about a command, an INFO topic, or the contents of an ASCII text file.

To use the HELP command for information about a command or topic, enter the HELP command and the name of the command or topic. If you do not know a given topic name, an unqualified HELP command displays a list of the available topics.

To view a file that has been created as HELP, enter HELP and the file name. See Appendix M, Using the HELP

Facility for information about creating your HELP files.

You can also display any other ASCII text file, such as a

COMOUTPUT file or OUTPUT file, using the HELP command.

ENTER COMMAND >HELP USER NAMES

This command displays information about user names.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 271

IF...ENDIF

IF

ELSE

ENDI

F logical_expression

evaluates logical expressions within an INFO program or input form and executes statements according to the results of the evaluation.

argument notes

logical_expression statement that INFO evaluates.

IF...ENDIF denotes the beginning and ending of IFstatement logic.

ELSE directs INFO if the logical expression is false.

When you include an ELSE statement and the expression is false at runtime, the control passes immediately to the statement that follows the ELSE.

The IF command evaluates the logical expression(s) and uses the results of that evaluation to determine the next instruction to be executed, as follows:

1) If the expression(s) are evaluated to be true and you have not included the ELSE, INFO executes the commands between the IF and ENDIF.

2) If the expression(s) are evaluated to be true and you have included an ELSE command, INFO executes the commands between IF and ELSE, then executes the first command following the ENDIF command (unless GOTO,

RUN, END or DONE are specified).

3) If the expression(s) are evaluated to be false and you have not included an ELSE command, INFO executes the first command following the ENDIF command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 273

IF...ENDIF

4) If the expression(s) are evaluated to be false and you have included an ELSE command, INFO executes the commands following the ELSE command.

You can nest up to 100 IF-ENDIF pairs within one IF statement.

You can use an IF...ENDIF sequence in an odd- or an even-numbered program section but not across sections.

If you include an IF statement in an odd program section, only use system variables in the IF logical expression, because referencing data file items causes only the values from the last record in the selected set to be tested.

To test the value of an item in a selected record or corresponding related record, first MOVE or CALCULATE the item into an appropriate system variable. In the following example, the MOVE command uses the value of

PART-NO from the first selected record:

10005 RESELECT BY $RECNO = 1

10006 MOVE PART-NO TO $CHR1

10007 ASELECT

10008 IF $CHR1 EQ '9999' n

Be careful if using SELECT, RELATE, or FORMAT commands within an IF...ENDIF sequence. During the program compilation, INFO's compile processor does not recognize when a statement is executed conditionally, and assumes that each statement is executed as it is encountered. Therefore, when it encounters a conditional

SELECT, for example, the compiler treats all subsequent processing, until the next selection statement, as though the selected file were current, even after it leaves the conditional command sequence that actually uses that file at runtime.

274 Commands INFO Reference Manual

IF...ENDIF

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT FILE1

10002 IF $NUM1 EQ 1

10003 SELECT FILE2

10004 DISPLAY SYSTEM

10005 ELSE

10006 DISPLAY CUST

10007 ENDIF

example

The compiler assumes

FILE2 is selected

When INFO compiles the command DISPLAY CUST in the above example, it assumes that FILE2 is the selected file, although at runtime, FILE1 is selected. If CUST is not an item in FILE2, a compilation error occurs. If CUST is coincidentally an item in, the program compiles and executes, but the results may be wrong.

20001 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20002 IF YTD-AMT LE 100.00

20003 CALCULATE NET = YTD-AMT * $NUM10

20004 ELSE

20005 IF YTD-AMT LE 500.00

20006 CALCULATE NET = YTD-AMT * $NUM20

20007 ELSE

20008 IF YTD-AMT LE 1000.00

20009 CALCULATE NET = YTD-AMT * $NUM30

20010 ENDIF

20011 ENDIF

20012 ENDIF

INFO Reference Manual Commands 275

IMPORT

IMPO

RT file_path

ASCII

[

NORM

SDF TRAN

SPOSE]

[

APPE

UPD

ATE]

2020

DIF

SYLK

CSV

syntax cont’d

[DF_item

system_item

system_variable]

[

,

...]

creates or updates records on the currently selected datafile using data in the specified operating system file.

arguments file_path

the system file name of the input file.

ASCII | SDF | 2020 | DIF | SYLK | CSV the file format of the output file. See Appendix P, Import/Export File

Formats.

ASCII assumes that the input file is a standard print file.

SDF assumes that the input file is in BASIC format.

2020 assumes that the input file is a 20/20 export file.

DIF assumes that the input file is in industry-standard DIF format.

SYLK assumes that the format meets all Multiplan requirements.

CSV comma separated values. Assumes that numerics, character items and dates are held as strings separated by commas with no quotation marks around the character items.

[NORMAL | TRANSPOSE] are positioning modes.

NORMAL is the default positioning mode. For NORMAL,

INFO uses spreadsheet rows as records.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 277

IMPORT notes

TRANSPOSE is the alternate positioning mode. Under

TRANSPOSE, INFO uses spreadsheet columns as records.

[APPEND | UPDATE] defines the writing modes.

APPEND is the default writing mode for interactive sessions and odd-numbered program sections. Each new record is added to the end of the data file. APPEND is invalid in even-numbered program sections.

UPDATE is the alternate writing mode. It is also the default mode for even-numbered program sections.

Imported spreadsheet rows are used to overwrite data file records.

DF_item | system_item | system_variable] the name of the item or variable whose value will be imported.

DF_item is an INFO data file item .

system_item is an INFO system item.

system_variable is an INFO system variable.

INFO always processes the selected/related data files.

You cannot specify a different data file for IMPORT.

During an import, INFO processes one delimited item value at a time, and places that item in the next sequential item. When INFO reaches a record delimiter, it begins processing the next record in the data file. With the

APPEND option, INFO adds records to the data file. With the UPDATE option, INFO overwrites data file records in order beginning with record number 1.

When data file items are listed, INFO imports each value and places it in an item in the order in which the items are listed.

When INFO is importing only a subset of the items in the data file, INFO sets unspecified item values to zero or blanks if you use the APPEND option. Under the UPDATE writing mode, INFO makes no change to unspecified items.

The system file is closed at the end of each program section.

278 Commands INFO Reference Manual

IMPORT

Using IMPORT in even numbered program sections

INFO logs the results of IMPORT to your spool file. INFO also displays brief versions of any error messages on your terminal screen.

The first IMPORT command in an even-numbered program section reads the first record. The next IMPORT command for the same data file reads the next record, and so forth. If you use multiple IMPORT commands from different system files in the same even-numbered program section, INFO repositions itself to the system file's first record every time it returns to each IMPORT command. Only one record from either system file is ever imported.

An EOF, or end-of-file record, encountered in a system file in an even-numbered program section, is a null operation.

discussion example

INFO skips fields it cannot decode or which conflict with the data type defined for the item. This includes formulae written in SYLK files. INFO sets the item value corresponding to the unknown field to zero or blank for

APPEND and leaves values alone for UPDATE

When every input field in a row conflicts with the defined data types, INFO ignores the entire row and does not create a new record. INFO stays positioned at the current data file record and reads the next row out of the system file.

When you import a SYLK file, INFO ignores all formulae.

INFO stores only the numeric, character and date information from SYLK files.

The following example imports data into one selected data file. The first time, the system file is in ASCII format. The second time, the system file is transposed. The third time, the data in the system file is used to update the existing data file records.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 279

IMPORT

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT TEST

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >IMPORT SAMPLE1 ASCII

3 RECORD(S) ADDED

0 RECORD(S) REJECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BLDG Q1

1 A

2 B

3 C

—500.00

9450.00

4275.00

3950.00

10550.00

4950.00

4050.00

10575.00

4950.00

ENTER COMMAND >PURGE

THIS COMMAND WILL DELECTED SELECTED RECORDS. OK?>Y

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

4050.00

10575.00

4950.00

ENTER COMMAND >IMPORT SAMPLE2 DIF TRANSPOSE

3 RECORD(S) ADDED

0 RECORD(S) REJECTED

ENTER COMMAND >IMPORT SAMPLE3 DIF UPDATE Q1,Q2

3 RECORD(S) SELECTED

3 RECORD(S) UPDATED

0 RECORD(S) REJECTED

ENTER COMMAND >

280 Commands INFO Reference Manual

IMPORT

Table IMPORT-1 Messages about data format errors

Message Description

In spool file only:

WARNING CONCERNING DATA INPUT FROM ROW- 2, COLUMN- 3, INTO RECORD- 2

Indicates which cell in the spreadsheet is responsible for the error. Also indicates which record in the datafile is affected.

On terminal screen and in spool file:

INVALID IMPORTED DATA FOR NUMERIC ITEM TYPE — DATA IGNORED

Imported data from a spreadsheet cell is not in the correct format for the numeric item type. The imported data could be either characters, dates, or the wrong type of numbers.

Because the data is invalid, INFO ignores it. For APPEND,

INFO initializes the item value. For UPDATE, INFO leaves the original data intact.

INVALID DATE/DATE FORMAT ASSIGNED TO DATE ITEM

CURRENT IMPORT DATA FORMAT IS 'DMY—/M' — DATA IGNORED

Imported data for an item with a date item type is not in the correct date format. The data could be a date in a different format, a number, or a string of characters. For

APPEND, INFO ignores the data and initializes the item value.

NO MATCH IN RELATED FILE — DATA IGNORED

Select/relate conditions do not correspond to the items specified to INFO in the command line. No match is found.

INFO ignores extra data. The message occurs only if an item in a related data file is specified in an IMPORT item list.

MORE ROWS IMPORTED THAN CURRENTLY SELECTED RECORDS —

EXTRA DATA IGNORED

Error occurs when the IMPORT writing mode is UPDATE.

Indicates that there are more records in the system file than there are in the data file. INFO ignores the extra records.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 281

IMPORT

Table IMPORT-1

Message

Messages about data format errors (cont'd)

Description

MORE COLUMNS IMPORTED THAN ITEMS SPECIFIED — EXTRA DATA IGNORED

Imported data has more item values in each record than there are items in the data file. If you specify which item names received imported data, you may be specifying too few items. INFO ignores the extra data.

DATA TOO WIDE FOR ITEM — DATA TRUNCATED

Character data is too wide for the item width. INFO truncates the cell data so that it fits in the item width.

DATA TOO WIDE FOR ITEM — DATA IGNORED

Numeric cell data is too wide for the defined item width.

INFO simply ignores the numeric cell data. For APPEND,

INFO initializes the item value. For UPDATE, INFO leaves the current value intact.

NULL DATA ASSIGNED TO INFO ITEM — DATA IGNORED

************* NO ITEMS IMPORTED — ROW X REJECTED ****************

NULL DATA ASSIGNED TO INFO ITEM — DATA IGNORED

************ NO ITEMS IMPORTED — COLUMN X REJECTED **************

Errors or null characters cause INFO to ignore an entire row of data.

At completion of command execution — UPDATE mode:

X RECORD(S) SELECTED

Y RECORD(S) UPDATED

Z RECORD(S) REJECTED

Indicates the outcome of an IMPORT command with the

UPDATE option. If the number of spreadsheet rows and the number of data file records are equal, and if no errors occur, the number of records updated is to the number selected and none are rejected. If there are any errors that cause INFO to ignore data, the number of

282 Commands INFO Reference Manual

IMPORT

Table IMPORT-1

Message

Messages about data format errors (cont'd)

Description records that cause INFO to ignore data, the number of records rejected is indicated.

At completion of command execution — APPEND mode:

X RECORD(S) ADDED

Y RECORD(S) REJECTED

Indicates the outcome of an IMPORT command with the

APPEND option. If any errors occur, the number of records rejected is indicated.

see also

EXPORT

Appendix P Import/Export File Formats

INFO Reference Manual Commands 283

INKEY

INKE

Y item-1 [

C

LEAR]

allows user to sense that a key has been pressed and/or to clear the TTY input buffer.

arguments discussion example

item-1 numeric return code.

1 = chars in buffer

0 = buffer empty

CLEAR flushes the TTY input buffer.

This command may be used to allow the user to leave a repetitive task without having to be prompted. Each time the INKEY command is executed it detects if any keys have been pressed (apart from responses to ACCEPT,

IPF and other commands) and sets the specified item accordingly. If the CLEAR option is specified the characters entered are cleared from the TTY input buffer.

$NUM1=0

DO WHILE $NUM1, LE 100000

DISP ‘Hello’

INKEY $NUM40 CLEAR

IF $NUM40 NE 0

DISP ‘Jumping out of loop’

END

ENDIF

$NUM1=$NUM1

DOEND

INFO Reference Manual Commands 285

INPUT FORM

INPU

T FORM

IPF

IF_name [

NO

DISPLAY]

IF_name [

AL

AY

[

NC

]

LN

[

NC

]

NC

]

directs INFO to define a new screen entry form or to run an existing screen form.

arguments

IF_name the name of the INFO input form file.

[NODISPLAY] used during form definition to suppress display of the input form grid during the definition dialog.

AL (Automatic Leave) suppresses the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE? prompt and automatically accepts the record, but does not clear the screen at the end of the record. It returns to the ENTER COMMAND > prompt.

AY (Automatic Yes) suppresses the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE? prompt, assumes a response of Y and clears the screen after each record is entered unless the

NC option is included.

You cannot use the AY option when the first entry of an input form is defined as an F (forced field) item.

LN displays the IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE?

prompt and waits for a response of L or N (leave or not accept). If you enter a Y (yes) or <RETURN>, INFO assumes a response of L. If you enter a Q (quit), INFO displays an error message and reissues the prompt.

NC (No Clear) does not clear the screen after each record is entered, regardless of the response to the message IS

THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE?. If you are executing a multiple-screen input form, INFO displays the first screen of the form after each record is entered.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 287

INPUT FORM notes

Before defining or executing an input form, be sure to take the following steps: n

Format the system variables, $CHRn, $DATn and $NUMn, to correspond to their use in the form. See the FORMAT command discussion for instructions.

Select and relate all applicable data files in the order in which they will be selected when the form is executed.

Use the TERMINAL command to notify INFO of your computer's screen hardware configuration. See the

TERMINAL command for information about changing terminal types.

The following system control variables allow input forms to be customized :

$IPF-DISPLAY When set to 1, causes INFO to display the contents of the buffers for the second and subsequent records added, based on the first or preceding record. In an even-numbered program section (i.e. equivalent to a

UPF command) it displays the current buffer contents for the current record.

$RETRY Enables you to change the maximum error count that INFO will allow before asking 'DO YOU WANT

TO TRY AGAIN ?'. Do not set $RETRY to 0, as you will be prompted before each field. Default = 6.

$IPF-COMMAND Allows you to test which command invoked the input form. $IPF-COMMAND is a read-only variable which is set by INFO during the execution of an input form to the command used :

'INPU' = IPF

'UPDA' = UPDATE ... with IPF

'UPFO' = UPF (or equivalent even-section IPF).

$IPF-PROMPT User-definable end of input form prompt to replace :

'IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE (Y,N,Q,L OR E)>.

288 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INPUT FORM

$IPF-YES Single character alternative to the 'Y' response.

$IPF-NO Single character alternative to the 'N' response.

$IPF-QUIT Single character alternative to the 'Q' response.

$IPF-LEAVE Single character alternative to the 'L' response.

$IPF-EXIT Single character alternative to the 'E' response.

$IPF-ANSWER Set by INFO to the corresponding answer to the end of form prompt. 1 = Yes, 2 = No, 3 = Quit,

4 = Leave, 5 = Exit.

$IPF-NC When set by INFO to 1 implies that the NC option was used.

$IPF-LN When set by INFO to 1 implies that the LN option was used.

$IPF-AY-AL When set by INFO to 1 implies that the AY or AL options were used.

$IPF-QUIT-ON-LOCK If set by the user, upon detection of a record lock on a related file, INFO will quit the input form.

$IPF-QUIT-MESSAGE Can contain a user-defined message to be displayed upon a QUIT-ON-LOCK condition.

Accept Attribute Settings can be set for IPF fields and cursor-addressed ACCEPT statements. The system item

$DISPLAY-MODE should first be set to 1, then the following system items can be used:

$ACC-ATTRIBUTE Any string used to set attibutes, such as reverse video, on ACCEPT. INFO has its own set of system items containing the ANSI escape sequences for such attributes, eg. $REVERSE.

$ACCEPT-FILL Set to 1, will cause INFO to display

ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR across the accept field rather than the field contents.

$ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR Any character to be displayed across the accept field width.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 289

INPUT FORM

$LEFT-DELIMITER Any character used as a left delimiter for an accept field. Displayed at row,col - 1.

$RIGHT-DELIMITER Any character used as a right delimiter for an accept field. Displayed at row,col + 1.

$DELIM-ATTRIBUTE Any attribute to be associated with the delimiter characters.

examples

FORMAT $NUM1,6,I

DISPLAY-MODE = 1

$ACC-ATTRIBUTE = $REVERSE

$ACCEPT-FILL = 1

$ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR = '.'

$LEFT-DELIMITER = ='['

$RIGHT-DELIMITER = =']'

$DELIM-ATTRIBUTE = $BOLD

IPF ENHANCED.IPF

discussion

Display Attribute Settings can be set for IPF fields and cursor-addressed DISPLAY statements. The system item

$DISPLAY-MODE should first be set to 1, then the following system items can be used:

$DISP-ATTRIBUTE Any string used to set attibutes, such as reverse video, on. INFO has its own set of system items containing the ANSI escape sequences for such attributes, eg. $REVERSE. Items or variables will be displayed with this attribute.

$MESS-ATTRIBUTE Works as $DISP-ATTRIBUTE for default and user-defined error messages (Input Form format only).

$RESET-ATTRIBUTE Should be set to the system default display attribute setting when using $DISPLAY-

MODE = 1. Screen output will then return to 'normal' upon returning to interactive use from an INFO program. For example, $RESET-ATTRIBUTE = $NORMAL.

An input form is a combination of literal and data fields.

Once defined, it allows fast and accurate data entry.

290 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INPUT FORM

Input form supports the following validation:

R - Range checking

V - Default value

L - List check

M - Match related item

K - Duplicate key check

A - Auto duplicate

F - Forced field

Most INFO commands which are valid in program even sections may be used in input forms in program-style statements, and it is possible to mix and match input form and program-style commands, using the strengths of each.

For instance, the MATCH, LIST and KEY input for subcommands do in one line of coding what would take several lines in a program. On the other hand, programstyle conditional testing via IF...ELSE...ENDIF and branching via GOTO and LABEL can be a lot easier to code and maintain than the input form BRANCH option with its PASS/FAIL options.

It is also possible to insert commands in input forms, as in programs, for ease of maintenance.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 291

INPUT FORM

Defining a new form

To initiate an input form definition dialog, enter the command INPUT FORM with the name of the new form.

INFO brings up a grid on your terminal screen to help you design your input form.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.EMPS

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >INPUT FORM I.EMPS

1---5---10---15---20---25--//--45---50---55---60---65---70---75---80

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+---+----+----+----+----+--//---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+---+----+----+----+----+--//---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+---+----+----+----+----+--//---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+---+----+----+----+----+--//---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

LINE,COLUMN,CONTENT>

To suppress the grid display, include the NO DISPLAY option on the INPUT FORM command.

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Defining an input form field

You can define your INPUT FORM fields in any order.

However, INFO processes each field in the defined order at execution. Therefore, it is good practice to define the input form prompts before the input fields to which they refer and to define both going left to right, top to bottom on your screen.

For each field definition, INFO prompts:

LINE,COLUMN,CONTENT>

Enter a response in the following format: line[,] column,content[,sub-commands[,MESS [text]]]

Value

Zero (0)

1 to 24

Line and column identify the position at which the content is displayed or entered on the screen. Line and column can be expressed as a literal, an item name, or a system variable.

Line defines the horizontal line on which the content is displayed using any of the following values:

Description

Clears the screen and positions the cursor to line 1, column 1 at execution. Use this

specification to define a second or subsequent screen format for a multiple-screen input form.

If column also equals 0, INFO starts a new screen and displays the screen grid again. If column is greater than 0, INFO starts a new screen but does not display the screen grid.

Identifies the specified line. 1 corresponds to the top-most line on the screen, and 24 corresponds to the last usable line at the bottom of the screen. Many CRT screens scroll if you try to accept or display information on line 24.

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Column defines the vertical position on the line where the content is displayed. It can be any value from 1 to the maximum screen width for the terminal in use: 1 corresponds to the left-most position on the screen; the maximum width corresponds to the right-most position on the screen.

INFO displays messages during input form processing on the line corresponding to the value of $ERROR-

POSITION, columns 1—50. The input form processor uses lines 21—23 for prompts and messages. If you define fields for these locations, they may be overwritten on the definition grid, although this will not affect the execution of the form.

Content is the information to be located at the specified line and column. Content can be a literal, an arithmetic expression, or an item.

A 'literal' appears on your screen exactly as entered.

Specify a literal by enclosing it in single quotes

(apostrophe). To embed an apostrophe within the text, use two successive quotes (for example, 'YESTERDAY''S

PRICE').

An 'arithmetic expression' evaluates a value that is displayed on the screen at runtime. See 'Building

Expressions' in the Introduction for a complete discussion of the rules for constructing a valid expression.

An 'item' is a data item, system item, or system variable.

You can use any data item from a currently selected file or related file. INFO either displays or accepts the item, depending on the subcommands you include in the field definition.

The sub-commands control data validation and display, and provide logical branching capability during the execution of an input form. Table IPF-1, at the end of the

INPUT FORM discussion, describes the various subcommands.

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MESS [text] is used only when a data validation subcommand is provided for the field. MESS allows you to override standard INFO data validation error messages with user-defined messages. Text can be any combination of items and literals. If the data entered for the associated content fails to meet the specified data validation criteria,

INFO displays the specified message text. To suppress any message display when a data validation error occurs, include MESS without text.

In the following example, the input form I.EMPS is being defined. The command lines used to create the form are listed below.

1---5---10---15---20--//--45---50---55---60---65---70---75---80

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + + + NEW EMPLOYEE FORM + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

+LAST NAME:+-------+-//-+---+----DATE HIRED:---+----+----+----+

+FIRST NAME: ............... + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

+JOB TITLE:.................... + SALARY: $....... + +

+ + + + + DEDUCTIONS: .. + + + +

+---+----+----+----+-//-----+---+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+ADDRESS:+ .................... + SSN: ......... + + +

+ADDRESS:+ .................... + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+PHONE NO.: .......+ + + + + + + + +

+---+----+----+----+--//---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

+---+----+----+----+--//---+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

INFO Reference Manual Commands 295

INPUT FORM

OK?>

LINE,COLUMN,CONTENT>

3,17,'NEW EMPLOYEE FORM'

5,1,'LAST NAME:'

5,51,'DATE HIRED:'

6,2,'FIRST NAME:'

8,2,'JOB TITLE:'

8,55,'SALARY: $'

9,51,'DEDUCTIONS:'

11,1,'ADDRESS:'

11,55,'SSN:'

12,1,'ADDRESS:'

14,1,'PHONE NO.:'

5,13,L.NAME,F

5,62,DATE.HIRED,V,$TODAY

6,13,F.NAME

8,13,TITLE

8,64,PAY,R,750,2200

9,63,NO.DEDS,R,1,5

11,13,ADDRESS.1

11,60,SSN,K

12,13,ADDRESS.2

14,13,HOME.NO

Create form title.

Create form prompts.

Forced entry Value.

$TODAY is default value.

Range checking.

Checks for unique value.

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Each time you enter a text literal, such as the title line of this input form, INFO displays the literal at the location specified and prompts OK?>. If you respond Y (yes) or

<RETURN>, INFO accepts the literal and prompts for the next line. N (no) causes INFO to remove the literal from the grid and prompts you to re-enter the line.

When you define a data field such as 5,22,L.NAME,F,

INFO fills the specified screen location with periods for the correct output width and prompts for verification, as described above.

To end the definition dialog, enter a <RETURN> after any

LINE,COLUMN,CONTENT> prompt. A <RETURN> after the first such prompt causes INFO to return immediately to

ENTER COMMAND >. When you end the dialog, INFO prompts:

DO YOU WISH TO EXECUTE THIS FORM (Y OR N)>

Respond with Y (yes) or <RETURN> to clear the screen definition grid and begin executing the form. An N (no) response will store the input form for future execution and return you to ENTER COMMAND >.

Use the EDIT or CHANGE command to make corrections or changes to a finished input form.

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Logical branching

A variation of the field-definition syntax defines logical branching within your input form processing.

To define PASS/FAIL branching for a field, use the following syntax: line[,]col,content[,B],sub-command,... [PASS | FAIL label_name]

To label a target field, use the following syntax: line[,]column,content,sub-command[,] ..LABEL label_name

When processing the field at runtime, INFO evaluates the data for the item according to the subcommands provided, then uses the criteria described below to determine a true or false condition. You can include any subcommand described in Table IPF-1 at the end of this discussion in a field definition that uses the PASS or FAIL specification.

The logical branching subcommands B, PASS and FAIL instruct INFO as follows:

B directs INFO not to accept the data being tested. You might use B specification, for example, to test a date and branch according to its value, even though the date is not included in the record built by the input form.

PASS instructs INFO to branch to the corresponding label if the result of the evaluation is true. If the evaluation is false, INFO passes control to the next line. Label_name is the 1- to 16-character name of a label defined using the

LABEL command.

FAIL instructs INFO to branch to the corresponding label if the result of the evaluation is false. If the evaluation is true, INFO passes control to the next line. Label_name is the 1- to 16-character name of a label defined using the

LABEL command.

Label_name is from 1 to 16 characters long and must be unique within the input form definition. You can include up to 100 labels in an input form. Including the LABEL subcommand at the end of an item definition does not affect execution of the line at runtime.

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Executing an existing form

Response

(Yes)

INPUT FORM

If PASS is included in a field definition that does not accept data or contains the A, D, S, or V subcommands

(subcommands that cannot be evaluated as true or false),

INFO branches unconditionally to the labeled field. If you specify FAIL for such a field, INFO ignores the FAIL and transfers control immediately to the next line.

It is also possible to use the INFO program command

IF...ELSE...ENDIF for logical branching.

You can execute an input form by entering an INPUT

FORM command followed by the name of the input form and any appropriate runtime options.

INFO processes each line in the input form in the order in which it was defined. When it encounters a display field,

INFO displays that value. When it encounters an input field, INFO positions the cursor at the defined location and waits for you to enter a value.

Each time you enter an input value, INFO checks the validity of the value, then checks the data against any verification subcommands specified for the item. If an error occurs, INFO displays an appropriate error message and repositions the cursor so you can re-enter the data over the invalid entry. INFO does not store a record until the entire form has been processed.

When INFO encounters the end of the form, it prompts:

IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE (Y,N,Q,L OR E)> unless you specified an AY or AL option. Enter one of the following responses to this prompt:

Description

Instructs INFO to accept the record and store it in the selected data file. Unless you specify the

NC subcommand on the IPF command, INFO clears the screen before processing the next record. INFO assumes a Yes if you respond

<RETURN> or include the AY subcommand in the INPUT FORM command.

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INPUT FORM

(cont'd)

Response

(No)

(Quit)

(Leave)

(Exit)

Description

If you want to correct errors in the record, enter an N to direct INFO to reprocess the record.

INFO repositions the cursor at the first input field and waits for new data. Overwrite fields to correct them. To keep correct values, enter an equal sign (=) or the current TAB character.

See 'Screen initialization and data entry' below for information about the use of control characters in IPF processing.

If you are executing a multiple-screen form,

INFO redisplays the first screen of the form and repositions to the first input field on that screen.

INFO does not accept the data and clears the screen unless the NC subcommand is specified on the IPF command. INFO repositions the cursor at the first input field and waits for you to enter a new record.

Specifies that the record is acceptable and should be stored, but instructs INFO to terminate form processing without clearing the screen. If you include the AL option when executing the form, INFO assumes this response.

Alternatively, the runtime LN option directs

INFO to assume this response if you enter a Y

(yes) or <RETURN>. Typically, you will use this option when the form is executing from within a program, to enter one record at a time and leave the formatted screen for the next record.

Instructs INFO to accept the record, terminate the form processing and clear the screen.

Terminate INPUT FORM processing as follows:

If the first field in the form is not defined with the F or V subcommand, enter a <RETURN> to the first request for input in any record.

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(cont'd)

Response

Screen initialization and data entry

Description

Respond E (Exit) or L (Leave) to the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE ? prompt after entering data for the last record you want to add. If the first field in the form is a forced field, you must use the E or L response to terminate form processing.

You cannot include the AY option when executing a form whose first field is a forced field or default value field, because those subcommands suppress the display of the

IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE prompt.

In an interactive session or odd-numbered program section, before accepting any input values for a new record, INFO initializes all items in the record buffer to blanks or zeros, depending on the data type. Initialization does not take place between successive records. If the form is executed in an even-numbered program section, it is not initialized.

When INFO processes an input field, it positions the cursor at the defined location for the item and waits for input. Respond as follows:

To enter a value for an item, enter the value followed by a

<RETURN> (unless ARET is Y and field is filled).

To enter a null value to an item, enter <SPACE>

<RETURN> for the first item and <RETURN> for any other items.

To preserve an item value from the previous record, enter an equal sign (=) or the TAB character and press

To skip all fields remaining on an input form, preserving the value for each field from the previous record, enter the

<KEEP> character at any point. INFO stops processing the current record immediately and displays the IS THIS

RECORD ACCEPTABLE ? prompt, leaving the remaining items in the form unchecked.

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To abort the form with the remaining fields set to blank or zero, enter the <CLEAR> character at any point. INFO ends form processing immediately, initializes all remaining fields as null values, and displays the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE ? prompt. If you respond with the <KEEP> or <CLEAR> character for the first field in the form, INFO ends form processing immediately, but does not display the IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE? prompt. INFO returns to the ENTER COMMAND > prompt.

To return to a previously entered field, enter the

BACKTAB character (\). You can use this response to change a value previously entered for a field. If you tab back to a previous screen while executing a multiplescreen form, INFO redisplays that previous screen.

See the CCHR command for more information about the

<KEEP>, <CLEAR>, <TAB> and <BACKTAB> settings.

Using related files

INFO repositions a related data file during input form execution under these conditions:

The value of the item by which the file is related changes

Any portion of an accepted item overlaps the relate key item

Be careful to avoid changing the value of the relate key item on either the selected or previous related file until you finish processing all other related data items. This allows

INFO to accept new values for items other than the relate key item in a related record, then modify and rewrite the record before repositioning the data file.

Programming considerations with INPUT

FORM

When you execute an input form in an odd-numbered program section, it is most efficient to leave the prompts on the screen between records. Do this by defining two forms, one comprising the displayed prompts and the other the data items to be entered, and instruct

INFO to clear only the data-item screen. Specifically, use the AL subcommand with the first (prompt) screen, and use the NC subcommand with the second (data-item) screen.

302 Commands INFO Reference Manual

example

INPUT FORM

In an even-numbered program section, INPUT FORM processing only modifies the current record. It does not create new records or clear the screen before processing the form.

The following listing of an input form illustrates the use of some of the input form subcommands. You may list the contents of an input form file with the TYPE command.

3,30,'O.I.C., INC.'

5,20,'WEEKLY PAYROLL UPDATES'

10,10,'REG. HOURS:'

10,25,$1REG-HRS

10,25,$1REG-HRS,B,R,0,40,PASS SKIP

If $1REG-HOURS is in the range of 0 to 40, branch to the line labeled SKIP.

Otherwise, go to the next line.

10,25,$1REG-HRS,D

1,1,$1OT-HRS,S,$1REG-HRS — 40

Calculate and store overtime hours.

1,1,$1REG-HRS,S,40

13,10,'OT HOURS:'

13,25,$1OT-HRS,D

Display the hours calculated above.

15,10,'GROSS PAY:',LABEL SKIP

If $REG-HRS is less than 40 and greater than 0, skip to here.

15,30,'$'

1,1,$1GROSS,S,( $1REG-HRS * $1HRLY-RATE ) + ( $1OT-HRS *

( $1HRLY-RATE * 1.5 ) )

Calculate and store $GROSS-

PAY.

1,1,$1YTD-GROSS,S,$1YTD-GROSS + $1GROSS

15,31,$1GROSS,D

Display $1GROSS-PAY

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands

Subcommand Description

(Auto- Duplicate)

(Branch)

For input fields only. INFO requests a value for the item only for the first record in an INPUT

FORM session and duplicates the value automatically for each subsequent record.

Auto-duplicate is useful, for example, if the same batch number is entered for each record in a group.

Auto-duplicate should not be used for items in a related data file, in even-numbered program sections, or with the K subcommand (described below).

When used with another data validation subcommand and with the PASS or FAIL subcommand, processing can branch to the input form statement labeled label_name based on whether or not the validation passed or failed.

line[,]column,content,B,subcommand,<PASS/FAIL> label_name

(Display)

The field is displayed, not accepted as input.

This is the default subcommand for literal and arithmetic expression content. INFO displays the field according to the output width of the field. You can override the width and decimal position specifications by entering them explicitly as part of the subcommand specification using the following subcommand format:

D,width,decimal_positions

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Display) cont’d

(Forced Field)

In the following example, INFO subtracts the value in AMOUNT from that in BALANCE-DUE and displays the result on the screen, starting at line 10, column 25, with an output width of

14 and 2 decimal positions:

10,25,BALANCE-DUE – AMOUNT,D,14,2

D is the default subcommand for calculated fields. Therefore, the example above can also be specified as:

10,25,BALANCE-DUE – AMOUNT,14,2

For date items, you must include a display length followed by a 'D' for the decimal positions. Otherwise, INFO displays the result as the number of days since 1/1/1801. In the following example, today's date is displayed in 8-position date format (the century is omitted).

5,15,$TODAY,D,8,D

With the F subcommand, you must enter a value. If you forget, INFO displays an error message and waits for you to enter a value for the field.

If you specify the F subcommand for the first field in a form, you cannot execute the form using the AY subcommand.

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Key)

The value entered into this field must be unique. INFO verifies this by sequentially searching the selected records. If INFO finds a record with the same value, it displays the following message:

ITEM ALREADY EXISTS

KO*

(Key ordered)

INFO waits for you to enter a correct value. In the following example, the value entered for

EMP-ID-NO must be unique.

4,15,EMP-ID-NO,K

This subcommand cannot be specified in conjunction with the A subcommand.

The value entered must be unique (see the K subcommand). INFO assumes the selected records are in ascending order by the item name and performs a binary, instead of sequential, search of the selected records to make sure that the value entered is unique.

*You can combine any one Key subcommand

(K, KO, NK, NKO) with any one Match subcommand (Mn, MnS, NMn, NMnS).

Any records added during an INPUT FORM session are maintained separately and searched sequentially, even when the KO subcommand is specified. At the end of input form processing, INFO appends the new records to the selected data file and selects them. The appended records must be merged into the sorted selected records before they can be processed again using an input form with the KO subcommand.

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(List)

The value entered must be in the specified list.

The list can contain up to 10 items including system items, system variables, numbers, or dates, and up to 20 literals enclosed in single quotes. You can include a total of 20 C-type items and literals combined in the same list.

Separate the values in the list with a single comma or the current delimiter. Terminate the list by entering two successive delimiters or a

<RETURN>. INFO rejects an invalid entry with the message:

INPUT VALUE NOT AN ELEMENT OF SPECIFIED LIST

M#*

(Match)

After displaying the error message, INFO repositions the cursor at the field location and waits for you to enter a new value over the invalid entry.

In the following example, the value entered for

CHAR-FIELD must be A, B, C, or D.

5,7,CHAR-FIELD, L,'A','B','C','D'

This subcommand cannot be used in conjunction with the R, NR, or NL subcommands.

The value entered for the field is accepted only if the specified item has a matching value in a related data file. Enter this subcommand in the following format: line[,] column,content,M#[,item_name]

*You can combine any one Key subcommand

(K, KO, NK, NKO) with any one Match subcommand (Mn, MnS, NMn, NMnS).

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

M#*

(Match)

(cont'd) where # indicates the data file relation number.

(For example, M2 indicates that the item must have a match in the second related data file.)

Since the default value is 1, you can specify M1 as M. The item_name is the item that INFO uses to process a match operation. Do not include the $# prefix with the item name.

If INFO fails to locate a matching record, it displays the following message and waits for you to enter another value.

NO MATCH IN RELATED FILE # FOR RECORD nnnnnnnn

M#S*

(Match sequential)

In the following example, ACCT-NO is defined as a six-digit numeric field with the first two digits redefined as SUB-CODE. The selected file is related to another file on the common item, SUB-CODE.

7,2,ACCT-NO,M,SUB-CODE

The statement above directs INFO to accept the value for ACCT-NO only if the first two digits entered, the SUB-CODE, match a value in the related data file.

The value entered for the field is accepted only if the item specified is in the selected file and has a match in a related data file.

Operates exactly as the M# subcommand, described above, but forces a sequential search of the related file. Use M#S to force a sequential search on data files related with the

ORDERED or SEQUENTIAL options.

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Not in List)

NK* and NKO*

(Not a Key and

Not a Key Ordered)

NM#* and NM#S*

(No Match and

No Match Sequential)

(Not in Range)

The field value cannot be a value in the specified list. Operates like the L subcommand except that you can only enter values that are not on the specified list. See the L subcommand for information about how to specify this subcommand.

You cannot use this subcommand in conjunction with the L, R or NR subcommand.

*You can combine any one Key subcommand

(K, KO, NK, NKO) with any one Match subcommand (M#, M#S, NM#, NM#S).

The field value must already exist. INFO verifies that the value exists by searching the selected records.

NKO indicates that the records are sorted in ascending order by the key item so that INFO can perform a binary search on the records rather than a less efficient sequential search.

These subcommands are the logical opposites to the M# and M#S subcommands They ensure that the value entered for a field does not have a match in the related data file.

The value entered for this item must not fall within a specified range. The range identifies illegal values for the item. Range limits are inclusive. An invalid entry for the item displays an error message.

After displaying the error message, INFO blanks the input field, repositions the cursor at the field location and waits for you to enter a new value.

This subcommand cannot be used in conjunction with the R, L or NL subcommands.

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Range)

The value entered for this field must fall within the specified range. Format the R (or NR) subcommand as follows:

R,low_value,high_value where low_value and high_value can be data file items, system items, system variables, literals, numbers, or dates. Both values must be compatible with the field defined. The range limits are inclusive.

When comparing items of different lengths,

INFO uses the length of the shorter item, ignoring the excess characters of the other item.

INFO rejects a value outside the specified range and displays one of the following messages:

BELOW MINIMUM VALUE OF RANGE or

ABOVE MAXIMUM VALUE OF RANGE

After displaying the error message, INFO blanks out the input field, repositions the cursor at the field location and waits for you to enter a new value.

In the following example, the value entered for

DATE-HIRED must be greater than or equal to

1/1/1980 and less than or equal to today's date.

6,23,DATE-HIRED,R,1/1/1980,$TODAY

This subcommand cannot be specified with the

NR or NL subcommands.

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INPUT FORM

Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Store)

The field is the destination for a MOVE or

CALCULATE operation, implied by the type of the item specified, but is not displayed on the screen. Use the following format for the S subcommand:

S,source_item

The source_item can be a literal, arithmetic expression, or item, as described above for content. The content and source item must be compatible data types. For example, if the field content is a C-type item, you must specify another C-type item or a literal for source_item.

If source_item is an arithmetic expression,

INFO evaluates the expression and stores the result in the content item. Truncation and blank padding occur when appropriate. You must specify a legal screen position, even though it is not used. The same screen position can be used in another field that displays or accepts data.

When you use the BACKTAB character to return to a previous field, INFO executes each field that it encounters. For example, if the source_item for a particular field is an arithmetic expression that contains a system item whose value has changed since it was first stored, back-tabbing through the field causes

INFO to recalculate the arithmetic expression and store the new result, which might differ from the earlier result.

Note that the Store subcommand can cause a repositioning of any data file related on the item modified. Depending on the RELATE option in effect, new records can be written to a related data file from Store subcommand processing.

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Store)

(cont’d)

The following examples illustrate the use of the

S subcommand:

(Store Conditionally)

12,23,NEW-FLAG,S,'*'

Moves an asterisk to item NEW-FLAG. If NEW-FLAG is wider than one character, the item is right- padded with blanks.

20,1,$IDX2,S$IDX2 + 3 Increments $IDX2 by

3 and stores it back in $IDX2. This is a common technique used to accept input to elements of an array.

The field is the destination for a MOVE or

CALCULATE operation, implied by the type of the item specified that is not displayed on the screen. Operates as the S (Store) subcommand, except that INFO saves the original value of the field before storing the entered value. If you respond Q or N to the IS

THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE prompt during form execution, INFO restores the original value of the field before processing the Q or N response. If you respond Y, L, or E to the IS

THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE prompt, INFO stores the entered value.

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Table IPF-1 INPUT FORM definition subcommands (cont’d)

Subcommand Description

(Value)

see also

For input fields only. The stored value defaults to the specified value if the user enters a

<RETURN>. Format the V subcommand as follows:

V,default_value where default_value is the name of another data file item, system item, system variable, or literal. The following example requests that

INFO supply the value 'UPS' for SHIP-VIA whenever a <RETURN> is entered during execution:

9,1,SHIP-VIA,V,'UPS'

The V subcommand cannot be specified in conjunction with the F subcommand.

UPF

UPDATE

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INTERNAL

INTE

RNAL DF_item system_item system_variable

displays the characteristics of a data file item, system item or system variable.

discussion

The INTERNAL command displays the item characteristics of a data file item or system item, or displays the characteristics of a system variable as if it were an item.

The format of the display of characteristics is similar to the display from the ITEMS LONG command, except that no headings are provided for the various characteristics. See the ITEMS command for a description of the various characteristics.

example

ENTER COMMAND >INTERNAL $NUM1

4097 $NUM1 8 16 F 2 4 — — 0 — — — -

INFO Reference Manual Commands 315

ITEMS

IT

EMS [relate_#] [

PR

INT] [

L

ONG]

lists the items structure of a data file or lists the current system items.

arguments

[relate_#] the integer that specifies the relational level of a data file to the selected file.

[PRINT] requests that the item structure display be sent to your INFO spool file.

[LONG] requests the long form of the ITEMS display.

notes discussion

An unqualified ITEMS command requests a short form display of the item structure of the currently selected data file.

When relate_# is specified as -1, INFO displays the item characteristics of all INFO system items.

The ITEMS command instructs INFO to display or print the item structure of your currently selected data file, one of your currently related data files, or the system items file.

If the named file includes protected items, INFO displays only those items that are unprotected at the password level you are using. INFO displays the unprotected items without the column number and makes no distinction between defined and redefined items. See the PROTECT and PASSWORD commands for more information about data file protection. If an alternate item name has been defined for an item, INFO displays the alternate name on the line following the corresponding item display.

The column headings for the short form of the ITEMS display are described below in Table ITEMS-1. See the

DEFINE command for detailed information about each item specification. INFO displays blanks or a hyphen (-) for specifications not defined for the item.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 317

ITEMS examples

The short form of the ITEMS display:

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS

DATAFILE NAME: PRICE-SCHEDULE

2 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC ALTERNATE NAME

1 PART.NO 6 6 I -

7 PRICE 80 80 C -

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

7 PRICE.ARRAY 10 10 N — PRICES

The long form of the ITEMS display:

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS LONG

DATAFILE NAME: PRICE-SCHEDULE

2 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

1 PART.NO 6 6 I — 4 — — — — — — -

7 PRICE 80 80 C — 4 — — — — — — -

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

7 PRICE.ARRAY 10 10 N 2 0 — 8 1 — — — -

ALT PRICES

318 Commands INFO Reference Manual

ITEMS

Table ITEMS-1 ITEMS display headings

Item headings Description

COL

ITEM NAME

WDTH

OPUT

TYP

N.DEC

ALTERNATE NAME

PROT

KEY

OCCRS

INDX

Starting position within the record buffer for the item name that follows.

Name of the record data item.

Internal storage width of the item.

Output width of the item.

Item type.

Number of decimal positions defined (for numeric fields only).

Alternate name.

The additional information provided in the long form of the ITEMS list is described below. An alternate item name is displayed on the line following its associated item name and is preceded by the label ALT, instead of being displayed in a separate column, as in the short form.

Protection level for the item.

Key level for ISAM files.

Occurrence count for an arrayed item.

The number of the internal index counter used to control processing of the array for arrayed items.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 319

ITEMS

Table ITEMS-1 ITEMS display headings (cont’d)

Item headings Description

The following apply to INFO-Text only

CNLV

Concordance level for A-, or concordable Ctype items.

Case concorded for A-, and concordable Ctype items. Y indicates words in upper- and lowercase concorded separately, N indicates case is not concorded.

Concorded numbers for A-, and concordable Ctype items Y indicates concorded numbers, N indicates numbers are not concorded.

User-namable text files for A-type items. Y indicates user-namable text files, N indicates an item whose text files are named by

INFO-Text.

320 Commands INFO Reference Manual

JUSTIFY

JUST

IFY [

L

EFT

C

ENTER

R

IGHT] item-1 [TO] [item-2 [item-3]]

truncates unwanted characters from right and left and aligns the result.

arguments

item-1 any INFO item or a character literal.

item-2 any INFO item (not literal).

item-3 character to be truncated (default is space). A single character INFO item or literal.

notes discussion examples

Item-1 and Item-2 can be the same: e.g. JUSTIFY RIGHT SURNAME TO SURNAME or JUSTIFY RIGHT SURNAME

In effect, JUSTIFY is MOVE with justification, and therefore mimics MOVE used interactively and in odd/even program sections.

FO $CHR1,8

FO $CHR2,8

$CHR1 = ‘ABC’

JUSTIFY RIGHT $CHR1 $CHR2

The trailing spaces in $CHR1 will be truncated and $CHR2 will contain five spaces followed by ABC.

FO $CHR1,16

FO $CHR3,8

FO $CHR40,1

$CHR1 = ‘$$$$123.45$$$$’

JUSTIFY CENTER $CHR1 $CHR3 $CHR40

The dollar signs will be stripped out and $CHR3 will contain 123.45 with a space either side.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 321

LABEL

LAB

EL label_name

identifies a location within a program or input form, marking that location for use by GOTO statements within the same program section.

argument

label_name name that identifies a command line in an

INFO program or input form.

notes example

The LABEL command labels a line in an INFO program or input form as the destination of a GOTO or branch command in that program or input form.

You can include up to 100 LABEL statements within each program section. as input form Any number of GOTO statements can refer to the same label name.

As noted for the GOTO command, corresponding GOTO and LABEL commands in programs must be in the same program section.

See the command reference for INPUT FORM for a discussion of labels in input forms.

The first time the program processes LABEL TRY.AGAIN, it does nothing. If an invalid department number is added, the error message is displayed and the GOTO command sends INFO back to the label.

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 LABEL TRY.AGAIN

20002 DISPLAY 'ENTER DEPT NUMBER:',=

20003 ACCEPT $NUM1

20004 IF $NUM1 < 10 OR $NUM1 > 700

20005 DISPLAY 'INVALID DEPT NUMBER. PLEASE ENTER AGAIN.'

20006 GOTO TRY.AGAIN

20007 ENDIF

INFO Reference Manual Commands 323

LCHAR

LCHA

R character

changes or displays the current value of the leading character setting.

argument

character specifies a new leading character. Valid leading characters are any non-digit alphabetic character, except a blank or the current delimiter.

notes discussion

example n

An unqualified LCHAR command displays the current leading character. The default leading character is the integer '0'. To change the default, see Appendix G

Controlling Default Assignments.

The LCHAR command fills unused positions to the left of the most significant digit in L-type data file items or

$NUMn system variables formatted as L-type. Commonly assigned LCHARs are ‘

*’

or '$', used for making printed values on checks tamper proof; and '0', used for fields such as ZIP-CODE, where all positions must contain a valid numeric character.

The following program section changes the LCHAR setting to an asterisk (*), clears the screen and requests an amount.

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 FORMAT $NUM1,15,15,L,2

10002 LCHAR *

10004 DISPLAY AT 10,10 'PLEASE ENTER AMOUNT:'

10005 ACCEPT AT 10,44,$NUM1

10006 DISPLAY AT 15,10 'YOUR CHECK = $',$NUM1

When the above program executes, it displays:

PLEASE ENTER AMOUNT:157.93

INFO responds with:

YOUR CHECK = $*********157.93

which is the amount padded to the left with the leading fill character.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 325

LIMIT

LIM

IT [BY] key-logical-expression-1

[[ OR key-logical-expression-2]

[FOR]

AND syntax cont’d

[

AND

logical-expression-1] [logical-connector syntax cont’d

logical-expression-2] [...]

establishes up to 8 search criteria that INFO uses to determine which of the selected ISAM file records are available for processing by subsequent active commands.

arguments

AND is a reserved logical-connector.

BY is used for documentation and ease of understanding.

FOR is used for documentation and ease of understanding.

OR is a reserved logical-connector.

notes discussion

Special considerations apply when using the system items

$SETMAX and $SETMIN for the selected file when a

LIMIT command is in effect. See System Items in

Appendix D for more information.

RESELECT BY commands cancel the effect of a LIMIT command.

If you issue a PURGE command when a LIMIT command is active,your INFO Isam bitmap is also deleted.

The LIMIT command has no immediate effect on the currently selected set of records; INFO uses the specified search criteria once you process the selected ISAM datafile with a subsequent active command.

The LIMIT command supersedes any previous record selection criteria requested for the datafile. Specifically, the search criteria specified by the LIMIT command replaces any search criteria specified by a previous LIMIT,

ASELECT, or RESELECT command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 327

LIMIT

When you issue a LIMIT command, INFO performs one read of the selected ISAM file to try to determine if any records meet the LIMIT criteria. INFO uses the results of that read to set the value of the system item $NOSEL, as follows:

0 indicates that no records met the LIMIT criteria.

1 indicates that at least one record met the LIMIT criteria.

Key logical expressions

LIMIT requires a special form of an INFO logical expression, called a key logical expression: the first operand of the expression must be an item name defined as a ISAM key and the expression operator must be EQ,

GE, GT, LE, LT or BW. The specified ISAM key item is the primary access key for the file during future processing of the selected ISAM datafile.

Although the LIMIT command allows up to 8 key logical expressions, the syntax line is restricted by the 200character INFO command buffer. Multiple key logical expressions must reference the same key field and must be connected by the connector OR, as shown in the following command line:

LIMIT BY KEY1 EQ 10 OR KEY1 EQ 20 OR KEY1 EQ 30

The only exception to this rule is the use of the connector

AND, when specifying a single key range condition, as in the following line:

LIMIT BY KEY1 GE 100 AND KEY1 LE 450

You can use the connector AND for either of the following purposes:

To connect two key logical expressions that define a single key-field range condition, for example

LIMIT BY KEY1 GT 19 AND KEY1 LT 61.

328 Commands INFO Reference Manual

LIMIT examples

To define a logical connection between multiple key-field logical expression(s) and any other logical expressions in the LIMIT command. In this case "other" logical expressions can reference any item including other key fields. The key logical expression(s) to the left of the AND establish the main LIMIT criteria and are processed against the ISAM file via keyed access, establishing an initial set of records. The logical expression(s) to the right of the AND connector, whether or not they are key fields, are then evaluated against these records to refine the

LIMIT selections.

INFO evaluates the LIMIT command logical expressions moving left-to-right within the command. Optionally, you can group expressions and connectors within parentheses, to request that INFO process the logic within the parentheses before the logic outside the parentheses.

For more information about connectors and logical expressions, see Building Expressions in the Introduction.

The following examples illustrate the use of the LIMIT command, where KEY1 is a primary key, and KEY2 is a secondary key. The key logical expressions appear in bold type.

In the next example, INFO makes an initial pass of the

ISAM file via KEY1 selecting those records having a KEY1 value of 10 or 50. INFO then reads these records sequentially and further limits them by selecting those records having a KEY2 value equal to the $NUM1 variable.

ENTER COMMAND >LIMIT BY KEY1 EQ 10 OR KEY1 EQ 50 AND KEY2 EQ $NUM1

In the next example, INFO-Text uses the KEY1 range condition (e.g., KEY1 GE 10 AND KEY1 LE 45) to establish an initial set of keyed access records. It then processes these records sequentially, looking for the records that meet the criterion, AND ITEM9 NE $NUM1.

ENTER COMMAND >LIMIT BY KEY1 GE 10 AND KEY1 LE 45 AND ITEM9 NE $NUM1

INFO Reference Manual Commands 329

LIMIT

In the next example, INFO makes its initial pass against the ISAM file via KEY1 only, selecting those records having a KEY1 value greater than the $NUM1 variable. It then processes these records sequentially, looking for the records that meet the remaining criteria.

ENTER COMMAND >LIMIT BY KEY1 GT $NUM1 AND KEY2 NE 0 AND ITEM3 GT $NUM2

see also

RESELECT

330 Commands INFO Reference Manual

LIST

LI

ST syntax cont’d

[beg_rec_1,end_rec_1] ]& beg_rec_2...]

DF_item

[

,

...] system_item system_variable string

T

X

*TAB

[#]

*X

[#]

*L

[#]

*W

[#]

*E

JECT

*A

row,column

*C

*CONT

EXT

*T

EXT syntax cont’d

[

P

RINT

FORMAT

(

FMT

)]

NOLINE

CONT

EXT

TEXT

] [

,

...]

LI

AT

row

,

column [DF_item system_item system_variable [

,

...]

string

X

T

] [,...]

LI

=[PRIN

]

displays or prints, using optional formatting specifiers, a combination of data file items from the selected set of records, system items, system variables, or strings. An unqualified LIST command displays all item values for all selected records.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 331

LIST arguments

[beg_rec_1,end_rec_1 & beg_rec_2...] you can list ranges of records by specifying the beginning and ending record numbers.

beg_rec_#

and

end_rec_#

must be numeric literals

DF_item

an INFO data file item.

system_item an INFO system item.

system_variable an INFO system variable.

string a character string enclosed with single quotes.

*TAB# or #T specifies the position for the next list item where n is the number of the column (1-200). An unqualified *TAB positions the next list item seven spaces to the right of the current column. If you use #T, you must include the tab value. The examples below list the LAST-

NAME from records 1-3 and records 9-12 starting in column 25.

ENTER COMMAND LIST 1,3&9,12 *TAB25,LAST-NAME

ENTER COMMAND LIST 1,3&9,12 25T,LAST-NAME

*X# or #X

specifies the spaces to insert before the next list item where n is the number of spaces (1-200). An unqualified *X inserts five spaces. If you use nX, you must include the space count value. The examples below list the LAST-NAME, 15 spaces, and then the DEPT for every record selected.

332 Commands INFO Reference Manual

LIST

ENTER COMMAND >LIST LAST-NAME,*X15,DEPT

ENTER COMMAND >LIST LAST-NAME,15X,DEPT

*L# inserts the number of line feeds specified by n. The line count defaults to 1. To double-space, specify *L2.

The following example lists the LAST-NAME from the first

10 records using triple spacing:

ENTER COMMAND >LIST 1,10 *L3,LAST-NAME

*W# specifies the list width for the next list item. If the item is a character item and the n specified is less than the item's defined output width, INFO truncates the item value to the specified number of characters. If the item is numeric and the n is less than the item's defined output width, INFO displays blanks for the item. The following example lists the LAST-NAME from the first 10 records, using one character as the list width. As a result, only the first character of each name appears in a column.

ENTER COMMAND >LIST 1,10 *W1,LAST-NAME

*EJECT clears the screen before the next list item. If you include the PRINT option, *EJECT performs a page eject before the next list item is printed. The example below clears the screen and then lists the LAST-NAME value for the first 5 records.

ENTER COMMAND >LIST 1,5 *E,LAST-NAME

*Arow,column takes the number of the row specified and lists the next list item that many rows below the last row listed and in the specified column. Assuming a previous

INFO command left the screen cursor on row 10, the example below displays LAST-NAME from the first selected record at row 15, column 10 and LAST-NAME from the second selected record at row 20, column 10.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 333

LIST

ENTER COMMAND >LIST 1,2 *A5,10,LAST-NAME

*C# lists a C-type data file item in a column where # specifies the width of the column. If # is less than the defined output width for the item, INFO truncates the item to n characters and wraps the remaining characters in the item to the next line of the same column. Each line of the column conforms to the # width specification. The example below lists the first three characters of LAST-

NAME on one line, lists the next three characters on the next line directly below the first three characters, and so on, until the number of characters defined in the output width is used up.

ENTER COMMAND >LIST *C3,LAST-NAME

INFO-Text only

*CONTEXT displays the specified X- or A-item in context, by including with the search text the two lines before and the two lines after the search text.

CONTEXT displays all X- or A-items referenced in the command line in context, by including with the search text the two lines before and the two lines after the search text.

*TEXT displays the text portion of the specified X- or Aitem.

TEXT displays the text portion of all X- or A-items referenced in the command line.

[,...] any of the previous options may be specified, each preceded by a comma, for a total of 16 specifications.

= the equal sign used as the last specification prevents

INFO from issuing a <RETURN> after data from each record is listed. Instead, INFO lists data from the next selected record on the same line, wrapping only at the end of the screen (or page) width. Subsequent LIST commands always reset this effect. It is used most often to save space when displaying one or two items.

334 Commands INFO Reference Manual

notes

LIST

The = (equal sign) used as the first list specification clears the screen. If this is followed by the PRINT option, a page eject symbol is placed in your spool file.

PRINT sends your listing to your spool file.

NOLINE operates like the equal sign (=) when the equal sign is used as the last list term. This NOLINE effect does not carry over to subsequent LIST commands.

FORMAT (FMT) suppresses data file item, system item and system variable name headings.

AT lists the requested information at the specified row and column on the screen.

row,column row can be a value from 0 to 24. A value of

An unqualified LIST command displays all item values for all selected records, with each record starting on a new line.

When listing a range of records, you can separate the beginning record number and end record number with either a comma (,) or a dash (-).

There cannot be more than 16 specifications (including format specifiers) per LIST command. The more formatting specifiers you use or the longer the literal specified in the LIST command line, the fewer list terms can be specified with the LIST command.

When the combined width of the listed items is less than one line, INFO lists the values for each item in a column, headed by the item name. If the LIST command is executed in an even-numbered program section, no item names appear over the columns. INFO generates a first column which lists the record number for the record on each line under the column heading $RECNO.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 335

LIST discussion

When the total width of the listed items is wider than one line, record items are listed vertically, one item per line, with the item name preceding each item value.

INFO lists the item names and values for each selected record in order as the items are defined for the record, for an unqualified LIST command, or as the items are specified. INFO lists the items either in columns or serially, depending upon the total length of the items.

You can include specifications to control the format of the listing, such as tabbing, spacing and column positioning, as described in the syntax description above.

You can suppress the display of item names by including the FORMAT option items or system variables.

The width of the line is dependent on the hardware you are using. The default limits are 80 spaces wide for a screen and 132 spaces wide for a printed line.

When using LIST without the PRINT option, the output of values whose output width exceeds 80 characters is truncated. When using LIST with the PRINT option, the output of values whose output width exceeds the value of the system item $PRINTER-SIZE is truncated. There is no wrapping.

When listing over 23 lines of information, INFO displays

23 lines of data (one screenfull) followed by the prompt

MORE?. Respond as follows:

Response

<RETURN>

Description

Continues listing the records in 23-line increments, beginning with the line after the last line listed on the previous screen, prompting MORE? each time.

Lists remaining records in a continuous display, without stopping after each 23 lines, and returns to ENTER COMMAND> when the last record has been displayed.

336 Commands INFO Reference Manual

C examples

LIST

Ends the display and returns to command level.

Ends the display of the current record and begins displaying the next record, in contrast to

<RETURN>, which continues the display with the current record.

List data in the selected records in columns (total width of listed items is less than one line):

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT DF.TYPE

8 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO

YEAR INDUSTRY

1976 100

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

250

275

300

250

325

CONDO

100

Lists all the item values for all selected records.

HOUSE

100

150

100

125

150

Vertical list (total width of listed items is wider than one line):

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT DF.CUSTOMER

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST 1

CUST-NUM

FIRST-NAME

LAST-NAME

STREET

CITY

STATE

ZIP

Lists the item values for record number 1

=134

=HOLLY

=HARWOOD

=21 HILLVIEW ST.

=HAVERHILL

=PA

=17812

INFO Reference Manual Commands 337

LIST

The following is an example of a datafile containing A-type items being listed (INFO-Text only).

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT—AND—UPDATE—EXAMPLE

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME ><R>

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST TEXT

NAMABLE-A =A.FIL.

This is the contents of the file called A.FIL.

NOT-NAMABLE-A =A00000302

This is the contents of a system-named text file.

NAMABLE-A =B.FIL

This is the contents of the second text file named by the user.

NOT-NAMABLE-A =A00000402

This is the second text file named by INFO-Text.

338 Commands INFO Reference Manual

LOG

LOG

file_path

A

PPEND

E

records all user input during an INFO session to an ASCII text file.

arguments

file_path the full pathname of the ASCII text file. If you specify just a file name, it refers to the current working

INFO directory.

APPEND directs INFO to write new log records to the end of an existing file.

END directs INFO to stop saving a copy of terminal input to the LOG file.

notes

An unqualified LOG command terminates input logging and closes the active log file.

If the text file you specify does not exist, INFO creates and opens it. If the file you specify already exists and you do not use the APPEND option, INFO clears the file and then writes new log records to it.

All keystrokes in Input Forms are now recorded to the LOG file — not just the final field. The INFO special characters

<KEEP> <CLEAR> <TAB> and <BACKTAB> are correctly captured so that the log file can be run back as in a COMI file without any editing (see $KIDSP in Appendix D

‘’System Items’’)

discussion

The LOG command records all terminal input in an ASCII text file. You can then use this file as a command file or for control or recovery purposes.

example

ENTER COMMAND >LOG INPUT.LIST

To begin saving a copy of what was entered at the terminal during the

INFO session in an

ASCII text file named

INPUT.LIST

INFO Reference Manual Commands 339

MERGE

MERG

E syntax cont’d

[

I

NTO DF_name] [ON] DF_item_1 [(

D

)]

[,DF_name_2...] [

U

NSORTED]

merges a selected set of records from one data file either into the unselected set of records from the same data file or into another data file. The values of up to 16 data file items common to both sets of records may be used to control the merge.

arguments notes

[INTO DF_name] is used when you want to merge the selected set of records into another data file.

[ON] is used only for documentation and clarification.

DF_item_1 is the item used as the primary merge key.

[(D)] tells INFO to merge the records in descending order by the named item. You must enclose the D in parentheses. If you do not use the D option, INFO merges the records in ascending order.

[,DF_name_2...] item or items used as secondary merge keys.

[UNSORTED] tells INFO that the selected records are not sorted. If this is the case, INFO sorts the selected records by the specified key items before processing the merge.

For more efficient processing, always merge a smaller set of records into a larger set of records or a smaller file into a larger file.

It is not possible to merge records into an ISAM file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 341

MERGE discussion

PRIME

Use the MERGE command when you want to add or update records in a file in sorted order without having to resort the entire file.

You can merge unselected records from one file into the unselected records of the same file or into another file. In either case, merge the records on specified items. You can specify up to 16 items. The first item you specify is the primary merge key. Any other items you specify are secondary merge keys and are processed in the order specified.

If you merge records from one data file into another data file, the data files must have the same format and record length.

Both sets of records, whether they are from the same data file or not, should be sorted by the items you specify. If the selected set of records is not sorted, use the

UNSORTED option and INFO sorts it. If you do not sort the records and you do not use the UNSORTED option,

INFO displays an error message and aborts the merge.

For example, if you merge the data file D.NEW.EMPS into the data file D.MASTER on the items BRANCH and

DEPT, in that order, and both files are sorted on those items, the selected records from D.NEW.EMPS will be put into D.MASTER in sorted order, first according to the value of BRANCH and then within BRANCH according to the value of DEPT.

If a selected record has the same value for the specified merge item(s) as a record in the destination set of records,

INFO puts the selected record after the destination record in the file.

The existing file protection status is maintained after

MERGE, rather than set to the value held within

$RWLOCK.

342 Commands INFO Reference Manual

MERGE examples

To update records in a sorted file without having to resort the file:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

7 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BRANCH DEPT NAME

1 1 100 KITTY

2 1 200 LISA

3 1 200 MIRIAM

4 2 100 PAUL

5 2 200 TRISH

6 2 200 SHARON

7 2 300 STEVE

The file is sorted on BRANCH and on

DEPT within BRANCH.

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT FOR BRANCH = 2 AND DEPT = 200

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >CALCULATE DEPT = 50

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BRANCH DEPT NAME

5 2 50 TRISH

6 2 50 SHARON

ENTER COMMAND >MERGE ON BRANCH,DEPT

ENTER COMMAND >ASELECT

7 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BRANCH DEPT NAME

1 1 100 KITTY

2 1 200 LISA

3 1 200 MIRIAM

4 2 50 TRISH

5 2 50 SHARON

6 2 100 PAUL

7 2 300 STEVE

INFO Reference Manual Commands 343

MERGE

Or to add records in sorted order from one file to another file:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.NEW.EMPS

3 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BRANCH DEPT NAME

1 2 100 PAULA

2 1 200 JOE

3 2 150 DOM

ENTER COMMAND >MERGE INTO D.MASTER ON BRANCH,DEPT U

The U or UNSORTED option sorts the selected file before processing the merge.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO BRANCH DEPT NAME

1 1 100 PAULA

2 1 200 JOE

3 1 200 DOM

4 1 200 PAULA

5 2 50 JOE

6 2 50 DOM

7 2 100 PAUL

8 2 100 PAULA

9 2 150 DOM

10 2 300 STEVE

344 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PRIME MIDAS

MIDAS

[pathname] [filename]]

causes the creation of a MIDAS file template for a selected file and the automatic externalling of it to the selected file.

arguments description restrictions

pathname the required directory pathname.

filename the MIDAS template name.

This command will use the INFO file definition of a selected file to create a MIDAS template (CREATK) for that file. By specifying a treename, the user can create the

MIDAS template in a separate directory; if the tree name is omitted, the current directory is used. Again by specifying a filename with a treename, the MIDAS template can be assigned a different name; otherwise the name of the INFO selected file will be used. When both parameters are omitted, the file is created locally with the

INFO selected filename. The keys previously specified through INFO using the ALTER command must have been accurate. When this command is executed, it will warn the user that the execution of this command will delete the present MIDAS template (if one exists) for this file

(destroying any records residing there), and ask for the user's approval to continue. If the user answers anything other than "Y", the command will abort immediately. On a

"Y" answer, the present MIDAS file is deleted (if one exists), and another MIDAS file template is created; then the file is automatically externalled to the selected INFO file.

If the user is required to use a pathname, the correct protection must be set, to allow access.

The only numeric types that will currently work as keys under the MIDAS command are binary (B) and floating point (F); the other numeric types will be treated as ASCII strings, i.e. negative numbers will not be evaluated numerically.

Only one user may use this command at a time if attached to the same User File Directory.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 345

MODE

MODE

[

P

RINT ]

S

E

XACT relno#, relno#+1

O

OF

S

H

O

OF

CLOSE

CLOSE ALL

F

ORMAT

S

AVE

R

ESET

M

ORE

ON

OF

sets (on or off), displays or prints the status setting of some control variables.

arguments

MODE SET

EXACT note see also

An unqualified MODE command displays the status settings of some system items.

[ PRINT ] prints the status settings of some system items.

To determine whether INFO will permit a partial key match determined by the value in the common related item.

With blank in the selected record key for example, it will position to the first record on the related file. By using

NEXT against this file, the whole file can be read. It can be used interactively, in odd or even sections, and in IPFs.

MODE S ET E XACT [RELNO1, RELNOn] [ O N] [ OF F]

Data generating options on the specified related file, or any files tree-structured to those files, will be disabled while EXACT is on to prevent unnecessary records being generated. When set on, the read-only system item

$EXACT (occurs 10 indexed by $IDX2) will hold a value of

FIRST

INFO Reference Manual Commands 347

MODE example

SEL TRANS

REL CUSTOMER BY CUSTOMER-NAME FILL

RESEL BY $RECNO = 1

/* disable fill option and enable partial-match

MODE SET EXACT 1 ON

MOVE''TO CUSTOMER-NAME

NEXT 1

/* display ALL of the CUSTOMER-NAMEs on the file

/* CUSTOMER starting with the first one

DISP $1CUSTOMER-NAME

MOVE 'B' TO CUSTOMER-NAME

/* will display only the customers who have 'B' in

/* the first character position in CUSTOMER-NAME

DISP $1CUSTOMER-NAME

/* re-enable the FILL option, and return to the

/* normal full-field-width match

MODE SET EXACT 1 OFF

The condition of EXACT [RELNO] ON will revert to OFF when the RELATE is broken, i.e. it will not be carried forward to any subsequent file opened on the same REL number.

MODE SET HOF MODE S ET H OF [ O N] [ OF F] [ CLOSE n] [ CLOSE ALL ]

(hold files open)

To control whether ISAM files are to be passively held open

PRIME only within INFO once actively opened within a SELECT /

RELATE structure, even though they are not held within the current SELECT / RELATE structure. The reason for this facility is once the file is open, it can be re-introduced into the active SELECT / RELATE set without incurring a large run-time overhead.

arguments

HOF ON will hold up to a maximum of 60 ISAM files outside of the SELECT / RELATE structure. If the file

(referenced through the EXTERNAL command) is subsequently SELECTed or RELATEd then it will not be re-opened via the ISAM file sub-system but the table reference will merely be snapped within INFO. When set on, the read-only system item $HOF will hold a value of 1.

348 Commands INFO Reference Manual

notes example

MODE

HOF OFF will hold open all files opened under HOF but not add any more to the list. $HOF will be set to 0. This is the default.

HOF CLOSE [#] where # is a number between 1 and 60

(the order in which the files were first selected) will close a given file passively held open within HOF.

HOF CLOSE ALL will close all passively opened files not within the active file set and set $HOF to 0.

If files are opened within the SELECT / RELATE structure they will be held open but removed from the HOF table.

Up to 60 ISAM files can be held open, and can be passed open between different INFO usernames using the new

QUIT <username> syntax.

HOF [ON] does not in any way impact on the creation or re-use of bitmap files. These will be built or re-used as before.

An application uses 12 ISAM files, of which 5 are frequently used in different programs. A PROFILE could set HOF ON and SELECT each of these 5 files in turn — so that they would all be opened and the EXTERNAL references be resolved as part of the system initialization.

HOF is then set to OFF, so preventing further files from being added to the set. SELECTing or RELATing these files subsequently will be a very fast procedure.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 349

MODE

PROGRAM PROFILE

/* set HOF ON

MODE SET HOF ON

/* open the ISAM master files at

/* beginning of the application

SELECT CUSTOMER-FILE D

SELECT STOCK-FILE D

SELECT ORDER-HEADER D

SELECT ORDER-LINES D

SELECT INVOICES D

/* set HOF OFF — all files held open

/* no more to be added to the list at this time

MODE SET HOF OFF

RUN ORDER-ENQUIRY

PROGRAM ORDER-ENQUIRY

/* snap back onto the ISAM files which have

/* been left open under HOF

SELECT ORDER-LINES

RELATE ORDER-HEADER BY ORDER-NUMBER

RELATE STOCK 2 BY PRODUCT-CODE

RELATE CUSTOMER 3 BY $1CUSTOMER-CODE

MODE SET

FORMAT

MODE S ET F ORMAT [ S AVE] [ R ESET]

The formatting of the 320-byte internal variable buffer may be saved off and reset at a later time, or in another part of a program.

note

MODE SET

MORE

The one restriction on the use of the command is that in programs, formats saved by a calling program may only be reset in the program it calls if the two programs were compiled together, i.e. as long as they had the variables formatted the same at the time of compilation

MODE S ET M ORE [ ON ] [ OF F]

This determines whether INFO prompts MORE? when sending more than a screen full of output to a terminal.

The default is ON.

350 Commands INFO Reference Manual

MODE SET COND

MODE S

C

OND [condition name] [

O

FF] [prog name]

[

O

FF]

[

A

LL] [prog name]

[

H

ELP]

to trap INTERRUPT conditions when the operating system raises the condition you have put in the table.

arguments

UNIX

VMS

PRIME

condition name is the name of the INTERRUPT you wish to trap. The available conditions are:

SIGHUP

SIGQUIT

SS$_CONTROLC

SIGINT

QUIT$

ERRTN$

SETRC$

ACCESS_VIOLATION$

ARITH$

BAD_PASSWORD$

BAD_NONLOCAL_GOTO$

BAD_RECORD_ADDRESS$

CONVERSION

DAMAGED_RAT$

DISK_READ_ERR$

FIXEDOVERFLOW

ILLEGAL_INST$

ILLEGAL_ONUNIT-RETURN$

ILLEGAL_SEGNO$

INVALID_REC_ADR$

LINKAGE_ERROR$

LINKAGE_FAULT$

ZERODIVIDE

NULL_POINTERS

NO_AVAIL_SEGS$

OUT_OF_BOUNDS

OVERFLOW

POINTER_FAULT$

RESTRICTED_INST$

R0_ERR$

STACK_OVF$

SVC_INST$

SIZE

STORAGE

STRINGSIZE

SUBSCRIPTRANGE

SYSTEM_STORAGE$

TRANSMIT

UII$

UNDEFINED_GATE$

UNDERFLOW

OFF will take out the condition name from the table or all the conditions if condition name is omitted.

ALL will add all available conditions to the table.

prog name is the name of the program that will be run when the condition is raised.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 351

MODE SET COND

HELP will show the available conditions INFO supports.

note

When any of the conditions are raised, INFO will close down all selected and related files. The system item

$CONDITION-NAME contains the name of the condition last raised.

352 Commands INFO Reference Manual

MODIFY

MOD

IFY [DF_name]

changes the template of an empty data file, changes the structure of the redefined area of a non-empty data file, or creates a new data file with the same template as the selected data file and then allows you to change the template of the new data file.

argument notes

[DF_name] is a valid INFO file name unique in your user area. INFO creates a new data file with no records but with the same template as the currently selected data file for you to modify.

An unqualified MODIFY command indicates that you want to change the template of the currently selected data file.

You cannot use MODIFY to add or change defined items in a data file that contains records. You can use MODIFY to add or change redefined items in a data file that contains records. However, be careful when working with redefined items, since modifying can cause a shift in item starting position (see MRED).

If you want to change the item characteristics in a data file that contains records, use the ALTER command.

However, you cannot add new items or change the internal width of an existing item (see CWID).

If you specify a new data file, that data file must have a unique 1- to 32-character name. The name can include any character except blanks and the current delimiter character.

INFO-Text only - you can use MODIFY to add or change the synonym file associated with a text file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 353

Response

D [#]

MODIFY discussion

N [#]

When you issue an unqualified MODIFY command, INFO displays the template of the selected data file the same way the ITEMS LONG command does, and then prompts you with ENTER OPTIONS . You can add items to the data file, delete items, or change any characteristic of an existing item. See Table ITEMS-1 'Items display headings' in the ITEMS command for a description of item characteristics.

If the file is empty, INFO positions you before the first item in the file and you can modify any item. If the file is not empty, INFO positions you at the first redefined item in the file and you can modify only redefined items.

When you issue the MODIFY command and specify a new data file name, INFO copies the template, but not the records, of the selected data file to the new data file, displays the template, and prompts you with ENTER

OPTIONS> . The new data file becomes the selected data file and you can modify any item in that file.

Respond as follows to the ENTER OPTIONS> prompt:

Description

Delete item(s). Deletes the current item. If you specify n, where n is a positive integer, it deletes the next n items starting with the current item. INFO then displays the item characteristics of the new current item.

Insert item. Inserts new item(s) after the current item. INFO prompts you for the characteristics of the new item(s) as it does with the DEFINE command. If you insert an item at the top of the file, that item becomes the first item in the file.

Position to next item. Positions you to the next item in the file. If you specify n, where n is a positive integer, INFO positions you at the item that is n items down from the current item.

INFO displays the characteristics of that item.

Print. Displays the characteristics of the current item.

354 Commands INFO Reference Manual

MODIFY

(cont’d)

Response

Description

Quit. Ends the modify session. You can also end the session by pressing <RETURN> as an option.

Replace item. Replaces the current item with a new item. INFO prompts you for the characteristics of the new item as it does with the DEFINE command. If you use R at the top of the file, the new item replaces the first item in the file.

For an empty data file:

examples

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >MODIFY

DATAFILE NAME: D.MASTER

12/ 1/1993

3 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

1 LAST-NAME 10 10 C 4 -

11 FIRST-NAME

21 ADDRESS

ENTER OPTIONS>N

1 LAST-NAME 10 10 C 4 -

ENTER OPTIONS>N

11 FIRST-NAME 10

ENTER OPTIONS>I

10 C 4 -

ITEM NAME>TITLE,4,C

ITEM NAME><RETURN>

ENTER OPTIONS>P

21 TITLE 4

ENTER OPTIONS>N

25 ADDRESS 10

ENTER OPTIONS>R

INFM NAME>ADD1,30,C

INFM NAME><RETURN>

4 C

10 C

ENTER OPTIONS>P

25 ADD1 30 30 C

ENTER OPTIONS><RETURN>

ENTER COMMMAND>

INFO Reference Manual Commands 355

MODIFY

For a data file containing records:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

50 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >MODIFY

DATAFILE NAME: D.MASTER

12/ 1/1993

3 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

1 LAST-NAME

11 FIRST-NAME

21 ADDRESS

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

11 F-INIT 1 1 C 0 -

RECORDS IN FILE. MODIFY REDEFINED ITEMS ONLY.

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

ENTER OPTIONS>N

END OF FILE

11 F-INIT 1 1 C 0 -

ENTER OPTIONS>

To create a new data file:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

50 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >MODIFY CP.D.MASTER

DATAFILE NAME: CP.D.MASTER

12/ 1/1993

3 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX CNLV CC CN UN

1 LAST-NAME

11 FIRST-NAME

21 ADDRESS

10 C

ENTER OPTIONS>N

1 LAST-NAME 10 10 C

ENTER OPTIONS><RETURN>

ENTER COMMAND>SELECT CP.D.MASTER

0 RECORDS SELECTED

see also

CWID

MRED

356 Commands INFO Reference Manual

MOVE

MOV

E DF_item system_item system_variable string

TO

DF_item system_variable

takes the value of a data file item, system item, system variable, or character string and moves the value to a target area. The target area can be a data file item or a system variable.

arguments commandless syntax

DF_item | system_item | system_variable | string the object that contains the value to be moved into the target area.

TO indicates the location to which you are moving the specified value.

DF_item | system_variable the target area.

It is not necessary to include the command name

MOVE in the statement .

MOVE ‘ABC’ TO $CHR1 can be coded as

$CHR1 = ‘ABC’

notes

If you specify a string as the source value, you must enclose the string in single quotation marks. The string can be of any length that can fit on the MOVE command line, and can include any character. However, if you want to include a single quotation mark in the string, enter two consecutive single quotation marks. For example, you would enter the string 'Mum's the word.' as 'Mum''s the

word.'.

When a MOVE is performed from an item on a related file where there is a ‘NO-MATCH’, by default the target item is blank filled. This can be avoided by setting the system variable $MOVFLG to 1. If this is done the target item will be left intact if the source item has not been matched.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 357

MOVE discussion

Use the MOVE command to replace the value of a data file item or system variable with the value of another data file item, system item, or system variable or with a character string. MOVE does not change the value of the source item, variable, or string.

If the target area is longer than the source value, INFO puts blank spaces to the right of the value. If the target area is shorter than the source value, INFO truncates the value.

The MOVE command is a valid command in an interactive session, an odd-numbered program section, or an evennumbered program section.

In an interactive session or in an odd-numbered program section, the following considerations apply:

If the target area is a system variable, the move executes once, unless the source item is the same system variable, in which case the move executes once for each selected record.

If the target area is a data file item, the move executes once for each selected record.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO LAST-NAME

JONES

SMITH

FIRST-NAME DEPT

LARRY R & D

CATHY R & D

ENTER COMMAND >MOVE 'ENGINEERING' TO DEPT

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO

LAST-NAME

JONES

SMITH

see also: $MOVFLG

FIRST-NAME DEPT

LARRY ENGINEERING

CATHY ENGINEERING

Moves a string to an item

358 Commands INFO Reference Manual

MRED

MRED

column #

modifies redefined items to bring them in line with modification of primary items.

arguments discussion examples

column column in which the first redefined item to be modified starts ('first' in the record, not first in the item list).

# number of columns by which the redefined items are to be moved.

This command will alter the starting column for all redefined items starting at or above 'column' by the amount specified in 'amount', which may be positive or negative. The command will not alter redefined item widths.

In the following example, a new item, HIRE-DATE, has been added to the PERSONNEL datafile template via the

MODIFY command, with the result that the redefined items BIRTH-DATE and PHONE-NO now have incorrect starting column values.

ENTER COMMAND >SEL PERSONNEL

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >IT

DATAFILE NAME: PERSONNEL 2/1/96

4 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL

ITEM NAME

NAME

SALARY

HIRE-DATE

BIRTH-DATE

PHONE-NO

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

21 DOLLARS

BIRTH-YEAR

AREA-CODE

WDTH OPUT TYP

20 20 C

10 D

12 D

—

N.DEC PROT KEY OCCRS INDX

— 4 — —

—

INFO Reference Manual Commands 359

MRED

In the example below, all redefined items starting at or after column 31 are repositioned forward by 8 characters: the two redefined items BIRTH-YEAR and PHONE-NO are now correctly aligned.

ENTER COMMAND >MRED 31 8

DATAFILE NAME: PERSONNEL 2/1/96

4 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME

1 NAME

WDTH

OPUT TYP

20 C

N.DEC

—

PROT KEY

OCCRS

— —

SALARY

HIRE-DATE

BIRTH-DATE

PHONE-NO

—

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

21 DOLLARS

BIRTH-YEAR

AREA-CODE

—

INDX

—

error responses

INVALID SYNTAX

The column and/or amount must be numeric constants.

WARNING: — ATTEMPT TO REDEFINE OFF START OF RECORD

WARNING: — YOU HAVE REDEFINED OFF THE END OF THE RECORD

360 Commands INFO Reference Manual

NAME

NAME

item-1 $name

can be used to rename internal variables in order to give them more descriptive names.

arguments note discussion

The user must have his/her own copy of the system items file (INFO9NIT) in his/her operating system directory.

The name from 1-16 characters given by the user will point to the same memory location that the named internal variable is pointing to. Its format will be identical to the format of the named internal variable.

examples

item-1 $NUM#, $CHR#, or $DAT# system variable from

1-40.

$name user-specified name preceded by a dollar sign.

NAME $NUM3 $ROW-COUNTER

NAME $DAT20 $BIRTH-DATE

NAME $CHR30 $EMPLOYEE-NAME

restrictions

A variable to be NAMEd must always be formatted previously. If an internal variable is re-formatted after the

NAME command, the NAMEd variable will not pick up the new format (i.e. the format is picked up when the NAME command is executed).

An internal variable must not be given the same name as a system item (e.g. $TIME, $TODAY, $IDX1, etc.).

Only one user in a system directory may use this command at any one time.

A name may be reused for another internal variable, in which case the original copy is erased.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 361

NAME errors

NO LOCAL SYSTEM ITEMS FILE

NEW NAME MUST START WITH $

INVALID SYNTAX item-1 is not an internal variable

NAME ALREADY IN USE

362 Commands INFO Reference Manual

NEWMAP

NEW

MAP

deselects the currently selected and related datafiles.

Additionally, if the file is ISAM, NEWMAP will delete the INFO bitmap and all set files associated with the selected ISAM file.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 363

NEXT

NEXT O

FF relate_# ... [

P

ARALLEL]

A

LL [label_name] relate_# ... [

N

EW] [label_name]

controls the positioning and processing of related data files. The

NEXT command is particularly useful for processing related data files that do not have a one-to-one correspondence between records. A single NEXT command can position up to nine related files.

arguments

[OFF] is used only in odd-numbered program sections and interactive sessions to end NEXT processing.

[relate_# ...] the relate number(s) of the file(s) to be processed.

[PARALLEL] is used only in odd-numbered program sections and interactive sessions to request parallel advancement of the related data files. If any one of the files fails to match, INFO ends processing of the currently selected record and begins processing the next selected record.

[ALL] is used only in even-numbered program sections and input forms to begin NEXT processing for all related data files in the even-numbered section.

[NEW] is used only in even-numbered program sections and input forms to instruct INFO to leave the related data file positioned to the currently related record — even if that record is not a correct match — after an unsuccessful attempt to reposition the related file. If you do not include the NEW option, INFO re-reads the previous related record after an unsuccessful NEXT.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 365

NEXT notes

[LABEL] label-name is used only in even-numbered program sections and input forms and must be the last parameter. On a match, control will be passed to this label

(see LABEL command), rather than to the first statement in the even-numbered program section or the following statement in the input form. If no match is detected control will be passed to the following statement in both evennumbered program sections and input forms.

An unqualified NEXT command uses NEXT processing on the first related datafile (RELNO 1) only.

If MODE SET EXACT (See MODE command) is on for a related file INFO will permit a partial key match determined by the value in the common related item.

‘B’ in the selected record key, INFO positions to the first record in the related file(s) whose relate item begins with

‘B’, then can read all the related records which also meet this criteria.

INFO performs NEXT processing differently in evennumbered program sections to that in odd-numbered sections and interactive sessions, as described below.

For NEXT to function properly, ensure that all related files are sorted in ascending sequence on the relate key item before you issue the NEXT command. See the RELATE command reference for information about relating data files.

Note that only the following commands use the NEXT matching procedure during processing, when the commands are preceded by a NEXT command in the command stream:

CALCULATE

CONCATENATE

DISPLAY

EXPAND

LIST

MOVE

REPORT

SPECIAL FORM

366 Commands INFO Reference Manual

discussion

NEXT in even-

numbered.

program

sections

NEXT

For each selected record processed by one of the above commands, INFO repositions the specified related file, looking for a record that matches the relate key item. If a no-match condition occurs in the related file, then INFO performs standard error processing. (See Section 2, the

RELATE command, for information about error handling for related data files.)

The NEXT command controls the processing and positioning of the records of up to nine related data files.

By default, INFO processes only the first related file record that matches a selected record. The NEXT command instructs INFO to read the next record in the related data file to see if that record also matches the selected record.

To process more than one related file, enter the relate number (defined in the RELATE command discussion) for the first file to be processed, followed by the relate number of the second file to be processed, and so on.

In even-numbered program sections, INFO executes the entire command sequence for each selected record.

The NEXT command first positions to the next record in each specified related data file and then examines the related record to see if it matches the selected record.

If the values of the related item match in the selected and related records, processing resumes at the first command in the even-numbered program section, unless the LABEL option is specified in which case processing proceeds to the specified label. If a related record fails to match, the command that follows the NEXT command is executed.

Be aware that INFO re-reads the previous related record

(that is, the matching record for that file) after a no-match condition is found. Specify the option NEW to bypass the re-read, leaving the mismatched record in the buffer. (See

also the FIRST command discussion for information about how to reposition to the first record for which the relate key item matches.)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 367

NEXT

NEXT in odd-numbered program sections and interactive use examples

In even sections and input forms the NEXT and FIRST commands may include a <label> as the last parameter.

Control will be passed to this <label> rather than, in the case of NEXT, to the first statement in the even section on a match. NEXT and FIRST within an Input Form, by default, simply drop through to the next statement, as in an even section on a no-match condition.

In odd-numbered program sections or interactive sessions,

INFO processes all selected records for each command before proceeding to the next command. Because of this, you can use the NEXT command to Instruct INFO how to process a related data file when more than one related record matches the selected record.

After processing a matched set of records, INFO advances the related file to the next record. If the next related record also matches, the new set of records is processed.

INFO continues in this manner until a no-match condition occurs. When a no-match occurs, INFO repositions the related file back to the first record in the group of matching records just processed, then obtains the next selected record and continues processing in the same manner.

If more than one related data file is named in the NEXT command, INFO processes each file, as described above, in the order specified. For example, the command NEXT

3 2 1 processes all records that match the relate key item in the third related file before positioning the second related file, then processes all records that match the relate key item in the second related file before positioning the first related file, as illustrated below.

To illustrate NEXT processing, consider a selected data file named FILEX and two other data files, FILEY and

FILEZ. These files are related by the relate key item,

KEY, and contain records with key values, as indicated below:

368 Commands INFO Reference Manual

NEXT

F I L E X F I L E Y F I L E Z

RECORD # KEY RECORD # KEY RECORD # KEY

1 A 1 A 1 A

2 B 2

3 B 3

4 C 4

5 D 5

By default, INFO processes the first related file record that matches a selected record. Results of a LIST are as follows:

ENTER COMMAND > LIST KEY,$1KEY,$2KEY

$RECNO KEY KEY KEY

1 A A A

2 B B B

3 B B B

4 C C C

NO MATCH IN RELATED DATAFILE 2 FOR RECORD 5

5 D D

The following list shows how INFO is matching the records

FILEX RECORD# FILEY RECORD# FILEZ RECORD#

1 1 1

4 unmatched

INFO Reference Manual Commands 369

NEXT

370

If the following sequence of commands executes using these three files, INFO uses the NEXT command to match the records as shown below.

SELECT FILEX

RELATE FILEY 1 BY KEY

FILEY is RELATE 1

RELATE FILEZ 2 BY $1KEY

FILEZ is RELATE 2

NEXT 2 1

LIST KEY,$1KEY,$2KEY

$RECNO KEY KEY KEY

1 A A A

2 B B B

3 B B B

4 C C C

NO MATCH IN RELATED DATAFILE 2 FOR RECORD 5

5 D D

The following list shows how INFO is matching the records.

FILEX RECORD# FILEY RECORD# FILEZ RECORD#

1 1 1

5 unmatched

If you include the PARALLEL option, INFO advances the related files together after it processes each set of matching records. When a no-match condition occurs on one or more of the related files, INFO reads the next selected record, performs standard positioning on the related files, then advances the related files in parallel until another no-match condition occurs. The same files

Commands INFO Reference Manual

NEXT

used in the above example would yield the following groups of records when processed by NEXT with the

PARALLEL option:

FILEX RECORD# FILEY RECORD# FILEZ RECORD#

1 1 1

4 unmatched

INFO Reference Manual Commands 371

NMVE

NMVE

item-1 [TO] item-2

moves any numeric field to a character field. Negative numbers are enclosed in parenthesis and zeros are replaced by a single right justified dash (-).

arguments discussion

item-1 Any INFO numeric item.

item-2 Any INFO character item. The width of this item must be at least one character greater than the width of the numeric item, and in practice should be one greater than the required output width of the numeric field.

NMVE moves the numeric item to the designated character field. If the source item is negative, the minus sign is replaced by an opening bracket, and a closing bracket is appended to the character field. If the source item is zero, the destination field is blank filled except for a right justified dash (-). The normal INFO rules concerning commas in numeric output fields are observed. For this purpose, the output width is taken as one less than the width of the destination field.

error responses

INVALID SOURCE item not numeric

INVALID DESTINATION item not character

DESTINATION ITEM TOO SHORT

Item width not at least one greater than source item width.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 373

NSELECT

NSE

LECT

simultaneously selects the currently unselected set and deselects the current working set.

notes example

When you narrow or add to your working set of records based on certain criteria, you do not have access to the records in the data file that do not meet that criteria.

NSELECT brings those records that did not meet the

RESELECT or ASELECT criteria into the working set and takes all other records out of the working set.

If you issue NSELECT again, it moves the records the first

NSELECT put into the working set into the unselected set and puts all the other records into the working set.

If you select all the records in a data file and then issue

NSELECT, there will be zero (0) records in the working set.

In the following command sequence, the NSELECT command works with the RESELECT command to separate records from the file INVOICES into two groups for reporting purposes.

First, RESELECT puts the records that have BALANCE-

DUE equal to zero into the working set of records. The report CLOSED-ITEMS processes the set. Then,

NSELECT removes the records that have BALANCE-DUE equal to 0 from the set and puts all of the rest of the records in the file into the set. The report OPEN-ITEMS processes these records.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 375

NSELECT

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT INVOICES

40 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT FOR BALANCE-DUE EQ 0

30 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >REPORT CLOSED-ITEMS Y 60,

ENTER COMMAND >NSELECT

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

INFO selects all records not selected by the

RESELECT.

ENTER COMMAND >REPORT OPEN-ITEMS Y 60,

see also

ASELECT

DSEL

RESELECT

SELECT

376 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text

OPCL

OSE

closes the current INFO spool file.

discussion

OPCLOSE

This command closes the print output file. This will be either the default spool file (nsp) or the file specified in the most recent OUTPUT command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 377

OUTPUT

OUTP

UT file_path [

A

PPEND]

[

I

NIT]

[

U

SER] [

N

OFTN]

names a file to receive output from INFO for subsequent printing.

arguments note discussion example see also

An unqualified OUTPUT command reverts to the default output file.

file_path the output file. The file_path may include external variables enclosed in ‘ % ’ characters.

APPEND adds subsequent output to the end of the named output file, instead of initializing the file. APPEND is the default.

INIT initializes the output file before writing to it.

USER appends a shortened form of the user’s process id to the named output file.

NOFTN (VMS only) creates an output file that does not contain FORTRAN-style carriage control information.

The pathname may include external variables enclosed in

‘ % ‘ characters.

The OUTPUT command closes (but does not delete) the default spool file or current previous output file, and creates an ASCII text file (if the specified file does not already exist) which will receive subsequent output from

INFO for future printing.

See the SPOOL command for information about printing an INFO spool or output file.

In the example below, the INFO user xxx specifies and initializes an existing ASCII text file called myrept.out to collect the output from two INFO reports and then issues a second OUTPUT command to direct the output back to the file xxx.nsp (the user's default INFO spool file). Unlike the spool file xxx.nsp, the file myrept.out is not cleared automatically the next time the INFO user xxx signs on.

$SEQ-REC-FORMAT (VMS only)

$SVIDEL (VMS only)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 379

OUTPUT

ENTER COMMAND >OUTPUT MYREPT.OUT INIT

ENTER COMMAND >REPORT R.SALES Y 54,

ENTER COMMAND >REPORT R.YTD.PAYROLL Y 54,

ENTER COMMAND >OUTPUT XXX.NSP

Resets the output file to the default INFO spool file.

380 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PASSWORD

PASS

WORD password_0 password_1 password_2 password_3

allows you to specify one of four passwords for a protected data file before you use that data file.

argument notes

password-# is a 1- to 4-character string.

discussion

When you use the PASSWORD command to specify an appropriate password (that was previously assigned using the DEFINE or PROTECT command), the level of access to the data file that you gain remains in effect until you issue another PASSWORD command or until you end your user session (with the QUIT command).

If you do not use the PASSWORD command before you select or relate a protected data file, INFO prompts you with ENTER PASSWORD > as you attempt the select or relate.

The PASSWORD command allows you to access data in those items that were defined for restricted use in a protected data file. The password you specify in a

PASSWORD command determines which data in a protected data file you can use. The PROTECT command assigns passwords to each protection level used by the items in a protected data file. See the 'Item protection levels' section of the DEFINE command for a description of the four types of data file protection.

When you create a data file with the DEFINE command, you can specify a protection level for each data file item.

With the DEFINE command you can also specify passwords for each level of protection you build into the data file's item definitions. Alternatively, you can use the

PROTECT command to specify a password for each level of protection used by the items in the data file after the data file is defined.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 381

PASSWORD

In order to use a protected data file, you provide a password with the PASSWORD command to specify which type of access you want to the data file (that is, which items in the data file you want to use in subsequent commands).

example

ENTER COMMAND >PASSWORD BOAT

BOAT is the owner

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

level password for

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

D.MASTER.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.NEW.EMPS

3 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

You do not have to

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

reissue the ownerlevel password to use this data file again.

see also

PROTECT

382 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PRIME

PH

ANTOM item-1 item-2

starts up an operating system Phantom.

PHANTOM arguments

item-1 character item or quoted literal string containing the name of the Phantom command file.

item-2 optional numeric item which will be returned as non-zero if the operation failed. If not present, an error message will be printed and program execution will be halted.

error response

INVALID SYNTAX — item-1 is not of type character

INFO Reference Manual Commands 383

POS

item-1

to position on the selected file to an absolute record number

POS argument notes

item-1 numeric, internal variable, datafile item or literal containing a positive integer indicating the record number to position to.

Even numbered program sections only n

Will position on the selected file to the absolute record number specified. If you POS to a record number below or above the $SETMIN and $SETMAX values of the currently selected set, you will get the error message ‘NO

RECORDS SELECTED IN THE SPECIFIED RANGE’ and will be left positioned on the currently selected record.

If the record number is within $SETMIN and $SETMAX but is not in the currently selected set, INFO will position to the nearest record number in the selected set above the specified number.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 385

INFO-Text POSTINGS

POST

INGS

Y

N

assigns or displays the value of the POSTINGS setting

argument

An unqualified POSTINGS command displays the current

POSTINGS setting.

Y or N sets the postings setting on (Y, the default) or off

(N).

notes discussion

If the RESELECT or ASELECT word expression matches several terms within an item that is not defined as concordable to the word level, then the OCCURRENCES count will not reflect the total number of occurrences for each of the several terms, but will rather be incremented only once for the given concordance level.

For example, if an item that is not concorded to the word level contains the text "MY FATHER AND YOUR FATHER

ARE FRIENDS", and if that item is searched during a

RESELECT or ASELECT command for a match on the word "FATHER", INFO-Text adds 1 to the occurrences count for the word "FATHER", even though the word appears twice in the text.

The RESELECT and ASELECT commands use the

POSTINGS setting to determine whether to display the results of a RESELECT or ASELECT command using a word expression as a search term. If the POSTINGS setting is on (Y), INFO-Text displays the individual words found as a result of each RESELECT or ASELECT command, in the format shown below. This is a valuable tool for determining which search word expressions narrow down the selected records most efficiently.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 387

POSTINGS

OCCURRENCES mmmmmm

example

TERM word

INFO-Text

ENTER COMMAND >POSTINGS Y

ENTER COMMAND >ASELECT SE\

ASEL (SETTING SERVICE SELECT)

100 RECORD(S) SELECTED

OCCURRENCES TERM

25 SETTING

15 SERVICE

135 SELECT

388 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PREVIOUS

IOUS relate_#

reads previous record in related datafile

relate_# related file number. Default is 1.

argument notes

Works on ISAM primary or secondary keys or DAM files.

Does no checking at all.

You get a blank record returned if any problem is encountered (including beginning of file).

INFO Reference Manual Commands 389

PRIF

PRIF

IF_name

writes a printable image of the screen display of an INFO input form to the current INFO spool or output file for documentation purposes.

argument notes

IF_name the name of an INFO input form file.

discussion

The PRIF command uses the OBJ file for the input form, the input form must therefore have been successfully compiled.

The PRIF command cannot be used with multi-screen input forms.

The PRIF command writes a printable image of the screen display of an INFO input form to the current INFO spool or output file. The image includes all literals and input fields

(identified as a series of periods) that make up the form.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 391

PRIME PRIM

PRIM

can be issued to enter the "pseudo" SYSTEM command mode where internal SYSTEM commands and external (CMDNC0) commands can be executed within INFO without affecting currently selected and related files.

discussion

After issuing this command, a user may execute any command that could normally be executed at SYSTEM command level, apart from DELSEG, RLS and CLOSE.

The user will be prompted with:

"OK" until an "X" is typed to return to INFO command level.

example

ENTER COMMAND >PRIM

*** ENTERING PSEUDO SYSTEM — TYPE "X" TO EXIT ***

OK >AVAIL

VOLUME DISK12

34476 TOTAL RECORDS (NORMALIZED)

4403 RECORDS AVAILABLE (NORMALIZED)

87.2% FULL

OK >STAT UN

USR=SC0001

File

Unit

File Open

Position

000000240

000000000

000000040

000000120

File mode Type RWlock Treename

DAM

SAM

NR&NW

NR-1Q

<DISK 12>INFOSYS>TETDR9

<DISK 12>INFOSYS>TETNSP

DAM NR&NW <DISK 12>INFOSYS>INFO9NIT

DAM NR&NW <DISK 12>INFOSYS>MESSAGES

OK >X

ENTER COMMAND >

see also

SPAWN

SYSTEM

INFO Reference Manual Commands 393

PRINT

PRI

NT [beg_rec_1,end_rec_1& beg_rec_2...] syntax cont’d

DF_item system_item system_variable string

T

X

*TAB

[#] [,...]

*X

[#]

*L

[#]

*W

[#]

*E

JECT

*A

row,column

*C

*CONT

EXT

*T

EXT syntax cont’d

[

,=

] [

NOLINE

CONT

EXT

T

EXT]

PRI

=

sends to your spool file or current output file any combination of data file items, system items, system variables and literals. An unqualified PRINT command prints all item values for all selected records with each record printing on a new line.

arguments

[beg_rec_1,end_rec_1& beg_rec_2...] you can print ranges of records by specifying the beginning and ending record numbers. beg_rec_# and end_rec_# must be numeric literals.

DF_item an INFO data file item.

system_item an INFO system item.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 395

PRINT

system_variable an INFO system variable.

string a character string enclosed with single quotes.

*TAB# or

#T specifies the column at which to position the next print item where # is the number of the column (1-

200, depending on the value of $PRINTER-SIZE; note that whatever you put in column 1 is treated as a carriage control character and does not print) unless you specify

'No Fortran' option. An unqualified *TAB positions the next print item seven spaces to the right of the current column. If you use #T, you must include the tab column value. The examples below print the LAST-NAME from records 1-3 and records 9-12, starting in column 25.

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT 1,3&9,12 *TAB25,LAST-NAME

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT 1,3&9,12 25T,LAST-NAME

*X# or #X specifies the spaces to insert before the next print item where # is the number of spaces (1-200, depending on the value of $PRINTER-SIZE). An unqualified *X inserts five spaces. If you use #X, you must include the space count value. The examples below print the LAST-NAME, 15 spaces, and then the DEPT for every record selected.

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT LAST-NAME,*X15,DEPT

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT LAST-NAME,15X,DEPT

*L# inserts the number of line feeds specified by n. The line count defaults to 1. To double-space, specify *L2.

The following example prints the LAST-NAME from the first 10 records using triple spacing:

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT 1,10 *L3,LAST-NAME

396 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PRINT

*W# specifies the print width for the next print item. If the item is a character item and the # specified is less than the item's defined output width, INFO truncates the item value to the specified number of characters. If the item is numeric and the # is less than the item's defined output width, INFO prints blanks for the item. The following example prints the LAST-NAME from the first 10 records, using one character as the display width. As a result, only the first letter of each name will appear in a column.

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT 1,10 *W1,LAST-NAME

*EJECT performs a page break before the next print item.

The following command starts a new page before each

LAST-NAME value is printed for the first five records. As a result, you will have five screens of output with a single

LAST-NAME printed at the top of each screen.

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT 1,5 *E,LAST-NAME

*Arow,column takes the number of the row specified and prints the next print item that many rows below the last row printed and in the specified column. The example below prints LAST-NAME from the first selected record at row 5, column 10 and LAST-NAME from the second selected record at row 10, column 10.

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT 1,2 *A5,10,LAST-NAME

*C# prints a C-type data file item in a column where # specifies the width of the column. If # is less than the defined output width for the item, INFO truncates the item to # characters and wraps the remaining characters in the item to the next line of the same column. Each line of the column conforms to the # width specification. The example below prints the first three characters of LAST-

NAME on one line, prints the next three characters on the next line directly below the first three characters, and so on, until the number of characters defined in the output width is used up.

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY *C3,LAST-NAME

INFO Reference Manual Commands 397

PRINT

INFO-Text only

INFO-Text only

*CONTEXT prints the specified or A-item in context, by including with the search text the two lines before and the two lines after the search text.

CONTEXT prints all A-items referenced in the command line in context, by including with the search text the two lines before and the two lines after the search text.

*TEXT prints the text portion of the specified A-item.

TEXT prints the text portion of all A-items referenced in the command line.

[,...] any of the previous options may be specified, each preceded by a comma, for a total of 16 specifications.

= an equal sign at the end of a print list prevents INFO from issuing a carriage return after data from each selected record is printed. Instead, INFO continues printing information from the next selected record on the same line, wrapping only at the end of the page width.

Subsequent PRINT commands always reset this effect. It is used most often to save space when printing one or two items. This option is not valid in even program sections.

= (equal sign) used as the only print specification (the second syntax description above) performs a page eject by sending a top-of-form print control character to the spool file.

NOLINE operates like the equal sign (=) when the equal sign is used at the end of a print list. This NOLINE effect does not carry over to subsequent PRINT commands.

This option is not valid in even program sections.

notes

By default, the PRINT command places output starting in column 2 to allow for fortran control characters. To force output to start in column 1, use PRINT 1T or PRINT 0X.

An unqualified PRINT command prints all item values for all selected records with each record starting on a new line.

398 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PRINT

When printing a range of records, you can separate the beginning record number and end record number with either a comma (,) or a dash (-).

There cannot be more than 30 DF_items per PRINT command. The more formatting specifiers you use or the longer the literal in the PRINT command line, the fewer the number of display terms that can be included in the

PRINT command line.

discussion

INFO separates adjacent data file items in the PRINT output with a single space. You can instruct the system to leave more spaces by using either the *X or *TAB options.

Use PRINT = to force a page break in a file to be spooled.

INFO reserves the first print position in each line for a carriage control character. You can include any standard carriage control character in column one by using the

*TAB option followed by the control character.

examples

PRINT *TAB1,'+','_____' underlines the first four positions of the previous print line. (The carriage control character

'+' suppresses line spacing.)

The following sequence prints the value of the item SSN,

10 spaces, and then the value of the item EMPLOYEE-

NAME for each selected record.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.EMP

2 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >PRINT SSN,*X10,EMPLOYEE-NAME

ENTER COMMAND >SPOOL

The following lines appear on your print output:

018670158 JOHN DOE

424889765 BILL SMITH

INFO Reference Manual Commands 399

PROGRAM

PROG

RAM PG_name

PROG

RAM [SECTION] [section_number]

creates a new INFO program or starts a new section in an existing

INFO program.

arguments

PG_name the name of the program to be created.

[SECTION] [section_number] used within a program for documentation or ease of understanding (e.g., PROGRAM

SECTION TWO, PROG ODD or PROG EVEN.

notes

An unqualified PROGRAM statement is allowed only when you are writing the program. It takes you to the next program section.

discussion

Odd numbered program sections

Use the CHANGE or EDIT commands to change a program. See the COMPILE and RUN commands for information on executing a program.

An INFO program is a sequence of INFO commands stored in a file. INFO executes the commands when you run the program. The PROGRAM command creates the program file.

INFO programs contain one or more sequentially numbered sections. There are two types of sections: oddnumbered sections and even-numbered sections. Program section one is an odd-numbered section, program section two is an even-numbered section, and so on. The two types of sections function differently.

In an odd-numbered program section, INFO processes each command on the entire set of selected records before processing the next command. This is the same as issuing a series of commands in an interactive session. It is best to format and initialize system variables, select and relate data files, and report results (by running reports or special forms) of processing in odd-numbered program sections.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 401

PROGRAM

Even numbered program sections

Create a program

In an even-numbered program section, INFO executes all of the commands in the even section once for each selected record. If the program changes a record during an even section, INFO rewrites the record at the end ofthe even section before reading the next selected record. It is best to update data files and do repetitive reporting (using

FC or PRINT commands) and transaction processing in even-numbered program sections.

To create a new program, enter the PROGRAM command followed by a program name. The program name must be

1- to 32-characters long and be unique to your directory.

INFO starts program section one and displays:

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE >

At the prompt, enter a valid program command keeping in mind odd-numbered and even-numbered section processing differences. See 'Execution modes for INFO commands' to determine which commands are legal in which program section. If you enter a command that is invalid for the current program section, INFO issues an error message and prompts you for a new command.

Continue entering commands until you want to go to the next program section or end the program. To go to the next program section, enter the PROGRAM command at the > prompt. To end the program, enter <RETURN> at the > prompt. If you end a program on an even-numbered section, INFO generates a PROGRAM END statement after you compile the program.

INFO determines the odd/even-numbered section sequence by the placement of the PROGRAM commands.

For example, the first PROGRAM command starts program section one, the second PROGRAM command starts program section two, and so on.

INFO also numbers each line in the program in increments of one starting with 10000 for program section one, 20000 for program section two, and so on. However, you do not see these numbers, except for the number 10000, while you create the program. You see them when you display the program (using the TYPE command).

402 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PROGRAM

PROFILE and

WRAPUP

There are two special programs you can create, named

PROFILE and WRAPUP. After you enter an INFO user name at the ENTER USER NAME > prompt, and before you see the first ENTER COMMAND > prompt, INFO searches your user area for a program named PROFILE.

If INFO finds it, the PROFILE program is immediately executed; as it ends, you see the ENTER COMMAND > prompt to begin your INFO session. You can use

PROFILE programs to begin menu-driven applications.

When you enter the QUIT command, INFO searches your user area for a program named WRAPUP. If INFO finds it, the WRAPUP program is immediately executed; as it ends, your INFO session ends, and you see either the

ENTER USER NAME > prompt or you return to operating system level if you included STOP with the QUIT command. The PROFILE and WRAPUP facilities are useful for doing routine maintenance of the files in your user area at the start and end of your INFO sessions.

INFO programming notes

Format any system variable you use before you reference it.

To reduce system overheads, avoid selecting and relating the same data files more than once in a program.

Cancel data file relationships when you no longer need them. This also reduces system overheads.

If you do not expand the command line for a report or a special form to include where to send the output and other execution options, the report is sent to your screen.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 403

PROGRAM examples

Creating a program:

ENTER COMMAND >PROGRAM P.PAYROLL

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

>SELECT D.PAYROLL

>RESELECT FOR PAY-STATUS = 'E'

>FORMAT $NUM1,12,N,2

>CALCULATE $NUM1 = 0

>PROGRAM SECTION TWO

>IF DEPT LT 9000

> CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + NET

> MOVE '*' TO PAY-STATUS

>ENDIF

><RETURN>

see also

The program after you compile and run it:

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE P.PAYROLL

PROGRAM NAME: P.PAYROLL 10/ 8/96

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 SELECT D.PAYROLL

10002 RESELECT FOR PAY-STATUS = 'E'

10003 FORMAT $NUM1,12,N,2

10004 CALCULATE $NUM1 = 0

20000 PROGRAM SECTION TWO

20001 IF DEPT LT 9000

20002 CALCULATE $NUM1 = $NUM1 + NET

20003 MOVE '*' TO PAY-STATUS

20004 ENDIF

99999 PROGRAM END

CHANGE

EDIT

COMPILE

RUN

DECODE

404 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PROTECT

PROT

ECT [password_0 [password_1 [password_2 syntax cont’d

[password_3]]]]

assigns, modifies, or deletes passwords associated with a protected data file. The PROTECT command operates on the selected data file.

argument notes

password_# is a 1- to 4-character string.

discussion

An unqualified PROTECT command removes all protection from the selected data file. If the data file is protected, you must select it using the control-level password (password-0) before using the PROTECT command in this way.

You cannot specify ' ' (four blank spaces) as a password.

Passwords protect a data file against unauthorized access.

With the PROTECT command, you can assign from one to four passwords to a protected data file. Each password you specify corresponds to a type, or level, of restricted access to the data file. See the 'Item protection levels' section of the DEFINE command for information about data file item protection levels.

Once you assign passwords for the respective protection levels on the data file, you must enter the password for the appropriate level before you can access the data file.

Password-0 gives you owner or control level access, password-1 gives you level 1 and level 4 access, password-2 gives you level 2 and level 4 access, and password-3 gives you level 3 and level 4 access. Level 4 means that there are no restrictions for using that item.

If less than four passwords are defined for a data file,

INFO accepts <RETURN> as the response to the ENTER

PASSWORD> prompt and gives you an access level equal to the lowest level omitted in the PROTECT command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 405

PROTECT

For example, if you issue a PROTECT command that provides only control and level 1 passwords for a data file and then you select the file and respond with a

<RETURN> to the ENTER PASSWORD> prompt, INFO gives you level 2 and level 4 access to the file.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.PAY.MASTER

2070 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >PROTECT DOG BIRD DUCK CAT

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.PAY.MASTER

ENTER PASSWORD><RETURN>

INVALID PASSWORD - TRY AGAIN

ENTER COMMAND >

Not allowed.

The INFO command sequence below removes protection from this same file:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.PAY.MASTER

ENTER PASSWORD>DOG

2070 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >PROTECT

ENTER COMMAND >SEL D.PAY.MASTER

2070 RECORD(S) SELECTED

Owner access.

No longer prompted for password.

see also

PASSWORD

406 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PURGE

PURG

E [

Y]

[

N

]

permanently deletes all currently selected records.

arguments

An unqualified PURGE command permanently deletes all selected records from the selected datafile and selects all the previously unselected records.

Y (INFO-Text only) purges all text files for A-type items.

In an interactive session, PURGE Y suppresses the

DELETE TEXT ITEM FILES ? prompt.

N (INFO-Text only) does not purge text files for A- type items. In an interactive session PURGE N suppresses the

DELETE TEXT ITEM FILES? prompt.

notes

If you use the PURGE command in a program, INFO deletes the selected records without prompting you to verify the request.

When you use the PURGE command interactively, INFO issues the following prompt(s):

DELETE TEXT ITEM FILES? (Y OR N)>

INFO-Text only

THIS COMMAND WILL DELETE SELECTED RECORDS. OK?>

This allows you to check your purge request before INFO executes the purge. Respond as follows:

Y (Yes) to perform the purge.

<RETURN> or any character except 'Y' to return immediately to the ENTER COMMAND> level without executing the purge.

The existing file protections are maintained.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 407

PURGE

ISAM files

When records from a ISAM set are purged, then that set is packed and all other sets, including SET 1 (the NDX file) are deleted. The file relationships are always retained on the current set regardless of the set number.

Where a record(s) is locked by another user on an ISAM file and default record locking is being used, if a user attempts to purge, the message 'RECORD LOCKED DO

YOU WANT TO TRY AGAIN?' appears. If the user responds with 'N' or the record remains locked, then this record(s) will not be removed from the current set.

The variables $SETMIN and $SETMAX, $NOSEL and

$NOREC are set correctly to the number of records remaining in the set following the attempted purge. By checking the value of $NOSEL immediately after a purge, it will be possible to determine whether all records were successfully deleted or not.

To summarize: n

PURGE on SET 1 removes all sets apart from the current one, but leaves the current one compacted.

PURGE on SET > 1 removes all sets apart from the current one and set 1. Set 1 contains zero records and the current set is compacted.

In all cases existing read-write lock settings will be maintained on compacted set files.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.EMP.MASTER

267 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT FOR STATUS = 'T'

13 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >PURGE

THIS COMMAND WILL DELETE SELECTED RECORDS. OK?Y

254 RECORD(S) SELECTED

see also

$PURGE-LOCAL

RESELECT BY

SET

408 Commands INFO Reference Manual

QUIT

Q

UIT [

STOP

]

[user name] [program name]

ends the current user session, after which you can specify another

INFO user name in which to use INFO.

argument

STOP ends the entire INFO session and returns to the operating system level.

user name opens a new user session in the specified

INFO directory.

program name runs the specified program.

notes discussion

An unqualified QUIT command ends processing for the current user name. INFO then prompts for the next user name. Specifying STOP as the next user name will also end the INFO session.

If an INFO program named WRAPUP exists in your user area when you issue a QUIT command, INFO automatically executes the WRAPUP program before the user session ends. See the PROGRAM command for a description of the WRAPUP feature.

When specifying an INFO user name and a program name as arguments, if an INFO configuration file (info.cfg or text.cfg) exists, it will be executed first, followed by the

PROFILE program if it exists in the specified user name.

The QUIT command ends the use of INFO under the current user name. After the QUIT command is processed, you can specify another user name under which you can continue to use INFO.

Alternatively, you can include the STOP option to the

QUIT command to end the INFO session entirely.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 409

QUIT example

ENTER COMMAND >QUIT

Terminates only the current user session.

ENTER USER NAME>LMG

Enter another INFO user name.

or or

ENTER COMMAND >QUIT STOP

Ends the INFO session.

ENTER COMMAND >QUIT ABC

Exits current INFO directory and goes into ABC INFO directory.

ENTER COMMAND >QUIT ABC MENU

Exits current INFO directory and goes into ABC INFO directory and runs program MENU (N.B. If an INFO configuration file (info.cfg or text.cfg) exists, it will be executed first, followed by the PROFILE program if it exists in user ABC.)

NB. If an Info configuration file (info.cfg or text.cfg) exists, it will be executed first, followed by the PROFILE program if it exists in user ABC.

410 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RECA

SE DF_item system_item system_variable

recases the contents of the specified item or variable.

RECASE arguments

DF_item | system_item | system_variable the item or variable name to be recased.

note discussion

When the specified data file item, system item, or system variable includes a word or sequence of letters in which the strings “ MC ” or “ O’ ” are found, the RECASE command leaves the first letter following such strings capitalized to cater for family names of Scottish and Irish origin.

The RECASE command scans the specified charactertype data file item, system item, or system variable for a word or a sequence of letters, containing capital letters. If the string contains one or more capital letters, the first character is left unchanged and the following characters are converted to lowercase.

Any other sequence of characters found in the specified item, system item, or system variable is not changed.

If the item, system item, or system variable is not a character type, INFO displays an error message and does not change the item, system item, or system variable.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 411

RECASE example

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $CHR1,$CHR4

EDISON, THOMAS ALVA MCRABBIT, PETER

ENTER COMMAND >RECASE $CHR1

ENTER COMMAND >RECASE $CHR4

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $CHR1,$CHR4

Edison, Thomas Alva McRabbit, Peter

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $CHR10

HELLO Hello hello hElLo HeLlO

ENTER COMMAND >RECASE $CHR10

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY $CHR10

HELLO Hello hello hello Hello

412 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REDEFINE

RED

EFINE

starts a dialog through which you can redefine items in the selected data file.

notes discussion

You cannot use the REDEFINE command to change characteristics of existing defined items or the overall record length of the data file. See the ALTER command for information about changing item characteristics and the

MODIFY and CWID commands for information about changing the width of existing items.

When you enter multiple redefined item characteristics, the total line length is restricted to 200 characters including commas. If required characteristics remain for which you have not entered a response, INFO prompts for the remaining information.

If you enter a redefined item characteristic in error, INFO displays a message and prompts again for a corrected response.

Redefined items are permanently added to the structure of the data file.

The REDEFINE command allows you, to redefine any portion of the data file record as an item. These portions, or redefined items, can be parts of existing items or can overlap item boundaries. The data found in a redefined item can be part of two different items.

Redefined items can serve as:

An alternate name for a previously defined or redefined item.

An item that is a subset of a previously defined or redefined item.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 413

REDEFINE

An item that combines several contiguous items, previously defined or redefined.

Once you have entered the REDEFINE command, INFO prompts for redefined item definitions. The prompt sequence is the same as that used by the DEFINE command with the following exceptions:

An additional prompt, ITEM STARTING COLUMN, is the first prompt for each item.

The protection level for all redefined items defaults to the control level instead of level 4 as for defined items.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SEL CUSTOMER.PHONE.DATA

0 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS

DATAFILE NAME: CUSTOMER.PHONE.DATA

3 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC ALTERNATE NAME

1 CUSTOMER.NUMBER

6 CUST.NAME

41 CUSTOMER.PHONE

ENTER COMMAND >REDEFINE

ENTER DATAFILE DEFINITION

ITEM STARTING COLUMN>41

ITEM NAME >CUST.AC

ITEM WIDTH >3

ITEM OUTPUT WIDTH >3

ITEM TYPE > C

ITEM STARTING COLUMN>44,CUST.EXCH,3,C

ITEM STARTING COLUMN>47,CUST.LIST,4,C

ITEM STARTING COLUMN><RETURN>

414 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REDEFINE

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS

DATAFILE NAME: CUSTOMER.PHONE.DATA

3 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC ALTERNATE NAME

1 CUSTOMER.NUMBER

6 CUST.NAME

35 35 C

41 CUSTOMER.PHONE

10 10 C

** REDEFINED ITEMS **

5 I -

41 CUST.AC

44 CUST.EXCH

47 CUST.LIST

3 3 C

4 4 C

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO CUSTOMER.NUMBER CUST.NAME CUSTOMER.PHONE

1 23114 JACK SPRAT BEAN COMPANY 3128884455

2 32876 MOTHER GOOSE BOOKS INC. 4013338734

3 87334 SNOW WHITE EMPLOYMENT INC. 3547763412

ENTER COMMAND >DISPLAY CUST.NAME,'(',CUST.AC,')',1X,CUST.EXCH,'-'

,CUST.LIST

JACK SPRAT BEAN COMPANY (312) 888-4455

MOTHER GOOSE BOOKS INC. (401) 333-8734

SNOW WHITE EMPLOYMENT INC. (354) 776-3412

INFO Reference Manual Commands 415

REFORMAT

REFO

RMAT

reformats all internal variables back to their default formats.

discussion

Each internal variable's format is reset to a width of eight, output width of sixteen, data type of floating point (F), and number of decimal places two.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 417

RELATE

REL

ATE DF_name relate_# [BY] DF_item syntax cont’d

[WITH] [

A

PPEND]

[

F

ILL [

O

RDERED]]

[

I

NIT]

[

L

INK]

[

O

RDERED

[

S

EQUENTIAL]

[

T

ABLE]

[

N

UMERIC] [

R

establishes a relationship between the specified data file and the selected data file, or a previously related data file, through a common data file item definition.

arguments

DF_name the name of the INFO data file to be related to the selected file.

[relate_#] if the number (from 1 to 9) of the related file, is not specified, its value defaults to 1.

[BY] is used only for documentation or clarification.

DF_item the name of the INFO data file item that exists in both the selected and the related file.

[WITH] is used only for documentation or clarification.

SEQUENTIAL | SUMMARY | TABLE] options that control how INFO processes the related records.

APPEND writes a new record to the end of the related data file for every selected record. In the new record, the value of the relate item is duplicated; all other fields are filled with the appropriate null value. The new records are generated when you issue an active command after the

RELATE command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 419

RELATE

420

FILL writes a record to the related data file for each selected record that does not have an existing match on the relate item in the related data file. Each new record duplicates the value of the relate item in the selected data file; all other fields are filled with the appropriate null value. If a record with a match on the relate item already exists in the related data file, then INFO is left positioned on this record.

This is the only RELATE option available for adding records to an ISAM file.

N.B. Be careful if using the FILL options on a non-ISAM file: for each selected record, INFO will read each record on the related file until it either finds a match or reaches the end : this can be a very slow procedure on larger files.

FILL ORDERED functions exactly as the FILL option except that it indicates that the related data file is sorted in ascending sequence by the relate item. INFO performs a binary search to determine a no-match condition. Any records created in this relate session are added to the end of the related datafile and searched sequentially. The related datafile must then be sorted on the relate item for

FILL ORDERED to work in future sessions.

INIT purges all records from the related data file immediately and then writes one new record for every time the value of the relate item changes as the selected file is read. For example, if the selected data file has three contiguous records with the same relate item value, INFO writes only one record to the related data file. INFO does not write new records to the related data file until an active command references the selected data file.

LINK uses the value of the relate item to determine the record number of the desired record within the related data file. For example, a relate item value of 4 causes INFO to go to the fourth record in the related data file. Note that for this option, the relate item can be either an item in the selected or previously related data file or a system variable. It must be a B- or I-type item.

ORDERED indicates the related data file is sorted in ascending sequence on the relate item before you issued the RELATE command. Therefore, INFO can perform a

Commands INFO Reference Manual

RELATE

binary search through the related data file for a record that matches the relate item. If more than one record in the related data file matches a particular relate item value,

INFO matches the first record found.

SEQUENTIAL indicates that both the data file being related and the selected or other related data file are sorted in ascending order by the relate item. In processing the next active command, INFO searches the related data file sequentially for a matching record, stopping when it finds either a matching record or the first record with a higher value for the relate item.

SUMMARY functions exactly as the INIT option except that INFO does not purge existing records before writing new records to the related data file.

TABLE indicates that the related data file is an ordered table of values that contains the absolute minimum and maximum values for the relate item. During processing, when INFO does not find an exact match in the related data file for a selected record, it positions the related data file to the record with the next higher value for the relate item and uses that record as a match record.

[NUMERIC] indicates that the relate item is numeric, but not in identical formats. For example, the relate item may be defined as a B-type item (binary) in the related data file and a P-type item (packed) in the selected or previously related data file. In order for the FILL ORDERED,

ORDERED, SEQUENTIAL (UNIX only) and TABLE options to perform properly on B-, F-, or P-type items, you must include the NUMERIC option.

[RO] indicates read-only access to the data file is required. If you do not include the RO option, the access you have to the related data file depends on the value of the system item $AS described in Appendix D 'System items'.

The RO option cannot be used with the APPEND, FILL,

FILL ORDERED, INIT and SUMMARY options because those options cause records to be written to the related data file during processing.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 421

RELATE notes discussion

References to items in related data files should be prefixed with $#, where # is the relate number. For example, $3CUST identifies the item CUST in the third related data file.

The relate number defaults to 1. Items in a data file related this way still must be referred to as $1item.

The combined total record length of the selected and all related data files must not exceed 4,096 bytes.

When using the INIT and SUMMARY options, if the selected data file is not sorted on the relate item, INFO can find the same value for the relate item in noncontiguous records in the selected data file and thus write more than one record per value of the relate item to the related data file.

You cannot relate a data file whose name contains only numeric characters. There must be at least one nonnumeric character in the file name.

The only valid options for use with Isam files are : unqualified RELATE

RELATE WITH FILL

RELATE WITH TABLE

Up to nine data files can be related to a selected data file concurrently, by a common item on either the selected file or on a previously related file; the latter is known as a treerelate. This provides the ability to create complex data structures during processing.

eg. SEL FILE-A

REL FILE-B 1 BY ITEM-X

REL FILE-C 2 BY $1ITEM-Z

422 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RELATE

In this example, ITEM-X is a field common to both FILE-A and FILE-B, while ITEM-Z is a field common to both FILE-

B and FILE-C.

The data file relationship established by the RELATE command exists until you issue either a SELECT, an unqualified RELATE, a RELATE that specifies only the relate_# or a NEWMAP command.

The various options for the RELATE command control how INFO performs the related data file search and whether new records are written to the related data file when the relate item value changes in the selected record.

INFO positions the related data files as needed for data access, rather than when selected data file records are read. INFO repositions only those related files in which items are referenced. In situations in which the selected records must be read, but data from some or all related data files is not needed, the unneeded data files are not accessed. INFO's deferred positioning avoids superfluous positioning and unnecessary updates.

As INFO performs an active command, INFO determines for each selected record whether (and if so, how) to process the related data file, based on the RELATE option specified in the command line, as follows:

If you include the APPEND, FILL, FILL ORDERED, INIT, or SUMMARY option, INFO searches the related data file sequentially (except in the case of FILL ORDERED), in order by its relate number (if there are multiple related data files), looking for a record whose relate item value matches the value of the same item in a previous record

If you include any other option or include no options with the RELATE command, INFO searches the related data file only when you issue a command that specifically references a field in the data file (such as MOVE or

CALCULATE)

The options APPEND, FILL, SUMMARY and INIT force

INFO to add new records to the related data file. This record addition occurs in two steps. In the first step, you set up the condition by executing the RELATE command with its option. In the second step, INFO adds the records.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 423

RELATE

This second step is deferred, that is, it does not occur until you enter an active command.

An active command is one that causes INFO to read the selected data file records. For example, a LIST or

DISPLAY command makes INFO read the records in order to extract the information to be displayed. Similarly, any command referring to a data item, or a command with the same system variable either side of the = sign will read the entire working set of records.

$NM system item

e.g. CALC $NUM1 = $NUM1

When issuing INFO commands, refer to items in related data files by prefixing the item name with $#. For example, $2CUST-NO refers to the item name CUST-NO in the second related data file.

The access to a related data file depends on the current value of the system item $AS (described in Appendix D

'System items') and whether or not you use the RELATE

RO option. If you do not use the RO option and the value of $AS is 1, INFO seeks read/write access to the related data file; if the value of $AS is 7, INFO seeks read-only access to the data file with the same processing limitations described for the RO option. If you include the RO option,

INFO gives you read-only access to the data file, regardless of the value of $AS.

The system item $NM controls whether or not INFO issues an error message when a no-match condition is found while processing a related data file (that is, when no related data file record exists that matches the value of the relate item in the selected record). $NM can be 0, 1, or 2, as follows:

If $NM is set to 0 (the default), INFO displays the following message whenever a no-match condition is detected:

NO MATCH IN RELATED DATAFILE relate_# FOR RECORD rec_# where relate_# identifies the related data file and rec_# is the number of the record in the selected or other related data file just processed.

424 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RELATE

If $NM is set to 1, INFO suppresses the display of these messages entirely.

If $NM is set to 2, INFO displays the following message in addition to the NO MATCH IN RELATED DATAFILE message for a no-match condition:

NO MATCH IN related_file_name FOR relate_item=value where related_file_name is the name of the related file in which the no-match condition is detected, relate_item identifies the item by which the file is related, and value is the value of that item for which no match is found.

A no-match does not stop an INFO command from processing, but those selected records without a related file match will contain a null value.

examples:

The following examples show the results when the various record-creating RELATE options are used.

FILE-A

KEY,4,C

FILE-B

KEY,4,C

DATA,10,C

NUM,4,I

DATA,10,C

NUM4,I

The contents of FILE-A are :

KEY

DATA

Record 1

Record 2

Record 3

Record 4

Record 5

Record 6

Record 7

Record 8

Record 9

Record 10

NUM

FILE-B is empty

INFO Reference Manual Commands 425

RELATE

SELECT FILE-A

RELATE FILE-B BY KEY WITH relate-option

$1DATA = DATA

$1NUM = $1NUM + NUM

SELECT FILE-B

LIST

The resultant contents of FILE-B would be :

relate-option

APPEND

KEY DATA

A Record 1

Record 2

Record 3

Record 4

Record 5

Record 6

Record 7

Record 8

Record 9 9

Record 10 10

NUM

INIT

KEY DATA

A Record 3

Record 5

Record 6

Record 8

Record 9

NUM

Record 10 10

SUMMARY

KEY DATA NUM

A Record 3 6

Record 5

Record 6

Record 8

Record 9

Record 10 10

FILL

KEY DATA NUM

A Record 10 31

Record 9

Record 6

Note that in the above example, the SUMMARY relate option would give identical results to the INIT option.

426 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RELATE

FILE-A

KEY

In the following examples, FILE-B contains 3 records before it is related :

FILE-B

DATA NUM

Record 1 1

Record 2 2

Record 3 3

Record 4 4

Record 5 5

Record 6 6

Record 7 7

Record 8 8

Record 9 9

Record 10 10

KEY DATA NUM

A XXX 1

ZZZ

QQQ

SELECT FILE-A

RELATE FILE-B BY KEY WITH relate-option

$1DATA = DATA

SELECT FILE-B

LIST

The resultant contents of FILE-B would be : relate-option

APPEND INIT SUMMARY FILL

KEY DATA NUM KEY DATANUM KEY DATA NUM KEY DATA NUM

XXX

ZZZ

QQQ

Record 1

Record 2

Record 3

Record 4

Record 5

Record 6

Record 7

Record 8

Record 9

Record 10 10

1 A

2 B

3 C

1 A

2 B

3 A

Record 3 6

Record 5 9

Record 6 6

Record 8 15

Record 9 9

Record 10 10

XXX

ZZZ

QQQ

Record 3

Record 5

Record 6

Record 8 15

Record 9 9

Record 10 10

1 A

2 C

3 D

6 B

Record 10 32

Record 6 8

QQQ

Record 9

INFO Reference Manual Commands 427

RELATE see also

FILES

FILL

FIRST

MODE SET EXACT

XREL

$CHECK-NOMATCH

$FORCE-WRITE

$ISAM-AS-DAM

$NM

428 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REMARK

REM

ARK [text]

allows you to provide comments within an interactive session, program or input form.

note alternatives example

You can include any number of remarks within a program.

In an interactive session, you can use the REMARK command to make comments that appear in the INFO session log. See the COMOUTPUT command for information about creating a log file to record terminal prompts and responses during an INFO session.

Blank lines and lines beginning with /* or // can be used as alternatives to the REMARK statement.

Here is an example of the REMARK command used at the beginning of an INFO program named P.UPDATE.CUST

to describe what the program does when it is executed:

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE P.UPDATE.CUST

10000 PROG SECTION ONE

10001 REM *-----------------------------------------*

10002 REM * *

10003 REM * P.UPDATE.CUST: This program selects *

10004 REM * the master control datafile and *

10005 REM * relates to it the customer datafile. *

10006 REM * It updates 3 items in the master *

10007 REM * datafile with values from the *

10008 REM * related datafile if the corresponding *

10008 REM * item values are not equal. *

10009 REM * *

10010 REM *-----------------------------------------*

10011 REM

10012 SEL MASTER.DATA

99999 PROGRAM END

INFO Reference Manual Commands 429

REN

AME internal_name [identifier]]

changes the name of an entry in the INFO directory.

RENAME arguments

internal_ name is the first six characters of the internal file name of any INFO file. You may also give all nine characters.

identifier is the new name of the INFO entry.

notes example

When you enter an unqualified RENAME command, INFO prompts you for the INFO internal file name of the file you wish to rename and for a new file name.

You can enter the internal_name and INFO will prompt for the new name, or you can specify both the internal_name and the new file name on the RENAME command line.

All programs that reference the entry which has had its name changed will need to be recompiled.

Here is an example of the use of an unqualified RENAME command:

ENTER COMMAND >DIRECTORY

TYPE NAME INTERNAL NAME NO. RECS LENGTH EXTERNL

DF CUST.PHONE.DATA PKS003DAT 3 50

DF TRANS.MASTER PKS004DAT 3 72

DF CUSTOMER.DATA PKS005DAT 5 146

ENTER COMMAND >RENAME

ENTER INTERNAL NAME>PKS005

CUSTOMER.DATA

ENTER NEW DIRECTORY NAME >CUSTOMER.INFO

ENTER COMMAND >DIRECTORY

TYPE NAME INTERNAL NAME NO. RECS LENGTH EXTERNL

DF CUST.PHONE.DATA PKS003DAT 3 50

DF TRANS.MASTER PKS004DAT 3 72

DF CUSTOMER.INFO PKS005DAT 5 146

INFO Reference Manual Commands 431

REPLACE

REPL F

IRST item-1 [

I

N] item-2 [

B

Y item-3] [

T

O item-4]

A

L

EADING

replaces occurrences of one substring with another or with null.

arguments

FIRST replace the first occurrence of item-1 in item-2.

ALL replace all occurrences of item-1 in item-2.

LEADING replace item-1 if it starts in the first character positions of item-2.

item-1 a system variable or literal string containing the substring to be replaced.

item-2 a datafile item or system variable to be modified..

item-3 a system variable or literal containing the replacement substring. Null if omitted. Maximum of 50 characters.

item-4 a datafile item or system variable to be modified.

If omitted, item-2 is modified. Maximum of 1000 characters.

notes discussion

Item-1 and Item-3 may be one or more characters (they do not need to be the same length). Result will be truncated or space filled at right if necessary.

Only character literals allowed.

In effect REPLACE is MOVE with replacement, and therefore mimics MOVE interactively and in odd/even program sections.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 433

REPORT

REP

ORT [RP_name [

L

ONG]]

REP

ORT RP_name [

Y

N

[

/W

]]

[lines-per-page [,spacing]

,G

]

Syntax cont’d

BREAK

[line-count] [

PAGE

]]

EJECT

[brk-level [,...]

ALL

GRAND

]

SUMM

ARY [brk-level] ]

Syntax cont’d

SUPP

RESS [

B

REAK [brk-level]

ALL

GRAND

]

[

B

REAK [brk-level]] [...]

initiates a report definition dialog or runs an existing report. An unqualified REPORT command initiates a report definition dialog, but does not save the report in your INFO directory at the end of the definition session. You can, however, execute the report immediately after definition.

arguments

[LONG] prompts you during the report definition dialog for the number of title lines, column header lines and maximum report width for the report.

[Y] sends the report output to your spool file. This is the same as responding Y to the OUTPUT TO PRINTER (Y

OR N)?> prompt at the end of the report definition dialog.

[N / W] displays the report output at your terminal.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 435

REPORT

N this is the same as responding N to the OUTPUT TO

PRINTER (Y OR N)?> prompt at the end of the report definition dialog.

/W causes the display of your report to pause the first time your terminal screen is full. This is used only with the

N option. When you use the /W option, INFO gives you a

MORE? prompt at the bottom of your screen. There are three possible responses:

<RETURN> to display the next screen of the report. The display stops when the screen is full and INFO prompts you with MORE? again.

Y to display the rest of the report with no pauses.

N to find the report with no further display and return you to the ENTER COMMAND> level.

[lines_per_page] specifies the number of lines to be displayed or printed per page. The default value is 23 if you display the report at your terminal and 57 if you print the report. Take into consideration that INFO uses four of these lines: one for the date/page number line, one for a blank line before the title, one for a header line and one for the first report line.

[spacing] indicates the line spacing in the report. You can specify spacing as 1 or 2, where 1 requests single-spacing

(the default) and 2 requests double-spacing.

[G] suppresses the listing of grand totals when totaling is in effect (see the T option). You can also use the

SUPPRESS GRAND command line argument when executing the REPORT.

[BREAK line_count] forces break processing at the lowest break level defined for the report after printing the number of detail lines specified by line_count.

[BREAK PAGE] forces break processing at the lowest break level defined for the report at each page break in the report.

436 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REPORT

[BREAK line_count PAGE] forces break processing at the lowest break level after printing the number of lines specified by line_count and at the next higher break level at each page break in the report.

[EJECT brk_level] performs a page eject both before and after printing summation lines such as averages, totals, and counts at the specified break level(s).

[EJECT ALL] performs a page eject at all breaks in the report.

[EJECT GRAND] performs a page eject before printing grand summation lines.

[SUMMARY brk_level] prints a summary report suppressing all detail lines and printing only those summation lines that are generated at the specified break level. If you do not include the break_level specification,

INFO summarizes the report at the highest defined break level. If you specify a break level that is not the highest level defined for the report, INFO suppresses any higher break levels.

For example, if you specify SUMMARY 3 for a report defined with 5 break levels, INFO suppresses processing of break levels 4 and 5. If the report contains a report item defined with the SUMMARY option, INFO processes the

SUMMARY request associated with the highest break level for the report.

[SUPPRESS [BREAK] brk_level] suppresses the printing of summations such as averages, totals and counts at the specified break level(s).

[SUPPRESS ALL] suppresses the printing of summation lines at all breaks in the report.

[SUPPRESS GRAND] suppresses the printing of grand summation lines.

If you specify both the SUPPRESS and EJECT options for the same break level, INFO performs a page eject each time it processes the break, but does not print any summation lines.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 437

REPORT notes

An unqualified REPORT command initiates a report definition dialog, but does not save the report in your INFO directory at the end of the definition session. You can, however, execute the report immediately after definition.

Before beginning a REPORT definition or executing an existing report, be sure to take the following steps:

)

) F o r r m a t t t t h e s y s t t e m v a r r i i a b l l e s $ C H R # ,

$ D A T # a n d $ N U M

# t t o c o r r r r e s p o n d t t o t h e i r r u s e i i n t t h e r r e p o r r t t .

S e e t t h e F O R M A T c o m m a n d d i i s c u s s i i o n f f o r r i i n s t t r r u c t t i i o n s t t o d o t t h i i s .

)

) S e l l e c t t a n d r r e l l a t t e a l l l l d a t t a f f i i l l e s i i n t t h e o r r d e r r n e e d e d t t o e x e c u t t e t t h e r r e p o r r t t .

You can avoid prompts completely when executing an existing report by specifying in the command line: Y or N for the OUTPUT TO PRINTER> prompts, the number of report lines displayed (or printed) per page and at least one comma.

ENTER COMMAND >REPORT MY-REPT N/W 22 ,

discussion

If you produce a report as part of a program and do not expand the command line with responses to the OUTPUT

TO PRINTER (Y OR N) >, LINES PER PAGE> and

REPORT OPTIONS> prompts, the report is sent to your screen, 23 lines per page, with no report options.

A report contains formatted information from selected and related records and can specify totals, averages, control breaks for subtotals, calculations and text fields. It can include column headers, page numbering and titles as well as the detailed information. When you define or execute a report, you can route the report to your spool file for printing or to your terminal for display.

438 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Defining a new report

REPORT

When you specify REPORT with a new report name, or without a name if the report is not to be saved, INFO initiates a dialog that prompts you for a description of the report's page layout. Specifically, this description includes information about what data appears on the report page, where that data appears, and what, if any, page titles, column headers and special options INFO provides for the report.

To initiate a report definition dialog, enter the command

REPORT with the name of the new report. If you include the LONG option, INFO first issues a series of prompts for the number of title lines, number of header lines and maximum report width, allowing you to go beyond the default values for these specifications, and then prompts you for individual report items. If you do not include the

LONG option, INFO immediately prompts you for individual report items and uses the default values for the title lines, header lines and report width specifications.

The prompts for the LONG option are:

NUMBER OF TITLE LINES. In response to this prompt, enter the number of title lines (0—5) you want in the report. Enter <RETURN> to direct INFO to use the default value of 1.

NUMBER OF HEADER LINES. Enter the number of header lines for the report (0—5). Enter <RETURN> to direct INFO to use the default value of 2.

MAXIMUM REPORT WIDTH. Enter a number for the report width (16—200). Note that any specification greater than 132 is valid only if your printer can accommodate that many print positions and if $PRINTER-SIZE is set accordingly. See Appendix D, System items for information about the system item $PRINTER-SIZE.

Respond with <RETURN> to use the default value of 132.

For each report item, INFO prompts as follows: column_number ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> where column_number identifies the next available column position. The first column starts at 2.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 439

REPORT

INFO determines column position by adding the widths of each column defined. For example, if your first report item is 10 characters long, the next available column position is 12 (2 + 10 = 12). INFO determines the report item length for a data file item by adding 1 to the defined output width for that item. The report item length of a string is the actual length of the string.

In response to the ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> prompt, enter one of the following:

Data file item name.

System item name.

String (limited by the 200-character maximum command length).

Arithmetic expression.

#X, where # is the number (1—200) of spaces to insert before the next report item. INFO includes this number in its column position calculations.

#T, where # is the number (1—200) of the column at which to position the next report item. INFO includes this number in its column position calculations.

=, to end the current report line and start a new line in column 2. To generate multiple blank lines, respond to successive ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> prompts with =, one for each blank line.

If you enter a data file item name, a string, or an arithmetic expression for a report item, you can specify options to generate special report features, such as breaks, totals, averages, summary reporting and print suppression. You can include these option specifications at the end of the content line or you can wait for INFO to prompt you for the options. If you include options with the content, INFO accepts the options and gives you the next report prompt. If you do not include options with the content, INFO prompts you with:

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS>

440 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REPORT

See Table REPORT-1 for a description of the report options you can specify here or after the content specification. Note that the A, B, N, P, R, and T options are mutually exclusive; you can specify only one for an individual report item. Also, you cannot specify the TEXT option for a report item defined with an A, T, or N option.

In any one report, you can determine the maximum number of report items that can have an A, N, R, or T option by using the following calculation:

maximum_number_of_items =

64/(number_of_break_levels + 1)

For example, if you specify two B-type breaks and one Ptype break in a report, the maximum number of items that can have an A, N, R, or T option is 64/(3 + 1), or 16.

To suppress the ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> prompt altogether, end the column content specification with a comma.

If you are defining the first line of the report, that is, you have not used the equal sign (=) to request a new report line, INFO follows the ENTER REPORT OPTIONS> prompt with the following request for column heading information:

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS>

Respond with the literal text you wish to appear over the current column. The text is right justified unless the report item is a string or C-type data file item, in which case,

INFO truncates the text, if necessary, to fit the column width. Note that the total number of characters specified for all column headings must not exceed the maximum command width for your operating system. Respond with a <RETURN> to the first ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> prompt to suppress headings for this column.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 441

REPORT

To use the content specification itself as a column heading, respond to the heading prompt with a plus sign

(+). To specify a fill-character for a column heading, respond to the prompt with an equal sign (=) followed immediately by the character to be used for the length of the field. For example, if you enter =$, a line of dollar signs prints for the width of the column.

If you include the LONG option with the REPORT command, INFO prompts you for as many heading lines as you specify in the initial report prompts. If you do not include the LONG option, INFO prompts you for two heading lines. You can specify multiple column headings in the same response by separating each heading with a comma. To suppress additional column heading prompts, end the current column heading definition with a comma.

Enter <RETURN> at any succeeding prompt to end the column heading definition for the current report item.

To end the definition dialog, respond with a <RETURN> after any ENTER COLUMN CONTENT> prompt. If you respond with a <RETURN> after the first ENTER

COLUMN CONTENT> prompt, INFO returns you to command-level processing and does not save the report.

When you end the column definition dialog, INFO prompts you with:

ENTER REPORT TITLE>

In response, enter the title of the report, using any combination of DISPLAY specifications : data file item name, system item name, system variable name, string,

#X (space count) and #T (tab column). The use of these display specifications allows you to generate titles comprising items, variables, and strings with spacing and tabbing capability.

INFO centers each title line over the longest report line defined. You can override the automatic centering by beginning the title definition with a tabbing or spacing specification that does not begin in column 2.

442 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Single-detail sub-totals

Page break

REPORT

For example, 40T,'SALES REPORT' forces the title to begin in column 40.

If you include the LONG option with the REPORT command, INFO prompts you for as many title lines as you specify in the initial dialog. If you do not include the

LONG option, INFO prompts you for one title line.

After you define the title, INFO prompts you with:

DO YOU WISH TO EXECUTE THIS FORM (Y OR N)>

Enter Y (yes) or <RETURN> to begin executing the report.

Respond with N (no) to return to command-level processing.

REPORT by default generates a sub-total break even if there is only one value at that break level. To suppress the sub-total in these cases, set the variable $SINGLE-

DETAIL = 1

NB. To emulate pre - 9.6 processing, where the values of

$SINGLE-DETAIL were reversed, set the variable

$SWITCH-DEFAULT = 1

Where the last detail line of a page or screen would naturally be the last line before a control break, the line is not printed but is carried forward to the next page.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 443

REPORT

Table REPORT-1 Report options

Option

B[#]

(Break)

P[#]

(Page Break)

(Average)

(Total)

Description

Applies to item content only. Produces a line break each time the item value changes. At each break,

INFO produces a summation line of averages, totals, counts, and text for all items reported using the A, N, R, T and TEXT options. INFO assigns break levels, that is, assigns the order in which breaks are processed, in the order the breaks are defined. You can assign break priorities by including a value for

to assign a specific break level to the item. You can specify a maximum of 5 breaks per report. The 5 breaks can be all B-type breaks, all P-type breaks, or a combination of B- and P-type breaks. You cannot use both B and P on one item.

Applies to item content only. Generates a page break each time the item value changes. At each page break,

INFO produces a summation line of averages, totals, counts, and text for items reported using the A, N, R, T and TEXT options. Specify

as the optional break level for the item, as discussed for the B option. You can specify a maximum of five breaks per report.

The five breaks can be all B-type breaks, all P-type breaks, or a combination of B- and P-type breaks.

You cannot use both B and P on one item.

Applies to numeric items only. Averages the item at each B- or P-type break and prints the sub average in the item column on the break summation line before processing the break. The final average is printed at the end of the report unless otherwise suppressed.

Applies to numeric items only. Totals the item at each

B- or P-type break and prints the subtotal item column on in the break summation line before processing the break. The grand total is displayed at the end of the report unless otherwise suppressed.

444 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REPORT

Table REPORT-1 Report options (cont’d)

Option Description

R[#]

(Running Total)

[,start_value]

(Number)

(Clear)

(Suppress) width,decimals

Applies to numeric items only. Maintains a running total for the report item. The total is reset after every # B- or

P-type breaks.

For example, if there are three breaks defined for the report and you specify R2, the running total is printed on the break summation line and reset each time the second break item value changes. Enter start_value as a value, item, or arithmetic expression whose value is used to initialize the running total each time it is reset. If

is not specified, the running total is never reset.

Maintains a count of the items processed and prints the total number, right-justified in the item column on the break summation line, at each B- or P-type break.

Displays the column contents only at a B- or P- type break or at the beginning of a page. Should not be used with the totaling options A, N, R, or T.

Suppresses column display. Use this option for items that you do not want displayed with the detailed report, but that you want to use as break items This option causes INFO.

to bypass the ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS> prompt for the corresponding item.

Overrides the default output width and decimal positions for an item. The defaults for literal and arithmetic expression content are 12 positions with 2 decimal positions. You cannot override decimal positions for 0and T-type items. Specify this option with the following syntax: width,[decimals] width and decimals specify the output width and number of positions for the report item. For date items, you must include a display width, followed by a D specification.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 445

REPORT

Table REPORT-1

Option

TEXT

Report options (cont’d)

Description

Otherwise INFO displays the result as the number of days since 1/1/1801. For example, specify

$TODAY,8,D

to display today's date in 8-position date format (the century is omitted).

Prints specified text in the column on the summation line for the associated B- or P-type break. Specify this option with the following syntax:

,TEXT <brk_level_1[, ...] | ALL | GRAND> <content> [; TEXT ...] brk_level

ALL

GRAND displays the text at the specified break level(s).

displays the text at all report breaks.

displays the text for grand summations only.

Content is any combination of items and strings. Use the

DISPLAY/PRINT command syntax to specify content.

None of the asterisk options operate as part of a TEXT option.

If you do not include a break_level specification, INFO defaults to the break level of the item being defined. If that item does not have a break level assigned to it and you do not include a break level with the TEXT option, no text appears.

You can include multiple TEXT specifications for the same column by separating each with a semicolon (;). However, you cannot specify the same break level to multiple TEXT options for the same column. If you specify a content that is wider than the column width, it can be overlaid by the contents of a subsequent column's summation line when

INFO produces the report.

446 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Executing an existing report

REPORT

You can execute a report immediately following its definition or at any other time by entering the REPORT command with the name of an existing report and any appropriate run-time options.

If you do not include the Y or N options when you issue the

REPORT command, INFO prompts you with:

OUTPUT TO PRINTER (Y OR N?>

Respond to this prompt as follows:

<RETURN> to display the entire report output at your terminal without pause.

Q (quit) to abort report execution and return to the

ENTER COMMAND> level.

Y (yes) to write the report output to your spool file. You can include the G option (i.e., Y,G) if you want to suppress the listing of grand totals when totalling is in effect (see the

T option).

N (no) to display the report output at your terminal. You can include the G option (i.e., N,G) if you want to suppress the listing of grand totals when totaling is in effect (see the

T option). You can also include the /W option (i.e., N/W or

N/W,G) to cause the display of the report to pause the first time your terminal screen is full. When the screen is full,

INFO gives you a MORE? prompt at the bottom of your screen.

If you respond Y, N, or <RETURN>, INFO prompts you with:

LINES PER PAGE?>

Respond using the following format: lines_per_page[,spacing]

INFO Reference Manual Commands 447

REPORT example

Enter the number of lines INFO is to include before issuing a page break for printed reports or to display at your terminal before prompting MORE?.

Spacing is an integer 1 or 2 referring to single- or doublespacing. The default value is 1 for single-spacing.

INFO displays the REPORT OPTIONS> prompt. You can enter any combination of the execution options BREAK,

EJECT, SUMMARY, and SUPPRESS. See the syntax description for information about these options.

If displaying the report on your screen, respond to the

MORE? prompt by entering Y (yes) to display the rest of the report without pause; N (no) to end the display and return you to command level; or <RETURN> to request

INFO to display the next screen of the report and repeat the MORE? prompt.

The following example demonstrates the defining of a report that uses the averaging and totaling features. You must select the data file that contains the data file items which are referenced in the report before you define the report.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.SHIPPING.LIST

10 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS

DATAFILE NAME: D.SHIPPING.LIST 12/ 1/96

5 ITEMS: STARTING IN POSITION 1

COL ITEM NAME WDTH OPUT TYP N.DEC ALTERNATE NAME

1 PART-NO 10 10 C -

11 DATE 8 10 D -

19 SUPPLIER 10 10 C -

29 COST 8 8 N 2

37 QTY 9 9 I -

448 Commands INFO Reference Manual

REPORT

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO PART-NO DATE SUPPLIER COST QTY

1 A101 5/ 3/1996 ACME 4.25 50

2 A101 5/ 4/1996 ACME 4.25 25

3 A101 5/ 1/1996 ACME 4.50 100

4 A101 5/ 5/1996 ACME 4.50 10

5 A101 5/ 9/1996 ACME 4.75 10

6 A101 5/ 4/1996 JONES & CO 4.75 100

7 A101 5/ 6/1996 JONES & CO 450.00 100

8 A101 5/18/1996 SMITH INC 3.99 50

9 B0200 5/24/1996 ACE TOOL 1028.72 15

10 B0200 5/10/1996 ACME 1094.82 73

ENTER COMMAND >REPORT R.SHIP.LIST

2 ENTER COLUMN CONTENTS>PART-NO

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS>B

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS>PART,NUMBER

12 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT>' RECEIVED'

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS>TEXT ALL 'SHPS RCVD'; TEXT GRAND ' TOT SHPS'

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS><RETURN>

67 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT>COST

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS>A,8,2

ENTER COLUMN HEADINGS>AVERAGE,COST

76 ENTER COLUMN CONTENT><RETURN>

ENTER REPORT TITLE>'AVERAGE PRICE REPORT'

DO YOU WISH TO EXECUTE THIS FORM ( Y OR N ) >Y

OUTPUT TO PRINTER (Y OR N)?>N

LINES PER PAGE?>24

ENTER REPORT OPTIONS><RETURN>

INFO Reference Manual Commands 449

REPORT

AVERAGE PRICE REPORT

PART DATE SUPPLIER PURCHASE VALUE AVERAGE

NUMBER RECEIVED NAME PRICE ON HAND COST

A101 REC’D 5/ 3/1996 ACME 4.25 212.50 4.25

A101 REC’D 5/ 4/1996 ACME 4.25 106.25 4.25

------------ AAAAAAAA

SHPS RCVD 2 4.25 318.75 4.25

B0200 REC’D 5/24/1996 ACE TOOL 1028.72 15,430.80 1028.72

B0200 REC’D 5/10/1996 ACME 1094.82 79,921.86 1094.82

------------ AAAAAAAA

SHPS RCVD 2 95,352.66 1061.77

============ AAAAAAAA

TOT SHPS 10 141,888.41 260.45

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE R.SHIP.LIST

FORM NAME: R.SHIP.LIST 12/ 1/1996

PART-NO,B,

PART,NUMBER,

' RECEIVED',TEXT ALL 'SHPS RCVD'; TEXT GRAND ' TOT SHPS',

3X,DATE,N,

DATE,RECEIVED,

SUPPLIER,B,

SUPPLIER,NAME,

COST,B,

PURCHASE,PRICE,

COST * QTY,T,

VALUE,ON HAND,

COST,A,8,2,

AVERAGE,COST,

'AVERAGE PRICE REPORT

see also

$REPDAT

450 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RESELECT

RES

ELECT FOR logical_expression [...]

BY

RES

ELECT

BY

RES

ELECT

BY

key_logical_expression [...] word_expression [...]

narrows the current working set of records.

arguments

An unqualified RESELECT command reduces the working set to zero records.

FOR directs INFO to search the current working set. FOR is used only for documentation or ease of understanding.

BY on non-ISAM files, directs INFO to process the

RESELECT command by performing a binary search on the current working set. The file must be sorted in ascending order on the item specified in the logical expression.

BY on ISAM files, directs INFO to produce a SET of records based on the logical expression, the first of which must refer to a key item and cannot be an inequality.

logical_expression the statement that INFO evaluates before narrowing the current working set. See Building

Expressions in the introduction

word_expression (INFO-Text only) See Building

Expressions in the introduction.

notes

Up to 8 logical or word expressions may be combined using Boolean operators.

INFO is unable to process a RESELECT BY command on an Isam file where a logical-expression-2 contains the keyfield used in a logical-expression-1, and logicalexpression-2 contains an inequality operator, for example:-

ENTER COMMAND> RESEL BY KEY1 GT 100 AND KEY1 NE 999

ERROR ON ISAM KEY CONDITIONS(S) SPECIFICATION -

UNABLE TO PROCESS THIS RANGE

INFO Reference Manual Commands 451

RESELECT discussion

RESELECT BY command on an Isam file cancels the effect of a LIMIT command.

The RESELECT command narrows the working set of records to match the criteria found in the specified logical or word expression. Records that meet the criteria of the expression remain selected. INFO removes other records from the working set. Unselected records are not changed and not processed, and remain unselected until an

ASELECT, NSELECT or SELECT command is performed on that datafile. If you do not specify any criteria, INFO removes all records from your current working set.

The reselect criteria take on the form of one or more logical or word expressions that are combined using logical connectors (AND, OR and XOR). The form of logical and word expressions is described in the Building

Expressions chapter in the introduction.

When the selected records are sorted in ascending sequence (non-ISAM files only) you can use the BY option to direct INFO to perform a binary search of the selected records, using the sort item as the one and only logical expression. This results in more efficient processing.

RESELECT BY command for ISAM files:

INFO searches the entire ISAM file, not just the previously selected records and creates a SET of records.

Subsequent RESELECT BY commands will create further

SETs.

The syntax for multiple logical expressions is the same as that used by the LIMIT command.

The RESELECT BY command will ignore any set of records established by a previous LIMIT command. (See the LIMIT command discussion for information about search criteria for an ISAM file and the SET command discussion for more information about using RESELECT with ISAM files).

452 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RESELECT examples

ENTER COMMAND >SEL NON-ISAM-FILE

300 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT FOR NAME = ‘SMITH’

17 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RES FOR DEPT = ‘SALES’

3 RECORD (S) SELECTED

the following gives the same result

ENTER COMMAND >ASEL

300 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RES FOR NAME =‘SMITH’ AND DEPT = SALES’

3 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >SEL NON-ISAM-FILE

300 RECORD (S) SELECTED

this will give correct results only if the file is in ascending order on NAME

ENTER COMMAND >RES BY NAME = ‘JONES’

2 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >SEL ISAM-FILE DYNAMIC

0 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RES BY KEY GT 1000 AND VALUE = 99

SET 2

5 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RES BY KEY GT 100 AND KEY LT 2000

SET 3

45 RECORD (S) SELECTED

INFO Reference Manual Commands 453

RESELECT INFO-Text

Using RESELECT with Word Expressions

You can use word expressions in a RESELECT command only when the selected datafile is extended.

The RESELECT BY word_expression syntax is available only with ISAM files. In this case, a new set is created based on the concordance, and not the current working set. This is very similar to RESEL BY key_logical_expression in respect to ignoring the current working set. RESEL word_expression will operate on the current working set and reduce it to the records matching or containing the word_expression. The word_expression can include values in C-type items and in

ASCII documents referenced in A-type items. The data file must have been concorded first using CONCORD.

When the RESELECT command specifies one or more word expressions, the expressions are also considered context

expressions for subsequent commands (CONTEXT and

DISPLAY, LIST and PRINT using the CONTEXT option) that depend on a previous search term. When you use one of these commands, the individual words found that match the word expression are highlighted when displayed at your terminal.

special

The RESELECT command requires that the first operand

considerations of a logical expression must be a datafile item. If you include the BY option, the operator must be EQ, GE, LE, LT or BW.

You can include only one logical expression in a RESELECT

BY command, except when the selected datafile is associated with a ISAM file (see the chapter ISAM considerations), and your datafile must be sorted in ascending order on the item specified in the logical expression.

You can include up to ten simple logical expressions in a complex logical expression with RESELECT.

You can include as many simple word expressions as fit the

200 byte command buffer when using complex word expressions with a RESELECT command.

If you want to search the text files in the selected extended datafile for occurrences of the words BY, FOR, or other

INFO-Text reserved words, surround the specified word with single quotes in the RESELECT word expression.

454 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text RESELECT

In the following example, the RESELECT command searches the working set sequentially and removes each record from the set that does not have either a value for the item ED.YRS that is less than or equal to 4 or a value for the item PAY-RATE that is greater than 17:

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMPLOYEE.MASTER

250 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RES FOR ED.YRS LE 4 OR PAY RATE-RATE GT 17

75 RECORDS(S)

In the following example, RESELECT is used with a complex word expression to find records containing both

RESEARCH and a form of ANALYSIS in their concorded items. The variations of analysis are provided by the wildcard character ! at the end of ANALY!.

There are more instances of the terms than there are reselected records. This is because terms can be duplicated in a record, such as two occurrences of research in a given record.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT EMPLOYEE.MASTER

250 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >RESELECT RESEARCH AND ANALY!

RES RESEARCH AND ( ANALYSE ANALYSES ANALYSIS ANALYZED )

27 RECORD(S) SELECTED

OCCURRENCES TERM

2 ANALYSE

17 ANALYSES

13 ANALYSIS

19 ANALYZED

39 RESEARCH

Word

Expressions

Word expressions specify character strings that are searched for in the concordable items of the selected

(INFO-Text only)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 455

RESELECT INFO-Text

Word expressions must conform to the following syntax: word string

[W [.]#-of-words word [@DF-item-1[,DF-item-2[...]]]]

[words-before,words-after string

*synonym-list [SENTENCE synonym-member* [PARAGRAPH match-word

*synonym-list synonym-member* match-word

word can include any characters except blanks, the current DELIMITER character, punctuation characters, and the special characters \ (backslash) and % (percent sign).

string represents any string literal enclosed in single quotes.

synonym-list represents the name of a synonym list.

synonym-member represents the name of a member of a synonym list.

match-word represents a combination of characters valid for a word and including the special characters

\(backslash) or % (percent sign). The backslash, also called the truncation character, indicates any prefix, suffix, or infix string in a word, as illustrated in the following

examples

ALPHA\

\ALPHA

\ALPHA\

Matches all words that begin with the string 'ALPHA'.

Matches all words that end with the string

'ALPHA'.

Matches all words that contain the string 'ALPHA'.

ALP\\A Matches all words that begin with the string 'ALP' and end with the string 'A'.

The percent sign represents a character position in a word which can take any value, as illustrated below:

%%A

A%%%%

Matches any 3-character word that ends with the character 'A'.

Matches any 5-character word that begins with the character 'A'.

456 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text RESELECT

You can combine the backslash and percent sign in the same match word.

A list of alternate prefix, suffix, or infix strings enclosed in square brackets ([ and ]) can also represent the literal string or character portion of a match word. For example

[A,B,D]!

Matches any word that begins with the characters 'A', 'B', or 'D'.

[A,B]%%%% Matches any 5-character word that begins with the characters 'A' or 'B'.

W means "within" and is required for word expressions that have a textual context for the specified word term.

#-of-words directs INFO to search for a word that matches the word term preceding WITHIN and appears within the specified number of words of the word-term that follows.

For example, 'APPLES W .2 PEARS' tells INFO to find occurrences of the word 'APPLES' that occur exactly 2 words away from the word 'PEARS'.

SENTENCE directs INFO to search for a word that matches the preceding word term and that appears in the same sentence as the word term that follows. For example, 'APPLES W S PEARS' requests INFO to find occurrences of the word 'APPLES' that appear in the same sentence as the word 'PEARS'.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 457

RESELECT connectors in word expressions see also

INFO-Text

PARAGRAPH directs INFO to search for occurrences of a word that match the preceding word term and that appear within the same paragraph as the word term that follows.

For example, 'APPLES W P PEARS' tells INFO to find occurrences of the word 'APPLES' that appear in the same paragraph as the word 'PEARS'.

INFO command buffer. If you do not include the @ option, INFO searches all concordable items in the selected extended data file for occurrences of text that match the specified word term.

You can form compound word expressions by using the INFO logical connector keywords AND, OR, and

XOR (described above in the Logical Expressions section). You can use these words in word expressions only if you specify them as surrounded by single quotes and if they are not found in the applicable extended datafile's stopword file.

ASELECT

CCHR

DSEL

LIMIT

NSELECT

POSTINGS

SET

XRES

Introduction, Building Expressions

458 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RGET

RGET

relation-number file_path [

R

GETs an operating system file temporarily into a related data file.

arguments

relation_number related file number 1 - 9

file_path the name of the operating system file to be gotten. Can include external variable names enclosed in

‘%’ characters.

RO opens copy file in read only mode

The COPY parameter is not permitted on RGET.

restriction error message

ILLEGAL RELATIONSHIP NUMBER

INFO Reference Manual Commands 459

RUN

RUN

PG_name [

LI

ST] [

LIN

[

PR

INT]

executes the named INFO program.

arguments notes

PG_name the INFO program.

LIST displays each program statement as it is processed by the RUN command.

PRINT sends the program listing to the spool file. If INFO must compile the program, all messages related to the compile are also directed to the spool file. Messages related to a specific statement precede that statement directly; other messages fall at the beginning and ending of the compile display or listing. Refer to the COMPILE command for more information about messages displayed by the compiler.

LINK is valid only when you issue the RUN command in an odd-numbered program section. It instructs INFO to run the named program and then return control to the statement that follows the RUN...LINK command. You can nest up to 50 programs using RUN...LINK statements.

That is, a program can issue a RUN...LINK to another program that issues a RUN...LINK, up to 50 times. If a called program has not been compiled, INFO issues an error message and terminates processing.

$LISTON When a program is run LIST/PRINT, the list/print option is not switched off when another RUN or

RUN LINK or IPF statement is encountered, but only when dropping out to ENTER COMMAND level. It has to be explicitly turned off by setting the systems item $LISTON

= 0.

Without the LINK option, INFO automatically compiles a called program if it has not been compiled.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 461

RUN discussion examples

If an END statement, or a RUN command without the

LINK option, is encountered in a program called by the

RUN...LINK command, INFO cancels the LINK request to return control to the calling program and continues to process as though the LINK was never issued.

If you have never compiled or run the program, or you have changed or decoded it since its last compilation or execution, INFO compiles the program before running it.

(See the COMPILE command for information about the compilation process.)

When a RUN statement is encountered in a program during execution, INFO terminates processing of the current program and begins processing the program named on the RUN statement. If the called program is not compiled, INFO compiles it before execution, unless the called program is run with the LINK option, in which case

INFO will issue an error message and return to ENTER

COMMAND>.

When a called program ends, INFO does not return control to the calling program automatically, unless you include the LINK option. The called program can issue a RUN statement for the calling program name (or any other program name), but INFO treats the named program as any other called program, beginning execution at its first statement; that is, INFO will not return to the statement following the RUN in a calling program unless the RUN statement includes the LINK option.

To execute the named program:

ENTER COMMAND >RUN P.UPDATE.MASTER

462 Commands INFO Reference Manual

RUN

The odd-numbered section below contains, in line 10004, a RUN command with the LINK option. The program named in the RUN command is executed, after which the command in line 10005 is executed, and so forth.

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE P.LINK.SAMPLE

PROGRAM NAME: P.LINK.SAMPLE 12/01/1996

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 TERMINAL ANSI

10002 LCHAR ;

10003 SEL MASTER.DATA

10004 RUN P.SET.UP.MASTER LINK

Executes P.SET.UP.MASTER, then returns control to next command of

P.LINK.SAMPLE

10005 RESELECT DATE.OF.BIRTH LE 10/4/73

see also

COMPILE

DECODE

EXECUTE

$LISTON

INFO Reference Manual Commands 463

PRIME RWLK

RWLK

lock filename [ufd-pathname]

allows the user to set the read/write lock on any SYSTEM file to which he/she has access.

arguments lock

SYSTEM DEFAULT (default).

1 reader or 1 writer.

N readers and 1 writer.

N readers and N writers.

ufd-pathname Defaults to current ufd.

error message

INVALID SYNTAX will occur if lock is not in the range 0-3.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 465

SAVE

SAVE

file_path [

C

OMPRESS] [

I

NIT] [

EXT

]

writes a copy of the currently selected records to a binary or ASCII file.

arguments note

file_path the full pathname of the file, or the file name if it is in the current working INFO directory. The file_path may include external variables enclosed in ‘%’ characters.

COMPRESS writes all selected records to the specified

ASCII text file. If your selected records contain type B, F, or P items, do not use this option.

INIT writes the selected records to an existing file. It directs INFO to initialize (delete all existing records) the file before saving the selected records.

EXT directs INFO-Text to write the selected records saved to a sequential file and to include the 5-byte extension to each record.

If you don't specify the COMPRESS option, the file is saved as a fixed-length, binary file.

discussion example see also

The SAVE command instructs INFO to write a copy of all selected records to the named file. If the file does not already exist, INFO creates the file and copies the selected records to the file. If the file already exists, INFO appends a copy of the selected records to the file.

The following command entry writes all currently selected records in the selected data file to a file called SAVEIT:

ENTER COMMAND >SAVE SAVEIT

$SEC-REQ-FORMAT (VMS only)

$SVIDEL (VMS only)

INFO Reference Manual Commands 467

SCI

SCI

item-1 item-2 item-3 [item-4]

converts any type of numeric data to a character string in scientific notation, with an option to show "small" numbers in decimal.

arguments note

item-1 INFO numeric item: number to be converted.

item-2 INFO numeric item: no. of output decimal places.

item-3 INFO character item (not literal): output character string in scientific notation.

item-4 INFO numeric option: limit of order of magnitude for showing numbers in decimal. If omitted, then all numbers shown in scientific. If value 4 (say), then all numbers in range 0.0001 to 9999 shown in decimal, others in scientific. Decimal point aligned.

The number of decimal places must be explicitly specified in item-2 (SCI ignores the number of decimal places defined for item-1). Be aware that the number of decimal places means the number of significant digits after the decimal point in scientific notation, e.g.:

120

.1234

.0001

(1.20E02)

(1.234E-01)

(1.0E-04) n

The width of item-3 must be at least 7 greater than the maximum value of item-2.

The maximum value for item-4 is 7.

example see also

SCI 12345.6789 9 $CHR1 =

SCI -0.000012 6 $CHR1 =

SCI 27.8 2 $CHR1

SCI 98.7 1 $CHR1 3

SCI 0.001 0 $CHR1

SCI 0.001 0 $CHR1 3

Appendix S “Data Entry”

$SCIENTIFIC-DISP

1.234567890D+04

-1.200000E-05

2.78E+01

9.87

1.0E-03

0.001

INFO Reference Manual Commands 469

SCPY

470 Commands INFO References Manual

SCPY

SCPY

item-1 [TO] item-2 [FROM] item-3 [FOR] item-4

copies a substring from a character variable to another character variable.

arguments discussion

item-1 character item containing the source string.

item-2 character item to receive the sub-string.

item-3 numeric item or constant giving the position of the sub-string in item-1.

item-4 numeric item or constant giving the length of the sub-string to be copied.

The specified substring will be copied from item-1 to item-

2. If item-2 is shorter than the value in item-4, the copied string will be truncated on the right. If item-2 is larger than the value in item-4, then item-2 will be space filled on the right.

example

ENTER COMMAND >MOVE'ABCDEFG' TO $SCHR1

ENTER COMMAND >SCPY $CHR1 TO $CHR2 FROM 4 FOR 3

ENTER COMMAND >DIS $CHR2

DEF (Contents of $CHR2)

error messages

INVALID STRING item-1 not type C

INVALID SUB-STRING item-2 not type C

FROM FIELD NOT NUMERIC

FOR FIELD NOT NUMERIC

INFO Reference Manual Commands 471

SELECT

SEL

ECT DF_name [

D

YNAMIC] [

R

O] [

V

IA ISAM-key]

[

M

AP]

[

N

EWMAP]

[

RE

BUILD]

establishes the data file that is currently selected or available for processing. The records in the selected data file become the selected and working set of records.

arguments

DF_name is the name of an existing data file.

DYNAMIC (for ISAM datafiles only) causes the specified file to be selected, but with no records in the working set.

INFO selects records and builds a bitmap for the datafile only as you operate on individual records during subsequent active commands.

MAP (for ISAM datafiles only ) directs INFO to use the existing bitmap or, if no bitmap exists, to build a new one.

This is the default option if the specified datafile is ISAM.

NEWMAP (for ISAM datafiles only ) directs INFO to delete any existing bitmaps and build a new one.

REBUILD (INFO-Text only) this directs INFO-Text to rebuild the logical record number file for the specified extended datafile. The file will then need to be concorded.

RO indicates that you wish read-only access to the specified datafile once it is selected.

VIA (for ISAM datafiles only) establishes a secondary key as the primary key for accessing the datafile. The ISAM key must have a key level greater than or equal to zero

(0). INFO accesses the datafile in ascending sequence using the specified key. The specified ISAM-key remains in effect until changed by a LIMIT command or another

SELECT command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 473

SELECT discussion

The SELECT command opens the data file that is to be used for subsequent commands. INFO deselects any data file named in a previous SELECT command and cancels all links to related data files.

If the data file is protected, INFO prompts ENTER

PASSWORD> and waits for you to enter a valid protection key for the file. To avoid this prompt, see the

PASSWORD command for information about entering a protection key before issuing the SELECT.

If you select an extended datafile, and no synonym file was associated with that datafile when it was defined,

INFO-Text immediately prompts SYNONYM FILENAME>.

You can supply the name of an existing synonym file that you want to use with the selected extended datafile for querying purposes. If you press <RETURN> instead, no synonym file is chosen and that datafile remains selected.

If you select an extended datafile with the RO option, you cannot update the records in the datafile. You cannot concord an extended datafile selected with the RO option.

The access that you have to the selected data file depends on the current value of the system item $AS and whether or not you include the SELECT command RO option. If you do not include the RO option and the value of $AS is

1, you have read and write access to the selected data file; if the value of $AS is 7, you have read-only access to the data file. If you include the RO option, INFO gives you read-only access to the file, regardless of the value of

$AS.

474 Commands INFO References Manual

see also

SELECT

At the end of SELECT processing, immediately before returning to the ENTER COMMAND > prompt, INFO displays the message:

# RECORD(S) SELECTED where # is the number of records selected by the SELECT command.

$AS

$AR

$NOREC

$NOSEL

ASELECT

DSEL

MODE SET HOF

NEWMAP

NSELECT

RESELECT

XSEL

INFO Reference Manual Commands 475

SET

SET

the set command gives you access to the selected set of ISAM records established by a previous SELECT or RESELECT BY command.

argument

# the number of the set that you want as your selected set of records

notes

The set command uses a set file, or file containing the bitmap which represents the ISAM datafile records selected at one point in time.

Each time you issue the RESELECT BY command for an

ISAM file, INFO displays a number assigned to the set of records selected. You can use this number in a subsequent SET command to select that set of records again, as illustrated below.

INFO can keep track of up to 16 sets for an ISAM file.

The NEWMAP command will delete all SET and LIM files associated with the selected ISAM file.

example

ENTER COMMAND>SELECT ISAM-FILE

949 RECORD (S) SELECTED

This is Set 1, by default

ENTER COMMAND>RESELECT BY ISAM-KEY GE ‘JAMES’

SET 2

Set number 2 is assigned

654 RECORD (S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>RESELECT BY ISAM-KEY = ‘PAUL’

SET 3

10 RECORDS SELECTED

Set number 3 is assigned.

Return to set number 2.

ENTER COMMAND>SET 2

654 RECORD (S) SELECTED

INFO Reference Manual Commands 477

SET

After issuing a RESELECT BY command for a an ISAM file, you can further restrict the set by issuing one or more

RESELECT FOR commands, as illustrated in the following example. The set of records selected by the last

RESELECT FOR command remains in effect until you issue an ASELECT or another SELECT command. Note that when you issue an unqualified ASELECT command in this instance, INFO adds all records in the subgroup established by the initial RESELECT BY command to your selected set, not to all records in the current file.

ENTER COMMAND>SELECT ISAM-FILE

949 RECORDS(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>RESELECT BY ISAM-KEY GE ‘JAMES’

SET 2

654 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>RESELECT FOR OPTION EQ 2

329 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>SET 2

329 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>ASELECT

654 RECORD(S) SELECTED

To rebuild sets, you can select Set 1 again and issue new

RESELECT commands, as illustrated in the following sequence.

ENTER COMMAND>SET 1

949 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>RES BY MIDAS-KEY LT ‘MARY’

SET 2

233 RECORD(S) SELECTED

478 Commands INFO References Manual

SETUP

SETU

P IF_name

RP_name

SF_name

to select and relate files for a report, special-form or input-form.

arguments note

IF_name | RP_name | SF_name the INFO file to be processed.

To use this command the INFO command

‘FILES IF_name | RP_name | SF_name SAVE’ must have been issued while the necessary files were selected and related. When SETUP command is issued these saved files will be selected and related ready for the report or form to be executed.

error message see also

NO FILES SAVE WAS DONE FOR THIS ENTRY

FILES

INFO Reference Manual Commands 479

SHIFT

SHIF

T item-1 [TO] item-2 item-3 [item-4]

shift the contents of an item by the specified number of bits

arguments notes

item-1 any INFO item (not literal)

item-2 any INFO item (not literal)

item-3 number of bits to shift

item-4 fill character. Default is blank.

The shift command moves item-1 to item-2 offset by the number of bits specified by item-3. If item 3 > 0 then the shift is to the right. If item-3 < 0 then the shift is to the left.

Item-2 is truncated or filled at left or right as necessary.

n item-3 specifies the number of bits to shift: a positive value (the default) will move to the right, a negative value to the left.

There are 8 bits to 1 byte (character). Therefore to move an item 2 characters to the right, item-3 should be set to

16.

examples

SHIFT LASTNAME TO LASTNAME 16

The contents of LASTNAME will be moved 2 characters to the right.

SHIFT LASTNAME TO $CHR1 –8.

The contents of LASTNAME will be moved to $CHR1 with the 1 st

character truncated.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 481

SKIP

SKIP

item-1

repositions on the working set in any direction

arguments notes

item-1 numeric internal variable, datafile item or literal containing a positive or negative integer indicating how many records to skip, forwards or backwards respectively.

Even numbered program sections only.

If item-1 takes it beyond the working set, it will position on the last or first record of the working set.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 483

SLEEP

SLEE

P #

instructs INFO to pause for the specified number of CPU seconds.

argument discussion

# specifies the number of CPU seconds INFO pauses before processing another command.

Use SLEEP immediately after a message display during program processing, to provide enough time for you to read the message before processing continues.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SLEEP 3

Causes the terminal to pause 3 CPU seconds before prompting for or processing another INFO command.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 485

SORT

SO

RT [ON] DF_item_1 [(

D

)] [,DF_item_2...] [

F

AST]

orders the selected records using up to 16 items in the selected or related data file(s) as sort items.

arguments notes

ON is used for documentation or ease of understanding.

DF_item_1 is the item used as the primary sort item.

(D) directs INFO to sort the named field in descending order. If (D) is not specified, the field is sorted in ascending order.

,DF_name_2... item or items used as secondary sort items.

FAST If the "FAST" option is specified and the number of record pointers times the width of the key values do not exceed 10,000 bytes the Small File Sort Utility will be executed.

The SORT command orders selected records according to the values of up to 16 specified record items. Each item can be sorted in ascending (the default) or descending order. You can sort on any data item from the currently selected and related datafiles.

If two or more records have the same value for the specified item(s), INFO leaves those records in their original order.

If a sort item is a C-type, the following maximum item widths apply:

Unix 4096

VMS 255

Primos 2196 or 3331 for SORT FAST.

If you sort reselected records, that is, if a subset of all of the records in a data file, and then either use the

ASELECT or SELECT commands, INFO puts the reselected records into the positions that the reselected records came from. The positions are noted by the record numbers of the reselected records. The reselected records are replaced inthe file in the order in which you sorted them, not their original order.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 487

SORT example

When sorting an ISAM file, it is the INFO bitmap which is sorted, not the actual data.

When sorting a data file, INFO creates one or more scratch files. The number of scratch files required depends on the size of the data file and the number of fields you sort. If the SORT command does not finish, you may have to delete these files. See Appendix F INFO

Internal Files.

Since a sort is actually carried out in a scratch file and then copied back into the original data file, if your computer system crashes during a sort, the original data file is preserved unchanged and unsorted.

Should a system crash cause actual damage to your data file, the DIRECTORY command displays a D in the

EXTERNL column. In that case, you must restore the file before you can access it.

The existing file protection status is maintained after

SORT.

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT NAME.LIST

5 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO L.NAME F.NAME

1 ROSEN HESTER

2 DARCY JOAN

3 ASTOR JOHN J.

4 GRAHAM MARTHA

5 PAINTER THEODORE

ENTER COMMAND >SORT ON L.NAME

ENTER COMMAND >LIST

$RECNO L.NAME F.NAME

1 ASTOR JOHN J.

2 DARCY JOAN

3 GRAHAM MARTHA

4 PAINTER THEODORE

5 ROSEN HESTER

488 Commands INFO Reference Manual

SOUNDEX

SOUN

DEX item-1 item-2

produce soundex code from an INFO character item for matching similar sounding names

arguments

item-1 character_item containing the string to be

SOUNDEXed

item-2 character_item to receive the code. (must be four characters wide)

discussion

The SOUNDEX command is used where there is need to retrieve names that sound similar, e.g. Smith and Smythe.

Typically the SOUNDEX code will be generated at data input time. At enquiry time the required name will be

‘SOUNDEX’ and the generated SOUNDEX code used to reselect for matches on the SOUNDEX code in the data file e.g.

IPF some-input-form

SOUNDEX SURNAME SOUNDEX-NAME

FORMAT $CHR1,25

FORMAT $CHR40,4

DIS ‘enter required name>=

ACCEPT $CHR1

SOUNDEX $CHR1 $CHR40

RES FOR SOUNDEX-NAME = $CHR40

When defining the datafile containing an item to be matched by SOUNDEX, be sure to add a four-character item to store the SOUNDEX value.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 489

SPAW

N [item-1] [item-2]

Issue an operating system command from within INFO

SPAWN arguments note

item-1 character item or quoted literal containing the operating system command to be executed. May be a file variable in a program even section.

item-2 optional numeric internal variable to return an error code

0 =

1 = command successfully invoked and run.

command not successfully invoked

2 = command successfully invoked but terminated with an operating system error

If both parameters are omitted the command defaults to the

•

command n

This command can be used to issue operating system internal or external commands from within INFO programs. If item-2 is not included the INFO program will terminate if the command fails.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 491

SPECIAL FORM

SPEC

IAL FORM SF_name

Y

SF N

[

/W

]

creates a new special form or runs an existing special form.

arguments

SF_name the name of a special form file.

Y sends the form output to the spool file. This is the same as responding Y to the OUTPUT TO PRINTER (Y

OR N)?> prompt at the end of the form definition dialog.

N displays the form output at your terminal. This is the same as responding N to the OUTPUT TO PRINTER (Y

OR N)?> prompt at the end of the form definition dialog.

/W causes the display of your form to pause the first time your screen is full. This is used only with the N option.

When you use the /W option, INFO gives you a MORE?

prompt at the bottom of your screen. Responses to the

MORE? prompt are:

<RETURN> to display the next screen of the special form.

The display stops when either the screen is full or you come to the end of a form. INFO prompts you with MORE?

again.

Y (yes) to display the rest of the report with no pauses.

N (no) to file the report with no further display and return you to the ENTER COMMAND> level.

note discussion

An unqualified SPECIAL FORM allows you to create a special form that will not be saved.

INFO produces one page of output for each selected record, formatted as specified in the special form.

INFO-Text A-type items cannot be specified in special form definitions.

With this command, you can create customized forms for each selected record. A special form describes a page of displayed or printed information that comprises items, literals, or the results of arithmetic expressions. You define

INFO Reference Manual Commands 493

SPECIAL FORM

Defining a special form

the size of the page during the definition dialog, along with information about executing an existing form. Separate discussions for defining and executing a special form follow below.

When you specify SPECIAL FORM, INFO initiates a dialog that prompts you for a description of the page layout for the form. This description includes information about the size of the page, what data is to appear on the page, and where it is to appear.

To begin a special form definition dialog, enter the command SPECIAL FORM with the name of the new form or without a form name. If you do not include a name for the special form, INFO does not save the form when the command is finished. To establish the size of the page for the special form, INFO returns with the following prompt:

LINES PER PAGE>

COLUMNS PER LINE>

Respond to the LINES PER PAGE> prompt with a number from 1 to 1200. Respond to the COLUMNS PER LINE> prompt with a number from 1 to 200.

For each special form line, INFO prompts:

ENTER LINE DEFINITION>

Respond to these prompts by entering line definitions. To end the definition dialog, enter <RETURN> after any

ENTER LINE DEFINITION> prompt. A <RETURN> after the first such prompt returns you immediately to ENTER

COMMAND > level.

To define a special form line, enter definitions in the following format:

line,column,content [,width [,decimals]]

Line and column identify the position at which the content appears on the page.

494 Commands INFO Reference Manual

SPECIAL FORM

Specifically, line can be a value from 1 to the value you gave in response to the LINES PER PAGE prompt, with 1 corresponding to the top-most line on the page, and the value you gave corresponding to the last line of the form.

Column can be a value from 1 to the value you gave as

COLUMNS PER LINE, with 1 corresponding to the leftmost position on the page, and the value you gave corresponding to the right-most position.

Both line and column specifications can take the form of a constant (eg. 4), a data item name (eg. COL-CONTROL), or a system variable (eg. $NUM2).

Content defines the information to be located at the specified line and column. Content can be specified as a literal, an arithmetic expression, or an item, as described below:

1) A 'literal' appears on the page exactly as defined. Specify a literal as text enclosed in single quotes. To embed a quote within the text, use two successive quotes (e.g.,

'YESTERDAY''S PRICE').

2) An 'arithmetic expression' evaluates to a value at runtime that is to be displayed on the page. (See 'Building

Expressions' for a complete discussion of the rules for constructing a valid expression.)

3) An 'item' refers to data item, system item, or system variable whose value is displayed on the page at the line, column location. You can use any data item from a currently selected related file.

Width defines the ouput width of the content field. The default for this field is the default or formatted OUTPUT

WIDTH for the item or system variable; or 12 spaces for an arithmetic expression.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 495

SPECIAL FORM

Executing a special form

Decimals is an integer that defines the number of decimal places for the associated content. It applies only for numeric contents and requires the preceding width specification. Its default value is 2 for calculated values, and the defined or formatted DECIMAL PLACES characteristic for other items..

D formats the content into a date (D-type) and is valid only when the content is an arithmetic expression involving dates. When processing a date, INFO-Text assumes the result is a numeric value (a number of days) unless you include the D option to specify a date result. When D is specified, the content-width is required and is generally specified as 5, 8, or 10.

When you end the line definition dialog, INFO prompts:

DO YOU WISH TO EXECUTE THIS FORM (Y OR N)>

Respond with Y (yes) to begin execution of the form.

Respond with N (no) or <RETURN> to save the special form if named and return to ENTER COMMAND > level.

You can execute a special form immediately following its definition as described above, or at any other time by entering a SPECIAL FORM command, the name of an existing form and any appropriate run-time options. INFO produces one page of output for each selected record, as specified in the special form.

If you do not include the Y, N, or N/W option when you issue the SF command, INFO prompts you with:

OUTPUT TO PRINTER (Y OR N)?>

Respond with Y (yes) to direct INFO to send the output of the special form to your spool file. Respond with N (no) to display the output of the form at your terminal. You can also include the optional specification /W to cause the terminal display to pause when the screen is full.

496 Commands INFO Reference Manual

UNIX SPOOL

SP

OOL [filename] [lpr -option] [

-NOFTN

]

an unqualified SPOOL command prints the current INFO spool or output file and once this file has been printed, INFO empties it.

arguments notes

filename is a 1- to 255-character name of the INFO spool file or the operating system file that you want to print.

-NOFTN will not treat Fortran control characters as such, but as printable characters. e.g. 1 in column 1 will print as

1 rather than advancing to a new page.

lpr -option is any valid lpr option.

There are two environment variables that can be used in conjunction with the SPOOL command :

_INFOSPL When set to a Unix command, it will replace the default Unix command lp. It could be set, for example, to the more command for generating screen reports.

_INFOSPLEX Used in conjunction with _INFOSPL, it can be set to any filter commands that come after the filename. For example if _INFOSPL were set to the unix cat command, you could subsequently set _INFOSPLEX to "> /tmp/tempfile.”.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 497

VMS SPOOL

SPOO

L [filename] [/

AFTE

=

time

[/[

NO

]

BURS

CHAR

ACTERISTICS ]

COPI

=

n ]

]

[/[

NO

]

DELE

DEVI

CE=device-name ]

]

[/[

NO

]

FEED

]

[/[

NO

]

FLAG

_PAGE ]

[/[

FORMS=

NO

] type

HEAD

[/[

NO

]

HOLD

[/[

NO

]

IDEN

TITY ]

]

JOB

_COUNT

=

# ]

[/[

NO

]LOWERCASE

NAME=

job-name ]

[/[

NO

]

NOTI

PAGE

_COUNT

=

# ]

PRIO

RITY

=

QUEU

E=queue-name[:] ]

]

REMO

[/[

NO

]

SPAC

]

prints the current INFO spool or output file, or prints the specified file. An unqualified SPOOL command prints the current INFO spool or output file and once this spool or output file has been printed, INFO deletes the file.

arguments

file_name is a 1- to 32-character name of the INFO spool file or the system file that you want to print.

/AFTER specifies to print the file at the specified time of day.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 499

SPOOL VMS

/BURST includes a burst page in the output listing.

/CHARACTERISTICS specifies one or more print attributes for the spool file.

/COPIES specifies the number of copies of the file that you want printed.

/DELETE requests that the file be deleted after printing.

Use NODELETE to save the file.

/DEVICE requests that the file be queued for printing on a specified device. Logicals enclosed in ‘%’ characters may be used in the device name.

/FEED requests that an automatic form-feed be inserted at the end of each page.

/FLAG_PAGE requests that a flag page be generated preceding the file output.

/FORMS requests that the file be printed on a specified special form.

/HEADER requests that the name of the file be printed at the top of each output page.

/HOLD requests that the spool request be held until explicitly released for printing.

/IDENTIFY requests that the system display a message indicating the job number of the print job and the name of the queue in which the job is entered when the job is queued successfully.

/JOB_COUNT requests that the file be printed a specified number of times.

/LOWERCASE requests that the file contains both uppercase and lowercase characters and that the file must be printed on a printer that can print both uppercase and lowercase characters.

/NAMES specifies a name that identifies the print job.

/NOTIFY requests that the system send a message to the terminal at which you are logged on to notify you that the print job has been completed or aborted.

500 Commands INFO Reference Manual

VMS SPOOL

/PRIORITY specifies the priority of the print job.

/QUEUE requests that the file be printed on a specified device.

/REMOTE requests that the file be printed on a remote node.

/SPACE requests that the printed output be doublespaced.

notes

An unqualified SPOOL command prints the current INFO spool or output file to the default printer (SYS$PRINT).

Once the file has been printed, INFO deletes it.

The SPOOL command instructs INFO to print the current spool file or output file, or a specified VMS file, and delete its contents. You can include one or more of the operating system print options described above.

The arguments to the SPOOL command are also documented under the PRINT command in the VAX/VMS

Command Language User's Guide.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

25 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST PRINT

Send output to the current

ENTER COMMAND >SPOOL

spool file.

Send the current spool file to the printer.

see also

$NODEL-NO-REOPEN

INFO Reference Manual Commands 501

PRIME SPOOL

SPOO

L [file_name] [

-AS

header_file_name]

[

-AT

printer]

[

-COP

IES

#

]

[

-DEF

ER hh:mm]

[

-FORM

form_name]

[

-FTN

]

[

-HOM

E ]

[

-LNU

MBERS]

[

-NOF

ORMAT]

[

-NOH

EADER]

[

-OPE

[

-PRI

MOS]

[

-SAV

prints the current INFO spool or output file, or prints the specified file. An unqualified Spool command prints the current INFO spool or output file. Once the file has been printed, INFO empties it.

arguments

file_name is a 1- to 32-character name of the INFO spool file or the system file that you want to print. The file name may include external variables enclosed in ‘%’ characters.

-AS header_file_name requests that the specified header file be included in the header page of the printed spool file.

If you do not include this option, the name of the spooled file is included on the header page.

-AT printer requests that the file be sent to the specified printer. Otherwise, the file is sent to the system's default printer. You cannot use this option with the -HOME option.

-COPIES #] requests n copies of the file be printed. n can be between 1 and 99. By default, one copy is printed.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 503

SPOOL notes

PRIME

-DEFER hh:mm requests that printing of the file is delayed until the time specified by hh:mm. hh is hours 0-

24 and mm is minutes 0-60. Otherwise, the file is printed as soon as the printer is available.

-FORM form_name requests the name of a special paper form available on your system. The default form is a 66line page.

-FTN directs the operating system to utilize FORTRAN formatting characters in the spooled file. You cannot include this option with the -LNUMBERS, or -NOFORMAT options. -FTN is the default format, but can be overridden.

-HOME directs the operating system to print the file on the default printer. You cannot use this option with the -AT option.

-LNUMBERS requests that sequential line numbers be added in the left margin of the output. The numbers run from 1 to 999999999 without leading zeros. You cannot include this option with the -FTN option.

-NOFORMAT requests that no format control (that is, header page or pagination) be used when printing the file.

You cannot use this option with the -FTN option.

-NOHEADER requests that no header or trailer pages be included with the printed output. If you do not specify this option, the output includes default header and trailer pages.

-OPEN requests that the operating system open the print file for writing on logical unit 4. You cannot include this option if you named a system file to be spooled.

-SAVE requests that the spool file not be deleted after it is printed. This is the default if you spool a text or binary file.

An unqualified SPOOL command prints the current INFO spool or output file. Once the file has been printed, INFO empties it.

504 Commands INFO Reference Manual

PRIME SPOOL

When you enter the SPOOL command, INFO does not return to the ENTER COMMAND > level until the entire file is sent to the system spool queue.

The operating system does not insert a form feed between the header page and the contents of the spool file unless directed.

Spool has been enhanced to allow some of the extra options available under PRIMOS Revision 21.0. However, there are some limitations, and if issuing a multi-option spool command, the SPAWN command should be used to execute it at PRIMOS level.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.MASTER

25 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >LIST PRINT

Send output to the current spool

ENTER COMMAND >SPOOL

file.

Send the current spool file to the printer.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 505

SRCH

SRCH

item-1 [FOR] item-2 [FROM] item-3 [TO] item-4

search a character string for a sub string

arguments

item-1 string to be searched : character_item

item-2 sub-string to be located : character_item

item-3 starting column or 0 to search whole string :

numeric_item

item-4 located position : numeric_item

notes discussion

If item-2 is a character variable trailing spaces will be stripped before starting the search. If you need to search for spaces item-2 must be a literal.

This command searches item-1 for the sub-string in item-2 starting at the column given in item-3. If the sub-string is located, the position is returned in item-4. If it is not located, item-4 is returned as zero.

example

FO $CHR1,8

FO $CHR2,2

FO $NUM40,2,I

$CHR1 = ‘ABCDEFGH’

$CHR2 = ‘DE’

SRCH $CHR1 FOR $CHR2 FROM 0 TO $NUM40

DISPLAY $NUM40

INFO Reference Manual Commands 507

STAT UN

STAT UN

[

NW

] [

PR

]

displays the relationship between INFO logical file units and their corresponding physical operating system file units.

arguments discussion

NW if more than one screen of information is to be displayed this option avoids the ‘MORE’ prompt.

PR writes the information to the currently open spool file.

STAT UN displays the following information.

The logical file units used by INFO.

The physical operating system file unit which is mapped to the logical unit.

The INFO file name used with the logical file unit.

The full operating system file-path open on the physical unit.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 509

STOP

STOP

terminates an INFO session completely.

discussion example

Enter this command only in response to the ENTER USER

NAME>

prompt. You end the current user session by issuing the QUIT command before you issue STOP. See the QUIT command for information about ending a user session.

To end an INFO session from within an INFO program, you must use the commands QUIT STOP on the same command line.

ENTER COMMAND >QUIT

ENTER USER NAME>STOP

INFO Reference Manual Commands 511

INFO-Text STOPWORD

STOPW

ORD stopword

adds the specified word to a list of words not to be concorded and removes that word from the dictionary

argument

stopword word to be removed from dictionary and added to list of words not to be-concorded.

notes

INFO-Text treats a stopword as a word during searches based on a word expression that contains the within (w) operator to search a text item. For example, the word expression ‘APPLES W 3 BASKET’ directs INFO-Text to search for the word APPLES exactly three words apart from the word BASKET. The text ‘APPLES IN THE

BASKET’ would satisfy the search criteria, even though IN and THE are stopwords.

To reinitialize the stopword file, the datafile must be reconcorded with the command CONCORD NEW, at which time INFO-Text displays the prompt:

DO YOU WISH TO RETAIN THE EXISTING STOPWORDS? (Y OR N)

discussion

If you answer N (no) to this prompt, INFO-Text deletes all stopwords not found in the INFO-Text default stopword file from the list of current stopwords.

The STOPWORD command instructs INFO-Text to add the named word to the list of stopwords for the selected datafile. INFO-Text also removes all references for the specified word from the current dictionary.

If an extended datafile has not been concorded, you can add any word to the stopword list for the file. Once an extended datafile has been concorded, you can only specify as a new stopword a word that already exists in the dictionary associated with the datafile.

INFO-Text automatically includes the following standard set of stopwords for each extended datafile.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 513

STOPWORD

BE OR

IN THAT

AND IS THE

ARE NOTTHIS

AT OF TO

WILL

XOR

INFO-Text

INFO-Text maintains the default list of stopwords in the

INFO-Text internal file INFOSTP. You may use this list of stopwords or your own list. For information about using your own stopword file, see Appendix G Controlling Default

Assignments.

example

In the example below, the word CABINET will be flagged in the datafiles dictionary as a stopword: the word will not be concorded in future and if a text reselect is performed on the word, INFO-Text will give the following error message:

WARNING! SEARCH TERM IS A STOPWORD

ENTER COMMAND>STOPWORD CABINET

OCCURS REC’S INDEX TERM

10 3 CABINET

ALL REFERENCES WILL BE DELETED

DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE (Y OR N )?>Y

514 Commands INFO Reference Manual

STRIP

STRI

P item-1 [TO] item-2 item-3

strips a character field of any characters not appearing in a given set.

arguments discussion note

item-1 the source character_item

item-2 the target character_item

item-3 Set of valid characters:character_item

In effect STRIP is MOVE with stripping, and therefore mimics MOVE used interactively and in odd/even program sections.

n item-1 and item-2 can be the same item.

eg. STRIP PART-NO TO PART-NO ‘AB1234567890’

INFO Reference Manual Commands 515

SUFFIX

SUFF

wildcard-name entryname return-code [pathname]

returns entries in an operating system directory

arguments

wildcard-name character item or literal

entryname character variable for returned entryname.

Set to spaces if return code = 1.

return-code

INPUT 1 = return first entryname

INPUT 0 = return subsequent entryname

OUTPUT 2 = no more entrynames

OUTPUT 0 = entryname returned

[pathname] character item or literal containing a valid directory pathname: Unix and Prime only.

note

When specifying a directory pathname, the following rules apply:

Unix: the directory pathname may appear either as part of the wildcard-name or as the last argument [pathname] e.g. SUFFIX ‘/home/examples/*.dr9’ $CHR1 $NUM40 or

SUFFIX ‘*.dr9’ $CHR1 $NUM40 ‘/home/examples/’

VMS: the directory pathname must be part of the wildcardname.

e.g. SUFFIX ‘[EXAMPLES]*.DR9’ $CHR1 $NUM40

Prime: the directory pathname must be entered as the

[pathname] argument e.g. SUFFIX ‘@@DR9’ $CHR1 $NUM40 ‘EXAMPLES’

INFO Reference Manual Commands 517

SUFFIX examples

SUFFIX ‘*.BIN’ $CHR1 $NUM40 will find files with the suffix ‘BIN’.

SUFFIX ‘*X*.*’ $CHR1 $NUM40 will find files with an ‘X’ anywhere in the filename.

A program to display all files ending in dr9:

FORMAT $CHR1,8

FORMAT $NUM40,4,1

$NUM40 = 1

DO WHILE $NUM40 NE 2

SUFFIX ‘*dr9’ $CHR1 $NUM40

IF $NUM40 NE 2

DISPLAY $CHR1

ENDIF

DOEND

518 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text SYNFILE

SYNF

ILE [file-name]

creates a synonym file

notes discussion

The SYNFILE command can only be used to create a synonym file. To change an existing synonym file, you must select the synonym file with the SELECT command and update it using the ADD or UPDATE commands.

After making additions or updates to a synonym file and before continuing to process, you must sort the file using the syntax: SORT ON SYN-LIST-NAME, MEMBER.

If you include a blank as part of a member-name, when you list the contents of the synonym file, INFO-Text displays that member-name's value enclosed in single quotation marks.

The SYNFILE command allows you to create a synonym file and define one or more named lists of words

(synonyms) to store in the file. The synonym file created can eventually be associated with an extended data file for use in performing synonym-based free-text queries.

The synonym facility allows you to define classes, or categories, of words for INFO-Text to use when searching text in extended data files. See the Word Expressions section of the chapter 'Building Expressions' for more information about the INFO-Text synonym facility.

When you first enter the SYNFILE command, you have the option of specifying the name of a synonym file for

INFO-Text to create. If you do not specify a name for the synonym file or if you specify the name of an existing file,

INFO-Text prompts:

ENTER SYNFILE NAME>

Respond with the name of the synonym file you wish to create. If a file by the specified name does not exist,

INFO-Text creates a synonym file with that name.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 519

SYNFILE INFO-Text

If a file with that name already exists, INFO-Text displays an error message and the ENTER SYNFILE NAME> prompt again.

Once you have established the name of the synonym file,

INFO-Text prompts:

INITIAL SYNONYM FILES>

Respond as follows:

To cause INFO-Text to copy the contents of an existing synonym file into the file being created, enter the name of an existing synonym file. INFO-Text copies the existing synonym file into the new file and displays the INITIAL

SYNONYM> prompt again to allow you to copy another synonym file. You can copy multiple synonym files into the new file in this manner.

Should INFO-Text find a duplicate synonym name when copying a synonym file, INFO-Text displays a warning message to that effect. INFO-Text includes both synonyms in the new file, but does not access the second synonym during later synonym processing.

To avoid or to terminate copying existing synonym files, enter <RETURN> after any INITIAL SYNONYM> prompt.

INFO-Text next prompts you to enter synonym data into the new synonym file. INFO-Text first prompts:

SYN-LIST-NAME>

In response to this prompt, enter a 1- to 15-character synonym list name. The synonym list name can be any combination of characters excepting the space and comma, and it must start with a letter (A-Z or a-z). You can later refer to all synonyms on the list that will follow by using the synonym list name. If a word you specify already exists, INFO-Text issues a warning message and again displays the SYN-LIST-NAME> prompt.

520 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text SYNFILE

INFO-Text then prompts you for members of the list with the following prompt:

MEMBER>

Enter a member of the synonym list. INFO-Text again prompts MEMBER>. To end a synonym list, enter

<RETURN>. INFO-Text prompts for another SYN-LIST-

NAME>.

To terminate the SYNFILE command, enter <RETURN> to the SYN-LIST-NAME> prompt. You can save an empty synonym by entering <RETURN> to the first SYN-LIST-

NAME> prompt.

You cannot specify a member with the same name as a synonym that exists in the current synfile; otherwise,

INFO-Text cannot distinguish between the synonym name and the member name during a text search. You can, however, specify the same member in more than one synonym list in the same synonym file.

When entering a synonym member, be aware of the case sensitivity defined for items that may be searched using the synonym. If the items are defined to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase during concording, you must enter the synonym list member in the appropriate case (that is lowercase to search lowercase text or uppercase to search uppercase text). If the items are not defined as requiring case concordance, you can enter the synonym member in either case.

see also

DEFINE

MODIFY

RESELECT

SYNONYM

Word expressions in Building Expressions in Introduction

INFO Reference Manual Commands 521

SYNFILE example:

INFO-Text

ENTER COMMAND>SYNFILE

ENTER SYNFILE NAME>ANIMALS

SYNONYM LIST NAME>CATS

MEMBER>CAT

MEMBER>KITTY

MEMBER>TABBY

MEMBER>LION

MEMBER>

SYNONYM LIST NAME>DOGS

MEMBER>ALSATION

MEMBER>COLLIE

MEMBER>CORGY

MEMBER>DINGO

MEMBER>‘FLEA BAG’

MEMBER>SNOOPY

MEMBER>

SYNONYM LIST NAME>

ENTER COMMAND>SYNONYM

SYNONYM LIST NAME

CATS

DOGS

MEMBER

CAT

KIITY

TABBY

LION

ALSATION

COLLIE

CORGY

DINGO

‘FLEA BAG’

SNOOPY

ENTER COMMAND>SELECT PETS

ENTER SYNONYM FILE NAME>ANIMALS

48 RECORDS SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND>RESELECT *DOGS

RESELECT (ALSATION COLLIE CORGY DINGO ‘FLEA BAG’

SNOOPY)

20 RECORD(S) SELECTED

522 Commands INFO Reference Manual

INFO-Text

SYNO

NYM *list-name member-name*

PR

displays or prints synonym file data.

INT arguments discussion

SYNONYM

An unqualified SYNONYM command displays the members of all synonym lists defined in the synonym file associated with the selected data file.

*list-name is an optional specification that specifies the name of a synonym list. INFO-Text displays only the members of the specified list. Synonym list names can be a maximum of 15 characters long and cannot include spaces.

member-name is an optional specification that specifies the name of a synonym member. INFO-Text displays all members for each synonym that contains the specified member.

PRINT

is an optional keyword that requests a printed list of the requested synonym data, instead of a display at your terminal. The listing will be routed to your spool file. If you do not include the PRINT keyword, INFO-Text displays the file at the terminal.

The SYNONYM command instructs INFO-Text to display or print synonym file data at your terminal or to your INFO-

Text spool or output file. This command requires that there be a selected data file with an associated synonym file.

INFO-Text uses the associated synonym file when processing the SYNONYM command. If there is not a selected data file when the SYNONYM command is issued, INFO-Text displays an error message and returns to the ENTER COMMAND> prompt.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 523

SYNONYM example

INFO-Text

The following example illustrates a SYNONYM request for all members of the synonym list CATS:

ENTER COMMAND >SYNONYM *CATS

SYNONYM LIST NAME MEMBER

CATS CAT

KITTY

TABBY

LION

see also

DEFINE

SYNFILE

524 Commands INFO Reference Manual

UNIX SYSTEM

SYST

EM [operating_system_command]

allows the user to execute an operating system command and to return to the INFO environment without losing the current INFO settings or altering the current INFO select/relate states.

arguments

operating_system_command is a complete command in native syntax. For operating systems which let commands execute without disrupting the user environment, the operating_system_command is optional. For INFO programs, the operating_system_command is required. An unqualified command will create a sub-process at unix level. Entering exit or CTRL-D will return to the INFO session.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >SYSTEM ls *dr9

The above will list all files on the current unix directory ending in dr9

see also

ENTER COMMAND >SYSTEM

Sub-process created. Type exit to return to INFO

•

SPAWN

INFO Reference Manual Commands 525

VMS SYSTEM

SYST

EM [operating_system_command]

allows the user to execute an operating system command and to return to the INFO environment without losing the current INFO settings or altering the current INFO select/relate states.

arguments

operating_system_command is a complete command in native syntax. For operating systems which let commands execute without disrupting the user environment, the operating_system_command is optional. For INFO programs, the operating_system_command is required.

An unqualified command will create a sub-process at VMS level. Entering LO will return to the INFO session.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >SYSTEM dir *dr9

The above will list all files on the current VMS directory ending in dr9

see also

ENTER COMMAND >SYSTEM

Sub-process created. Type LO to return to INFO

•

SPAWN

INFO Reference Manual Commands 527

PRIME SYSTEM

SYST

EM [operating_system_command]

allows the user to execute an operating system command and to return to the INFO environment without losing the current INFO settings or altering the current INFO select/relate states.

arguments

An unqualified command will create a sub-process at

Primos level. Entering X will return to the INFO session.

examples

ENTER COMMAND >SYSTEM LD @@DR9

The above will list all files on the current unix directory ending in DR9

ENTER COMMAND >SYSTEM

*** ENTERING PSEUDO PRIMOS - TYPE "X" TO EXIT ***

OK>

see also

•

SPAWN

INFO Reference Manual Commands 529

TAKE

TAK

E [FROM][

REV8

] [

DATA

] user_name file_name_1 [,...]

[

REV9

]

*

[

ARC7

]

copies data files, reports, programs, or forms from another INFO user area into your current INFO user area.

arguments notes

FROM is used only for documentation or ease of understanding.

REV8 specifies that the source INFO directory is in INFO revision 8 format.

REV9 specifies that the source INFO directory is in INFO revision 9 format.

ARC7 specifies that the source INFO directory is in INFO

ARC7 compatible format.

DATA copies the data as well as the template of the specified data file.

user_name the 3 to 8-character name of the other user area.

file_name_1,... you can specify one or many files to be copied, or all files.

* copies all files from the named INFO user directory into your INFO user directory.

Do not confuse TAKE with the COPY or MODIFY commands; COPY duplicates only an existing INFO nondata file within a user area and renames it. MODIFY copies only the template of a data file to another file in your user area and assigns it a new name.

If the INFO user name specified is not in your current system directory, use the ADIR command to assign the proper system directory before issuing the TAKE command. See the ADIR command for information about changing the ADIR setting.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 531

TAKE discussion example

If you wish to TAKE files from an INFO user name resident in another system directory, but that INFO user name also exists in your current system directory, you will need to temporarily rename the local INFO DR9 file.

With the TAKE command, INFO copies data file templates, reports, forms or programs into your current user area from another INFO user area.

In the case of data files, only the template is copied unless you include the DATA option to copy the records also.

(See the GET and EXTERNAL commands for more information about accessing data from another user's data file.) If a data file is protected, you must provide the control-level password before INFO copies that data file.

See the PROTECT and PASSWORD commands for information about providing passwords for protected files.

If the name of a file requested from the other user area already exists in your INFO user area, INFO does not take the file, but issues an error message and continues processing any remaining files specified in the TAKE command.

The following example copies the data file D.EMPS with its records, the program P.EMPS, and the input forms

I.EMPS from an INFO directory associated with the user

PKS into your INFO directory.

ENTER COMMAND >TAKE FROM DATA PKS D.EMPS,

P.EMPS, I.EMPS

532 Commands INFO Reference Manual

TERMINAL

TERM

INAL [terminal_type] [rows,columns]

changes or displays the current INFO terminal type setting. An unqualified TERMINAL command displays the value of the INFO terminal setting.

argument notes

terminal_type display terminal.

discussion

Note that there are two special terminal types for hard copy terminals: NONE and HARD. NONE is used for hard copy terminals that have no form-feed capability.

HARD is used for hard copy terminals that do have formfeed capability.

Table TERMINAL-1 below lists the terminal types recognized by INFO.

When your terminal setting agrees with your actual terminal type, INPUT FORM and other commands that can clear the terminal screen or position the terminal screen cursor execute correctly.

If you want to change the default TERMINAL setting, see

Appendix G Controlling Default Assignments for more information.

For sites with multiple terminal types, either hard-wired or connected via a communications port contention unit, terminals can be specified in the USERTERMS file. they can be entered either explicitly by terminal type and user number, or as terminal type VARIABLE and user number, in which case the user will be prompted each time INFO is invoked, or as a terminal type LOGICAL, in which case the terminal type will be resolved to the INFOTERM external variable.

Note: For this option to work, the Doric Terminal option must have been selected when INFO was installed. For unix, see INFO invoking options in ‘starting INFO’ in the

Introduction.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 533

TERMINAL examples

ENTER COMMAND >TERMINAL

THE CURRENT TERMINAL TYPE IS ANSI

ENTER COMMAND >TERMINAL SORO

This new setting remains in effect until the user terminates INFO or issues another TERMINAL command.

If you type in an invalid terminal type, INFO displays a list of valid terminal types.

ENTER COMMAND >TERM BOBO

TERMINAL TYPE NOT SUPPORTED!

ACT-IV ACT5A ADDS ADM1 ADM3 ANSI ANSIW

AREG BEEH CONCEPT CYBERNEX DGRX DMED HARD

HONW HP2621 I304 IBM1 LYNW NEWB NONE

OWL PST100 SEIKO SOROC TVI924 VCR6 VT52

SUN

ENTER COMMAND >

Table TERMINAL-1

Type

ACT-IV

ACT5A

ADDS

ADM1

ADM3

ANSI

ANSIW

AREG

BEEH

CONCEPT

CYBERNEX

DGRB

DGRX

DMD3

DMED

HARD

INFO supported terminal types

Model supported

Microterm ACT-IV

Microterm ACT5A

ADDS Consul

Lear Siegler ADM-1 and ADM-31

Lear Siegler ADM-3A and ADM-45

VT100 in ANSI-compatible mode

ANSI-compatible 132 character width mode

ADDS Regent 20,25,40,60,100,200 (also TELERAY)

Beehive, PT-45

Human Design Systems Concept 108

Cybernex

Datagraphics 132B

Datagraphics 132A

Datamedia Elite 3000 series

Datamedia Elite 1521

Any hard copy with form feed

534 Commands INFO Reference Manual

Table TERMINAL-1

Type

HAZE

HONW

HP2621

IBM1

I100

I400

I304

LYNW

NEWB

NONE

OWL

PST100

SEIKO

SORO

TVI924

VCRG

V414

VT52

TERMINAL

INFO supported terminal types (cont'd)

Model supported

Hazeltine 1510

Honeywell VIP 7200

Hewlett-Packard 2621

IBM 3101

Infoton 100

Infoton 400

Informer 304

Lynwood

Newbury

Any hard copy terminal without form feed

Perkin Elmer, OWL, FOX, BANTAM

Prime PST-100

Seiko Graphics Terminal

Soroc, Televideo 920, 925

Televideo 924

Volker-Craig 404

Volker-Craig 414

Decscope VT52

INFO Reference Manual Commands 535

TIME

TIM

turns the display of the current time-of-day at each ENTER

COMMAND > prompt on or off.

note discussion

In programs, the TIME command displays various timings of the process (dependent on platform) but not the current time of day. See $TIME.

The TIME command turns on or off the display of the current time-of-day at each ENTER COMMAND > prompt.

The TIME command changes the value of the system item

$TIME-FLAG, which can have a value of 0 or 1. When

$TIME-FLAG is 0, no time-of-day display occurs at each

ENTER COMMAND > prompt. When $TIME-FLAG is 1, the time-of-day display accompanies each ENTER

COMMAND > prompt.

You can turn on or off the time-of-day display using the

CALCULATE command. CALCULATE $TIME-FLAG = 1 turns on the time-of-day display; CALCULATE $TIME-

FLAG = 0 turns off the time-of-day display. The default is zero.

The TIME command also displays the elapsed time since the last TIME command was issued.

INFO displays the time in the following format, where hh represents hours; mm, minutes; and ss, seconds. (Precise output will differ between hardware systems.)

Elapsed hh:mm:ss CPU hh:mm:ss

INFO Reference Manual Commands 537

TIME example

ENTER COMMAND >TIME

ELAPSED 00:00:05 CPU 00:00:00

11:10:46 ENTER COMMAND >SELECT MASTER

31 RECORD(S) SELECTED

11:11:00 ENTER COMMAND >TIME

ELAPSED 00:00:15 CPU 00:00:00

ENTER COMMAND >

538 Commands INFO Reference Manual

TOP

will reposition to the first record in the working set

notes

Even numbered program sections only.

TOP

INFO Reference Manual Commands 539

INFO-Text

TXCL

OSE

to close a text item after a partial read with TXGET

TXCLOSE discussion

If TXCLOSE is used to read only part of an A-type item subsequent calls to TXGET for an item in the next selected record will continue to return text from the previous record. TXCLOSE should be used in the same program section as TXGET if partial reading of text items is required. The command closes the currently open Atype item.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 541

INFO-Text TXGET

TXGET

[FROM] item-1 [INTO] item-2 item-3

retrieve text from an A-type item one line at a time

argument discussion

item-1 A-type item to be read

item-2 Character item to receive the line of text. The item should be wide enough to receive the whole line or text will be lost

item-3 Numeric item to receive the return code:-

1 Text item file not successfully opened

0 O.K

-1 End of file detected.

This command enables the user to achieve controlled output of text items by setting lines of text one at a time into a character variable. The line can then be transferred to a Forms Control form, or DISPLAYed or PRINTed as required. The end of the text item file is detected by the command so that the user can insert page throws etc.

when needed.

The command does not allow reformatting of the text into shorter lines and if this is attempted line ends will be lost.

If TXGET is not repeatedly called until all the text in an item has been read then TXCLOSE must be used to close the text item file before continuing with the program.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 543

INFO-Text TXLINES

TXLI

NES [FROM] item-1 [INTO item-2 item-3

determine number of Text Lines in an A-type item

argument discussion

item-1 A-type item to be read

item-2 numeric item to receive number of lines of text.

item-3 Numeric item to receive the return code:-

1 Text item file not successfully opened

0 O.K

When formatting reports containing free text it is frequently desirable to know how many lines of text to expect. This command provides that capability.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 545

TYPE

TY

PE IF_name

PG_name

RP_name

SF_name

[

PR

INT]

displays or prints a program, report, special form, or input form.

arguments discussion

IF_name | PG_name | RP_name | SF_name the file to be displayed.

PRINT sends the program, report, or form to your spool file and does not display it.

The TYPE command allows you to display a non-data file on your terminal screen or to send the non-data file to your spool file. When you use the TYPE command without the

PRINT option, INFO displays the program, report, or form on your terminal screen. If the program, report, or form is longer than 23 lines, INFO fills the screen with the first 23 lines then gives you the prompt MORE?. Respond as follows:

Response

<RETURN>

Description

Continues the display in 23-line increments, prompting

MORE? after each 23 lines.

Displays the rest of the file continuously, without stopping after each 23 lines, and returns to ENTER COMMAND > when the last line has been displayed.

Ends the display and returns ENTER COMMAND >.

The following example displays the program PROFILE:

N example

ENTER COMMAND >TYPE PROFILE

PROGRAM NAME: PROFILE 12/ 1/1993

10000 PROGRAM SECTION ONE

10001 CALCULATE $CASE-FLAG = 2

10002 DISPLAY =

10003 DISPLAY AT 10,20$TIME,10X,$TODAY

10004 DISPLAY AT 13,20,'WELCOME TO INFO'

INFO Reference Manual Commands 547

UBOX

UBOX

from_cursor_coordinates to_cursor_coordinates

remove a box previously painted by the BOX command

arguments from_cursor_coordinates to_cursor_coordinates

A previously-painted box will be removed from the screen.

discussion notes

This command is for ANSI terminals only

example

UBOX 10,10,20,60

INFO Reference Manual Commands 549

UPDATE

UPDA

TE [DF_item_1 [,DF_item_2.]] [

BY

DF_item [

ORDE

RED

]] syntax cont’d

[BY DF_item [

ORDE

RED]] [PROMPT] [,

S

]

UPDA

TE [

B

Y DF_item [

ORDE

RED]] [WITH IF_name [

AL

AY

[

NC

]

LN

[

NC

]

NC

]]

allows you to change individual item values within selected records in the selected data file and to optionally update records using an input form.

arguments

DF_item_1 [,DF_item_#...] the name of the item or items whose values will be changed.

[BY DF_item] identifies an item whose values are the basis INFO uses to determine which selected records are chosen for updating.

[ORDERED] specifies that the selected records are sorted on the item specified in the BY option.

[PROMPT] When PROMPT is specified, INFO issues a separate prompt for each item whose values are being updated, for each record located for updating.

[,S] suppresses the initial display of the item values in the record located for updating. If used following the

PROMPT or ORDERED option, the S option must be preceded by a comma.

WITH IF_name [AL | AY [NC] | LN [NC] | NC] you can use an input form to display the values for each record that you want to update. Options for suppressing the prompt and clearing the screen are available. See the

INPUT FORM command for more information about executing an input form.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 551

UPDATE

WITH IF_name identifies the input form that INFO uses to display each record and to accept new item values for that record. The form must exist in your INFO user area.

AL (Automatic Leave) suppresses the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE? prompt and automatically accepts the item values in the record just displayed or updated, but does not clear the screen at the end of the record.

AY (Automatic Yes) suppresses the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE? prompt, assumes a response of Y and clears the screen after you finish viewing or updating a record, unless the NC option is included. You cannot use the AY option when the first field of an input form is defined as forced (F subcommand).

LN displays the IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE?

prompt and waits for a response of L or N (leave or not accept). If you enter Y or <RETURN>, INFO assumes a response of L. If you enter Q, INFO displays an error message and reissues the prompt.

NC (No Clear) does not clear the screen after the item values in the record have been displayed or updated, regardless of the response to the message IS THIS

RECORD ACCEPTABLE? If the WITH option specifies a multi-screen input form, INFO displays the first screen of the form after each record is entered.

note discussion

An unqualified UPDATE command causes INFO to prompt you for the record number of each record you wish to update. Specify the record number of the record you wish to update. INFO displays the current values of every item in the record being updated. You may change the value of any item in that record.

The UPDATE command allows you to change individual item values in selected records. INFO prompts you to identify individual records to be updated. You identify records either by specifying a record number or by specifying a particular item value that a record has.

552 Commands INFO Reference Manual

UPDATE

Updating by record number

Updating by item value

If you use the UPDATE command without options, INFO prompts you with RECNO?> to enter the record number of the record you want to update. When you enter a record number, INFO displays the values of every item in the record or of every specified item for that record. INFO then displays the prompt ?> and waits for you to enter a new value for any item in the items list. You specify a new item value as follows:

>?DF_item=value

DF_item is the item name of the item whose value you want to change, and value is the new item value assigned for that individual record.

When you have completed changing item values in a particular record, enter <RETURN> at the ?> prompt.

INFO prompts you again with RECNO?>. You can enter another record number and update another record. When there are no more records that you want to update, enter

<RETURN> at the RECNO?> prompt. You then return to

ENTER COMMAND > level

If you use the BY option in the UPDATE command, INFO displays the prompt BY_item?> (where BY_item is the item specified in the BY option) and waits for you to enter an item value. INFO searches the selected records for the next record that has that item value. When such a record is found, INFO displays all the current item values or only the values specified in the items list for that record, displays the prompt ?> and waits for you to specify a new value for an item in that record. You specify a new value for an item as shown above.

When you have completed changing item values in a particular record, enter <RETURN> at the ?> prompt.

INFO then prompts you again with BY_item?>. You can specify another value to use in locating another record for updating. When you update all the records you want, enter <RETURN> at the BY_item?> prompt. You then return to ENTER COMMAND > level.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 553

UPDATE

Features when updating by record number or by item value

In the UPDATE command line, if you accompany the BY option with the ORDERED option, INFO assumes that the selected records are sorted on the BY_item and uses a binary search to locate the next record for updating.

If you include the PROMPT option in the UPDATE command, INFO prompts separately for each item or each item in the items list. That is, INFO displays the name of the item being updated instead of the ?> prompt. Respond to each DF_item> prompt by entering only a value, not

DF_item=value.

If you include the S (suppress) option in the UPDATE command, INFO does not display the current item values before the prompt. However, at the next RECNO?> or

BY_item?> prompt, you can specify that the item values be displayed in the next record located for updating.

Follow the record number or item value response with the current delimiter character and the letter D as follows:

RECNO?>3,D

CUSTOMER>JONES,D where a comma (,) is the current DELIMITER character.

If you include both the PROMPT and S options in the

UPDATE command line and you include a D as part of your response to the RECNO?> or BY_item?>, INFO prompts you for new item values according to the operation of the PROMPT option.

At the RECNO?> prompt, if you specify the record number of a data file record that is not selected, INFO locates the next selected record whose record number is greater than

554 Commands INFO Reference Manual

UPDATE

the record number you specified. For example, if you specify record 1 for updating and only records 5 through

10 are selected at the time you enter the UPDATE command, INFO locates and displays record 5 for updating.

At the RECNO?> prompt, specify = to retrieve the next selected record for updating.

At the BY_item?> prompt when the BY_item is C-type, you can specify a partial value. INFO searches the C-type

BY_item in the records for a match based on the partial item value.

Once you have specified a value at a BY_item?> prompt, if you specify = at a subsequent BY_item?> prompt,

INFO locates the next selected record that matches the value originally specified.

At the ?> or BY_item?> prompt, you can enter the CCHR setting's BACKTAB character to display the previous item value allowing you to re-enter a value.

At the ?> prompt, specify = to repeat the display of the record's item values.

At the ?> or BY_item?> prompt, to update more than one item value using one entry, separate DF_item=value entries with the current DELIMITER character. For example, when the slash (/) is the current DELIMITER character:

?>PART-NUM=1234/CUSTOMER=JONES

At the ?> prompt, when updating the value of a C-type item, type the value immediately after the equal sign (=).

Any blank spaces are included as part of the new item value.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 555

UPDATE

Updating using an input form

Updating A type Items

Another way to use the UPDATE command is to specify that an INFO input form be used to control which items are updated. This is most useful when the records being updated were originally entered using an input form, so that similar data validation procedures (or even the same input form) must be used when updating those records.

If you specify the WITH option, INFO clears the screen and prompts you with RECNO?> or BY_item?> on line 1.

For each record that you update, INFO executes the named input form once, displaying the current value of each item named in the input form. Note that INFO ignores any S (Store) subcommands in the input form when displaying the current item values for a particular record. Once the input form is executing:

To preserve an item value, enter an equal sign (=) or the

TAB character in response to the prompt for that value

To change an item value, enter the new value

For complete information about using input forms, see

'Executing an existing form' in the INPUT FORM command.

Updating A-type items divides into two catagories

— changing the name of the text file the record points to, and changing the text in the text file. INFO-Text allows you either capability. You access A- type items just as you access other datafile items to be updated — using either the reselect dialog or the WITH input form option.

You can change the name of the text file mentioned in an

A-type item only by redefining the item as a C-type item and then updating the file name as a C-type item. INFO-

Text then references the new file as part of the record.

See the REDEFINE command for details.

To update the text file, either from a ?> prompt or as part of the processing of an input form, enter a space and press <RETURN>. INFO Text puts the text file into the editor for you. Make the desired changes. When finished, press the <FILE> key and then the REFILE option on the menu. INFO-Text saves the file as changed, and returns you to the UPDATE dialog or to the input form.

556 Commands INFO Reference Manual

UPDATE

To avoid saving the changes, select the NOSAVE option.

INFO-Text returns you to the update dialog or to the input form.

example

ENTER COMMAND >SELECT D.EMPS

5 RECORD(S) SELECTED

ENTER COMMAND >UPDATE S

RECNO?>3

?><RETURN>

RECNO?>3,D

L.NAME

F.NAME

TITLE

SSN

ADDRESS.1

?>SSN=888888888

RECNO?><RETURN>

Suppresses the initial display of the item values for each record you update.

Display this one only.

=DOLITTLE

=ELIZA

=SPEECH THERAPIST

=999999999

=LONDON UK

INFO Reference Manual Commands 557

UPF

UPF

IF_name [

AL

]

[

AY

[

NC

]]

[

LN

[

NC

]]

[

NC

]

allows you to execute a screen entry form defined using the

INPUT FORM command to update records within an evennumbered program section.

arguments

IF_name — the name of the INFO input form file.

AY | AL | LN | NC options for suppressing the IS THIS

RECORD ACCEPTABLE? prompt and clearing the screen.

AY (Automatic Yes) suppresses the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE? prompt, assumes a response of Y and clears the screen after each record is entered, unless the

NC option is included.

AL (Automatic Leave) suppresses the IS THIS RECORD

ACCEPTABLE? prompt, automatically accepts the record, but does not clear the screen at the end of each record.

LN displays the IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE?

NC (No Clear) does not clear the screen after each record is entered, regardless of the response to the message IS

THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE?. If you are executing a multiple-screen input form, INFO displays the first screen of the form after each record is entered.

INFO Reference Manual Commands 559

UPF notes example

This command operates exactly as the INPUT FORM command when used to execute an existing input form, except that the UPF command can be used only in an even-numbered program section to update existing records in selected or related data files.

See the INPUT FORM command reference, the section

'Executing an existing form', for detailed instructions about updating a data file record using an input form in an evennumbered program section.

The following program section requests that the selected data file be updated using the existing input form

I.UPDATE.STATUS:

20020 IF PAYMNT-STATUS EQ 'LATE'

20030 UPF I.UPDATE-STATUS LN

20040 ELSE

20050 MOVE PAYMNT-STATUS TO $2CUST-STATUS

20060 ENDIF

see also

INPUT FORM (IPF)

560 Commands INFO Reference Manual

USER

return a user’s process id in $NUM40

example

ENTER COMMAND >USER

ENTER COMMAND >DIS $NUM40

37.00

USER

INFO Reference Manual Commands 561

WHO

WHO

display the current process id, LOGIN name, and current location

pathname

INFO Reference Manual Commands 563

INFO-Text XDIC

XDIC

item-1 item-2

executes a DICTIONARY command whose parameters are held in a character variable.

arguments

item-1 Character item containing the DICTIONARY parameters

item-2 Numeric item to receive the returned error code:-

0 = DICTIONARY successful

1 = DICTIONARY not successful

error messages

INVALID SOURCE ITEM item-1 must be type C

ITEM NAME OR LITERAL MUST BE SPECIFIED item-1 or item-2 has been omitted

example

The example below checks if there are any terms beginning with Omega in the dictionary of the selected extended text file:

FORMAT $CHR1,10,C

FORMAT $NUM30,1,I

$CHR1 = ‘Omega\’

XDIC $CHR1 $NUM30

IF $NUM30 NE 0

DISPLAY ‘No matching results for DICTIONARY command’

DISPLAY $CHR1

ENDIF

see also

DICTIONARY

INFO Reference Manual Commands 565

XGET

XGET

item-1 item-2

executes a GET command whose parameters are held in a character variable.

arguments

item-1 Character item containing the GET parameters

item-2 Numeric item to receive the returned error code:-

0 = GET successful

1 = GET not successful

error messages

INVALID SOURCE ITEM item-1 must be type C

ITEM NAME OR LITERAL MUST BE SPECIFIED item-1 or item-2 has been omitted

example see also

FORMAT $CHR2,40,C

FORMAT $NUM30,1,I

GVSET ‘path_variable’ ‘/home/accounts/’

$CHR2 = ‘%path_variable%abc002dat COPY’

SEL FILE-A

XGET $CHR2 $NUM30

IF $NUM30 NE 0

DISPLAY ‘** ERROR : BAD GET:’,$CHR2

GOTO TRY_AGAIN

ENDIF

LIST

GET

INFO Reference Manual Commands 567

XRELATE

XREL

ATE item-1 item-2

executes a RELATE command whose parameters are held in a character variable.

arguments

item-1 Character item containing the RELATE parameters

item-2 Numeric item to receive the returned error code:-

0 = RELATE successful

1 = RELATE not successful

notes

If XREL is used in a program, then an INFO template of the same description must be included, as a non-executing statement, for the program to compile and execute correctly.

example

FO $CHR1,80

FO $CHR11,32

FO $CHR15,16

FO $NUM40,1,I

SEL FILE-A

REM

non-executing RELATE so that program will compile

IF 1 NE 1

RELATE FILE-B-DUMMY BY ITEM

ENDIF

$CHR11 = ‘FILE-B’

$CHR15 = ‘ORDERED’

$CHR1 = ‘RELATE ’,$CHR11,‘ BY ITEM ’,$CHR15

XRELATE $CHR1 $NUM40

IF $NUM40 NE 0

DIS ‘RELATE failed’

GOTO END

ENDIF

INFO Reference Manual Commands 569

XRELATE error messages see also

INVALID SOURCE ITEM item-1 must be type C

ITEM NAME OR LITERAL MUST BE SPECIFIED item-1 or item-2 has been omitted

ILLEGAL RELATIONSHIP NUMBER

RELATE

570 Commands INFO Reference Manual

XRES

XRES

item-1 item-2

to execute a RESELECT command

arguments notes

item-1 Character item containing the RESELECT command including the word RESELECT or RES

item-2

Numeric item to receive the returned error code:-

0 = RESELECT successful

1 = RESELECT not successful n

The syntax within item_1 should be as detailed in the

RESELECT command.

example

FO $CHR1,16

FO $CHR3,8

$IDX2 = 1

$CHR1 = ‘NAME’

$CHR3 = ‘SMI’

SEL FILE-A

$WORK-BUFF = ‘RES BY ’,$CHR1,‘ BW ’,$CHR3

XRES $WORK-BUFF $NUM40

IF $NUM40 NE 0

DIS ‘ERROR IN RESEL’

GOTO ERROR

ENDIF

error messages see also

INVALID SOURCE ITEM item-1 must be type C

ITEM NAME OR LITERAL MUST BE SPECIFIED item-1 or item-2 has been omitted

RESELECT

INFO Reference Manual Commands 571

XRGET

XRGE

T item-1 item -2

to execute RGET with error return parameter

arguments

item-1 Character item containing the RGET parameters

(see RGET)

item-2 Numeric item to receive the returned error code:-

0 = RGET successful

1 = RGET not successful

error messages example

XSEL

ECT item-1 item-2

to execute SELECT command

arguments

item-1 Character item containing the SELECT parameters

item-2 Numeric item to receive the returned error code:-

0 = SELECT successful

1 = SELECT not successful

error messages see also

INVALID SOURCE ITEM item-1 must be type C

ITEM NAME OR LITERAL MUST BE SPECIFIED item-1 or item-2 has been omitted

SELECT

INFO Reference Manual Commands 575

Appendices

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Appendix G

Appendix H

Appendix I

Appendix J

Appendix K

Appendix L

Appendix M

Appendix N

Appendix O

Appendix P

Appendix Q

Appendix R

Appendix S

Appendix T

Appendix U

Appendix V

INFO Item Types

Command execution modes for INFO

System Variables

System Items

Screen Attribute Settings

INFO Internal Files

Controlling Default Assignments

INFO Commands By Function

INFO Reserved Words

ISAM Considerations

Record Matching

Functions

Using The Help Facility

Application Mode

External Variables

IMPORT/EXPORT File Formats

Configuration Files

Dossier Utility

Data Entry

Dates

Printing

Terminal Drivers

Page

A-73

A-75

A-79

A-81

A-91

A-97

A-109

A-113

A-3

A-5

A-11

A-15

A-49

A-67

A-121

A-125

A-135

A-137

A-157

A-165

A-167

A-169

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-1

Appendix A

Item type

(Binary)

(Character)

(Date)

INFO Item Types

INFO item types

Internal width Description

9-32 bytes

(ASCII)

Contains the name of a file which holds free-text in ASCII format.

1-4 bytes Number stored as binary integer.

No decimal positions allowed.

1-8 bytes (VMS only) Number stored as binary integer.

Can have implied decimal point.

1-4096 bytes Character field.

(Floating)

(Integer)

(Lead-fill

Number)

(Number)

(Overpunch on Output)

8 bytes

4-8 bytes

Date field, stored internally as

YYYYMMDD See the DFMT command discussion for information about date formats.

Number stored in floating-point format.

1-16 bytes

(digits)

1-16 bytes

(digits plus decimal point)

Integer item. No decimal positions are allowed.

Number that will be left-padded on output with the current LCHAR.

Can have up to 16 characters, including the decimal point.

1-16 bytes

(digits plus

Number with decimal places. Can have up to 16 characters, including decimal point) the decimal point.

1-16 bytes

(digits)

Number stored with the last digit overpunched and with an implied decimal. Can have up to 16 decimal positions.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-3

INFO item types

Item type

(Packed)

(Trailing Sign,

Zero Fill)

(Zero Fill)

Appendix A

INFO item types (cont’d)

Internal width

1-8 bytes

(packed digits)

1-16 bytes

(digits plus sign)

1-16 bytes

(digits)

Description

Number stored in packed decimal format with trailing sign. Byte 1 holds one digit. Each subsequent byte holds up to 2 additional digits.

Can have up to 15 decimal positions with the decimal point implied.

Number with decimal places and a trailing sign. Zero-filled on output

Can have up to 14 decimal positions with the decimal point implied.

Number with an implied decimal.

Zero - filled to the left. Can have up to 14 decimal positions.

*INFO maintains precision to 12 significant positions.

A-4 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix B

Command execution modes

The following list includes all INFO commands and indicates whether each is valid in an interactive session, odd-numbered program section and even-numbered program section.

Odd-numbered Even-numbered Command

•

ACC EPT

ADD

ADDR ECS

ADIR

ALT ER

ARE T

AS ELECT

ATOE

BOTM

BOX

BROFF

BRON

CA LCULATE

CAT ALOG

CCAS E

CCCT

CCHR

CH ANGE

CHEC K

CLAC

CLEA R

CNAM E

CO MINPUT

COMO UTPUT

COMP ILE

CON CATENATE

CONCORD

CONT EXT

COPY

CPL

CREA TE

CUR SOR

CWID

Interactive

Yes

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-5

Command execution modes

Appendix B

Interactive

Yes

(cont’d)

Command

DAY

DEC ODE

DEF INE

DELE TE

DELI MITER

DEXT

DFMT

DICE

DIC TIONARY

DIF

DINT

DIR ECTORY

DIS PLAY

DO ...

DOEN D

DOCD F

DOCI F

DOCR P

DOCS F

DONE

DPG

DRP

DSE L

DSF

EDIT

ELAP SED

ENCO DE

END

ERA SE

EX ECUTE

EXP AND

EXPO RT

EXST

EXT ERNAL

FILE S

Odd-numbered

Yes

Even-numbered

Yes

A-6 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix B

Command execution modes

(cont’d)

Command Interactive

FILL

FI RST

FO RMAT

FULL

GET

GETL OG

GNAM E

GO TO

GTIM

GVG ET

GVS ET

HALF

HELP

IF ...

ELSE ...

ENDI F No

IMPO RT Yes

INK EY Yes

INP UT FORM ( IPF ) Yes

INTE RNAL

IPF

IT EM

Yes

JUST IFY

LAB EL

LCHA R

LIM IT

LI ST

LOG

MERG E

MIDA S

Yes

MODE

MOD IFY

MOV E

MRED

NAME

NEWM AP

NMVE

Yes

Odd-numbered

Yes

Even-numbered

Yes

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-7

Command execution modes

Appendix B

Interactive

Yes

(cont’d)

Command

NSE LECT

OPCL OSE

OUTP UT

PASS WORD

PHAN TOM

POS

POST INGS

PREV IOUS

PRIF

PRI M

PRI NT

PROG RAM

PROT ECT

PURG E

Q UIT

RECA SE

RED EFINE

REFO RMAT

REL ATE

REM ARK

REN AME

REP ORT

RES ELECT

RGET

RUN

RWLK

SAVE

SCI

SCPY

SEL ECT

SET

SETU P

SHIF T

SKIP

SLEE P

SO RT

SOUN DEX

Odd-numbered

Yes

Even-numbered

Yes

A-8 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix B

Command execution modes

(cont’d)

Command Interactive

SPAW N Yes

SPEC IAL FORM ( SF ) Yes

SPOO L Yes

SRCH

STAM P

STAT

Yes

STOP

STOPW ORD

STRI P

SUFF IX

SYNF ILE

SYNO NYM

SYS TEM

Yes

TAK E

TERM INAL

TIM E

TOP

TXCL OSE

TXGE T

TXLI NES

TY PE

UBOX

UPD ATE

UPF

USER

WHO

XDIC

XGET

XREL ATE

XRES

XSEL ECT

Yes

Odd-numbered

Yes

Even-numbered

Yes

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-9

Appendix C

$CHR1 through

$CHR40

$DAT1 through

$DAT40

$NUM1 through

$NUM40

System

Variables

System Variables

INFO provides you with a 320-byte system variable buffer, which is formatted by default as 40 8-byte fields. The forty fields in this buffer, each called a system variable, can be considered character fields (referenced as $CHR1–

$CHR40), date fields (referenced as $DAT1–$DAT40), numeric fields (referenced as $NUM1–$NUM40), or any combination of the three. The system variable $CHR1 occupies the same storage location as the $NUM1 and

$DAT1 system variables. You can use a given location n in the system variable buffer as a $CHR# value for part of an INFO session and use the same field as a $NUM# value later in the same session.

You can change the default storage and display characteristics of each field in the system variable buffer to meet specific processing needs. You use the FORMAT command to change the characteristics of system variables; see the FORMAT command for the details of formatting system variables.

The 40 system variables, $CHR1 through $CHR40 store character data. Each $CHR# variable is formatted, by default, with an input width of 8, an output width of 16 and an item type of C.

The 40 system variables $DAT1 through $DAT40 store date values in the format yyyymmdd and display according to the setting of DFMT. Each $DAT# system variable is formatted, by default, with an input width of 8, an output width of 11 and an item type of D.

The 40 system variables $NUM1 through $NUM40 store numeric data. Each $NUM# variable is formatted, by default, with an input width of 8, an output width of 16 and an item type of F. You can change the type characteristic of a $NUM# system variable to that of any of INFO's numeric item types.

INFO provides system variables for holding anything that cannot be stored as an item. A system variable holds a numeric, character, or date value.

System variables can be used just like items: they can be displayed, printed, calculated, or moved. You can use

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-11

System Variables

Appendix C

them in logical expressions, and compare them either to constant values like letters and numbers, or to items or other variables. You can also use them during interactive sessions or in reports.

You can use up to 40 system variables at once, either 40 of one type, or any mixture of numeric, character, or date variables totaling up to 40. The diagram below shows how these 40 variables look to INFO; the xxx entry indicates where you enter the type for the variable. The three types are NUM, CHR, and DAT. The diagram shows the default characteristics for each of these types.

| $xxx1 | $xxx2 | $xxx3 | $xxx4 | $xxx5 | . . . | $xxx40 |

With any system variable, # is the number from 1 to 40 that you assign the variable. For instance, you might have

$NUM1, $NUM2, $CHR3, $DAT4, and $NUM5 in the same program. You can’t use both $NUM1 and $CHR1 in the same program because INFO stores only one space for the $xxx1 variable. The order in which you use system variables is not important, but keep track of which variables you do use so that numbers are not repeated.

System Variable Default Characteristics

Variable Internal Output

Format Width Width Type Description

$CHR#

$NUM#

$DAT#

F,2

Can hold character strings.

Can hold any numeric value.

Can hold any date value.

Default input format is

MM/DD/YY.

A-12 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix C

FORMAT see also

System Variables

You can change the characteristics of system variables by using the FORMAT command. If you want a different width, an integer, or a specific number of decimal places, you can adjust the existing variables with the FORMAT command.

The order of characteristics used with the FORMAT command is similar to that used when defining datafile items. You include the name of the variable, its internal width, its output width, its item type, and its decimal places, if applicable.

e.g.

FORMAT $CHR1,7,C

If you format a variable to be larger than 8 spaces wide, you use up part of the next system variable. For instance, if you format $CHR1 to be 17 spaces wide, the next variable you use must be $xxx4 or more. By expanding

$CHR1, you used up the space INFO reserves for system variables $xxx2 and $xxx3.

FORMAT $CHR1,17,C

|= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =|

| $xxx1 | $xxx2 | $xxx3 | $xxx4 | $xxx5

↑

Next available system variable is $xxx4.

The effects of a FORMAT command and the contents of a system variable continue after the termination of a program. To ensure that your variables are what you expect them to be, it is recommended that you format and initialize any system variable you use in a program.

CLEAR

INTERNAL

REFORMAT

DINT

FORMAT

$WORK-BUFFER

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-13

Appendix D

$ABBREV

(VMS only)

System Items

System items are used by INFO to control a variety of operating options and to store the results of certain INFO's internal operations (such as the number of currently selected records). Each system item is listed below with a description of its function and allowable values.

You can display the value of any system item by using the

DISPLAY command. (See the DISPLAY command discussion for information about displaying a system item.)

You can change the value of certain system items, as indicated below.

To display a list of all INFO's system items, enter:

ENTER COMMAND >ITEMS -1

Note: Some System Items which are specific to screen display are detailed in appendix E, ‘Screen Attribute

Settings’

Default = 0

Set = 1

When the system item $ABBREV = 1, INFO will scan for

VMS symbols, the contents of which it will try and invoke as a valid INFO command, eg.

At VMS:

SC:==SEL CONTROL

In INFO:

ENTER COMMAND >CALC $ABBREV = 1

ENTER COMMAND >SC

22 record(s) selected.

Be careful that abbreviations do not conflict with live INFO commands.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-15

System Items

Appendix D

$APPLICATION-MODE

Read only

Default = 0

Set = 1

When set, indicates that the user entered INFO using an environment variable as a USERNAME.

example

Unix: _tes /unix_source/tesdr9 ; export _tes

(bourne or korn shell)

setenv _tes /unix_source/tesdr9

( c-shell )

GVSET '_tes' '/unix_source/tesdr9’ ( within INFO )

VMS:

Primos:

$AR

$ARITH-

QUESTION

DEFINE .TES DUB5:[VAX_SOURCE]TES.DR9

SET_VAR .TES PRIME_SOURCE>TESDR9

Default = 0

Set = 1

$AR indicates the type of access you have to the most recently selected or related data file. You cannot change the value of this system item. INFO sets the value of

$AR, as follows: n

1 to indicate you have READ/WRITE access to the data file n

7 to indicate you have READ-ONLY access to the data file

$ARITH-QUESTION determines whether to issue a warning prompt when calculating values into a datafile_item interactively or in an odd program section causes a numeric overflow.

Use the CALCULATE command to set this item to one of these values: n

0 tells INFO to issue to prompt DO YOU WANT TO TRY

AGAIN?> when a numeric overflow occurs. Responses to this are:

A-16 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$AS

$BUCKSZ

(VMS only)

Y repeat the calculation

N do not repeat the calculation n

Any numeric value other than 0 tells INFO not to issue the

DO YOU WANT TO TRY AGAIN?>

prompt.

Default = 1

Set = 7

INFO uses the value of $AS to determine the type of access you want granted for the next selected and related data files processed. Use the CALCULATE command to set this system item to one of the following values: n

1 to indicate you want READ/WRITE access to the data files n

7 to indicate you want READ-ONLY access to the data files

Note that you can use the RO (read-only) option on a

SELECT or RELATE command to override a $AS setting of 1. If you include the RO option on a SELECT or

RELATE command, you can only read from the data file, regardless of the current $AS setting. If you do not include the RO option on a SELECT or RELATE command, INFO gives you the access indicated by the current $AS setting.

ISAM files only

Default = 0

Set = (configurable)

It is possible to set the bucket size for RMS ISAM file creation. The default value is 0, which takes the operating system default. If you perform an operation which creates a new ISAM file (e.g. PURGE), and you set $BUCKSZ > 0, the new file is created with the specified bucket size. Note that no check is made to ensure that the bucket size you specify is large enough to accommodate the logical record length of the file. It is recommended that $BUCKSZ be used carefully and reset to 0 after the file creation command (e.g. SELECT after an EXTERNAL which specifies a new file name for an ISAM file creates a new file, you should CALC $BUCKSZ = 0 after the SELECT if you had set it to a value greater than zero before the

SELECT).

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-17

System Items

Appendix D

WARNING:

See the VMS Record Management Services manual for more information.

These settings remain during your current INFO session so subsequent operations will inherit these settings unless you explicitly set the value back to the default.

$BLANK-FIELD

$CASE-FLAG

Default = 0

Set = 1

Set = 2

Set = 3

N, I, L, V, O and T type fields containing blank or zero display as zero.

N, I, L, V, O and T type fields which contain blank or zero display as blank.

N, I, L, V, O and T type fields which contain blank, zero or negative values display as blank.

N, I and L type fields which contain blank or negative values display as blank.

Default = 0

Set = 1, 2

$CASE-FLAG determines whether INFO is sensitive to the case (uppercase or lowercase) of item names, directory entries, and commands. Use the CALCULATE command to set $CASE-FLAG to one of the following values: n

0 tells INFO to accept all command input as entered and to be case-sensitive to item names and directory entries.

For example, if you enter ALTER last-name and the item you want to change is named LAST-NAME, INFO does not match the item name, and issues an error message that the item you requested does not exist.

1 directs INFO to convert all command input to uppercase automatically before processing the command request.

2 directs INFO to accept all command input as entered and to ignore case when searching for item names and directory entries during command processing. For example, if you enter the command ALTER last-name,

INFO considers 'last-name' to be equivalent to 'LAST-

NAME'.

A-18 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$CHECK-NOMATCH

Default = 0 Comparisons for numerics and characters fail on no match.

Set = 0, 1, 2, 3 (See Appendix K “Record Matching” for details on each individual setting)

This variable allows users to change default processing with regard to tests on related file item values of blank for characters and zero for numerics.

$COMMA-SWITCH Default = 0

Set = -1,1

$COMMA-SWITCH determines whether INFO puts commas in a displayed numeric field (that is, item types B,

F, I, N, O, P, T and V). You can use the CALCULATE command to set this system item to one of the following values: n

0 : commas will be displayed only if the output width of the item or variable is large enough to accommodate the highest possible value in that item or variable plus the commas.

-1 : commas will not be displayed in numeric fields.

n commas will be displayed only if the output width of the numeric field is large enough to take the greatest possible numeric value plus the decimal point (if any) and commas.

e.g. if a numeric field is formatted as 8, I then its output width would need to be 10 or more to allow for 8 digits and 2 commas, whatever the actual value of the numeric field.

1 : commas will be displayed if the output width of the numeric field is large enough to take the actual numeric value plus the decimal point (if any) and commas.

e.g. if a numeric field is formatted as 8, 8, I (i.e. output width of

8) and its value was 123456 then it would be displayed as

123,456 : if its value was 1234567 then no comma would be displayed.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-19

System Items

Appendix D

$COMP-LINK-ONCE

Default = 0

Set = 1

When set to 0 and used with the SINGLE option,

COMPILE will compile only linked programs, each time they are encountered.

When set to 1 and used with the SINGLE option,

COMPILE will compile only linked programs, and only the first time they are encountered.

When set to 0 and used with the LOCAL option, COMPILE will compile every form, report and linked program each time they are encountered.

When set to 1 and used with the LOCAL option, COMPILE will compile every form, report and linked program the first time they are encountered only.

When set to 0 and used without any options, COMPILE will compile every form, report and linked program each time they are encountered, and non-linked programs once only.

When set to 1 and used without any options, COMPILE will compile every form, report, linked and non-linked program the first time they are encountered only.

$COMPRESS-REC-ATT

(VMS only)

Default = 0

Set = 1

The system item $COMPRESS-REC-ATT (alternate name

$RAT), when set to 1, saves with standard carriage controls rather than Fortran carriage controls (default) for the following commands:

SAVE COMP INIT

OUTPUT

EXPORT

ALL DOC commands, i.e. DOCDF

ALL DUMP commands, i.e. DPG

WARNING: These settings remain during your current INFO session so subsequent operations will inherit these settings unless you explicitly set the value back to the default.

A-20 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$CONDITION-NAME

Read only

Contains the name of the INTERRUPT condition, specified using the MODE SET COND command, last raised.

$DAY

Read only

$DAY contains a value from 1 to 31 that indicates the current day of the month. This is the same value as that contained in the field for the day of the month in the system item $TODAY, described below. You cannot change the value of $DAY.

$DECODE-EXT-PG Default = 0

Set = 1

If set to 1, a DECODE * command will not decode any external programs, forms and reports.

$DISPLAY-MODE

Default = 0

Set = 1

Controls display of screen attributes. See Appendix E

“Screen Attribute Settings”.

$DOPS2

Default = 0 do even program section

Set = 1 don't do even program section

'Do-Program-Section-2'

ISAM files only

SELECT <filename> DYNAMIC clears down the default set bitmap (NDX) file, and returns the number of records selected as zero. The bitmap is only built when the file is processed.

$DOPS2 controls whether records are automatically read, and processed by any following even program statement when $NOSEL = 0, and SELECT <file> DYNAMIC is in force. See the table below.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-21

System Items

Appendix D

$DOPS2

SEL DYN

Records in file ?

yes yes no no

Will even section be executed ?

yes (default) no no no

$DUPLEX

Note: To take effect, $DOPS2 must be set BEFORE the

ISAM file is SELECTED DYNAMIC

Default = 0

Set = 1 , 2

Sets command input to half duplex, with INFO echoing characters received if set to 1. To be used with ANSI terminals only.

When $DUPLEX = 1, the following apply: n

If $CASE-FLAG = 1, lower-case input will be up-cased before being reflected n

<Tab>, <Backtab>, <Keep> and <Clear> characters are not reflected.

$ERROR-POSITON - on line 24 - where user response is required (e.g. ERROR COUNT EXCEEDED, RECORD

LOCKED, IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE), the user’s response will NOT scroll the screen up one line.

Single terminal character capture to COMO files.

Can be set OFF or ON in a form, program or interactively, on a field by field basis. i.e. CALC $DUPLEX = 1 (ON),

CALC $DUPLEX = 0 (OFF) n

Backspace - to the left of the first character in a field not reflected (i.e. does not destroy screen layout)

A-22 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

Backspace visually removes the character n

Exceeding field width - the first character typed beyond the width of the item accepted is not reflected, so does not overwrite any field displayed in the follow-on position.

Kill visually removes the whole field

If the previous input exceeded the item width, n

Kill will visually remove all the display (for that item), to the left and right of the cursor n

Backspace will visually remove the display (for that item), to the right and including the previous cursor position, unless the cursor is in the first character position of the field. (to do this, use Kill).

INFO commands FULL and HALF

When used in conjunction with commands FULL and

HALF: n

HALF with or without $DUPLEX = 1, i.e. NOECHO - has been modified to output one space for every non control key depression. Backspace and kill operate as in

$DUPLEX = 1 WITH ECHO.

FULL and $DUPLEX = 0 as standard INFO full duplex operation.

FULL and $DUPLEX = 1 half duplex operation with ECHO.

When $DUPLEX = 2 nothing is echoed to the screen except when passwords are being entered, when spaces are reflected.

$ERROR-POSITION

Default = 1

Set = (configurable)

$ERROR-POSITION determines whether INFO displays error messages while executing input forms, and if so, on which line on the terminal screen to display the messages.

You can assign one of the following values to this system item by using the CALCULATE command or by specifying the $ERROR-POSITION item as an input form item with an S (Store) option:

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-23

System Items

Appendix D

$EXACT

$ECL

(Prime only) n

0 directs INFO to suppress error messages during INPUT

FORM processing n

Any value from 1 to 24 directs INFO to display error messages during input form processing, at the row on the terminal screen specified by the value

Read only

Occurs 10 indexed by $IDX2

Default = 0

Set = 1

When the command MODE SET EXACT relno ON is issued, $EXACT will file the value of 1 in each array element corresponding to the relate numbers.

Default = 0

Set = 1

When set, uses Prime’s Edit Command Line ‘ECL’ feature

- available at PRIMOS Revisions 21.xx and upwards.

ECL is only available at ENTER COMMAND > level.

When $ECL is set, the command line prompt is:

(ECL) ENTER COMMAND >

$FAST-DELETE

ISAM files only

(VMS only)

Default = 0

Set = 1

INFO supports the ROP=FDL option in the RAB on open for rapid purging of ISAM records. IF $FAST-DELETE is set to 1, this option will be turned on. Note that if this option is used, processing after purging will be noticably slower until a CONVERT/RECLAIM is run on the ISAM file and it is re-opened under INFO. Also, with this method of purging, purged records can still be accessed through a secondary index.

A-24 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$FIELD-EDIT

(VMS only)

See the VAX/VMS Record Management Services manual for more information.

Default = 0

Set = 1

If set to 1, INPUT FORM will call SMG to update fields in

INPUT FORMS with full VMS line editing. The CCHR settings are preserved and used as field terminators so they may be passed back from the read routine as single characters. There is a first time switch in the field editing routine so that the SMG initialisation gets done only if field editing is being used. This avoids undesirable switching to graphics mode when certain non-printable sequences are displayed through an activity like typing a PROGRAM that contains such strings.

$FORCE-WRITE

ISAM files only

Default = 0

Set = 1

When set to default, INFO generates an ISAM record at the end of an IPF or even program section.

When set to 1 INFO generates a new ISAM record immediately on detecting that the key does not already exist with the following operations :

ADD and IPF interactively and in odd program sections, even program sections when RELATE Isam-file FILL is in force.

When used in conjunction with $LOCK-MODE = 1 or 2, a generated record will be locked immediately after its insertion into the file. See the table ISAM Control Items below.

$GBUFRS

(VMS only)

ISAM files only

Default = 4

Set = (configurable)

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-25

System Items

Appendix D

This allows the user to set the number of global buffers for

RMS ISAM indices. By default, $GBUFRS is set to 4. In

INFO revision 9.23, the number of global buffers was set to 0, which let RMS determine whether to allocate 1 buffer or no buffers depending upon the characteristics of the file.

See the VAX/VMS Record Management Services manual for more information.

$HOURS

$IDX1 through

$IDX9

Read only

Displays the hours element of $TIME

The nine system items $IDX1 through $IDX9 are used by

INFO for subscript values when processing arrayed data file items. You must reference a $IDX# system item as the index when you define an arrayed data file item.

(See the DEFINE and ALTER command discussions for information about defining arrayed items.) Use the

CALCULATE command, or the S (Store) option in an input form, to assign an appropriate value to the defined $IDX# item when you want to access an element in an arrayed data file item.

$IGNORE-OWNER ISAM files only

(VMS only)

Default = 0

Set = 1

When $IGNORE-OWNER is set to 1, if a PURGE is issued on an entire ISAM file and the creation of the mirror image of the file fails because the user is not the owner of the file, but the file protection of the ISAM file has allowed write access, a new file is created with the default owner and all other attributes the same as the original ISAM file.

This allows the original file to be deleted (instead of having each record purged, record by record). HOWEVER, the replacement file will have a different owner UIC which may raise security issues. $IGNORE-OWNER is set to 0 by default. USE WITH CAUTIONI

$IPF-DISPLAY

Default = 0

Set = 1

A-26 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$IPF-F-V-EXIT

In an interactive or odd section IPF, when set, $IPF-

DISPLAY causes INFO to display the contents of the buffers (similar to UPDATE .. WITH IPF) for the second and subsequent records added (based on the first or preceding record).

In an even section UPF it displays the current buffer contents (as in UPDATE .. WITH IPF) for the current record on accept fields.

Default = 0

Set = 1

If set to 0, <RETURN> on the first logical field of an input form will always quit the form. If set to 1 and if the first logical field of an input form has the V or F option,

<RETURN> will set the default value or prompt for input accordingly.

$ISAM-AS-DAM

Default = 0

Set = 1

By default, statements such as CALC $NUM1 = $NUM1+

1 do not generate records in ISAM files with the REL ..

FILL option, but they do in non-ISAM files.

When $ISAM-AS-DAM is set it forces INFO to generate

ISAM records on REL <filename> <item> FILL in interactive mode and odd program sections, as for non-

ISAM files.

See the table ISAM Control Items below.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-27

System Items

Appendix D

ISAM Control Items Table

Std= Standard Error

Exception Handling

Own= Own or Custom Error

Exception Handling

Read record without lock

Concurrency Control

$LOCK-MSG

0-80 characters of user-defined lock message. Initially blank

Std . Own n/a yes

Forced write on unmatched keys without lock

Forced write on unmatched keys with lock

Std . Own n/a yes

Read record with lock

Std . Own n/a yes

$LOCK-MSG-LEN

Length of $LOCK-MSG to be used.

Initial value 80.

n/a yes n/a yes n/a yes n/a yes

$LOCK-MODE

To control read no lock or read with lock options.

Initial value 0.

ISAM Compatibility

0 -1

Std . Own n/a n/a

$ISAM-AS-DAM

On Rel..Fill, ISAM to act as Fixed

Length Records. Default 0

$FORCE-WRITE

On ISAM Rel..Fill, no match.

To control where record is written.

Applies to Update, IPF and Even sections only. Initial value 0.

n/a . n/a

0 -1

Std . Own

1 1

Std . Own

1 1

Std . Own n/a n/a

1 1

1 2

1 1

1 2 n/a n/a

A-28 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$ISAM-ERROR-MODE

Default = 0

Set = 1

When set, $ISAM-ERROR-MODE overrides the default display of irrecoverable error messages.

$ISAM-ERROR0..9 Read only

ISAM return codes. These codes may also be referred to by the array item $ISAM-ERROR (occurs 10, indexed by

$IDX2)

$KIDSP

Default = 0

Set = 1

When set, displays from INPUT FORMS are suppressed.

Default displays IPF terminal output.

The designated use for this item is for COMI replay of a

LOG file recovery, suppressing the terminal output to speed up execution time.

$LASTCHAR

This read-only variable stores the last character keyed in.

$LISTON Default = 0 list off

Set = -1 list executing program or input form statements to print file

Set = 1 list executing program or input form statements to terminal

This variable for RUN LIST/PRINT can be set anywhere and is applicable to both programs and input forms.

It is set by the existing RUN <program> LIST to 1 and

RUN <program> PRINT to -1.

When used in conjunction with IPFs with the value 1 (list to the terminal), IPF statements will be displayed to the

$ERROR-POSITION line or row.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-29

System Items

Appendix D

$LOCK-MODE

$LOCK-MSG

Default = 0

Set = -1, 1, 2

This item along with the following two system items is to be used in conjunction with the existing system items

$LOCK0...9, $LOCK-QUESTION. The value of $LOCK-

MODE determines how ISAM records are processed with the read with lock options. $LOCK-MSG can contain a user defined message for default lock processing.

When set allows control of read with lock and user defined lock message processing.

Set = -1 Read record without lock: use user-defined lock message in $LOCK-MSG if locked record is encountered.

Set = 0 Read record without lock: use system lock message if locked record is encountered.

Set = 1 Read record with lock: use system lock message if unable to lock record.

Set = 2 Read record with lock: user-defined message in $LOCK-MSG if unable to lock record.

See the ISAM Control Items Table above.

Default = <blank>

Set = any user defined string up to 80 characters in width.

Used in conjunction with $LOCK-MODE values -1 and 2 to override the default lock message.

$LOCK-MSG-LEN Default = 80

Set = set to WD $LOCK-MSG or less if desired

$LOCK-QUESTION

Default = 0

INFO uses the value of $LOCK-QUESTION to determine what action to take when an attempt to lock an ISAM file record is unsuccessful (i.e., the $LOCK# item that corresponds to the file is set to 1 following the lock

A-30 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$LOCK-QUESTION (cont’d) attempt). Use the CALCULATE command to set this system item to one of the following values:

0 - directs INFO to prompt UNABLE TO LOCK RECORD

IN FILE n WITH KEY ... DO YOU WANT TO TRY

AGAIN?> when a record lock attempt is unsuccessful.

Respond to this prompt as follows:

Y (Yes) or <RETURN>

Instructs INFO to attempt to lock the record again.

N (No) Instructs INFO not to attempt to lock the record again.

Any value other than 0 directs INFO to suppress the above prompt when an attempt to lock an ISAM file record is unsuccessful. INFO continues as though it issued the prompt and received a response of N (that is, INFO does not attempt to lock the record again.)

$LOCK0 through $LOCK9

Read only

The ten system items $LOCK0 through $LOCK9 indicate the result of an attempt to lock an ISAM file record.

($LOCK0 indicates the results of a record lock attempt for the selected file, $LOCK1 for the first related file, $LOCK2 for the second related file, and so on.) Following an attempt to lock a record in an ISAM file, INFO sets the value of the $LOCK# item that corresponds to that file to one of the following values:

0 indicates that the record lock attempt was successful.

1 indicates that the record lock attempt was unsuccessful.

$LOCK0 - $LOCK9 are set by INFO and cannot be changed by the user. These items may also be referenced by the array item $LOCK (occurs 10, indexed by $IDX2).

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-31

System Items

$MAXREC

$MINS

$MONTH

$MOVFLG

$NM

Appendix D

Read only default = 4096

$MAXREC displays the length in bytes of the portion of

INFO's memory that holds records from the selected and related files.

Read only

Displays the minutes element of $TIME

Read only

$MONTH contains a value from 1 to 12 that indicates the current month of the year. This is the same value as that contained in the month in the system item $TODAY, described below default = 0 set = 1

When a MOVE, CALC or CONCATENATE is performed from an item on a related file where there is a no-match,

$NPVFLG controls whether the target field is left intact or is blank-filled.

Default = 0

MOVE - blank filled the <target> will be :

CALC - zero filled

CONC - the no-matched source fields will be blank filled and concatenated

Set = 1 the <target> will be left intact in all cases if

<source> no-match. Note that with CONC, any no-match condition will suffice.

default = 0 set = 1, 2

$NM determines what, if any, messages INFO displays during related data file processing when a no-match situation occurs (that is, when no related file record exists that matches the value of the relate key item in the

A-32 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$NM (cont’d) selected or other related record). Use the CALCULATE command to assign one of the following values to $NM: n

0 (the default) directs INFO to display the following message whenever a no-match condition is detected:

NO MATCH IN RELATED DATAFILE relate_# FOR RECORD rec_# where relate_# identifies the related data file and rec_# is the number of the selected record just processed (except if the related file is an ISAM file).

1 directs INFO to suppress the display of any message when there is a no-match situation.

2 directs INFO to display the following message in addition to the NO MATCH IN RELATED DATAFILE message

(described above) for a no-match condition:

NO MATCH IN related_file_spec FOR relate_key_item=item_value where related_file_spec is the name of the related file when the no-match condition was detected, relate_key_item identifies the common item name by which the file is related to a previous file, and item_value is the value of the relate key item for which no match was found.

$NODEL-NO-REOPEN

(VMS only) Default = 0

Set = 1

When $NODEL-NO-REOPEN is set to 0 (the default),

SPOOL /NODELETE will re-open the spool file after the

PRINT command has been issued for appending additional information to that spool file. If $NODEL-NO-

REOPEN is set to 1, the spool file will not be re-opened when SPOOL / NODELETE is issued.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-33

System Items

Appendix D

$NODEL-NO-REOPEN(cont’d)

(VMS only)

Note: Setting $NODEL-NO-REOPEN = 1 avoids the occasional problem on busy systems of PRINT not being able to open the spool file when the printer becomes free.

$NOREC

Read only

$NOREC contains the total number of records in the selected data file. Note that this is not the same as the number of currently selected records (see $NOSEL below). You cannot change the value of $NOREC.

$NOSEL

Read only

$NOSEL contains the total number of records in the working set currently selected unless the selected file is

ISAM and was selected with the DYNAMIC option or had a

LIMIT command issued. With DYNAMIC, $NOSEL is initially 0 and is incremented as records are read, whereas with LIMIT, $NOSEL is 0 if no records meet the specified condition, or 1 if at least 1 record does. $NOSEL is then incremented as records are read if any others meet the condition. Note that this is not the same as the number of records in the currently selected data file (see $NOREC above).

$PAGENO

$PAGEST

Read only

$PAGENO contains the number of the last page printed for a report. $PAGENO initializes to 0 before the report is printed.

$PAGEST determines the starting page number during

REPORT command processing. INFO resets $PAGEST to 0 after a report is finished. By default, each report begins with page number 1, that is, 0 + 1.

Before you enter a REPORT command, you can alter the value of this system item with the CALCULATE command.

Set $PAGEST to the page number for the first page of the report minus 1. (INFO determines the number for each page by adding 1 to the value of $PAGEST) If you want the report to begin with the page number following the last

A-34 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$PAGEST(cont’d) page of the previous report, set $PAGEST to the value of

$PAGENO (enter CALCULATE $PAGEST = $PAGENO).

$PARAMETERS

To be used in conjunction with the QUIT <USERNAME> command, $USER-BUFF and APPLICATION mode, to allow parameter passing from one INFO user name (or directory) to another. The contents of $PARAMETERS are only initialized at INFO invocation and are retained between INFO user names when used as described. See

Appendix N ‘Application Mode’

$PI

Contains the value of PI accurate to 12 decimal places:

3.141592653590

$PRINTER-NAME

Read only

$PRINTER-NAME is 32 characters long and contains the name of the currently open print file.

$PRINTER-SIZE

default = 132

$PSPRO

(VMS only) set = (configurable)

You can set the value of $PRINTER-SIZE to specify the column width of your system printer between 0 and 200.

You can set this system item with the CALCULATE command.

Default = 1

Set = 0

When $PSPRO is set to 1 (the default), INFO will attempt to preserve the protection on the SELECTed file when it creates the resultant file for PURGE and SORT. If the user does not have sufficient privilege to create a file with the same privilege as the SELECTed file, INFO will create the new file with default protection. If $PSPRO is set to 0,

INFO will simply create the new file with default protection.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-35

System Items

Appendix D

$PURGE-LOCAL

Default = 0

Set = 1

If set to 1 and you are in ADIR mode, purging a nonexternal datafile will create the new DAT locally.

$RECNO

Read only

$RECNO contains the number of the last record read from the selected file. You cannot change the value of this system item.

$RELREC1 through

$RELREC9

Read only

The nine system items $RELREC1 through $RELREC9 contain the number of the record that INFO is processing currently in each of the corresponding related files.

$RELREC1 holds the number of the record in the first related file, $RELREC2 in the second, and so on. INFO uses these system items only when processing even-numbered program sections.

$REPCOL1 through

$REPCOL20

$REPDAT

The twenty system items $REPCOL1 through

$REPCOL20 contain the last value printed in an INFO report in that report's columns 1 through 20, respectively.

Each $REPCOL item is set to 0 before the report is printed.

You can change the values of these system items, but be aware that INFO assigns values to these items

(overwriting any values that you have assigned) when you execute a report, as discussed above.

These items may also be referenced by the array item

$REPCOL (occurs 20, indexed by $IDX2)

$REPDAT contains the date used when executing a report. $REPDAT is initialized to $TODAY when you start your INFO session. You can use the CALCULATE command to assign $REPDAT to another date in the format mm/dd/yy, where mm is the number of the month, dd is the number of the day, and yy is the last two digits of the year (for instance, enter CALCULATE $REPDAT =

09/22/96).

A-36 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$REPTOT1 through

$REPTOT64

$RETRY

$REPEAT will not be replaced throughout an INFO session as $TODAY is.

INFO uses the 64 system items $REPTOT1 through

$REPTOT64 to contain the values, subtotals and grand totals generated during execution of an INFO report. You can display any of these 64 system items by referencing each item either as an element of the arrayed system item named $REPTOT, indexed by the value of $IDX2, or as individual system items named $REPTOT1, $REPTOT2, and so on.

For instance, DISPLAY $REPTOT11 gives the same results as the command CALCULATE $IDX2 = 11 followed by DISPLAY $REPTOT.

You can change the values of these system items, but be aware that INFO assigns values to these items, overwriting any values that you have assigned, when you execute a report as discussed above.

Default = 6

Set = (configurable)

Used only with the INPUT FORM command, $RETRY enables you to change the maximum error count that

INFO will allow before asking

DO YOU WANT TO TRY AGAIN?.

Do not set $RETRY = 0, as you will be prompted for the error prompt before data entry to each field.

$SCIENTIFIC-DISP Default = 0

note

Set = 1

Set = 2

Display F-type numbers as decimals.

Display very small F-type numbers as exponentials.

Display all F-type numbers as exponentials.

Small F-type numbers for setting 1 apply to numbers less than 0.0004 or greater than -0.0004.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-37

System Items

Appendix D

$SCREEN WIDTH Default = 80

To list/display the items of a record on 1 line (with wraparound), $SCREEN-WIDTH must be set to a value equal to or greater than (maximum 4096) the following: x + y + 9 where x = the sum of the output width of each item or the length of its item name, whichever is the greater.

where y = the number of items being displayed (to allow for 1 space between each item + 1 space for column 1 of the screen) where 9 = characters required for $RECNO to be displayed.

example:

Datafile

ITEM1

ITEM2

ITEM3

ITEM4

4,4,C

8,9,N,2

1,1,C

50,50,C x = 5 + 9 + 5 + 50 = 69 y = 4

Therefore $SCREEN-WIDTH needs to be set to

69 + 4 + 9 = 82 or greater to list/display all the items on one line.

$SECTION

Read only

The $SECTION system item indicates the current mode of

INFO processing. $SECTION contains one of the following values: n

0 indicates INFO is processing an interactive session n

1 indicates INFO is processing an odd-numbered section n

2 indicates INFO is processing an even-numbered section

$SECS

Read-only item

Displays the seconds element of $TIME

A-38 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$SEQ-REC-FORMAT (alternate name $RFM)

(VMS only) Default = 0

Set = 1, 2, 3

This variable specifies the format of sequential files created by SAVE COMPRESS INIT and OUTPUT INIT and corresponds to the FDL attribute RECORD FORMAT.

$RFM has four values, the default being 0, and each value will set the record format of the new file as follows:

0 Variable length, maximum 1000 bytes (SAVE) or 200 bytes (OUTPUT)

1 Stream, maximum 4096 bytes (SAVE) or 200 bytes

(OUTPUT)

2 Stream_CR, maximum 4096 bytes (SAVE) or 200 bytes

(OUTPUT)

Warning

3 Stream_LF, maximum 4096 bytes (SAVE) or 200 bytes

(OUTPUT)

See the VAX/VMS Record Management Services manual for more information

These settings remain during your current INFO session so subsequent operations will inherit these settings unless you explicitly set the value back to default

$SET1NOSEL

(Unix and VMS)

Default = 0

Set = 1

Pre-revision 9.64 of INFO, if the following commands were issued :

SEL

Isam-file DYNAMIC

SET 1

$NOSEL was returned with the value of 1 if there were any records in the file.

From revision 9.64, this changed so that $NOSEL = 0.

However, to emulate previous versions of INFO,

$SET1NOSEL should be set to 1.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-39

System Items

$SETMAX

Appendix D

Read only

Contains the number of the highest record in the currently selected set. To use this system item, first use the

CALCULATE command to set the value of $IDX2 to 1 if the selected file is non-ISAM or to the ISAM set whose highest record number you want to find: 1 for ISAM set 1,

2 for ISAM set 2,... etc The following program fragment displays the highest record number in ISAM set 2:

20004 CALCULATE $IDX2 = 2

20005 DISPLAY $SETMAX

If you use the SELECT command with the DYNAMIC option, the value of $SETMAX for ISAM set 1 (the full selected set) is zero until you have executed a command that starts reading the records in the set (an ‘active command’).

If you have used the LIMIT command to establish a global search criterion for the selected ISAM file, the initial value of $SETMAX will be zero if no records in the file meet the specified condition, or 1 if at least one record does. If more than one record meets the condition, $SETMAX will be incremented as the records are read.

A-40 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$SETMIN

Read only

Contains the number of the lowest record in the currently selected set. To use this system item, first use the

CALCULATE command to set the value of $IDX2 to 1 if the selected file is non-ISAM or to the ISAM set whose highest record number you want to find: 1 for ISAM set 1,

2 for ISAM set 2 etc. The following program fragment displays the highest record number in ISAM set 3:

20004 CALCULATE $IDX2 = 3

20005 DISPLAY $SETMIN

$SHORT-NAME

INFO constructs the 3-character contents of $SHORT-

NAME from the first, second and fourth characters in

$USER-NAME when your INFO session begins. ($USER-

NAME is described below.) If $USER-NAME contains three characters only, $SHORT-NAME contains only those three characters.

$SINGLE-DETAIL Default = 0 REPORT will create a summary/sub-total line for a single detail.

$SNREC

Set = 1 REPORT will not generate a sub-total for a single detail.

Read only

$SNREC contains the number of the record being processed currently in the selected, or any related, data file. To use this system item, first use the CALCULATE command to set the value of $IDX2 to an appropriate value (from 1 to 10) for the data file you want to reference:

1 for the selected data file, 2 for the first related data file, 3 for the second related data file, and so on. The following program fragment displays the number of the record currently being processed in the selected data file.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-41

System Items

Appendix D

20004 CALCULATE $IDX2 = 1

20005 DISPLAY $SNREC

See the discussion of $RELREC1 through $RELREC9 for information about an alternate method you can use to determine the number of the current record being processed in a related data file.

$SUSPEND-SECKEYS

(Prime only) Default = 0

Set = 1

The default value is 0 and treats secondary keys of Midas files as per Rev. 9.6 specification: n

If you alter a primary key, that primary key and any secondaries will be deleted and re-inserted, unlike 9.42

which deleted and re-inserted the primary key, but only reinserted the secondaries, leaving the old ones suspended and leaving them there until an MPACK was performed.

If you alter a secondary key, that secondary key is deleted and re-inserted, leaving all other keys untouched, unlike

9.42 which deleted and re-inserted the primary key and reinserted the secondary keys, leaving the old ones suspended and waiting for an MPACK to delete them.

If you PURGE any records, ALL keys are deleted, whereas under 9.42 only the primary key is deleted , leaving all the secondaries suspended until an MPACK deletes them.

If you set $SUSPEND-SECKEYS = 1, the following differences will be observed: n delete primary key: the primary key is deleted and reinserted, the secondaries are re-inserted, leaving the old ones suspended and needing an MPACK to delete them, as in 9.42.

A-42 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

n delete secondary key: the secondary in question is deleted and re-inserted, the same as with the variable set to 0.

$SVIDEL

(VMS only)

Default = 1

Set = 0

If set to 1, SAVE INIT and OUTPUT INIT will delete all existing versions of the named file and create version 1.

If set to 0, SAVE INIT and OUTPUT INIT will create a new version of the named file.

$SWITCH-DEFAULT

(Unix and VMS) Default = 0

Set = 1

The default settings of $DOPS2 and $SINGLE-DETAIL changed in revision 9.6 : to emulate pre-9.6 processing with regard to these two variables, $SWITCH-DEFAULT should be set to 1.

$SYS-RETURN-CODE Read only

Returns error code from SORT/MERGE

$TIME

Read only

$TIME contains the current time, in the format: hh:mm:ss, where hh is the hour, mm the minutes and ss the seconds.

The value of $TIME is updated each time an interactive command is processed and each time a command is executed in a program.

$TIME-FLAG

$TIME-FLAG specifies whether or not INFO displays the current time with each ENTER COMMAND > prompt.

(See the TIME command for an alternate method of controlling the time display.) You can use the

CALCULATE command to give $TIME-FLAG one of the following values: n

0 (the default) directs INFO not to display the time with each ENTER COMMAND > prompt.

1 directs INFO to display the time with each ENTER

COMMAND > prompt, in the following format:

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-43

System Items

Appendix D

$TODAY

$TTYOFF

(VMS only) hh:mm:ss ENTER COMMAND > where hh is the hours, mm the minutes and ss the seconds.

Read only

$TODAY contains today's date. The date is displayed in the format specified by the DFMT command. (See the

DFMT command for information about formatting dates.)

Default = 0

Set= 1

If set to 0, the default, output is directed to the screen. If set to 1, output to the screen is turned off. This variable runs in parallel with the INFO commands COMO -TTY, which sets $TTYOFF = 0, and COMO -NTTY, which sets

$TTYOFF = 1.

$UPF-NC

Default = 0

Set = 1

If set to 0, UPF (IPF in even program sections) will automatically clear the screen unless the NC option is specified; this makes it consistent with the way IPF behaves. If set to 1, INFO will emulate pre-9.6 versions of

INFO in that UPF will not clear the screen unless either it contains a 0,0 co-ordinate as the first entry or it is preceded by a DISP= statement.

$UPDCOL, $UPDROW Default values 1,1

set = (configurable)

For use with UPDATE by <field> WITH IPF; user settable variables for the column and row for the <field> prompt.

$USER-BUFF

A 320 character redefinition over the $CHR1...40 variable work space. (Note that it also includes $NUM1...40 and

$DAT1...40 as they share the same space).

It allows the initialization of the complete buffer or, when used with the $PARAMETERS and QUIT <USERNAME> facility, will allow the complete default variable space to be

A-44 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$USER-BUFF (cont’d) saved off, passed through to a different INFO username and re-instated.

$USER-PATH

$USER-NAME

Please note that the FORMATs of the variables will be reinitialized to the default in this instance, so custom formats will have to be re-established, unless used in conjunction with MODE SET FORMAT to save and reset the internal variable format settings.

Contains the pathname of the DR9 but excluding the DR9 file name (particular use with Application mode).

$USER-NAME contains the name of the current user, obtained from the response to the last ENTER USER

NAME>

prompt.

$USERNAME

$USERNUM

Holds login name.

Holds current Process Identification Number

$UTCMSG

(VMS only)

Default = 0

Set = 1

An error message, 'UNABLE TO CREATE NEW FILE' informs users of the potential failure of certain functions which create new files (e.g. the PURGE of an entire ISAM when they do not have write access to the directory in which they are working although they have write access to the file they are working on). Note that this message would also appear if the new file could not be created because of a disk full condition or any other RMS error which caused the failure. To get this message, the user must CALC $UTCMSG = 1 ($UTCMSG is 0 by default).

$WORK-BUFFER (alternate name $GGR-BUFFER)

2048 bytes of extra storage for user's use, redefined on differing offsets for each category, and all indexed by

$IDX2:

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-45

System Items

Appendix D

$WORK-BUFF

$WORK-CHR

$WORK-NUM

$WORK-INT

128,C

8,C

8,N,2

8,I occurs 16 indexed by $IDX2 occurs 64 indexed by $IDX2 occurs 64 indexed by $IDX2 occurs 64 indexed by $IDX2

$WORK-BIN

2,5,B occurs 64 indexed by $IDX2.

$WORK-FLOAT

8,15,F occurs 48 indexed by $IDX2

The total work space is initialized to <blanks> or spaces on entry to INFO. The individual numeric types have to be initialized before use. See end of Appendix D for more information

$WRITE-LOCK

(Prime only) default = -1 set = 0, 1, 2, 3

$WRITE-LOCK determines the read-write access level for data files. You can assign values to $WRITE-LOCK with the CALCULATE command. To associate a new value for

$WRITE-LOCK with a data file, reselect the selected set of records to 0 and then issue a PURGE command. Valid values are: n

-1 (the default value) directs INFO to use the existing file’s read-write protections.

0 directs INFO to accept the system READ-WRITE access level setting n

1 allows multiple users to have read-only access or one user to write to the selected data file, but not both n

2 allows multiple users to have read-only access and one user to write to the selected data file n

3 allows multiple users to have read/write access to the selected data file

A-46 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix D

System Items

$YEAR

Read Only

$YEAR contains the value of the current year. This is the same value contained in the year field in the system item

$TODAY.

$ZDATE

Default = 0

Set = 1

If set to 1 date fields are displayed and printed with leading zeroes instead of spaces for day and month values less than 10. Also, when date items are EXPORTed, any days with a value of less than 10 will have a leading zero instead of a space. (EXPORT outputs dates in military format excepting the CSV format).

$WORK-BUFFER

$WORK-BUFFER provides an additional workspace of

2048 characters for the user. They have been preset to give the best overall advantage of speed, ease of use and of space. They can be used as supplied or they may be amended by the customer’s own System Administrator for their own specific requirements.

How the BUFFER is set up

$WORK-BUFFER 2048,C

This is divided into 16 variables, each of 128 bytes :

$WORK-BUFF(1 - 16) 128,C 2048 chars in total

These variables are further divided into the following :

Variable size occurs relative position

$WORK-CHR

$WORK-NUM

$WORK-INT

$WORK-BIN

$WORK-FLOAT

note

8,C

8,N,2

8,I

2,5,B

8,15,F

$WORK-BUFF(1 - 4)

$WORK-BUFF(5 - 8)

$WORK-BUFF(9 - 12)

$WORK-BUFF(13)

$WORK-BUFF(14 - 16) n

When using these variables, remember that some of them occupy the same part of the buffer :

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-47

System Items

Appendix D

e.g.

$WORK-BUFF(1) occupies the same space as

$WORK-CHR(1 - 16) e.g.

$WORK-BUFF(16) occupied the same space as

$WORK-FLOAT(33 - 48)

ACTIVE / NON-ACTIVE

The system_items $WORK-CHR, $WORK-NUM, etc. do not work in the same way as the system_variables $CHR and $NUM. These items are not active variables : i.e.

CA $WORK-NUM1 = $WORK-NUM1 + 1 interactively or in an odd program section the command will be executed only once, no matter how many records are selected, unlike $NUM, which would be executed once for each record in the working set.

REFORMATTING

These working variables, $WORK-BUFF etc, cannot be formatted via the FORMAT command. It is possible to redefine them by adding entries to the info9nit file - these will become “world wide” unless local info9nit files are used. You must be careful about offsets, types, etc., and be aware how the 2048 byte space is allocated to avoid the problems of overlapping.

A-48 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Accept, Display and Error Message Attribute Settings

It is possible to set up field attributes for cursor-addressed

ACCEPT and DISPLAY commands, IPF-style accept and display commands, and default or IPF user-supplied error messages.

This is achieved by enabling some control variables and by initialising display variables to attribute settings. See the table Accept and Display Attribute Settings on the following page.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-49

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

Accept and Display Attribute Settings Table

$DISPLAY-MODE

ACCEPT AT

Using the attribute preference settings, fields can comprise the following components

Display

$ACC-ATTRIBUTE

$ACCEPT-FILL=0

$ACCEPT-FILL=1

Left delimiter

+attribute

Data or fill-char

+attribute

Right delimiter

+attribute

Data

+attribute n/a

Any string used to set attributes on ACCEPT n/a

Display field contents at row, col before ACCEPT n/a

Display $ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR at row,col before

Input Forms will:

New Record Display fill character on fields not yet entered

Old Record (i.e. update) Display data field

$ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR n/a Any character to be displayed across the field width on an ACCEPT

$LEFT-DELIMITER n/a

Any character used as a left delimiter for an accept field. Displayed at row,col - 1.

$RIGHT-DELIMITER

$DELIM-ATTRIBUTE n/a Any character used as a left delimiter for an accept field. Displayed at row,col + width of item + 1.

n/a

Any attributes associated with the delimiters

A-50 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Accept and Display Attribute Settings Table (continued)

$DISPLAY-MODE

0 1

DISPLAY AT

$DISP-ATTRIBUTE n/a Field is displayed with this user specified attribute

ERROR-MESSAGES

$MESS-ATTRIBUTE n/a

Default and user-defined error messages (Input Form format only), will be displayed with this attribute.

ALL MESSAGES

$RESET-ATTRIBUTE n/a If any of the above attributes are set this field must be set to return the screen to its normal mode.

It is assumed that any attribute settings will not occupy screen positions and therefore changes to the bulk of existing applications will not be necessary in order to enable these facilities.

There is no change in the INFO command syntax and so these attribute preferences can be used on existing systems by setting them up in the info.cfg configuration file. (See Appendix Q ‘Configuration files’) They apply to the program commands ACCEPT AT, DISPLAY AT, and the Input Form equivalents, i.e. row,col,item and row,col,item,D.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-51

Screen Attribute Settings examples

Appendix E

FORMAT $NUM1,6,I

$DISPLAY-MODE = 1

$DISP-ATTRIBUTE = $UNDERLINE

$ACC-ATTRIBUTE = $REVERSE

$RESET-ATTRIBUTE = $NORMAL

$NUM1 = 100

DISPLAY AT 10,10 'Enter Value:'

ACCEPT AT 10,24 $NUM1 will produce

Enter Value: 100

where the field content will be displayed with the display attribute prior to the accept

Alternatively

FORMAT $NUM1,6,I

$ACCEPT-FILL = 1

$ACCEPT-FILL-CHAR = '.'

DISPLAY AT 10,10 'Enter Value:'

ACCEPT AT 10,24 $NUM1 produces

Enter value: ......

where the fill character (default blank) will be displayed prior to the accept

FORMAT $NUM1,6,I

$LEFT-DELIMITER = '['

$RIGHT-DELIMITER = ']'

DISPLAY AT 10,10 'Enter Value:'

ACCEPT AT 10,24 $NUM1 produces

Enter value: [ ]

A-52 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Input Form Preference Settings

It is possible to modify the default Input Form prompts and responses via the control variables outlined in the following table. In addition INFO programmers may ascertain which command was used to invoke the Input

Form with which options and which 'end-of-form' response was entered.

It is also possible to automatically Quit an Input Form on detection of a locked Isam record and to display a userdefined message.

$IPF-COMMAND

$IPF-PROMPT

$IPF-YES

$IPF-NO

$IPF-QUIT

$IPF-LEAVE

$IPF-EXIT

$IPF-ANSWER

$IPF-NC

$IPF-LN

$IPF-AY-AL

4 character item set during the execution of the Input

Form to the command that was used to invoke the form:

‘INPU’ = Input Form,

‘UPDA’=Update... with Input Form,

‘UPFO’=UPF, ie Even Program Section Command.

End of Input Form prompt (up to 78 characters) to replace

IS THIS RECORD ACCEPTABLE (Y,N,Q,L, or E)>.

Single character alternative to the ‘Y’ response.

Single character alternative to the ‘N’ response.

Single character alternative to the ‘Q’ response.

Single character alternative to the ‘L’ response.

Single character alternative to the ‘E’ response.

Numbers between 1 - 5 corresponding to the Input Form answer where 1 = ‘Y’, 2 = ‘N’, 3 = ‘Q’, 4 = ‘L’, 5 = ‘E’

Read only item. Set to 1 means the NC option was used.

Read only item. Set to 1 means the LN option was used

Read only item. Set to 1 means the AY or AL options were used

CONCURRENCY

$IPF-QUIT-ON-LOCK

$IPF-QUIT-MESSAGE

If set to 1, on detection of a Lock, will ‘Q’ the Input Form.

If set, will be displayed on QUIT-ON-LOCK condition (up to 80 characters)

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-53

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

ANSI Variables

Slave Printing

$PRT.ON.SCRN.OFF Printer on, screen off, - Enable buffered transparent print

$PRT.OFF.SC.BK.ON Printer off, screen back on, - Disable buffered transparent print

$PRT.ON.SCRN.ON

Printer on, screen on, - Enable auto line print mode.

$PRT.OFF.SC.LF.ON Printer off, screen left on, - Disable auto

$PRT.PAGE

Page print - screen dump current screen display to printer

Control Codes

$NULL

$SOH

$STX

$ETX

$EOT

$ENQ

$ACK

ASCII hex(00), <Ctrl><@>, Null character

ASCII hex(01), <Ctrl><A>, Start of header

ASCII hex(02), <Ctrl>, Start of text

ASCII hex(03), <Ctrl><C>, End of text

ASCII hex(04), <Ctrl><D>,

ASCII hex(05), <Ctrl><E>,

$BEL

$BS

$HT

$LF

$VT

$FF

$CR

$SO

ASCII hex(06), <Ctrl><F>, acknowledgement. Usually sent by the terminal to the computer to indicate page print or some local functions finished.

ASCII hex(07), <Ctrl><G>, sound the terminal's bell

ASCII hex(08), <Ctrl><H>, back-space

ASCII hex(09), <Ctrl>, horizontal tab

ASCII hex(0A), <Ctrl><J>, line-feed

ASCII hex(0B), <Ctrl><K>, vertical-tab or line-feed

ASCII hex(0C), <Ctrl><L>, form-feed or line-feed

ASCII hex(0D), <Ctrl><M>, carriage-return

ASCII hex(0E), <Ctrl><N>,

A-54 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Control Codes (cont’d)

$SI ASCII hex(0F), <Ctrl><O>,

$DLE

$DC1

$DC2

$DC3

ASCII hex(10), <Ctrl>, break

ASCII hex(11), <Ctrl><Q>, send data to computer or terminal (X-ON in x-on, x-off protocol)

ASCII hex(12), <Ctrl><R>,

$DC4

$NAK

$SYN

$ETB

$CAN

$EM

$SUB

$ESC

$FS

$GS

$RS

$US

$DEL

$CSI

ASCII hex(13), <Ctrl><S>, stop sending data to computer or terminal (X-OFF in x-on, x-off protocol).

ASCII hex(14), <Ctrl><T>

ASCII hex(15), <Ctrl>

ASCII hex(16), <Ctrl><V>

ASCII hex(17), <Ctrl><W>

ASCII hex(18), <Ctrl><X>

ASCII hex(19), <Ctrl><Y>, end of message

ASCII hex(1A), <Ctrl><Z>

ASCII hex(1B), <Ctrl><[>, escape

ASCII hex(1C), <Ctrl><\>

ASCII hex(1D), <Ctrl><]>

ASCII hex(1E), <Ctrl><^>

ASCII hex(1F), <Ctrl><_>

ASCII hex(7F), delete

Control Sequence Introducer, equates to characters,

Esc[, but known as CSI

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-55

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

Basic cursor movements

These commands move the cursor within its current line or column. They cannot cause data to scroll the screen. The cursor stop at the margins of the display or the defined scrolling region; it does not wrap around.

$CURSOR.UP Cursor up $CURSOR.UP.PN line(s) or row(s)

$CURSOR.DOWN Cursor down $CURSOR.DOWN.PN line(s) or row(s)

$CURSOR.RIGHT Cursor right $CURSOR.RIGHT.PN character position(s) or column(s)

$CURSOR.LEFT Cursor left $CURSOR.LEFT.PN character position(s) or column(s)

$CURSOR.UP.PN

These items are redefinitions of the numeric portion of the

$CURSOR.(UP,DOWN,RIGHT,LEFT) variables. They correspond to the decimal value specifying the number of cursor position moves in the appropriate direction:

Default value 0, range 0-99

$CURSOR.DOWN.PN

$CURSOR.RIGHT.PN

$CURSOR.LEFT.PN

$ADDRESS.CURSOR

Default value 0, range 0-99

Default value 0, range 0-999

$CURSOR.LINE.PN

$CURSOR.COLUMN.PN

Default value 0, range 0-999

Address the cursor to line and column, using

$CURSOR.LINE.PN for absolute line or row, and $CURSOR.COLUMN.PN for row or column.

Default value 1, range 0-99

Default value 1, range 0-999

A-56 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Cursor Addressing within scrolling region

If you have defined a scrolling region and turned on origin mode, cursor addressing lines start at the top of the scrolling region and you cannot address the cursor outside the scrolling region. If origin mode is off, the cursor can move within the entire display.

$CURSOR.HOME Move the cursor to home position, i.e. line 1, column 1 of the display or the scrolling region

$LINE.FEED

Line feed

$REVERSE.LF

$CR.LF

Reverse line feed

Carriage-return line feed

Editing data

$ERASE.TO.EOL

Erase from cursor to end of line

$ERASE.L.CURSOR Erase start of line up to and including cursor

$ERASE.CURSOR.LN Erase entire line

$ERASE.TO.EOS

Erase from cursor to end of screen

$ERASE.HOME.TO.C Erase home position up to and including cursor

$ERASE.SCREEN Erase entire screen

$DEL.R.TO.CURSOR Delete $DEL.R.TO.CSR.PN characters to the right of the cursor. The cursor does not move.

$DEL.R.TO.CSR.PN

Default 0, range 0-999

$INS.LINES

$INS.LINES.PN

Insert $INS.LINES.PN above the cursor line, and resets the line attribute. Lines pushed off the page or scrolling region are lost

Default 0, range 0-99

$DEL.LINES

$DEL.LINES.PN

Delete $DEL.LINES.PN from, and including, the cursor line, and resets the line attribute.

Default 0, range 0-99

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-57

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

Editing data (cont’d)

$INSERT.MODE

$REPLACE.MODE

Character insert mode. Entering new data pushes existing data on the cursor line to the right. Excess data drops from the end of the line.

Character replace or over-type mode. New data overwrites existing data.

Enable block mode

Enable conversational mode

$EDIT.MODE

$NORMAL.MODE

$AUTO.WRAP.ON

Autowrap mode on. The cursor wraps from the end of one line to the start of the next line during data entry.

$AUTO.WRAP.OFF Autowrap mode off. The cursor stops at the end of a line. Each character you enter at the end of a line writes over the previous character without advancing the cursor to the next line.

Screen appearance

$SET.ATT.OFF Set all visual attributes off. (Alternate Name

$NORMAL)

$SET.ATT.ALT

Full intensity (when character intensity is half).

(Alternate Name $BOLD)

$SET.UNDERLINE Underlined. (Alternate Name $UNDERLINE)

$SET.BLINK

$SET.REVERSE

$SEL.80

Blinking. (Alternate Name $BLINK)

Reverse video. (Alternate Name $REVERSE)

$SEL.INVERSE.SCRN Light background.

$SEL.NORMAL.SCRN Dark background.

$SEL.132 Clears screen, and puts terminal into 132 column mode.

Clears screen, and puts terminal into 80 column mode.

A-58 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Screen appearance

(cont’d)

The following line attributes affect all current characters on the cursor line and any entered on that line after you change the attribute. Line attributes affect only the cursor line.

$DBL.H.SGL.W.TOP

Define the cursor line as the top half of doubleheight/single-width characters, (not available on all terminals).

$DBL.H.SGL.W.BOT

Define the cursor line as the bottom half of doubleheight/single-width characters, (not available on all terminals).

$DBL.H.DBL.W.TOP

Define the cursor line as the top half of doubleheight/double-width characters.

$DBL.H.DBL.W.BOT

Define the cursor line as the bottom half of doubleheight/double-width characters.

$SGL.H.SGL.W

Define the cursor line as single-height/single-width characters.

$SGL.H.DBL.W

Define the cursor line as single-height/double-width characters.

Character Graphics

$SEL.CH.GRAPHICS

Put terminal in graphics mode.

$SEL.ASCII

Put terminal in ASCII mode.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-59

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

The following items are used in conjunction with

$SEL.CH.GRAPHICS, and will display one character graphic symbol each time the character is displayed. On completion of the display of character graphics, displaying

$SEL.ASCII will return the terminal to character mode.

The items, with $SEL.CH.GRAPHICS displayed, correspond to character display symbols and keyboard lower-case characters.

Miscellaneous Symbols

$DIAMOND

ASCII <'>, diamond symbol

$CHECKERBOARD

$HORIZONTAL.TAB

$FORM.FEED.SYM

$CARR.RTN.SYM

ASCII <a>, checkerboard symbol

ASCII , horizontal tab symbol

ASCII <c>, form-feed symbol

ASCII <d>, carriage-return symbol

$LINE.FEED.SYM

$DEGREE

$PLUS.MINUS.SYM

$NEWLINE.SYM

ASCII <e>, line-feed symbol

ASCII <f>, degree symbol

ASCII <g>, plus over minus symbol

ASCII <h>, newline symbol

$VERTICAL.TAB

ASCII , vertical tab symbol

$VERTICAL.BAR.SYM

ASCII <x>, vertical bar symbol

$LT.OR.EQ.SYM

$GT.OR.EQ.SYM

ASCII <y>, less than or equal to symbol

ASCII <z>, greater than or equal to symbol

$PI.SYM

$NE.TO.SYM

$UK.POUND

$CENTERED.DOT

ASCII <{>, pi symbol

ASCII <|>, not equal to symbol

ASCII <}>, UK pound symbol

ASCII <~>, centered dot symbol

A-60 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Line Graphics Symbols

$LOW.RIGHT.SYM

ASCII <j>, lower right right-angle symbol

$UP.RIGHT.SYM

$UP.LEFT.SYM

ASCII <k>, upper right right-angle symbol

ASCII <l>, upper left right-angle symbol

$LOW.LEFT.SYM

ASCII <m>, lower left right-angle symbol

$CROSS.LINE.SYM

ASCII <n>, horizontal and vertical line crossing in the center symbol

$HZ.LINE1.SYM

$HZ.LINE3.SYM

$HZ.LINE5.SYM

$HZ.LINE7.SYM

$HZ.LINE9.SYM

$LEFT.T.SYM

$RIGHT.T.SYM

$BOTTOM.T.SYM

$TOP.T.SYM

ASCII <o>, horizontal line in pixel line 1 symbol

ASCII , horizontal line in pixel line 3 symbol

ASCII <q>, horizontal line in pixel line 5 symbol

ASCII <r>, horizontal line in pixel line 7 symbol

ASCII <s>, horizontal line in pixel line 9 symbol

ASCII <t>, vertical center line with horizontal line joining from the center to the right

ASCII , vertical center line with horizontal line joining from the center to the left

ASCII <v>, horizontal line in pixel line 9 joining at the center to vertical line symbol

ASCII <w>, horizontal line in pixel line 1 joining at the center to vertical line symbol

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-61

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

Terminal Mode Settings

$SEL.ANSI.MODE

Select ANSI mode

$SEL.VT52.MODE

Select VT52 mode

$TERM.ID.REQUEST

Send the terminal ID back to host

$TERM.RESET

Reset terminal to power-on (non-volatile memory) values

$CURSOR.POS.RQST Send current cursor position to host

$SAVE.CURSOR

Save the cursor position ; saves the cursor position, character set, visual and selective erase attributes, and origin mode in current memory. When you reset the terminal, the cursor description returns to nonvolatile memory values

$RESTORE.CURSOR

Returns the cursor to the saved position and characteristics. If the cursor description was not previously saved, the cursor moves to home position and the other description values reset to non-volatile settings.

Keyboard

$LOCK.KEYBOARD

$UNLOCK.KEYBOARD

$CURSOR.KEYS.APPL

$CURSOR.KEYS.NRML

$NUMERIC.MODE

$APPLIC.MODE

$APP.COMMA

$APP.MINUS

$APP.PERIOD

$APP.ENTER

Lock the keyboard.

Unlock the keyboard.

Application cursor key mode.

Normal cursor key mode.

Numeric pad enabled for numeric mode.

Numeric pad enabled for applications mode.

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for comma <,>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for minus <->

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for period <.> (full-stop)

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for <enter>

A-62 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Keyboard

(cont’d)

$APP.ZERO

$APP.ONE

$APP.TWO

$APP.THREE

$APP.FOUR

$APP.FIVE

$APP.SIX

$APP.SEVEN

$APP.EIGHT

$APP.NINE

$APP.PF1

$APP.PF2

$APP.PF3

$APP.PF4

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for zero <0>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for one <1>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for two <2>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for three <3>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for four <4>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for five <5>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for six <6>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for seven <7>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for eight <8>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for nine <9>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for program function key 1 <PF1>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for program function key 2 <PF2>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for program function key 3 <PF3>

Application mode keyboard sequence returned to the host for program function key 4 <PF4>

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-63

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

Scrolling

$CH.SCROLL.REG

Change the scrolling region. Set the redefined items

$CH.SCROLL.TOP.PN for top line, and

$CH.SCROLL.BOT.PN for bottom line. Defining a scrolling region moves the cursor to home position.

$CH.SCROLL.TOP.PN Default 1, range 1-24, should be less than or equal to

$CH.SCROLL.BOT.PN

$CH.SCROLL.BOT.PN Default 24, range 1-24, should be equal to or greater than $CH.SCROLL.TOP.PN

$ORIGIN.MODE.ON

Display lines are numbered only in the defined scrolling region. Home position is column 1 line 1 of the scrolling region. You cannot move or address the cursor into a memory-locked area. Each time you set or reset origin mode, the cursor moves to the new home position.

$ORIGIN.MODE.OFF

Line numbers refer to all 24 screen lines, regardless of scrolling region. You still cannot move the cursor out of a scrolling region with the cursor movement keys and commands. However, you can address the cursor to any location on the screen, in or out of the scrolling region. Once you have moved the cursor into a memory-locked area, you can then move it around in the area (and back into the scrolling region ) with the cursor movement keys and commands.

$SMOOTH.SCROLL

Enable smooth scroll mode ; data scrolls smoothly onto the screen, controlled by the terminal.

$JUMP.SCROLL

Enable jump scroll mode ; data scrolls onto the screen at the rate the computer sends it.

A-64 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix E

Screen Attribute Settings

Extended ANSI

$SET.PROT.NO

$SET.PROT.ALT

Set no protection.

Set protection to alternate character set data.

$SET.PROT.UNDLNE Set protection to data with underline attribute.

$SET.PROT.BLINK

Set protection to data with blink attribute.

$SET.PROT.INVERSE Set protection to data with inverse attribute.

$SET.PROT.NORMAL Set protection to data with normal attributes.

$CLEAR.ALL

Clear protected and unprotected data.

$CLEAR.UNPROTECT Clear unprotected data.

$CURSOR.ON

Select visible cursor.

$CURSOR.OFF

Select invisible cursor.

Color Terminal Foreground and Background Settings

The following variables set the foreground and background color attributes for terminals. For example, to have a red foreground on a magenta background:

DISP $RED-FORE,$MAGENTA-BACK

$BLACK-FORE

$RED-FORE

Black foreground

Red foreground

$GREEN-FORE

Green foreground

$YELLOW-FORE

Yellow foreground

$BLUE-FORE

Blue foreground

$MAGENTA-FORE Magenta foreground

$CYAN-FORE

$WHITE-FORE

Cyan foreground

White foreground

$BLACK-BACK

Black background

$RED-BACK

Red background

$GREEN-BACK

Green background

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-65

Screen Attribute Settings

Appendix E

Color Terminal Foreground and Background Settings

(cont’d)

$YELLOW-BACK

Yellow background

$BLUE-BACK

Blue background

$MAGENTA-BACK Magenta background

$WHITE-BACK

White background

Customising ANSI Escape Sequences

It is possible to customise the standard ANSI terminal escape sequences by means of a file called info.ansi which is located in the directory pointed to by the external variable _INFOSYS (Unix), INFOSYS (VMS) or

_INFOSYS (Prime). See Appendix G, “Controlling Default

Assignments”.

A-66 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix F

INFO Internal Files

This Appendix describes the purposes of and the naming conventions for INFO's internal files. These internal files are created by INFO, as needed, in normal processing.

The format of an INFO internal file name is:

xxxnnnext

or xxxext where:

xxx

represents the 3-letter abbreviation of the INFO user name,

nnn

represents the INFO file's 3-digit directory entry number, and

ext

represents the 3-character extension that designates the type of INFO internal file.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-67

INFO Internal Files

Appendix F

Internal file File name format

Description

Directory File xxxDR9 The directory file contains entries for all data files, programs, reports, input forms, and special forms identified with an INFO user name. Because the directory file contains binary information, the user should not alter it in any way.

One and only one directory file is created for each INFO user name. Directory files associated with the same INFO user name must exist in separate operating system directories.

The user should consider all INFO files associated with an INFO user name

(including its directory file) as a unit when performing operating system functions such as saving and restoring.

Data Records File xxxnnnDAT The data records file contains the data records for a corresponding INFO data file. The data records file contains fixedlength records, each of which conforms to the item format specified when the user DEFINED the corresponding INFO data file.

If an INFO data file has been made

EXTERNAL, its data records file holds only one record; the record contains the complete operating system file name of the

EXTERNAL file.

Because each record of the data records file must be of a specific length, this file must not be edited by the user.

A-68 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix F

INFO Internal Files

Internal file

Data Items File

File name format

Description xxxnnnNIT The data items file contains a description of each item defined or redefined for a corresponding INFO data file. Each item description includes information that can be specified using the commands

ALTER, MODIFY, or DEFINE.

Because this file contains binary information, do not modify it.

Source Files for

Programs, Reports,

Input Forms, and

Special Forms xxxnnnSRC An INFO source file is a sequential file which contains the command statements for a corresponding INFO program, report input form, or special form. You can edit INFO source files using the

CHANGE commands or an operating system editor (if proper format is maintained).

INFO decodes source files into corresponding INFO object files, which are executable. An INFO source file is not used when a corresponding INFO object file is executing, except in the case of an INFO program executed using the RUN command with the LIST option.

Object Files for

Programs, Reports,

Input Forms, and

Special Forms xxxnnnOBJ An INFO object file contains the binary form of a corresponding INFO program, report, input form, or special form. Object files are created by INFO when a nondata file is decoded.

An INFO program, report, input form, or special form must have a corresponding object file in order to execute. If an object file does not exist when you first attempt to execute a program, report, input form, or special form, INFO decodes the

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-69

INFO Internal Files

Internal file

Spool File

Limit File

Index File

(bitmap)

Set File

(bitmap)

Appendix F

File name format

Description corresponding source file and creates the object file, which is then executed.

You must not modify INFO object files.

xxxNSP An INFO spool file is a sequential file containing all the printable output generated (for instance, by PRINT,

REPORT, and so on) since the start of your INFO session, or since the previous

SPOOL (without the SAVE option) command. This file is recreated at the start of each INFO session. Any output information held in the spool file at the start of an INFO session is deleted.

The spool file is not deleted at the end of an INFO session, and can be examined, modified, printed, or deleted outside of

INFO.

xxxnnnLIM The limit file is created when a LIMIT command is in effect. This file can be deleted if its INFO user area is not in use.

The limit file is recreated when the LIMIT command is next used.

xxxnnnNDX The index file contains information that identifies the selected records in a corresponding INFO data file. INFO creates and uses one index file for all ISAM files and each large INFO data file (>16219 records). INFO uses an index file only when its associated data file is selected.

You must not alter the index file in any way.

xxxnnnS## A set file contains information that identifies the records from a selected ISAM file that are referenced in a SET. INFO-Text creates a set file when a RESELECT BY command is used on an Isam file. A set

A-70 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix F

INFO Internal Files

Internal file

Set File (cont’d)

Stack File

Scratch File

File name format

Description xxxSTK xxxXSC file is similar in format to an INFO-Text index file. The file name’s # represents a value between 02 and 16 that corresponds to the number of the set created.

A set file is used only when its corresponding datafile is selected. If a set file is deleted, the corresponding set is deleted as well.

The NEWMAP command deletes all set files associated with the selected Isam datafile.

The stack file stores information about an

INFO program if that program runs another INFO program. The stack file always exists while INFO decodes a program. If it exists at other times, it can be deleted.

This is a temporary file that can be created by any of a number of INFO commands during an INFO session. It is deleted when the command using it terminates. One such scratch file can exist per INFO directory. If it exists and is associated with an INFO user name that is not executing INFO, it can be deleted.

xxxnnnXSC This is a temporary file also, but is specific to one INFO file rather than to the

INFO directory.

xxxnnnSZC This is a temporary file used during a

SORT command. If it exists at any other time, it can be deleted.

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-71

INFO Internal Files

Appendix F

Internal file File name format

Description

Scratch File

Concordance File xxxnnnNCO The concordance file contains pointers to all the words in concorded items for extended datafiles. This file is built by the CONCORD command and is used for searching the associated text file using RESELECT command word expressions. If this file is modified outside of INFO-Text, the concordance is broken.

Scratch File xxxnnnSYR This is a temporary file used during a

SORT command. If it exists at any other time, it can be deleted.

xxxnnnNWK This is a temporary file used to hold words during the processing of a CONCORD command. If it exists when a CONCORD is not running, it can be deleted.

Dictionary File

Logical Record xxxnnnNDC The dictionary file contains all the words found in all the concorded items for its associated extended datafile. This file is built by the CONCORD command and should not be modified outside of INFO-

Text.

xxxnnnNLR The LRN file is used to translate the logical record numbers of an extended datafile to its actual physical record numbers.

Concordance entries point to logical record numbers. Under no circumstances should this file be deleted.

A-72 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix G Controlling Default Assignments

When INFO is not in use, INFO's message file stores several pieces of information, called settings, that are available to you when using INFO. You can change a setting by using one of INFO's setting commands. The table below lists the INFO settings that reside in the INFO message file and the INFO command used to change that setting.

There are three different effects possible when you change an INFO setting. You may change the default values of

INFO settings either for system-wide use, for your individual use and retaining the setting values between sessions, or for your current INFO session. Each of these is described below.

System-wide changes

You can change the system-wide default setting values for the settings in the table below by following the steps below. The new default values apply to all INFO users on your system and are retained across all INFO sessions.

Attach to the INFOSYS directory n

Invoke INFO with username RE9 n

Enter an appropriate command (ADIR, ARET, etc.) to define the override setting

INFO Reference Manual Appendices A-73

Controlling Default Assignments Appendix G

Settings stored in the INFO message file

Setting description

Assign alternate directory

Define automatic return feature

Assign control characters (<KEEP>,

<CLEAR>, <TAB>, <BACKTAB>)

Define current delimiter character

Define date format

Define current lead-fill character

Define terminal characteristics

Command to set individually

ADIR

ARET

CCHR

DELIMITER

DFMT

LCHAR

TERMINAL

Local permanent changes

Local temporary changes see also

You can change default setting values for your individual use by following the steps below. The new setting values apply to your processing across INFO sessions, but can be changed at any time via another INFO setting command.

Copy the INFO message file (MESSAGES) into your directory n

Start up INFO n

Enter an appropriate command to define an override setting that is different from the system default

You can make a temporary change to an INFO setting from within a program or interactive session by entering the appropriate INFO setting command to change a setting. The new setting will apply only for the duration of the session (or until the next command to change the setting).You can change settings temporarily, regardless of which copy of the INFO message file is in use.

Appendix Q CONFIGURATION FILES

A-74 Appendices INFO Reference Manual

Appendix H

Topic

Data Delete

Data Entry

Data Retrieval

Data Update

Datafile Create

INFO Reference Manual

INFO Commands by function

Commands Covered

ERASE

ADDRECS

ADD

CALCULATE

CONCATENATE

EXPAND

PURGE

GET

IMPORT

INPUT FORM

MOVE

SAVE

UPDATE

ASELECT

BOTM

DISPLAY

DSEL

EXPORT

FILL

FIRST

GET

IMPORT

LIST

LIMIT

MERGE

MODE

NEWMAP

NSELECT

OUTPUT

ADD

ATOE

CALCULATE

CCASE

CONCATENATE

ENCODE

EXPAND

GET

JUSTIFY

MOVE

ALTER

DEFINE

EXPORT

POS

RELATE

RESELECT

RGET

SELECT

SET

SKIP

SORT

SPOOL

TOP

XGET

XRELATE

XRES

XRGET

XSELECT

NMVE

RECASE

REPLACE

SAVE

SCI

SCPY

SHIFT

STRIP

UPDATE

UPF

ITEMS

MODIFY

REDEFINE

Appendices A-75

INFO Commands by function

Datafile Management

Directory Management

Environment

INFO session commands

INFO variables

Program commands

Reporting

Screen handling and display

Appendix H

ALTER

CWID

DEFINE