If no one can help you with the UNSTRING command, you could try importing the tab delimited file into a DB2 file first. Then process the DB2 file.
The CPYFRMIMPF command imports tab delimited files into DB2 files.
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v5r3/index.jsp?topic=/cl/cpyfrmimpf.htm
Thanks,
Kelly Cookson
Senior Programmer/Analyst
Dot Foods, Inc.
217-773-4486 x12676
www.dotfoods.com
-----Original Message-----
From: cobol400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:cobol400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Nancy Barney
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 3:53 PM
To: COBOL400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [COBOL400-L] READING A TAB DELIMITED FILE IN ILE COBOL
I am trying to read a tab delimited file, which was created by Excel.
This ILE COBOL Version 6, Release 1.
I have the tab character in working storage defined as:
01 WS-HEX-TAB PIC X(01) VALUE X"09".
This is the unstring statement:
UNSTRING WS-INPUT
DELIMITED BY WS-HEX-TAB
INTO
IN-MEMBER-NUM
IN-LIC
IN-FILLER1
IN-GLN
IN-ST-DATE
IN-NAME
IN-ADDR1
IN-ADDR2
IN-CITY
IN-ST
IN-FILLER2
IN-ZIP
IN-PHONE
IN-DESC
IN-REG
Etc.....
It acts like it does not recognize the tab. When I go into the debugger,
the beginning of WS-INPUT is in the first field IN-MEMBER-NUM, and the
character that is supposed to be the tab character looks like a
highlighted square or box. It is not unstringing the data. The other
fields past the first field in the unstring statement are blank.
I had a similar problem with another file, which was a sequential file
with fields delimited by the "|" (vertical bar). In that situation, the
"|" character became a "]" (right bracket), and I was able to unstring
it. But I don't know what kind of character is represented by the
highlighted box.
I can't make the file comma delimited or space delimited because it has
name, description and address fields with commas and spaces.
Any help would be appreciated!
Nancy Barney
IT - Programmer
Dakota Drug, Inc.
midrange.com
