Re: Using generic program to read multiple file formats

Al

Many thanks to you and to the others who have replied for your
suggestions.

I didn't make myself clear.  I want to read a file that did not exist
when the
generic program was compiled, by using a file override.  The files will
probably
be sequential files without a keyfield.  They may have come from PC or
MAC
database files converted to TAB or COMMA delimited (variable length
records) or
if they are not too large may have been converted via a spread sheet
into fixed
length records.  No DDS exists for them.  I wish to read them just once
to
convert them for loading into my Neural Database.  I will define the
fields within the Neural Database so that I don't need to do any program
writing or recompilation.

I would also like to be able to read DB2/400 files in a generic program
by
reading in the field descriptions and breaking down the record using
these within
the generic program without recompilation.  I know that there are/have
been utilities that do this.  

It maybe that if I did it before successfully, which may well have been
on a
System /38, that I used program defined files whereas now I have tried
with an
externally defined file.


> I write in RPG/400 in which in the F specifications we can do a rename on the
> default file input to specify a particular format.  Our physical files
> typically have several logicals available - the best for a task, 2nd best,
> etc. so we can have the same physical defined several times to the same
> program through different logicals & for each one pick a different format, in
> which the RPG will reference this by a different name, then in the input
> specifications, the fields we going to use often need alias assignment so the
> program knows which came from which access.
>
> Al Macintyre  ©¿©
> 
Best wishes

Rob
________________________________________________________

Erros plc

44 (0) 1844 239 339

http://www.erros.co.uk - The AS/400 Neural Database for the Internet

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