Re: Questions about S/36 files

[Pat Barber <mboceanside@xxxxxxx>]

There are NO S/36 files on the I, but a very simple DDS that represents 
the S/36 file.

The following is a 256 byte file with a index key of 11 in the first 11 
bytes.

It is externally described but a very VERY short description with one 
field and one key
description. The system doesn't care if it is "flat" or "DDS" described, 
they
would work no matter what.

SQL would not work because the file is NOT externally described

Note the names created by the system.

The following file was created using BLDFILE command.

The file description states that this file is "NOT"
externally described because of the file creation method.



                            Display File Field Description
Input parameters
  File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ACCOUNTS
    Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *LIBL
File Information
  File  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ACCOUNTS
    Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : TCS
  File location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : *LCL
  Externally described  . . . . . . . . . . . : No
  Number of record formats  . . . . . . . . . : 1
  Type of file  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : Physical
  File creation date  . . . . . . . . . . . . : 09/30/13
Record Format Information
  Record format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : ACCTS
  Format level identifier . . . . . . . . . . : 2696BD8B9F35D
  Number of fields  . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 2
  Record length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : 256
Field Level Information
             Data        Field  Buffer    Buffer        Field Column
 Field      Type       Length  Length  Position        Usage Heading
 K00001     CHAR           11      11         1 Both
   Keyboard shift  . . . . . . . . . . . . . : A
   Coded Character Set Identifier  . . . . . : 65535
 F00001     CHAR          245     245        12 Both
   Keyboard shift  . . . . . . . . . . . . . : A
   Coded Character Set Identifier  . . . . . : 65535

A simple conversion to native should not take over a few minutes "IF"
you know the correct file layout. It will take longer to key the DDS
than anything else.


Yes you can create a S/36 "like" file by using a
CRTPF FILE(TCS/SAMPLE1) RCDLEN(256)  but it is still a
DDS described file as far as the system is concerned.



On 11/5/2013 9:08 AM, James H. H. Lampert wrote:
> A couple of questions about S/36 files, prompted by a potential new
> customer whose whole native system is apparently set up around them:
>
> First, while I've occasionally futzed around with totally flat,
> non-keyed files, and while I've used program-described mode to
> circumvent level-check problems on externally-described files that
> change regularly, but in a manner that's under our control, I don't have
> a lot of experience with actual S-36 files. Am I correct in my
> understanding that an S-36 file can be both flat and keyed at the same
> time? Is there a convenient way to create a file indistinguishable from
> an S-36 file on a V4 or V6 box that doesn't have any S-36 emulation
> installed?
>
> Second, can SQL access an S-36 file? Is it difficult?
>
> --
> JHHL