Re: Cycle or Non-cycle ?

["Joep Beckeringh" <joepb@xxxxxx>]

Well, normally the cycle would read a record from the primary file (or
secondary, but let's assume just one primary file) and then execute detail
calculations (your C-specs).  If I remember correctly, in the absence of a
primary file, these calculations will be executed over and over again, until
the last record indicator (LR) is set on (or the program returns through
RETURN).  Mostly in programs where there is no primary file, the programmer
will take care of the looping himself, but the way you code it, you
effectively use a full procedural file as a primary one.  Every cycle, you
read a record (and leave the pointer there) and print something.  When you
read the last record you don't print DETAIL (so your report is always one
record short), but print TOTAL and set on LR.  The fact that you don't print
DETAIL for the last record is a nice illustration of the opinion of some
(including me) that it is wiser to use the cycle whenever it is appropriate,
instead of coding the logic yourself.

Joep Beckeringh


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