RE: program defined Input file - examples please

I forgot about Jim's gem!  I remember when I saw it, I thought "If I ever
have to work with flat files again..."  Well, here I am!  :(

Still, the push I'm making here for one of our clients that still uses a
S/36 package is to externally describe all the flatfiles as I come across
them in any new or modification development.  Just not sure what the caveats
are, if any, for doing that.  Anybody have an RTFM that discusses potential
gotchas for externalizing flatfiles?  How about alternate indexes?  The key
would have to be that I wouldn't be required to recompile any program that
uses a newly-converted-to-externally-described file.

It's been too long, so I mismember.

- Dan Bale
(I am *NOT* "Dale"
http://archive.midrange.com/midrange-l/200105/msg00281.html )
SAMSA, Inc.
989-790-0507
DBale@SAMSA.com <mailto:DBale@SAMSA.com>
  Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
  (Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-admin@midrange.com [mailto:rpg400-l-admin@midrange.com]On
Behalf Of Frank W. Kany IV
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2002 3:15 PM
To: RPG Mailing List
Subject: program defined Input file - examples please

I have a physical file that has "funky" data in it.  I was told I had to
internally define the file in my RPGIV program because the program would
"bomb" if I were to do a READ operation on the file.  I've never done this.
I've always used externally described files.  Does anyone have an example of
internally describing a file?  When it's internally defined, can the program
do operations such as SETLL and READE or do I have to read each record to
find the record I want?  I found the following code from Jim Langston in the
midrange archives:

============================================
When you open the file in your program open it like this:

FARFILE    UF   F  222        DISK

D FileNM_DS     E DS                  ExtName(ARFileNM)
D                                     Based(FileNM_DS@)
D                                     Prefix(NM_)
D FileNM_DS@      S               *

IARFile    NS
I                                  1  222  ARBuffer

C     *InzSR        BegSR
C
C                   Eval      FileNM_DS@ = %Addr(ARBuffer)
C
C                   EndSr


Where:
ARFILE = Your existing file with data
ARFileNM = Your new empty file with correct DDS
===============================================

Is the above code the easiest way to internally define a file.  If so what
would the READ or SETLL operation look like.

TIA,

Frank