Re: Based-on member control list error

Willie said:

> I was hoping I would not have to modify over 100
> programs for this project.

You don't!  You can certainly continue to use the program described files
as-is if you want, along with a few program which use externally described
files.  You don't need to be all external if you don't want to.  Way back
when, I maintained just such a mixture.  There were many batch programs
which did simple chores and had not been maintained for a decade or more.
We just let them run 'as-is'.  For newer programs, we went with external
descriptions.  If you go that route, be extremely careful not to do anything
that disrupts the record layout.  That is, don't change the DDS for existing
fields, and don't change the program described specs for existing fields.
Add new fields onto the end of the record.

May I ask why you decided to go external with the existing application?  In
many cases, an application of that age/design has reached the end of its
lifetime, whether through business changes, legal changes or capacity
issues.  Is a re-design in the near future?
  --buck