Re: move an IFS file

[Scott Klement <klemscot@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Mel,

> See the Move Stream File (QHFMOVSF) API at
> http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/iseries/v5r2/ic2924/index.htm?info/apis/qhfmovsf.htm
>
> The API, most likely will perform better than calling QCMDEXC to run the
> MOVOBJ command.  If you are not moving large numbers of files in short
> periods of time, there's probably nothing wrong with calling QCMDEXC.

The QMFMOVSF API is one of the old "Hierarchical File System" APIs that
only works with /QDLS and /QOPT.  IMHO, you shouldn't use these APIs
in new work -- they reduce the flexibility of your program.

Aside from the obvious restriction of using 8.3 filenames, /QDLS is much
than the "root' or '/QOpenSys" filesystems.  It also requires users to be
enrolled in the system distribution directory, which is awkward, IMHO...

Since the IFS APIs will work with /QDLS (in case you need to use /QDLS for
the time being) but will also work elsewhere, I really recommend using
them instead.

The downside to using QCMDEXC with the MOV command (not MOVOBJ, which
is a traditional LIB/OBJ type command) is that you may have to make sure
that the filenames are properly escaped in order to include them in a
command string.  You have to double-up any quotation marks in the
pathname, etc.  Not a big deal, but something to think about.