Re: Working around CPYF limitations of FROMKEY with signed keys

[CRPence <CRPbottle@xxxxxxxxx>]

Charles Wilt wrote:
> I've got a need to enable the CPYF  using the FROMKEY/TOKEY
> parameter with a signed numeric key when one specific file is
> being copied. The call to CPYF is being done in a vendor's
> program.
>
> Basically, the vendor's program will do
>
> CPYF FROMFILE(LIB1/MYFILE) TOFILE(LIB2/MYFILE)
>      FROMKEY(1 -100) TOKEY(1 -100)
>
> I'm thinking that QIBM_QCA_CHG_COMMAND may be my answer.
>
> I can build an exit program that check to see if CPYF is being
> used on MYFILE with the FROMKEY and TOKEY parameters.  If so, I
> could invoke a custom written program to copy the appropriate
> records.

  I really do not understand the intention as described.  Does that 
mean to imply that there is no access to the vendor program to 
correct their invocation?  Why not just ask the vendor to correct 
their program?

> I'd set the vendor software up so that it passed the value as
> character
>
> CPYF FROMFILE(LIB1/MYFILE) TOFILE(LIB2/MYFILE)
>      FROMKEY(1 '-100') TOKEY(1 '-100')

  So there is some ability to change the software.?

> Does anybody see any possible issues with this?

  I do not expect the character string value '-100' to function any 
better than the value -100 [treated as numeric value].  The former 
is a character string x'60F1F0F0' which is not even valid BCD 
numeric data, and the latter is presumably passed to the CPP of the 
CPYF as x'000000010000000D' and then utilized as a binary string of 
the length-in-bytes of the field.  I believe the desired 
specification is FROMKEY(*BLDKEY (-100)) TOKEY(*BLDKEY (-100)).

  IIRC the non-*BLDKEY /key/ values for numeric types must be 
specified using hex notation to match the internal representation of 
the numeric data type & length.  For example, by using x'123D' for a 
P(3,1) column to select the key values of -12.3 from the key.  But 
even that is problematic as I recall, because the character value 
for the FROMKEY() and TOKEY() are treated as binary strings instead 
of being mapped to the internal type for any comparisons; e.g. 
fromkey(1 x'100D') tokey(1 x'000F') may yield no results for an 
ascending key, because the CPYF dismisses the illogical selection.?

Regards, Chuck