RE: External File Format

["McCallion, Martin" <MccalliM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jim Langston said:

>I have a dual format physical file without any DDS internal to 
>the file.  I do have
>two physical files with DDS that are the formats of the 
>records inside the file.

<snip>

>D File_DS                E DS       ExtName(ARFileCR)
>D                                            Based(File_DS@)
>D File_DS@                       *

Jim,

If I understand what you're trying to do, I don't think you need the
pointer.  Just specify I-specs for your program-described file, and then
do:

 EVAL    File_DS = ProgDescRecName 

I _think_ you can use the record name from the I-specs like that.  If
you can't then you could just specify a field that's the maximum length
of the record and EVAL that into the DS.

Presumably you'd need record-identifying indicators and a similar DS and
EVAL statement for the other format in the program-described file.

HTH.

Cheers,

Martin.

--                                                                     
Martin McCallion                 
Midas-Kapiti International
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