Open/Close of Files

["Kurt Anderson" <kjanderson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On the topic of file usage, is there a way to open/close a file by way
of a pointer?

(Had a hard time writing this next paragraph, but I hope it conveys what
I'm doing and why I'm doing it).
A while back I wrote a srvpgm wherein there were a bunch of
subprocedures.  Due to multiple entry points (multiple exported
procedures), they used a variety of different files, but wherein certain
subprocedures used files that may or may not be used by other
procedures.  I didn't want to open all the files, only the ones I'll be
using, so I devised an OpenFile procedure and a CloseFile procedure for
the open/close of files.

 // Procedure Interface                    
D OpenFile        PI              N        
D  FileName                     10A   Const

The procedure would then have multiple When statements like the one
below (all w/in the same Select).

//  Customer Special Terms file
Select;
When FileName = 'FILEA';     
  If Not %Open( FileA );     
     Open FileA;             
     FileOpened = *On;         
  Else;                        
     FileOpened = *Off;        
  EndIf;
EndSl;

Return FileOpened;

Based on the returned indicator (local to the calling procedure) the
procedure would then know if it needed to call the CloseFile procedure.


This would work so much better if I didn't have to hardcode the file
into this OpenFile (or CloseFile) procedure, hence my question of using
a pointer (or some other means).  The way it is now, whenever I added a
new file to the module I'd need to add code to the OpenFile and
CloseFile subprocs.  Side note: I'm not very knowledgeable on the use of
pointers yet.

Kurt Anderson