HP RPG/iX Utilities Reference Manual (30318-90006)

3-44

Packed Constants

Packed numbers in this entry receive different treatment. If factor 1 contains a packed number, the length

of the constant must be twice the length of the factor 1 ﬁeld. This includes the sign, "+" or "-", which must

be placed in the rightmost position of the constant after the last digit (negative signs cannot be

"overpunched" on the last digit of the constant as they are for unpacked numbers). For example, here is the

entry required to make a sort in which the record must contain a packed negative 3 (-3) in positions 3 and

4, an unpacked negative 24 (-24) in positions 10-13, and an unpacked negative 11 (-11) in positions 17-22.

Columns 40-80 Comments

Columns 40-80 are reserved for your comments. These comments will be printed along with your

speciﬁcations if you instructed XSORT to do so. (Column 27 of your Header line must either be blank or

contain a zero.) Some programmers ﬁnd it convenient to write the names of records described in the Record

Type Speciﬁcations here, so an area has been set aside in the comment section for that purpose.

Constants longer than 20 characters or digits will extend past column 40 into the comment area. They will

be used correctly and not truncated at column 40. (See the discussion of factor 2 constants, columns 20-

80.) Your comments do not inﬂuence the operation of your program in any way.

Chapter 6 Field Description Speciﬁcations

Field Description Specifications tell XSORT how to sort your records and format them in the output file.

If last digit in

constant is:

You replace it with

this character: