FCOPY Reference Manual (32212-90008)
98 Chapter5
FCOPY Functions
SUBSET
SUBSET
Lets you copy only a specific portion, or subset, of a file. You can define the subset in one of
two ways, either as all records with a certain character string or numeric pattern
beginning in a specific column, or as a set or sets of continuous records.
Syntax
;SUBSET[=
"characterstring"
[,
column
] [,EXCLUDE]
=
#patternlist #
[,
column
] [,EXCLUDE]
= (
range
[;
range
] [;...]) ]
Where:
characterstring
Is a string of ASCII characters.
patternlist
Is a string of decimal and/or octal integers, each representing the bit
pattern of one byte.
column
Is an integer specifying at which character position within each record the
particular
characterstring
or
patternlist
is expected to begin. If
omitted, FCOPY assumes the default value, which is 1 (first character
position).
EXCLUDE Specifies that the designated subset is to be excluded from the FCOPY
operation, that is, all of the file
except
for the subset is to be copied.
range
Can be in one of two forms: either [starting-record-number]
[,number-of-records] or [starting-record-number] [:last-record-number]
starting-record-number
Is an integer record number specifying the start of the
subset. If omitted, the default value 0 (first record) is assumed.
number-of-records
Is an integer specifying the number of the records in the subset. If
omitted, it is assumed that the subset consists of all records through the
end of the file.
last-record-number
Is an integer representing the number of the last record in the
subset. If omitted, the last record in the file is assumed.
Operation
You can define the subset in one of two ways, either as all records that have a certain
character string or numeric pattern beginning in a specific column, or as a continuous set
of records.
Defining Subsets from Character Strings and Pattern Lists
A character string describes a set of characters. Quotation marks delimit a character
string. A character string can contain no more than 35 characters within the quotes, and it
may not be continued from one line or record to the next. If you need to match quotation
marks within the string, use two successive quotation marks, as each pair counts as one
character.