SORT-MERGE/XL General User's Guide (32650-90883)

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would include each of the characters in the range ABC...Z.
Record A collection of fields or related data treated as a unit, residing in a file. A
contiguous group of bytes whose structure is known by the file system. A record can consist
of more than one line of data in a file continued with the ampersand ( ) character at the
end of each line.
Scratch File SORT/XL uses the scratch file as a work area. MERGE/XL does not use the
Scratch File.
Session A mode in which the HP 3000 is used interactively by entering commands and
data through a terminal's keyboard and receiving immediate responses to the input from
the system. A session is initiated with the :HELLO command. A session is ended with the
:BYE command, or a second :HELLO command that logs the user off the first session and
onto another session. The opposite of job.
Soft Copy The display on a video terminal. The opposite of hard copy.
SORT/XL A subsystem of the MPE XL operating system for the 900 Series HP 3000 that
allows you to sort information in files, based upon single or multiple key data items either
alphabetically or numerically.
$STDIN A system-defined file name that refers to the standard input device used to
initiate a session or job; usually a terminal keyboard or tape drive.
$STDINX A system-defined file name that refers to the standard input device used to
initiate a session or job. Unlike $STDIN, $STDINX treats the colon (:) prompt appearing in
the first column as part of the data file, rather than an end-of-file indicator.
$STDLIST A file name indicating the standard job or session listing file corresponding to
the particular input device being used. The listing device is usually a printer for batch jobs
and a terminal for sessions.
Subsystem SORT/XL and MERGE/XL are subsystems of MPE XL. A subsystem is a
software program that performs a specific function such as compile programs, copy files,
sort/merge files, or edit text. Subsystems are accessed by entering a single command at the
MPE XL colon prompt. Then a different prompt is displayed (a chevron > for
SORT-MERGE/XL) and a set of commands, specific to the subsystem, becomes available to
the user. The user must explicitly exit the subsystem, usually by entering E or EXIT. To
exit the SORT-MERGE/XL subsystem you enter either EXIT or EX.
Terminal A hardware device connected to a computer. A terminal is used for entering and
receiving data. It consists of a keyboard and a display screen.
Text and Document Processor/V (TDP/V) An HP 3000 line editor (with a screen editor
option). TDP/V is used to create, manipulate, and format ASCII text files.
Text File Both SORT/XL and MERGE/XL read commands directly from the text file.
Translation Table The default translation table for SORT-MERGE/XL follows the