Specifications

Using Callable System Routines
10.5 OpenVMS Record Management Services
• Merge new records into an existing indexed file.
• Convert carriage control to one of four formats (CARRIAGE_RETURN,
FORTRAN, PRINT, and NONE).
CONVERT/RECLAIM does not change file format or organization when it
reclaims empty bucket space. It deletes the old pointers to a bucket and puts
it on a list of free buckets. When new records that need a new bucket are added,
RMS goes to the free bucket list and sets up pointers to a bucket from the list.
CONVERT/RECLAIM preserves the file addresses of the records.
For a complete description of using CONVERT and CONVERT/RECLAIM, refer
to the OpenVMS Record Management Utilities Reference Manual.
Command qualifiers allow you to modify CONVERT in the following ways:
• Append records to an existing file
• Create a new file with or without using an FDL file
• Access or insert records in an indexed file
• Pad short records or truncate long records
• Sort a file according to the primary key
• Check all read and write operations
CREATE/FDL and EDIT/FDL
The File Definition Language (FDL) helps you define specifications for data files.
FDL is used within the context of the File Definition Language facility, and
consists of the utilities CREATE/FDL and EDIT/FDL. An FDL file consists of a
collection of file attributes grouped into related sections. EDIT/FDL invokes the
FDL editor to create a new FDL file. The types of attributes you specify are the
following:
• File processing operations specified using the following keywords: BLOCK_IO
(enabling RMS read and write operations), DELETE, GET, PUT, RECORD_IO
(enabling mixed record I/O and block I/O), TRUNCATE, UPDATE
• Allocation of area and key analysis sections (for indexed files only)
• Creation or manipulation of RMS specific areas in an indexed file
• Application-dependent run-time attributes
• Date and time for certain file characteristics
• File processing and file-related characteristics
• Key attributes
• Secondary attributes that define records specified using the following
keywords: BLOCK_SPAN, CARRIAGE_CONTROL, CONTROL_FIELD,
FORMAT, and SIZE
• Sharing of the data file
• System identification information
CREATE/FDL uses the specifications in an existing FDL file to create a new
empty data file. The OpenVMS Record Management Utilities Reference Manual
describes how to use the FDL utility and lists each of the commands.
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