input file at runtime

[icepee]

I need some help, I know how to read files and read them into records when the file is specified at the beginning of the program in the environment devision. But now i have to read a file specified by the user at runtime and then i have see if the file exists en then read it into records. Does anyone know how i can do this? I realy would appriciate the help. thanx

 

[fredericofonseca]

on the "assign" you use a variable instead of a fixed string
then use an "accept" to ask for the file name/location, and after this use the "open" statement coupled with a test of the corresponding "file status".
Won't explain the read as I assume you know this.

If you have problems with the above show us your code, along with some of the variations you've tried so far and corresponding errors.








Regards

Frederico Fonseca
SysSoft Integrated Ltd

http://www.syssoft-int.com

 

[webrabbit]

Also, it would be helpful to tell us you operation system, compiler vendor, and version number.

 

[WMK]

How you do this does VARY a lot from compiler to compiler. The "data-name" in ASSIGN clause is medium-common on PC compilers. IBM's mainframe compiler uses an "environment variable" and a call to "putenv" POSIX callable service to do it. Other compilers probably have other ways of doing it. The '02 ANSI/ISO Standard introduces a new

SELECT file-name ASSIGN USING whatever

feature to help with it.

Bill Klein