Put a Record Format Into an array

[Fooch]

I swear I knew a way to do this, but I can't remember it or find it. What I want to do:

There is a file, at the end of the record is a list of 20 fields, all defined the same. I want it so that as soon as I read a record, my array is populated with those 20 fields. I don't want to have to move each one of them individually. I swear there was a way to define a field with a keyword or soemthing that was based on a record format and once the format was populated, so was the field. The field could be a DS that I could OVERLAY with an array and all 20 would have their values...but I can't remember how.

Is this possible?

 

[arrow483]

I think this is what you want
D SalesData DS
D Qtr1
D Qtr2
D Qtr3
D Qtr4
D QtrSales Overlay(SalesData)
D Like(Qtr1) Dim(4)

Qtr1,2,3,4 are fields in the input record. QtrSales is the array. Note there is NO definitions in the Qtr1,2,3,4 fields.

 

[Fooch]

That's not what I am looking for. I don't want to string out 20 fields like that. I was thinking something along the lines of:

D List DS ExtFmt(FileFormat)
D Record 500
D LibList 10 0 OVERLAY(Record:300) DIM(20)

But the ExtFmt is not valid. This won't work. But this is the basic thought of what I want to do. I could do embedded SQL as well if that was possible.

 

[flapeyre]

You need to define your DS with EXTFILE and the filename, not Extfmt.

Solum potestis prohibere ignes silvarum.

 

[Fooch]

ExtFile only works with an actual file. That keyword is not valid with a DS. There some other way to do it?

 

[arrow483]

Well, you might be able to define the file as "program-described", then define RECORD as the entire record. Then the DS idea might work.

You said 20 lines is too much coding - what would it need to be ? Most workarounds would prob need 20 lines or more.

 

[Mercury2]

I'd use sql to do that. Here's what I should do in my program.
Replace the description of List20 and x with their according values.

D MyFileDS      e ds                  Extname(MyFile)          
D  List20                        5p 0 Overlay(MyFileDS:[i][b]x[/b][/i])  DIM(20) 
/free
Exec sql Declare csr cursor for            
          Select * from MyFile;           
                                           
Exec sql Open  csr;                        
                                           
DoU sqlstt = '02000';                      
    Exec sql Fetch from csr into :MyFileDS;  
    if sqlstt = '02000';                   
       leave;                              
    endif;                                 
Enddo;                                     
                                           
Exec sql Close csr;