On Thu, 14 May 2009 23:45:14 -0300, Clark Morris <cfmpub...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:
>On 14 May 2009 17:05:53 -0700, in bit.listserv.ibm-main you wrote: > >>I have been a bit of experimenting with z/OS QSAM files from a Cobol program >>and I find that the manuals don't exactly agree with my results. The manuals >>seem to imply that if you use the BLOCK CONTAINS clause (whether 0 or >>something else) then the file has a RECFM of either VB or FB. And if you don't >>include it then it's either V or B. > >While blocked input files may be read successfully if neither the >block size nor BLOCK 0 is specified provided record descriptions >match, lack of BLOCK CONTAINS causes the default blocksize on output >to be ONE record. I believe I submitted a SHARE requirement back in >the 1990's to have a compile option that the default be BLOCK 0. >Either is a perfectly valid default according to the COBOL standard. >BLOCK would be the default consistent with VSAM handling. The whole >issue is a sore point with me and possibly others. So are you saying that if I create a file (using, say, ISPF 3.2) and specify VB with a particular block size, if my Cobol program that writes data to this (empty) file does *not* have BLOCK CONTAINS 0 (or BLOCK CONTAINS whatever the actual block size is) the actual I/O will *not* be blocked? It definitely works, but I don't know how to tell what the actual blocking factor is. Frank ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
