How to find LRECL of Variable block Record

naren_kang · New User Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 3 Location: pune

In a cobol program i want to read the length of the VB record before processing it. The first two bytes of a VB file is the length of the record. How do i read first two bytes.

superk · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:39 pm

See this previous topic.

William Thompson · Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 2:52 pm

As far as I can tell, the FM says that "These control fields in the buffer are not available for you to use in your program."

Is there an echo in here?

mmwife · Super Moderator Joined: 30 May 2003 Posts: 1592

Hi Narendar,

If you're still out there, or for posterity:

If you use "VARYING FROM 1 TO your-max-rec-length DEPENDING ON WS-REC-LEN" in the FD, where WS-REC-LEN is PIC 9(004), it will contain the length of the variable rec just read.

If you want to WRITE a rec to a vriable length file do the same thing but MOVE the desired len of the rec to WS-REC-LEN before you issue the WRITE.