Logic of using 'READ FILE' while reading

arun nehra · New User Joined: 29 Nov 2008 Posts: 62 Location: mumbai

Hi All,

Can any one tell me whats the logic of using 'READ FILE' while reading a file while we use 'WRITE RECORD FROM' during file writting.

Regards

Anuj Dhawan · Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:33 pm

I'm not very sure about the question but most probably Manuals have the answers on READ and WRITE COBOL verbs!

arun nehra · New User Joined: 29 Nov 2008 Posts: 62 Location: mumbai

In simple words, why we can't go for 'WRITE FILE' (normally we go by 'WRITE RECORD' corresponding to the above file) in cobol program the same way as we go for 'READ FILE'.

I am not sure if i can get the answer to above question in the manuals.

Robert Sample · Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 5:31 pm

You READ a FILE because COBOL does not know how long the record is (in the case of variable length records) and hence you cannot specify a record name. You WRITE a RECORD because you have to tell COBOL which record (implied: the record length in the case of variable length files) to write out of all the 01 definitions in the FD. And this has been the way COBOL has been, probably back to the first compilers.

arun nehra · New User Joined: 29 Nov 2008 Posts: 62 Location: mumbai

Thanks Robert, That's exactly what i was looking for.

Robert Sample · Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 6:08 pm

Glad to hear it helped.