Create PDS based on PS

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:12 pm

since everyone else is continually justifying their comments,
i will do the same:

the script at times has misleading or useless comments.

the script is very lite on rc checking and could lead to errors
i.e. directory or data full.

substr would have been better than index

k is incremented throughout the population of stem text.
and then reset to 1 after every new member is written.

are pds directorys maintained in sorted order. don't think so.
as a result, the sorted or unsorted member names has no effect.

the value of the 0th variable has no effect when DISKW * format is used.
when the 0th variable is used as the LINES parm
DISKW stem.0
it is treated just like any other variable.

again i say,
sort of the error checking and comments
the script was rather well written.
add appropriate comments and error checking
it would have been an excellent script.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:41 pm

oh, something that is poor programming:
this:

dick scherrer · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:49 pm

Hi Anuj,

Bill Woodger · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:16 pm

Nic Clouston · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:23 pm

OK - after a hard day's graft in the sunshine...I hope that this covers what Dick was wanting me to cover...

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:43 pm

SIGH,
no, the manual says when you use the arbitrary number of lines format
DISKW *
the 0th variable has no effect.

the manual is correct,

Akatsukami · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:47 pm

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:10 pm

The directory entries in a PDS are stored in the alphabetical order of member names. So if a new entry is to be created, all the entries coming after it need to be shifted to make room for it.

I stand corrected..
Bill,
your thinking was correct;
mine was not.

Nic Clouston · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:10 am

Akatsukami: What has 'foo' got to do with it? We are discussing stem.0 in the 'number of lines to write' position as opposed to using *. You could make foo = 6 and you will get the same result as stem.0 = 6. You could set stem.0 = 5 and you will get the same result as foo = 5.

Dick: are you thinking that I am referring to stem.0 within the brackets? Why should I? I am referring to the number of lines to write and that is the first parameter after EXECIO - as my code clearly shows - not the stem parameter within the brackets/parentheses.

As the manual says (paraphrased) if you give '*' then EXECIO will write until it reckons it has found a stop writing condition. If you give a specific number of lines to write from a stated stem then it will write that number of lines even if it has to write the default values e.g. MYSTEM.99

Now, if you are all believing that I am talking about stem.0 within the brackets then this entire debate is based on false premises and should be deleted.

enrico-sorichetti · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:35 pm

there is a lot of confusion/miswording around here ....

<stem>.0 has relevance ONLY for reading ( where it gets filled )

when writing

EXECIO *
EXECIO <somevar>

the fact that somevar is a stem element is completely irrelevant,
it is used as a simple/plain variable

it is nowhere implied that for a write the zeroth stem value will be used

cheers

Nic Clouston · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 9:42 pm

Exactly, Enrico. And I really think that Dick and I are talking 2 different things - me about the explicit use of stem.0 in the lines to write position and Dick about the implicit use in the data to be written portion of the command where it is ignored as Dick says and the manual says. But, until Dick comes back, we cannot be 100% certain. If this is the case then most of the posts can be deleted as being irrelevant and possibly misleading. The debate probably would not have started if I had written along the lines of "do not use '*' as the number of lines to write but the stem.0 in the 'lines to write' position of the command.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:41 pm

Phrzby Phil · Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 12:35 am

And I, who have 48 years' experience, but nonetheless have never used REXX or dealt with these issues, and therefore have essentially no idea what you guys are talking about, have thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.

Quite civil, but then again no one here but us mice.

Nic Clouston · Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 12:10 pm

You should have heard the words going on in my head - and I suspect it was the same with Dick. But publicly blowing a fuse does not help. Of course it did not help that we were arguing about different things and therefore not arguing at all. We were arguing our own corners but in different rings!

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:40 pm

this thread has attracted a lot of views
(a couple obviously attributable to Nic and me).
I wonder what is going around in the heads of those
who seeing a 4 page thread on creating pds from PS
and expect a novelette of '50 ways to leave your lover'.

Nic Clouston · Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:28 pm

Excellent!

Actually, I am on an archaeological dig at the moment. Yesterday an elderly couple came to the side of the trench: She: what was you best find? He: Your wife! Me: No, that was my best loss! Laughs all round. (never married - yet)