File Description Entry Skeleton

The file description comprises information concerning the physical structure, identification, and record-names pertaining to a given file.

ANS85It determines the internal or external attributes of a file connector, of the associated data records, and of the associated data items. The file description entry also determines whether a file-name is a local name or a global name.

General Formats
Format 1 (Record Sequential Files)

MFFormat 2 (Line Sequential Files)

MF

Format 3 (Relative and Indexed Files)

Format 4 (Sort-Merge Files)

Syntax Rules
    All Formats (All Files)
  1. The clauses which follow file-name-1 may appear in any order.
  2. MFIf the VALUE OF FILE-ID clause is specified, literal-1 must be a nonnumeric literal and cannot be a figurative constant.
    3. Formats 1, 2 and 3 (Record Sequential, MF Line Sequential,
    Relative and Indexed Files)
  3. The level indicator FD identifies the beginning of a file description and must precede the file-name.
  4. One or more record description entries must follow the file description entry.
  5. MFThe EXTERNAL clause and the THREAD-LOCAL clause must not be specified in the same file description entry.
    6. Format 4 (Sort-Merge Files)
  6. The level indicator SD identifies the beginning of the sort-merge file description and must precede the file-name.
  7. The clauses which follow the name of the file are optional and may appear in any order.
  8. One or more record description entries must follow the sort-merge file description entry. However, no input-output statements can be executed for this file.
General Rules
    Format 1 (Record Sequential Files)
  1. If the file description entry for a sequential file contains the LINAGE clause and the EXTERNAL clause, the LINAGE-COUNTER data item is an external data item. If the file description entry for a sequential file contains the LINAGE clause and the GLOBAL clause, the special register LINAGE-COUNTER is a global name.