COBOL Manual for TNS/E Programs (H06.08+, J06.03+)

Example 161 CLEAR Command
43>CLEAR ALL { Clears all ASSIGN and PARAM values }
44>CLEAR ALL ASSIGN { Clears all ASSIGN values }
45>CLEAR ALL PARAM { Clears all PARAM values }
46>CLEAR ASSIGN in-file { Clears assignment for in-file only }
47>CLEAR PARAM DEBUG { Clears the DEBUG switch }
DEFINEs
A DEFINE is a named set of attribute/value pairs. DEFINEs are similar to ASSIGN messages, but
more versatile. DEFINEs involve too many commands to be described completely here.
Topics:
• DEFINE and ASSIGN
• Controlling the Propagation of DEFINEs
• DEFINE Names
• DEFINE Attributes
• ADD DEFINE Command
For more information on DEFINEs:
SourcesTopics
TACL Reference ManualFull documentation
Guardian Programmer’s GuideProgrammatic use
Guardian User’s GuideFurther information
DEFINE and ASSIGN
Both DEFINEs and ASSIGN messages allow you to specify information about a file before you
start the process that uses that file.
Table 84 Differences Between DEFINE and ASSIGN
ASSIGNDEFINE
HP COBOL programOperating environmentProcessed by
Processes that your HP COBOL
program creates and to which it
explicitly passes ASSIGNs
Any process that your HP COBOL
program creates, unless the new
process specifies DEFMODE OFF
Propagated to
NoYesAccepted for compiler input and
output files
SQL/MP or SQL/MXFastSortNot accepted by
NoYes, but it can be used only to access
a Guardian disk file, tape device, or
spooler location
Available from OSS environment
The statements of a COBOL program refer to files through a COBOL file name. The ASSIGN clause
in each file-control entry associates the COBOL file name with a system-file-name, the name
by which a file is known to the operating environment. In the Guardian environment, the TACL
command ASSIGN can override that association and DEFINEs provide a different form of name
redirection.
Suppose a program PROG1 includes a file-control entry for an fd-name of MAJORACCT, and
associates it with a system-file-name:
DEFINEs 593