COBOL Manual for TNS and TNS/R Programs

Glossary
HP COBOL Manual for TNS and TNS/R Programs—522555-006
Glossary-13
fixed attributes
fixed attributes. Information about a file that is established when a process creates a file
and that cannot subsequently be changed during the existence of the file. These
attributes include the organization of the file (sequential organization, relative
organization, or indexed organization), the prime record key, the alternate record keys,
the code set, the minimum and maximum record size, the record type (fixed-length
record or variable-length record), the collating sequence of the keys for an indexed file,
the blocking factor, the padding character, and the record delimiter.
fixed-length record. A record associated with a file whose file description entry or sort-
merge file description entry requires that all records contain the same number of
character positions.
fixup. A phase of the program-loading operation performed by the operating system in
which external references to entry points in other code segments are resolved.
flag. In a UNIX or Open System Services (OSS) command, a character sequence that
begins with a hyphen and is processed as a unit.
footing area. The part of the page body (of a logical page) adjacent to the bottom margin.
formal parameter. A parameter defined by a called program. Compare to actual parameter.
format. A specific arrangement of a set of data.
FUP. See File Utility Program (FUP).
global name. A name that is declared in only one program but that can be referenced from
that program and from any program directly or indirectly contained within that program.
These names can be global names: condition-names, data-names, file-names, record-
names, and some special registers. Compare to local name.
Guardian. An environment available for interactive or programmatic use with the
HP NonStop™ operating system. Processes that run in the Guardian environment
usually use the Guardian system procedure calls as their application program
interface. Interactive users of the Guardian environment usually use the HP Tandem
Advanced Command Language (TACL) or another HP product’s command interpreter.
Compare to Open System Services (OSS).
Guardian environment. The Guardian application program interface (API), tools, and
utilities.
GUARDIAN-ERR. A special register associated with a run unit, which the process updates
each time it executes an input-output statement. The contents of GUARDIAN-ERR is
the value delivered to the COBOL run-time routines by the Guardian operating system
upon its completion of the requested input-output statement.
high-order end. The leftmost character of a string of characters.