COBOL Manual for TNS and TNS/R Programs

Libraries and Utility Routines
HP COBOL Manual for TNS and TNS/R Programs—522555-006
13-25
FastSort Interface Overview
FastSort Interface Overview
The FastSort interface routines (in the CBL85UTL and ZCOBSRL files) give your
HP COBOL program access to the FastSort utility program, which provides more
extensive sorting features than HP COBOL has (such as parallel sorting).
Use the FastSort interface routines only with FastSort. If you use them with SORT, the
sort process might terminate abnormally.
To use FastSort routines, you must establish a set of parameters and then execute a
statement that uses those parameters. You can establish the set of parameters with
either FastSort interface routines or the =_SORT_DEFAULTS DEFINE.
Topics:
•
Establishing Parameters With FastSort Interface Routines
•
Establishing Parameters With =_SORT_DEFAULTS DEFINE
For descriptions of individual FastSort interface routines, see CBL85UTL and
ZCOBSRL Routines.
Establishing Parameters With FastSort Interface Routines
One way to establish FastSort parameters is with the FastSort interface routines. Each
FastSort interface routine has a version for the non-CRE environment and a version for
the CRE.
At run time, HP COBOL routines collect these parameters into a storage area called
the option block. When a SORT or MERGE verb is executed, other HP COBOL run-
time routines pass these parameters to FastSort.
If you do not establish FastSort parameters with FastSort interface routines (and
certain other conditions are true), FastSort uses the attributes of the
=_SORT_DEFAULTS DEFINE). For details, see Establishing Parameters With
=_SORT_DEFAULTS DEFINE.
Table 13-6. FastSort Interface Routines*
COBOL-Environment Routine
CRE Routine for Guardian Environment Purpose
COBOL85^RETURN^SORT^ERRORS
COBOL_RETURN_SORT_ERRORS_
Specifies the data item to which FastSort will
report error messages
COBOL85^SET^SORT^PARAM^TEXT
COBOL_SET_SORT_PARAM_TEXT_
Establishes an alphanumeric parameter
(which must be a data item described in any
section of the Data Division)
COBOL85^SET^SORT^PARAM^VALUE
COBOL_SET_SORT_PARAM_VALUE_
Establishes a numeric parameter, specifying
that it is a literal, an identifier, or an arithmetic
expression
* In the CBL85UTL file for the COBOL85 compiler and the ZCOBSRL file for the NMCOBOL compiler.