Data Definition Language (DDL) Reference Manual

Dictionary-Manipulation Statements
Data Definition Language (DDL) Reference Manual—529431-004
8-8
OUTPUT UPDATE
def-name
is a name that uniquely identifies an existing definition in the open dictionary. You
can specify def-name up to 50 times.
type-name
is a name that uniquely identifies an existing token type in the open dictionary. You
can specify type-name up to 50 times.
The OUTPUT UPDATE statement is useful only when you want to modify or delete an
object that might be referenced by one or more other dictionary objects.
The dictionary and a DDL source code file must both be open before you specify
OUTPUT UPDATE.
Pathmaker objects (servers, services, requesters, and screens) that refer to the
specified definition are ignored by OUTPUT UPDATE. If a Pathmaker object refers to a
definition that has changed, the Pathmaker product makes the changes to the
Pathmaker object, issuing an error message if appropriate.
OUTPUT UPDATE searches the dictionary for all DDL objects that refer to an object
specified in the statement. The DDL compiler then generates source code that can be
used to delete any objects that refer to the specified object, to update the definition of
the specified object, and to redefine the referring objects. The DDL compiler writes this
source code to the previously opened DDL source code file.
The DDL compiler generates these sections of source code for each object specified in
the OUTPUT UPDATE statement:
To update a specified object, close the DDL source-update file and edit the second
section of the file to make the changes you want to the object definition. Then, use the
SOURCE command to compile the entire DDL source-update file.
To delete a specified object, close the DDL source-update file and use the SOURCE
command to compile only the first section. This instructs the DDL compiler to delete all
referring objects. Then use a DELETE statement to delete the specified object.
Assume that your dictionary contains the objects defined in the database schema from
Appendix B, Sample Schemas
, and that you want to change the size of the zip-cd
definition from 5 to 9 digits. Because other definitions and records refer either directly
or indirectly to zip-cd, you cannot simply change its definition.
To change the definition of zip-cd and the records and definitions that refer to it, use
OUTPUT UPDATE as in Example 8-9
on page 8-9.
Section Contents
1 DELETE statements to delete any objects that directly or indirectly refer to
the specified object
2 A statement to redefine the specified object
3 and greater One section for each statement needed to rebuild the objects deleted in
the first section−those objects that refer to the specified object