FastSort Manual

Using Supported File Types
FastSort Manual—429834-003
C-2
Unstructured Files
For information about the different types of files, see the Guardian Programmer’s
Guide and the Enscribe Programmer’s Guide.
Unstructured Files
You can use unstructured files for input and output files; however, you cannot use an
EDIT file, which is a special kind of unstructured file, as an output file. You can copy
output records from an unstructured file to an EDIT file, as described under EDIT Files
on page C-4.
For an unstructured output file, specify either of the following:

U in the TYPE parameter of the TO command

0 (zero) in the out-file-type parameter of the SORTMERGESTART procedure
If the type of your first input file is unstructured, the default output file type is
unstructured.
To use an odd unstructured file for an input file, you must specify the correct record
length as follows:

For the interactive interface, set the RECORD length parameter in the
FROM command.

For the programmatic interface, set the SORTMERGESTART
in-file-record-length parameter.
To use an odd unstructured file for an output file, create the file using the FUP
CREATE command or the CREATE system procedure before the sort or merge run.
Then perform one of these steps:

For the interactive interface, do not set the TYPE file-type parameter in the
TO command.

For the programmatic interface, set the SORTMERGESTART out-file-type
parameter to –1.
Key-sequenced K 3
EDIT Use EDIT to create the file
and copy data from
another file type.
–
Tape Use FUP to load the file. –
Table C-1. Summary of Output File Types
Output File Type
TO Command TYPE
Parameter
SORTMERGESTART Procedure
output-file Parameter