INFO.TXT, was Re: [HECnet] UPDATE: HECNET.HLP file for VMS systems

[Brian Schenkenberger, VAXman-]

Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes: 

On 2012-12-31 08:08, sampsa at mac.com wrote:
Funny thing about LEGATO's INFO.TXT - my parser looks for the .BEGIN-HECNET-INFO tag and deletes all text after that.

I should probably make a manual HLP file for LEGATO, Bob you OK with that?

LEGATO's INFO.TXT have real yucky file attributes and a real yucky file 
format. :-)
(What on earth was used to produce it???)

Stream_CR typically surfaces with files coming from WEENDOZE.



Directory LEGATO::SYS$SPECIFIC:[FAL$SERVER]
31-DEC-12 13:59:07

INFO.TXT;1
                                              Size:   8./35.                     Created: 08-JUL-10 10:54:52
                                              Owner: [000376,000373]                   Revised: 
27-DEC-12 19:24:34(6.)
                                                                                              Expires: <none_specified>
  File protection:           System:RE, Owner:RE, Group:RE, World:RE
  File organization:       Sequential
  File attributes:           Allocation=0
  Record format:               Stream-CR, no maximum defined
  Record attributes:       Carriage return


What does it mean if you have stream-CR and attribute Carriage Return? I 
mean, yes, each record is separated by a CR, and then what? Add an 
additional CR at the end of each line?

"Record format" refers to the data in the file.   Stream_CR means that the
records are delineated with a <carriage-return> character.   RMS will then
populate its internal buffers and the user's buffer upon a $GET with the 
current record data up to the <carriage-return> character.   RMS internal
handlers discard this <carriage-return> and update the NRP (Next Record
Pointer) leaving it pointing after the <carriage-return> to a subsequent
(assuming there is one) record.

"Record attributes" refer to how to present the record to the application
that performed the $GET to read the record.   With "Record attributes" set
to "Carriage return", RMS will synthesize a record with <carriage-return>
and <line-feed>.   If the "Record format" is VFC (Variable Format Control),
this synthesis is over-ruled by the format in the VFC header of each and
every record.

This is fugly.   On VMS, I would typically read a file like this into TECO
and then, EX (exit) to write out a new file that will have typical VMS RMS
file attributes.

$ EDITT/TECO <the-file>
*EX$$                                 <-- the $ is echoed by TECO when entring an escape
$                                                 (ie. escape => CTRL-[)

-- 
VAXman- A Bored Certified VMS Kernel Mode Hacker       VAXman(at)TMESIS(dot)ORG

Well I speak to machines with the voice of humanity.