Positions 29-33 (Length of Key or Record Address)

This entry must be blank if the LIKEFILE keyword is specified. The Length of Key of the parent file is used.

Entry

Explanation

1-2000

The number of positions required for the key field in a program described file or the length of the entries in the record-address file (which must be a program-described file).

If the program-described file being defined uses keys for record identification, enter the number of positions occupied by each record key. This entry is required for indexed files.

If the keys are packed, the key field length should be the packed length; this is the number of digits in DDS divided by 2 plus 1 and ignoring any fractions.

If the file being defined is a record-address file, enter the number of positions that each entry in the record-address file occupies.

If the keys are graphic, the key field length should be specified in bytes (for example, 3 graphic characters requires 6 bytes).

Blank

These positions must be blank for externally described files. (The key length is specified in the external description.) For a program-described file, a blank entry indicates that keys are not used. Positions 29-33 can also be blank for a record-address file with a blank in positions 23-27 (record length).