[Info-vax] Questions about sys$cli()

[Craig A. Berry]

On 6/29/19 5:42 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> * Unless the following 4 descriptor fields are reset to zero, CLI$K_DEFGLOBAL
>   * fails with a status of 229688 on HPE Alpha V8.4. The reason for this is
>   * unknown.
>   */
> //	sym_name.dsc$b_dtype = 0;
> //	sym_name.dsc$b_class = 0;
> 
> //	sym_value.dsc$b_dtype = 0;
> //	sym_value.dsc$b_class = 0;

0 is another name for a type of DSC$K_DTYPE_Z, "unspecified."  Not sure
if there is a zero class.  What kind of descriptor do the docs for
sys$cli claim to require?  Oh wait, SYS$CLI is undocumented, so you're
on your own unless you find a working example, assuming that working
rather than breaking is what you're interested in.

This example looks plausible (I have not tried to build it but if it's
the gawk I think it is I have probably run it):

<https://fossies.org/linux/gawk/vms/vms_cli.c>