[Info-vax] Calling $CREPRC in COBOL

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 7/3/2022 4:05 PM, seasoned_geek wrote:
> On Thursday, June 23, 2022 at 9:14:07 AM UTC-5, osuv... at gmail.com wrote:
>> On Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 12:08:21 AM UTC-4, Dave Froble wrote:
>>> Way, way, back, it was determined that due to the lack of adequate channels in
>>> Basic+, 12 to be precise, it would be advisable to have a single file that could
>>> be used for different types of data. Things with just a few records, such as
>>> maybe 20 terms codes, 50 state codes, and others. We even called it a "codes
>>> file".
>> That's the kind of thing SQLite is great at when used as what they call an
>> application file format. MacOS uses it for several of their applications now,
>> though they build the library without load extension capability.
> 
> No man. You need to find a copy of this book
> 
> https://www.theminimumyouneedtoknow.com/app_book.html
> 
> and read the section on multi-typed records. SQL of no flavor can do
> what we did back then. What I put in the book was the best I could
> remember from LIOCS Perspective software. There were quite a few
> other DEC VARS that took the same approach to the point of using the
> same record types. I "think" they all stole the same Singer BASIC
> code.
> You simply can't do the bastardizations we did with RMS indexed files using any form of SQL.
> 
> LIOCS and everyone else who stole the Singer ERP software originally written in Singer BASIC
> Every record would have the same primary key format. Here is a snipped from that book
> 
> Invoice:
>      Key 0:
>          Invoice number      char 10     15 in system s written later.
>          Rec_type            char 2
>          Sequence_no         char 2      Sometimes called line number
>      Generic m ap with filler at the end for some amount.
>          
> Record types:
>      10  Invoice header
>      20  Bill to information
>      30  Ship to information
>      40  Carrier information
>      60  Invoice detail
>      61  Detail comment
>      62  Credit or discount line
>      70  Credit or discount summary
>      80  Invoice summary

 > At any rate, there is no SQL that will let you put multi-typed
 > records in a table. The "best" you could hope for is to have the
 > primary key fields then a BLOB object one had to hack like we did in
 > BASIC. You would be right back to CVT$% and RSET logic. (Didn't they
 > drop RSET and LSET from the DEC BASIC specification at some point?)

Not true.

You define a super class and sub classes and your ORM framework
transparently stores and retrieved the different classes.

That is basic persistence knowledge. Any young developer would
know that.

> RMS indexed files had the fantastic feature of "Key of reference".
> Once you performed a keyed hit via a key, it established a "key of
> reference." (not every
> x86-wanna-be-a-real-computer-one-day-when-I-grow-up platforms have
> any concept like this) Once you did a keyed hit for the 10 record,
> you could sequentially process the order/invoice/whatever until the
> primary number changed. The record types put everything in the proper
> order for printing, screen display, general processing, etc.
In SQL you just put in the ORDER BY's you need. Maybe not as
efficient (that all depends on the databases query optimizer).
But it is very simple to use.

Arne