[Info-vax] Empty blocks in FILES-11 directory files.

[Volker Halle]

Mark,

does your utility read until the 'End of file block' or the 'Highest block' of the directory file ?

Free blocks should only be at the end of the directory file - after the EFBLK.

The logical end of the directory would be the last 'directory record' in the 'End of file block' of the directory file, i.e. a directory record with DIR$W_SIZE=-1 marks the end of directory records in the current block and therefore the end of the directory in the 'End of file block'

$ DUMP/DIR directory_file.DIR should show the last record as:  'xxx End of records (-1)'  in the EOF block.

The function to 'shuffle' a directory (extend or compress) is called  SHUFFLE_DIR, found in module [F11X]SHFDIR

Directory files are and must be contiguous. DUMP/HEADER directory.DIR shows:

    File characteristics:                 Contiguous, Directory

This allows more efficient reads/writes and prevents window turns, when already executing inside the XQP.

Volker.