HP 3000 Manuals

Message Catalogs:Programmer's Guide

Formatting a Source File 

You must format the source catalogs so the catalog intrinsics can access
them.  GENCAT formatted message files are binary and cannot be edited.
Formatting compacts the files and creates a directory, which saves disc
space and reduces access time.  As shown in Figure 2.1, GENCAT creates a
formatted catalog from a source file.


          Figure 2.1.  Formatting a Source File With GENCAT

During the formatting process, GENCAT verifies that:

 *  All directives are legal and used correctly.

 *  Set numbers are in ascending order.

 *  Set numbers are greater than 0 and less than 256.

 *  Message numbers are in ascending order within each set.

 *  Message numbers are greater than 0 and less than 32,767.

 *  Continuation and concatenation characters are correct.

 *  Parameter substitution characters are used correctly.

The dialog listed below is an example of formatting a source catalog:

     :RUN GENCAT.PUB.SYS

          HP32414A.02.01 GENCAT/3000 (C) HEWLETT-PACKARD., 1983

          ENTER INDEX OF DESIRED FUNCTION

              0.  EXIT.
              1.  HELP.
              2.  MODIFY SOURCE CATALOG.
              3.  FORMAT SOURCE INTO FORMATTED CATALOG.
              4.  EXPAND FORMATTED CATALOG INTO SOURCE.

          >>3

          ENTER NAME OF SOURCE FILE TO BE FORMATTED

          >>SOURCE

          FORMATTING...

          ENTER NAME FOR NEW FORMATTED FILE

          >>FORMAT

          TOTAL NUMBER OF SET FORMATTED = 3
          TOTAL NUMBER OF MESSAGES FORMATTED = 8

          FORMATTING SUCCESSFUL

The formatted catalog given above is used in further examples in this
manual and denoted by the file name, FORMAT.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation