HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Creating an Editor File
The MERGE/XL subsystem merges information contained in records from two
or more files. The example files used in this manual were created using
EDIT/V, which is supplied as a subsystem of MPE XL on the 900 Series HP
3000. SORT-MERGE/XL can also manipulate files created with other editors
such as Text and Document Processing/V (TDP/V). Check with your System
Manager to determine which editors are available on your system.
To access EDIT/V, at the MPE XL colon prompt (:), enter:
:EDITOR
The EDIT/V banner appears, followed by the subsystem slash prompt (/):
HP32201A.07.17 EDIT/3000 WED, JUN 3, 1987, 11:20 AM
(c) HEWLETT-PACKARD CO. 1985
/
The following example shows how to create a file named NEWHIRES using the
EDIT/V SET command tab function. The tab locations you establish can
then be used to designate the location of key data items with the >KEY
command when merging files. Tabs automatically align the data in the
file for you.
After you access the EDIT/V subsystem, establish the tab character and
the tabs for the file to be created. To merge the new file NEWHIRES with
the existing file EMPLOYEE, the key data items must be located in the
same positions (columns) in both files. Therefore, set the tabs for the
file NEWHIRES the same as those established for the file EMPLOYEE (12,
23, 42) in Chapter 3. The exclamation point (!) is used as the tab
character in this example.
/SET TABCHAR="!", TABS=(12, 23, 42)
To verify that the tab character and tabs are set correctly, enter:
/VERIFY TABCHAR, TABS
The system displays the message:
TAB CHARACTER = "!"
TABS = ( 12, 23, 42)
After establishing the tab character and tabs, create a new file using
EDIT/V. To do so, enter an A (for ADD) at the slash prompt (/) and press
the Return key. In response, a 1 followed by a blinking cursor appears
on the terminal screen:
/A
1 _ (blinking cursor)
The 1 represents the first line in your file and indicates the editor is
ready for you to enter data. As each line becomes full, or when you
press the Return key, a new line number appears. The blinking cursor
indicates where you enter data.
For the purposes of this example, assume four new employees were hired.
To create a file containing data on these new employees use the following
format:
/A
1 CARLSON!PETER!BUYER!8043
2 ADAMS!JERROLD!INSPECTOR!8044
3 MATHEWS!EDDY!PLANNER!8045
4 CLARK!STEVE!ASSEMBLER!8043
5 //
Tell the system you are finished adding data by entering two slashes
(`~~//'') as the first two characters on a new line. The system responds
by displaying three dots and then the subsystem slash prompt:
...
/
At the slash prompt enter /LIST ALL to display the data aligned according
to the tabs you set.
NOTE The examples in this chapter contain two extra lines of data
containing numbers (for example, 123456...5). These two lines are
included to show that the data is aligned in the columns
established as tabs which are then used to specify key data items
with the >KEY command. These two extra lines will not appear in
your file.
/LIST ALL
1 2 3 4
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345
1 CARLSON PETER BUYER 8043
2 ADAMS JERROLD INSPECTOR 8044
3 MATHEWS EDDY PLANNER 8045
4 CLARK STEVE ASSEMBLER 8046
The data is now aligned with the last names appearing in position
(column) 1 of the record, first names in position 12, job titles in
position 23, and employee numbers in position 42. This alignment
corresponds to the location of key data items in the file EMPLOYEE.
Keep (save) the file and give it the unique name NEWHIRES by entering
KEEP NEWHIRES, UNNUMBERED. To merge files using MERGE/XL it is necessary
to keep the files in an UNNUMBERED state. UNNUMBERED does not refer to
the line numbers that appear on the screen. These continue to be
displayed for your convenience in editing your files. To keep the file,
enter:
/KEEP NEWHIRES, UNNUMBERED
To ensure the file has been successfully created, exit EDIT/V by entering
E (for END) at the slash prompt (/). Then at the MPE XL colon prompt
(:), enter LISTF:
/E
END OF SUBSYSTEM
:LISTF
FILENAME
EMPLOYEE NEWHIRES
The file NEWHIRES has been created and is listed along with the existing
file EMPLOYEE. You can now add, modify, or delete information in the file
with EDIT/V, or sort the data so it can be merged with other files
containing similar information.
If you need additional information on creating, modifying, and keeping
(saving) files, refer to the EDIT/3000 Reference Manual (03000-90012).