HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Appendix I File Formats This COBOL system provides four types of data file organization: sequential, line sequential, relative and indexed. The physical structure of each of these file types as they exist on disk is explained in this appendix. This information is provided for anyone who wants to understand the nature of data files produced by programs created using this COBOL system, or to process them outside the COBOL system. It can also be useful for debugging programs. However, you do not need to understand these file structures to use data files from COBOL programs. You are advised not to process the files yourself using byte-stream I/O, but to use COBOL syntax or the file handler call interface (documented in an add-on product). This ensures that applications will function properly if file formats are enhanced or developed in the future.