HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
The Tabx Program
If your RM/COBOL source programs contain any TAB characters, you must run
the tabx program before you can successfully submit them to this COBOL
system. This is necessary because each COBOL system handles TAB
characters differently. Under the RM/COBOL system the first TAB stop is
at character position 8, while subsequent TAB stops are at four character
intervals up to position 72. However, under this COBOL system, the first
TAB stop is at character position 9, while subsequent TAB stops are at
eight character intervals.
The tabx program expands any TAB characters in your RM/COBOL source
programs to spaces. The resulting source code can be submitted
successfully to either the RM/COBOL or this COBOL system.
UNIX To run tabx on UNIX, enter the following command
line:
tabx [-options] input-filename [output-filename]
DOS and OS/2 To run tabx on DOS and OS/2, enter the following
command line:
tabx [/options] input-filename [output-filename]
where:
options can be any of the following:
v sets verbose mode. Any messages are displayed
upon your screen
l parameters are read from the file specified as
input-filename
t(tab-spec) informs tabx of the positions at which TAB
characters are set. For example -t (16-8, 64)
assumes tab positions are initially at position
16, and then at eight character intervals up to
column 64. By default this is set to -t (8-4,
72) which is suitable for RM/COBOL source
programs.
input-filename the file containing the RM/COBOL source program
output-filename the file to which the source program output by
tabx, is directed.
If you do not specify output-filename, tabx directs its output to
input-filename, so overwriting the original contents of input-filename
If you do not specify any parameters, tabx displays the required format
of the parameters as above.
Examples
tabx -v myfile.cbl myfile.new
expands the TAB characters in the file myfile.cbl and outputs a new file,
myfile.new.
tabx -l filelist
tabx treats each line of the file filelist as a command line.
tabx myfile.cbl
expands the TAB characters in the file myfile.cbl and overwrites
myfile.cbl with the resulting source program.