Each input forms sequence may contain a single form name or
it may contain up to 10 form names. The first form in the sequence
(or the only form) is the reformat identifier.
All reformat identifiers must be unique to the reformat file. Subsequent
form names in the sequence need not be unique.
Fields |
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- Forms in Input Sequence
The form names in any input forms sequence must
be existing forms in the forms file named on the Forms File Menu
for this reformat file. (Refer to Figure 5-10 “Forms File Menu”)
Care must be taken when you specify a sequence of forms. The
form names following the reformat identifier must be in exactly
the same order as the forms appear in the batch file. (Each data
record in the batch file is entered on a single form and the name
of this form is included with the data in the batch file.) To illustrate,
assume the following input forms sequence:
FORMA (reformat identifier)
FORMB
FORMD |
And assume the first three records of data in the batch file
were entered on forms in the sequence:
The data entered on FORMA of this sequence will not be written
to the output file. This is because of the method used by REFORMAT
to match batch file records with input forms sequences in the reformat
file.
REFORMAT:
Reads records from the batch file
in sequential order from the beginning. (Assume the first record
was entered on FORMA.)
Checks all reformat identifiers in the reformat
file until it finds FORMA. (Assume FORMA is found as the identifier
for the sequence FORMA, FORMB, FORMD.)
Reads the next record from the batch file. (Assume
the next record was entered on FORMB.)
Checks form names in the input forms sequence following
FORMA. (Assume the next form in the sequence is FORMB, and the check
is satisfactory.)
Reads the next record from the batch file. (Assume
the next record was entered on FORMC.)
Checks next form name in the input forms sequence
after FORMB. (Assume this form is FORMD; the form names do not match.)
Skip data record written on FORMA.
REFORMAT then takes the next record in the batch file, in
this case, the record written on FORMB, and searches the entire
reformat file for a reformat identifier, FORMB. If such a reformat
identifier is found, it checks the rest of the input forms sequence
(as described above) to make sure that all forms in the sequence
match the forms on which the batch records following FORMB were
entered.
When a match is successful, each batch record is discarded
as it is processed. If the match is unsuccessful, only the first
batch record in a sequence is discarded.
