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arvibala · Beginner Joined: 12 Feb 2008 Posts: 142 Topics: 67

Why is Cobol designed to READ FROM A FILE and WRITE TO A RECORD?
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Arvind
"You can make a difference with your smile. Have that with you always"

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 5:44 am Post subject:

because multiple record definitions are allowed for an FD.
since they all start at the same address, there is no need to declare into which record to read a file.

but, since multiple records can be defined for a file, in order to have the proper length record written, we need to declare from which record a file is written.
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Dick Brenholtz
American living in Varel, Germany

vkphani · Intermediate Joined: 05 Sep 2003 Posts: 483 Topics: 48

There is something called as record id. A file can contain multiple records and while writing to an output file, this record id is taken into consideration. If not, records are overwritten.

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 7:28 am Post subject:

arvibala · Beginner Joined: 12 Feb 2008 Posts: 142 Topics: 67

Thanks Brenholtz,

I got many answers and urs makes lot of sense. I tried to search and none of the books or Online tutorials have this explaination. But I guess this is a good question.
Thanks Again
_________________
Arvind
"You can make a difference with your smile. Have that with you always"

dbzTHEdinosauer · Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 9:46 am Post subject:

actually, the answer is: because that is the syntax.

I have never found the explanation I provided,
but it makes sense to me.
_________________
Dick Brenholtz
American living in Varel, Germany

papadi · Supermod Joined: 20 Oct 2009 Posts: 594 Topics: 1

Another thought:
We read a file because we don't know before the read if there even is a record to be read.
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di