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Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX:

User Manual

by Robelle Solutions Technology Inc.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 1

Program and manual copyright © 1981-2015 Robelle Solutions Technology Inc.
Permission is granted to reprint this document (but not for profit), provided that copyright notice is given.
Qedit and Suprtool are trademarks of Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. Oracle are trademarks of Oracle Corporation,
Redwood City, California, USA. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their
respective owners.

Robelle Solutions Technology Inc.
Suite 372 - 7360 137 Street
Surrey, B.C. CanadaV3W 1A3
Phone: 604.501.2001
Support: 289.480.1060
E-mail: sales@robelle.com
E-mail: support@robelle.com
Web: www.robelle.com

2 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

3	
  

Welcome to Suprtool

18	
  
Introduction............................................................................................................................... 18	
  
Suprtool Components ............................................................................................................... 18	
  
STExport - Data Export Utility .................................................................................. 18	
  
Suprlink - Multidataset Access .................................................................................. 19	
  
Documentation .......................................................................................................................... 19	
  
Notation .................................................................................................................................... 19	
  

Suprtool Version 5.7

21	
  
Highlights in Suprtool 5.7......................................................................................................... 21	
  
Highlights in Suprtool 5.6......................................................................................................... 21	
  
Highlights in Suprtool 5.5......................................................................................................... 22	
  
Highlights in HP-UX version 5.4.01 ........................................................................................ 23	
  
Highlights in HP-UX version 5.4 ............................................................................................. 23	
  

Installing Suprtool

24	
  
Overview................................................................................................................................... 24	
  
Who Needs To Use These Instructions .................................................................................... 24	
  
Instructions for HP-UX............................................................................................................. 24	
  
Instructions for AMXW ............................................................................................................ 24	
  

Suprtool Roadmap for HP-UX

25	
  
Road Map to Suprtool on HP-UX ............................................................................................ 25	
  
Suprtool for HP-UX ................................................................................................... 25	
  
Suprtool for HP-UX, with Dynamic Image loading .................................................. 25	
  
Suprtool for AMXW .................................................................................................. 25	
  

Quick Start Guide for Suprtool

26	
  
How to Run Suprtool ................................................................................................................ 26	
  
What is a Task? ......................................................................................................................... 26	
  
Copying Files ............................................................................................................................ 27	
  
Copying One File ....................................................................................................... 27	
  
Appending to a File .................................................................................................... 27	
  
Fields in Data Files ................................................................................................................... 27	
  
What is a Self-Describing File? ................................................................................. 27	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 3

Creating an SD File .................................................................................................... 27	
  
Define Fields in a Data File........................................................................................ 27	
  
Create an SD File from a Data File ............................................................................ 28	
  
Repeating Commands ............................................................................................................... 28	
  
Repeating a Command ............................................................................................... 28	
  
Selecting Database Records ...................................................................................................... 29	
  
Select All Records ...................................................................................................... 29	
  
Look at the First Few Records ................................................................................... 29	
  
Selecting by Criteria ................................................................................................................. 30	
  
Simple Criteria ........................................................................................................... 30	
  
Complex Criteria ........................................................................................................ 30	
  
String of Digits ........................................................................................................... 30	
  
Selecting by Date ...................................................................................................................... 30	
  
Select by Today's Date ............................................................................................... 31	
  
Select by Particular Date ............................................................................................ 31	
  
Select by Year ............................................................................................................ 31	
  
Select Prior Month ..................................................................................................... 31	
  
Selecting by Lists of Values ..................................................................................................... 32	
  
Finding Data Based on a List ..................................................................................... 32	
  
Finding Data Based on a File ..................................................................................... 32	
  
Finding Data Based on Another Table’s Criteria ....................................................... 33	
  
Finding Data in a Data File ........................................................................................ 33	
  
Sorting Database Records ......................................................................................................... 33	
  
Sort Records ............................................................................................................... 33	
  
Sort Records in Descending Order ............................................................................. 34	
  
Sort by Multiple Keys ................................................................................................ 34	
  
Duplicate Records ..................................................................................................................... 34	
  
Report without Duplicate Records ............................................................................. 34	
  
Report Only the Duplicate Records ........................................................................... 35	
  
Report Only the Unique Records ............................................................................... 35	
  
Report Only the Duplicates and Their Originals ........................................................ 36	
  
Deleting Duplicate Data File Records ........................................................................ 36	
  
Decimal Places.......................................................................................................................... 37	
  
Converting Numbers ................................................................................................................. 37	
  
Counts and Subtotals ................................................................................................................ 38	
  
Count and Subtotal on Sort Keys ............................................................................... 38	
  
Sort by Count or Subtotal ........................................................................................... 38	
  
Total by Field ............................................................................................................. 39	
  
Running Totals ........................................................................................................... 39	
  
Running SubTotals ..................................................................................................... 39	
  
Listing Records ......................................................................................................................... 40	
  
Changing the Output Record Format ........................................................................................ 40	
  
Producing a Condensed Table Listing ...................................................................................... 41	
  
Simple Reports.......................................................................................................................... 41	
  
Your First Report ....................................................................................................... 41	
  
Column Headings ....................................................................................................... 42	
  
Printing Mailing Labels .............................................................................................. 42	
  

Running Suprtool under HP-UX

45	
  
Running Suprtool ...................................................................................................................... 45	
  
Configuring Different Shells .................................................................................................... 45	
  
Bourne and Korn Shells ............................................................................................. 45	
  
C Shell ........................................................................................................................ 45	
  
Setting Up a PATH for Suprtool .............................................................................................. 46	
  
Bourne and Korn Shells ............................................................................................. 46	
  

4 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

C Shell ........................................................................................................................ 46	
  
Dynamic Loading ..................................................................................................................... 46	
  
Control Characters and stty ...................................................................................................... 48	
  
Suprmgr Configuration Files .................................................................................................... 48	
  
On-Line vs. Batch Access......................................................................................................... 49	
  
Command Line Options ............................................................................................................ 49	
  
Initial Command Line: -ccmdstring .......................................................................... 49	
  
Default Outcount File Name: -oc .............................................................................. 49	
  
Exit with Verify: -v ................................................................................................... 50	
  
Combining -c and -v ................................................................................................... 50	
  
Loader Warnings ........................................................................................................ 50	
  
HP-UX Notes ............................................................................................................................ 50	
  
Shell Commands ........................................................................................................ 50	
  
Hardcoded File Names and ROBELLE Variable ..................................................................... 51	
  
ROBELLE Variable ................................................................................................... 51	
  
/opt/robelle/suprmgr ................................................................................................... 51	
  
/opt/robelle/help/suprtool ........................................................................................... 51	
  
Outcount File .............................................................................................................. 51	
  
Differences Between MPE and HP-UX ................................................................................... 52	
  
Record Length ............................................................................................................ 52	
  
Line Feeds .................................................................................................................. 52	
  
Duplicate Output Files ............................................................................................... 52	
  
Classic Reals .............................................................................................................. 52	
  
Input from Stdlist ....................................................................................................... 53	
  
Missing Features ........................................................................................................ 53	
  

Suprtool and AMXW

55	
  
What is AMXW ........................................................................................................................ 55	
  
What is Suprtool for AMXW ................................................................................................... 55	
  
Running Suprtool ...................................................................................................................... 55	
  
Symbolic Links and running Supramxw .................................................................................. 55	
  
Suprtool/AMXW ...................................................................................................................... 56	
  
Form Command.......................................................................................................... 56	
  
Numrecs Command .................................................................................................... 56	
  
Output Command ....................................................................................................... 56	
  
Temporary Files ......................................................................................................... 57	
  
Appending Records .................................................................................................... 57	
  
Table operations ......................................................................................................... 57	
  
Variable Substitution .................................................................................................. 57	
  
Set Commands............................................................................................................ 57	
  

Command Details for AMXW

58	
  
AMXW ..................................................................................................................................... 58	
  
Numrecs Command [N] ........................................................................................................... 59	
  
Set Commands .......................................................................................................................... 60	
  
AMXW Externalsd ..................................................................................................... 60	
  
AMXW PerfWrite ...................................................................................................... 60	
  
Filecode ...................................................................................................................... 60	
  
Squeeze....................................................................................................................... 61	
  

Suprtool Issues and Solutions

62	
  
A Suprtool Task ........................................................................................................................ 62	
  
Input Choices.............................................................................................................. 62	
  
Processing Selections ................................................................................................. 62	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 5

Output Choices ........................................................................................................... 62	
  
Large File Support .................................................................................................................... 63	
  
Suprtool and Allbase................................................................................................................. 63	
  
Data-Types ................................................................................................................. 63	
  
Date and Time Types ................................................................................................. 64	
  
Restrictions ................................................................................................................. 64	
  
Suprtool and Oracle .................................................................................................................. 64	
  
Data-Types ................................................................................................................. 64	
  
Number Data-Type ..................................................................................................... 65	
  
Order By vs. Sort ........................................................................................................ 65	
  
Restrictions ................................................................................................................. 65	
  
SDUnix Utility .......................................................................................................................... 66	
  
Installation .................................................................................................................. 66	
  
SDUnix Parameters .................................................................................................... 67	
  
LF vs. NOLF .............................................................................................................. 67	
  
Examples .................................................................................................................... 67	
  
Link vs. Query ............................................................................................................ 68	
  
Suprtool and Self-Describing Files ........................................................................................... 68	
  
Create an SD File from a Table .................................................................................. 68	
  
Create an SD File from a Data File ............................................................................ 68	
  
SD Files as Input ........................................................................................................ 69	
  
Listing SD Files .......................................................................................................... 69	
  
Decimal Places and Date Formats .............................................................................. 69	
  
Extended Field Names ............................................................................................... 69	
  
Restrictions of SD Files.............................................................................................. 70	
  
Suprtool and Sorting Files ........................................................................................................ 70	
  
Suprtool and Personal Computers ............................................................................................ 70	
  
Downloading to the PC .............................................................................................. 70	
  
Decimal Places ........................................................................................................... 71	
  
Spreadsheets ............................................................................................................... 71	
  
Suprtool and PowerHouse Applications ................................................................................... 71	
  
Suprtool with Quiz/QTP............................................................................................. 71	
  
Step 1: Create a Subfile with Quiz ............................................................................. 72	
  
Step 2: Output Erase in Suprtool ................................................................................ 72	
  
Step 3: Report with Quiz ............................................................................................ 72	
  
Using QTP to Create Subfiles .................................................................................... 72	
  
Creating Subfile with Script File ................................................................................ 72	
  
Quiz: Generating Suprtool Commands ...................................................................... 73	
  
Year 2000 Solutions with Suprtool........................................................................................... 73	
  
What If I Have Four-Digit Years? .............................................................................. 73	
  
What does Set Date Cutoff do? .................................................................................. 74	
  
Stddate and Set Date Cutoff ....................................................................................... 74	
  
What does Set Date ForceCentury do? ...................................................................... 74	
  
What If I Have Two-Digit Years? .............................................................................. 75	
  
What Is Wrong with Two-Digit Years? ..................................................................... 75	
  
How Do $Today and $Date Work? ............................................................................ 76	
  
Will Suprtool Generate an Error for Two-Digit Year Dates? .................................... 76	
  
How Do I Use $Today and $Date with yymmdd Dates? ........................................... 76	
  
aammdd Date Format ................................................................................................. 77	
  
Invalid Dates .............................................................................................................. 77	
  
Can Suprtool Convert Two-Digit Years to Four Digits? ........................................... 77	
  
Case 1: Converting a J2 Date from yymmdd to ccyymmdd ..................................... 77	
  
Case 2: X6 yymmdd Data to X8 ccyymmdd ............................................................. 79	
  
Case 3: Different Date Formats X6 MMDDYY Data to X6 YYMMDD ................. 80	
  
Year 2000 Testing ...................................................................................................... 81	
  
Performance Issues ................................................................................................................... 82	
  

6 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Eloquence Performance .............................................................................................. 82	
  
Sort Performance ........................................................................................................ 82	
  
Oracle Performance .................................................................................................... 82	
  
Analyzing Performance Data ..................................................................................... 83	
  
Variable Substitution ................................................................................................................ 83	
  
Suprtool Functions .................................................................................................................... 84	
  
UC4/Scripting and Functions ................................................................................................... 84	
  
String/Byte Functions ............................................................................................................... 84	
  
$TRIM (Works on byte type fields) ......................................................................................... 84	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 85	
  
Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields) ..................................................................... 85	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 85	
  
Data Examples Before and After: .............................................................................. 85	
  
$LTRIM (Works on Byte type fields) ...................................................................................... 85	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 85	
  
Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields) ..................................................................... 85	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 85	
  
Data Examples before and after: ................................................................................ 85	
  
$RTRIM (Works on Byte type fields) ...................................................................................... 86	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 86	
  
Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields) ..................................................................... 86	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 86	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 86	
  
Data Result ................................................................................................................. 86	
  
$UPPER (Works on Byte-type fields) ...................................................................................... 86	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 87	
  
Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields) ..................................................................... 87	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 87	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 87	
  
$LOWER (Works on Byte-type fields) .................................................................................... 87	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 87	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 87	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 87	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 87	
  
$PROPER (Works on Byte-type fields) ................................................................................... 87	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 88	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 88	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 88	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 88	
  
$SPLIT (Works on Byte-type fields) ........................................................................................ 88	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 88	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 88	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 88	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 88	
  
$FINDCLEAN (Works on Byte-type fields) ............................................................................ 89	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 89	
  
$CLEAN (Works on Byte-type fields) ..................................................................................... 89	
  
If Usage: (Not commonly used) ................................................................................. 89	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 89	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 89	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 89	
  
$TRANSLATE (Works on Byte-type fields) ........................................................................... 89	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 90	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 90	
  
Data Examples: (Using above code) .......................................................................... 90	
  
$ETOA ...................................................................................................................................... 90	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 7

Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 90	
  
$ATOE ...................................................................................................................................... 90	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 90	
  
String Addition ......................................................................................................................... 90	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 91	
  
Example:..................................................................................................................... 91	
  
Data Result: ................................................................................................................ 91	
  
Numeric Functions.................................................................................................................... 91	
  
$TRUNCATE ........................................................................................................................... 91	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 91	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 91	
  
$ABS......................................................................................................................................... 91	
  
IF Usage: .................................................................................................................... 91	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 91	
  
$TOTAL ................................................................................................................................... 92	
  
IF Usage: .................................................................................................................... 92	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 92	
  
$SUBTOTAL ........................................................................................................................... 92	
  
IF Usage: .................................................................................................................... 92	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 93	
  
Example of $TOTAL and $SUBTOTAL................................................................... 93	
  
$COUNTER ............................................................................................................................. 93	
  
IF Usage: .................................................................................................................... 93	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 94	
  
$SUBCOUNT ........................................................................................................................... 94	
  
IF Usage: .................................................................................................................... 94	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 94	
  
Examples for $counter and $subcount: ...................................................................... 94	
  
$SIGNED .................................................................................................................................. 95	
  
IF Usage: .................................................................................................................... 95	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 95	
  
Arithmetic Operations .............................................................................................................. 95	
  
+ - * / mod .................................................................................................................. 95	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 95	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 95	
  
Conversion/Formatting ............................................................................................................. 95	
  
$NUMBER ............................................................................................................................... 95	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 96	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 96	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 96	
  
$EDIT ....................................................................................................................................... 96	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 96	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 96	
  
Data Examples: .......................................................................................................... 96	
  
Other Functions ........................................................................................................................ 97	
  
$LOOKUP ................................................................................................................................ 97	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 97	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 97	
  
$NULL ...................................................................................................................................... 97	
  
$READ ..................................................................................................................................... 97	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 97	
  
Date Functions .......................................................................................................................... 98	
  
$TODAY .................................................................................................................................. 98	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 98	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 98	
  
$DATE ...................................................................................................................................... 98	
  

8 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 98	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 98	
  
$INVALID ................................................................................................................................ 98	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 98	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 98	
  
$STDDATE .............................................................................................................................. 99	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 99	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 99	
  
$DAYS ..................................................................................................................................... 99	
  
If Usage: ..................................................................................................................... 99	
  
Extract Usage: ............................................................................................................ 99	
  

Suprtool Commands

100	
  
General Notes ......................................................................................................................... 100	
  
Abbreviating ............................................................................................................. 100	
  
Uppercase or Lowercase .......................................................................................... 100	
  
Multiple Commands per Line .................................................................................. 101	
  
Continuation ............................................................................................................. 101	
  
Comments on Command Lines ................................................................................ 102	
  
HP-UX Commands .................................................................................................. 102	
  
Calculator ................................................................................................................. 102	
  
Control-Y Interrupt .................................................................................................. 102	
  
Add Command [Add] ............................................................................................................ 103	
  
Notes......................................................................................................................... 103	
  
Examples .................................................................................................................. 103	
  
Base Command [BA] ............................................................................................................. 105	
  
Before Command [B] ............................................................................................................ 107	
  
Chain Command [C] .............................................................................................................. 109	
  
Clean Command [CL]............................................................................................................ 111	
  
Removing Bad Characters ........................................................................................ 111	
  
Define Command [D] ............................................................................................................ 113	
  
Delete Command [DEL] ........................................................................................................ 118	
  
Do Command [DO] ............................................................................................................... 120	
  
Duplicate Command [DU] ..................................................................................................... 121	
  
Edit Command [ED] .............................................................................................................. 126	
  
Exit Command [E] ................................................................................................................. 127	
  
Export Command [EXP]........................................................................................................ 129	
  
Extract Command [EXT] ....................................................................................................... 130	
  
Constants .................................................................................................................. 130	
  
Dates ......................................................................................................................... 132	
  
Range of Fields......................................................................................................... 134	
  
Numeric Expressions................................................................................................ 136	
  
$SubTotal Function .................................................................................................. 137	
  
$Total Function ........................................................................................................ 138	
  
$Counter Function .................................................................................................... 138	
  
String Expressions .................................................................................................... 139	
  
Splitting Variable Length Strings ............................................................................. 140	
  
Cleaning your Data ................................................................................................... 141	
  
Un-printables ............................................................................................................ 141	
  
Clean Command Syntax ........................................................................................... 142	
  
Setting the Clean Character ...................................................................................... 142	
  
Cleaning a Field ....................................................................................................... 142	
  
Cleaning your data ................................................................................................... 142	
  
Extract from a Table ................................................................................................. 143	
  
Data Conversion ....................................................................................................... 144	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 9

$Number Function.................................................................................................... 145	
  
Numeric to Byte Conversion .................................................................................... 146	
  
$Edit Function .......................................................................................................... 147	
  
Placeholders and Format Characters ........................................................................ 147	
  
Byte-Type Formatting .............................................................................................. 147	
  
Z-placeholder for byte-fields .................................................................................... 148	
  
Overflow and limits .................................................................................................. 148	
  
Numeric field edit-masks ......................................................................................... 149	
  
Signs ......................................................................................................................... 149	
  
Decimal Places ......................................................................................................... 150	
  
Data and Edit mask: ................................................................................................. 150	
  
Currency and Dollar signs ........................................................................................ 150	
  
Overflow and floating dollar .................................................................................... 151	
  
Set CurrencySymbol ................................................................................................ 151	
  
Overflow and limits .................................................................................................. 151	
  
Restrictions ............................................................................................................... 151	
  
Form Command [F] ............................................................................................................... 154	
  
Get Command [G] ................................................................................................................. 157	
  
Help Command [H] ............................................................................................................... 159	
  
If Command [IF] .................................................................................................................... 160	
  
Expressions............................................................................................................... 160	
  
Constants .................................................................................................................. 163	
  
Subscripts ................................................................................................................. 164	
  
Numeric Expressions................................................................................................ 165	
  
String Expressions .................................................................................................... 167	
  
Date Selection .......................................................................................................... 170	
  
Long Expressions ..................................................................................................... 175	
  
Input Command [I] ................................................................................................................ 178	
  
Item Command [IT] ............................................................................................................... 180	
  
Date Formats ............................................................................................................ 180	
  
Decimal Places ......................................................................................................... 183	
  
Notes......................................................................................................................... 184	
  
Key Command [K] ................................................................................................................ 186	
  
Link Command [LIN] ............................................................................................................ 188	
  
List Command [L] ................................................................................................................. 189	
  
Format ...................................................................................................................... 189	
  
LaserJet Listings ....................................................................................................... 190	
  
Headings in Listings ................................................................................................. 191	
  
Simple Reports ......................................................................................................... 192	
  
List Device ............................................................................................................... 193	
  
List File .................................................................................................................... 193	
  
Listredo Command [LISTREDO] ......................................................................................... 196	
  
Numrecs Command [N] ......................................................................................................... 197	
  
Open Command [OP] ............................................................................................................ 198	
  
Remote Databases and Oracle Issues ....................................................................... 198	
  
Output Command [O] ............................................................................................................ 199	
  
Put Command [P] .................................................................................................................. 205	
  
Q Command [Q] .................................................................................................................... 206	
  
Redo Command [REDO] ....................................................................................................... 207	
  
Reset Command [R] .............................................................................................................. 210	
  
Select Command [SEL] ......................................................................................................... 211	
  
Set Command [S] ................................................................................................................... 212	
  
Allbase ...................................................................................................................... 214	
  
Arithmetic................................................................................................................. 214	
  
Baseclose .................................................................................................................. 214	
  
Blocksize .................................................................................................................. 214	
  

10 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Buffer ....................................................................................................................... 214	
  
CleanChar ................................................................................................................. 214	
  
CurrencySymbol....................................................................................................... 215	
  
Date Cutoff ............................................................................................................... 215	
  
Date ForceCentury ................................................................................................... 216	
  
Date IfYY2000Error ................................................................................................ 216	
  
Date MapToPHDate8 ............................................................................................... 217	
  
DecimalSymbol ........................................................................................................ 217	
  
Defer ......................................................................................................................... 217	
  
DumpOnError........................................................................................................... 218	
  
EditStopError ........................................................................................................... 218	
  
Eofread ..................................................................................................................... 218	
  
FastRead ................................................................................................................... 218	
  
Filecode .................................................................................................................... 219	
  
Filename ................................................................................................................... 219	
  
Firstrec ...................................................................................................................... 219	
  
Hints ......................................................................................................................... 219	
  
HPUXCmdErr “” ........................................................................................ 219	
  
Ifcheck ...................................................................................................................... 220	
  
Ignore ....................................................................................................................... 220	
  
InitExtents ................................................................................................................ 220	
  
ItemAbbreviateDate ................................................................................................. 220	
  
ItemLock .................................................................................................................. 221	
  
Interactive ................................................................................................................. 221	
  
LabelledTapeRewind ............................................................................................... 221	
  
Limits ....................................................................................................................... 221	
  
Table Size ................................................................................................................. 222	
  
Read Only ................................................................................................................. 222	
  
List ............................................................................................................................ 222	
  
List Date ................................................................................................................... 222	
  
List PCL ................................................................................................................... 223	
  
List Time .................................................................................................................. 224	
  
List FormFeed .......................................................................................................... 224	
  
Lock .......................................................................................................................... 224	
  
MakeAbsent ............................................................................................................. 225	
  
NLS .......................................................................................................................... 225	
  
NumBug ................................................................................................................... 225	
  
Openmode ................................................................................................................ 226	
  
Oracle Rows ............................................................................................................. 226	
  
Oracle Integer ........................................................................................................... 226	
  
Oracle OpenFix ........................................................................................................ 226	
  
Oracle PassShift ....................................................................................................... 227	
  
Oracle SpaceNull...................................................................................................... 227	
  
Oracle ZeroNull........................................................................................................ 227	
  
Pattern....................................................................................................................... 228	
  
Prefetch..................................................................................................................... 228	
  
Privmode .................................................................................................................. 228	
  
Progress .................................................................................................................... 228	
  
Prompt ...................................................................................................................... 229	
  
RealMap ................................................................................................................... 229	
  
Recover..................................................................................................................... 229	
  
Redo ......................................................................................................................... 230	
  
SDExtname............................................................................................................... 231	
  
Sortfast ..................................................................................................................... 231	
  
Squeeze..................................................................................................................... 231	
  
Statistics ................................................................................................................... 231	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 11

Subsystem................................................................................................................. 231	
  
Suspend .................................................................................................................... 231	
  
ThousandSymbol ...................................................................................................... 231	
  
Userlabels ................................................................................................................. 232	
  
Varsub ...................................................................................................................... 232	
  
VarsubCompat .......................................................................................................... 232	
  
VarsubDebug ............................................................................................................ 232	
  
Warnings .................................................................................................................. 233	
  
Sort Command [SO] .............................................................................................................. 234	
  
Table Command [TA]............................................................................................................. 236	
  
Adding Individual Values to a Table ....................................................................... 236	
  
Adding Values from a File ....................................................................................... 237	
  
TRanslate Command [TR] ...................................................................................................... 240	
  
Total Command [T] ................................................................................................................ 241	
  
Update Command [UP] ......................................................................................................... 243	
  
Use Command [U] ................................................................................................................. 244	
  
Userpause Command [USER] ............................................................................................... 246	
  
Verify Command [V] ............................................................................................................. 247	
  
Xeq Command [X] ................................................................................................................ 248	
  
Calculator Command [=] ........................................................................................................ 249	
  

Suprtool Errors and Warnings

252	
  
Two Types Of Messages ........................................................................................................ 252	
  
Errors ...................................................................................................................................... 252	
  
Warnings ................................................................................................................................. 253	
  

Welcome to STExport

254	
  
Welcome to STExport ............................................................................................................ 254	
  
Installing STExport ................................................................................................................. 254	
  

Accessing STExport

255	
  
How To Run STExport ........................................................................................................... 255	
  
How to Xeq an STExport Task ............................................................................................... 255	
  
Hardcoded File Names and ROBELLE Variable ................................................................... 255	
  
ROBELLE Variable ................................................................................................. 255	
  
Using STExport in Batch ........................................................................................................ 256	
  
Command Line Options .......................................................................................................... 256	
  
Default Outcount File Name: -oc ............................................................................ 256	
  
Variable Substitution -v ........................................................................................... 256	
  

Introduction to STExport

257	
  
Importing Data ........................................................................................................................ 257	
  
Input File ................................................................................................................................. 257	
  
Data-Types .............................................................................................................................. 257	
  
Formatting Commands ........................................................................................................... 258	
  
Commands .............................................................................................................................. 258	
  
Performance Considerations ................................................................................................... 258	
  

STExport Commands

259	
  
General Notes ......................................................................................................................... 259	
  
Abbreviating ............................................................................................................. 259	
  
Uppercase or Lowercase .......................................................................................... 259	
  

12 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Comments on Command Lines ................................................................................ 259	
  
HP-UX Commands .................................................................................................. 259	
  
File Names................................................................................................................ 260	
  
Calculator ................................................................................................................. 260	
  
Control-Y ................................................................................................................. 260	
  
Before Command [B] ............................................................................................................ 261	
  
Clean Command [CL]............................................................................................................ 263	
  
Removing Bad Characters ........................................................................................ 263	
  
Columns Command [C] ......................................................................................................... 264	
  
Date Command [DA] ............................................................................................................. 265	
  
Decimal Command [DEC] .................................................................................................... 267	
  
Delimiter Command [DE] ..................................................................................................... 268	
  
Do Command [DO] ............................................................................................................... 269	
  
Escape Command [ES] .......................................................................................................... 270	
  
Exit Command [E] ................................................................................................................. 271	
  
Exit Abort [EA] ........................................................................................................ 271	
  
Exit Suspend [ES] .................................................................................................... 271	
  
Exit Xeq [EX]........................................................................................................... 271	
  
Floating Command [FL] ........................................................................................................ 273	
  
Form Command [F] ............................................................................................................... 274	
  
Heading Command [HEA] .................................................................................................... 275	
  
Help Command [H] ............................................................................................................... 277	
  
HTML Command [HT] ......................................................................................................... 278	
  
Dynamic Web Pages ................................................................................................ 280	
  
Web Server ............................................................................................................... 280	
  
Shell Script ............................................................................................................... 281	
  
Perl Script ................................................................................................................. 283	
  
CGI Script ................................................................................................................ 284	
  
Input Command [I] ................................................................................................................ 286	
  
Listredo Command [LISTREDO] ......................................................................................... 287	
  
Output Command [O] ............................................................................................................ 288	
  
Quote Command [Q] ............................................................................................................. 289	
  
Redo Command [REDO] ....................................................................................................... 290	
  
Reset Command [R] .............................................................................................................. 291	
  
Set Command [S] ................................................................................................................... 292	
  
CleanChar ................................................................................................................. 292	
  
Mapped ..................................................................................................................... 292	
  
Redo ......................................................................................................................... 292	
  
Statistics ................................................................................................................... 293	
  
Varsub ...................................................................................................................... 293	
  
VarsubCompat .......................................................................................................... 294	
  
VarsubDebug ............................................................................................................ 294	
  
Warnings .................................................................................................................. 294	
  
Xmltagchar ............................................................................................................... 295	
  
ZonedFix .................................................................................................................. 295	
  
Sign Command [SI] ............................................................................................................... 296	
  
Spaces Command [SP] .......................................................................................................... 297	
  
Use Command [U] ................................................................................................................. 298	
  
Verify Command [V] ............................................................................................................. 299	
  
Xeq Command [X] ................................................................................................................ 300	
  
XML Command [XML] ........................................................................................................ 301	
  
Zero Command [Z] ................................................................................................................ 304	
  

Example of STExport Output

305	
  
Example .................................................................................................................................. 305	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 13

Limits Within STExport

309	
  
Maximums .............................................................................................................................. 309	
  

Welcome to Dbedit

310	
  
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 310	
  
Restrictions ............................................................................................................................. 310	
  
Functions of Dbedit ................................................................................................................ 310	
  
Performance of Dbedit ............................................................................................................ 311	
  
Field Lists ............................................................................................................................... 311	
  
Database Locking ................................................................................................................... 312	
  
Decimal Points ........................................................................................................................ 312	
  
Critical-Item Update ............................................................................................................... 313	
  

Dbedit Commands

314	
  
General Notes ......................................................................................................................... 314	
  
Abbreviating ............................................................................................................. 314	
  
Uppercase or Lowercase .......................................................................................... 314	
  
Continuation ............................................................................................................. 314	
  
Control-Y ................................................................................................................. 315	
  
Comments on Command Lines ................................................................................ 315	
  
OS Commands.......................................................................................................... 315	
  
Calculator ................................................................................................................. 315	
  
Example Database .................................................................................................... 316	
  
Prompting for Search Criteria .................................................................................. 316	
  
Command Parameters ............................................................................................................. 316	
  
File Parameter .......................................................................................................... 316	
  
Option Parameter...................................................................................................... 317	
  
Numeric-Value Option ............................................................................................. 317	
  
All Option ................................................................................................................. 317	
  
Key Option ............................................................................................................... 318	
  
Limit Option ............................................................................................................. 318	
  
Related Option .......................................................................................................... 318	
  
Under Option ............................................................................................................ 319	
  
Updatekey Option .................................................................................................... 319	
  
Subcommands ......................................................................................................................... 319	
  
Add Command [A] ................................................................................................................ 321	
  
Before Command [B] ............................................................................................................ 322	
  
Change Command [C] ........................................................................................................... 323	
  
Delete Command [D] ............................................................................................................. 324	
  
Do Command [DO] ............................................................................................................... 325	
  
Exit Command [E] ................................................................................................................. 326	
  
File Command [F].................................................................................................................. 327	
  
Form Command [FO] ............................................................................................................ 328	
  
Help Command [H] ............................................................................................................... 329	
  
List Command [L] ................................................................................................................. 330	
  
Listredo Command [LISTREDO] ......................................................................................... 331	
  
Modify Command [M] .......................................................................................................... 332	
  
Q Command [Q] .................................................................................................................... 333	
  
Redo Command [REDO] ....................................................................................................... 334	
  
Set Command [S] ................................................................................................................... 335	
  
LP ............................................................................................................................. 335	
  
Prompt ...................................................................................................................... 335	
  
Quiet ......................................................................................................................... 335	
  
Reset ......................................................................................................................... 335	
  

14 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Underline .................................................................................................................. 336	
  
Verify ....................................................................................................................... 336	
  
Use Command [U] ................................................................................................................. 337	
  
Verify Command [V] ............................................................................................................. 338	
  

Welcome to Suprlink

339	
  
Welcome to Suprlink .............................................................................................................. 339	
  
Terminology and HP-UX ....................................................................................................... 339	
  
Notation .................................................................................................................................. 339	
  
Installing Suprlink .................................................................................................................. 340	
  
Hardcoded File Names and ROBELLE Variable ................................................................... 340	
  
ROBELLE Variable ................................................................................................. 340	
  

Accessing Suprlink

341	
  
How To Run Suprlink ............................................................................................................. 341	
  
How to Xeq a Suprlink Task .................................................................................................. 341	
  
Suprtool Link Command ........................................................................................................ 341	
  
Exit with Verify ...................................................................................................................... 341	
  
Using Suprlink in Batch.......................................................................................................... 342	
  
Command Line Options .......................................................................................................... 342	
  
Default Outcount File Name: -oc ............................................................................ 342	
  
Variable Substitution -v ........................................................................................... 342	
  

Introduction to Suprlink

343	
  
How Report Programs Work .................................................................................................. 343	
  
Input Files ............................................................................................................................... 343	
  
Link Files ................................................................................................................................ 343	
  
Output Files ............................................................................................................................ 344	
  
Sort Keys ................................................................................................................................ 344	
  
Selection Logic ....................................................................................................................... 344	
  
A Link Example ...................................................................................................................... 344	
  
A Join Example....................................................................................................................... 345	
  
Performance Considerations ................................................................................................... 346	
  
Another Example .................................................................................................................... 347	
  
Illegal Digits ........................................................................................................................... 347	
  
Selecting Non-Matches ........................................................................................................... 348	
  
Suprlink with Quiz/QTP ......................................................................................................... 348	
  

Suprlink Commands

351	
  
General Notes ......................................................................................................................... 351	
  
Abbreviating ............................................................................................................. 351	
  
Uppercase or Lowercase .......................................................................................... 351	
  
Continuation ............................................................................................................. 351	
  
Comments on Command Lines ................................................................................ 352	
  
HP-UX Commands .................................................................................................. 352	
  
File Names................................................................................................................ 352	
  
Calculator ................................................................................................................. 352	
  
Control-Y ................................................................................................................. 352	
  
Before Command [B] ............................................................................................................ 354	
  
Do Command [DO] ............................................................................................................... 356	
  
Exit Command [E] ................................................................................................................. 357	
  
Exit Abort [EA] ........................................................................................................ 357	
  
Exit Suspend [ES] .................................................................................................... 357	
  

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Table of Contents • 15

Exit Xeq [EX]........................................................................................................... 357	
  
Form Command [F] ............................................................................................................... 358	
  
Help Command [H] ............................................................................................................... 360	
  
Input Command [I] ................................................................................................................ 361	
  
Join Command [J] .................................................................................................................. 362	
  
Link Command [L] ................................................................................................................ 364	
  
Listredo Command [LISTREDO] ......................................................................................... 366	
  
Output Command [O] ............................................................................................................ 367	
  
Redo Command [REDO] ....................................................................................................... 368	
  
Reset Command [R] .............................................................................................................. 369	
  
Set Command [S] ................................................................................................................... 370	
  
Mapped ..................................................................................................................... 370	
  
Redo ......................................................................................................................... 370	
  
Statistics ................................................................................................................... 371	
  
Varsub ...................................................................................................................... 371	
  
VarsubCompat .......................................................................................................... 371	
  
VarsubDebug ............................................................................................................ 372	
  
Use Command [U] ................................................................................................................. 373	
  
Verify Command [V] ............................................................................................................. 374	
  
Xeq Command [X] ................................................................................................................ 375	
  

Example Suprlink Output

377	
  
Example .................................................................................................................................. 377	
  

Limits Within Suprlink

379	
  
Maximums .............................................................................................................................. 379	
  

Welcome to Calling Suprtool

381	
  
Calling Suprtool ...................................................................................................................... 381	
  
Suprtool2 Routine ................................................................................................................... 381	
  
Importance of the Exit Command........................................................................................... 381	
  
Environment Variables ........................................................................................................... 382	
  
Control Record........................................................................................................................ 382	
  

Examples of Calling Suprtool

385	
  
Copying the Examples ............................................................................................................ 385	
  
COBOL Example ..................................................................................................... 385	
  
C Sample .................................................................................................................. 388	
  

Installing the Suprtool2 Interface

390	
  
Installing ................................................................................................................................. 390	
  
AMXW ..................................................................................................................... 391	
  

Suprtool2 Error Messages

392	
  
Error Numbers ........................................................................................................................ 392	
  

Glossary of Terms

394	
  
Commonly-used Terms .......................................................................................................... 394	
  
Special Characters .................................................................................................................. 397	
  

16 • Table of Contents

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Index

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

402	
  

Welcome to Suprtool • 17

Welcome to Suprtool

Introduction
Welcome to version 5.7 of Suprtool -- the HP-UX handyman for Eloquence, Oracle
and Allbase databases and fixed-length data files. Use Suprtool to quickly select and
sort data records. Combine multiple data files using Suprlink/UX. Use STExport to
convert fields in a self-describing input file into an output file that can be imported
into other applications.
The Suprtool commands are:
Add

EDit

ITem

Q

Use

BAse

Exit

Key

REDO

USERpause

Before

EXPort

LINk

Reset

Verify

Chain

EXTract

List

SELect

Xeq

Clean

Form

LISTREDO

Set

:MPE or HP-UX
command

Define

Get

Numrecs

SOrt

=expression

DELete

Help

OPen

TAble

DO

IF

Output

Total

Duplicate

Input

Put

UPdate

The minimum abbreviation of each command is shown in capital letters.

Suprtool Components
The Suprtool package consists not only of Suprtool, but also of other programs that
perform useful database functions. These other programs are STExport and Suprlink.

STExport - Data Export Utility
STExport converts fields in a self-describing input file into an output file that can be
imported into different applications.
Use STExport to produce a formatted output file that can be used to import data into
databases and applications.
Other databases have different requirements for the format of input data. You will
have to experiment with the various STExport formatting options to find a format
that your particular database tool accepts.

18 • Welcome to Suprtool

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprlink - Multidataset Access
Suprlink is a program that works with Suprtool to add "multidataset" capability to
Suprtool. Suprlink is not a set of callable routines. To use it, you can run Suprlink by
entering the command /opt/robelle/bin/suprlink.
Rather than take the regular path to multiple datasets -- random retrieval via
Eloquence keys -- we have chosen to follow a different path: fast serial extracts plus
a very efficient merge.
To understand what Suprlink does, think of the process of writing a report. Your
report program (written in COBOL, RPG, PowerHouse, or some other language)
hunts all over the database with DBFIND and DBGET to collect your data.
It would be faster if the report program could just read a sorted disc file with a big
record containing all the data necessary for the report, and this is Suprlink's function.
Suprtool can extract the desired fields from the desired records of the sales detail
dataset and put them in a disc file. Then Suprtool can extract the desired fields from
the customer master dataset and write them to a second disc file. If Suprtool sorts
both files by customer, Suprlink can "link" them together, producing a third file
whose composite record consists of the related fields from both files. This file is just
what we need to feed into the report program. For example, a sales report program
might read a disc file whose records consist of sales transactions plus customer
information and this file has been sorted by customer number and date. If there are
several sales for the same customer, the customer information is just repeated in each
record. The report program reads the records, checks for level breaks, and formats
and prints the records.

Documentation
The user manual contains the full description of all the Suprtool suite of products
including Dbedit, Suprlink, STExport, Dbedit and Suprtool2, as well as usage tips
and commands for each. The manuals are up-to-date with all the latest changes. To
see only the changes in the latest version, see the "What's New" section of the
manual, or see the change notice.
You can download our manuals and Change Notices in various formats and even
order printed (hardcopy) manuals from our web site at:
http://www.robelle.com/library/manuals/.

Notation
The Suprtool documentation uses a common notation in describing all commands.
Here is a sample command definition:
EXTRACT field (subscript)] [=value] [,...]
UPPERcase letters - literal symbols to be used in the command as they
appear (e.g., EXTRACT).
Lowercase, underlined or italic - "variables" to be filled in by the user
(example: field). Each such "variable" is defined elsewhere in terms of
literal symbols (consult the index). In the help file, underlining and
italics are not available and variables appear simply in lowercase.
Brackets - enclose optional fields (example: [(subscript)]).

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Welcome to Suprtool • 19

Braces - enclose comments in examples. For example, >INPUT ACTREC
{input from a data file}. Braces can be used for comments in actual
Suprtool commands.
Up lines - separate alternatives from which you select (example: Set Ignore
[On|Off]); sometimes, the alternatives are shown listed on several lines.
Dot-dot-dot (...) - indicates that the variable may be repeated many times in
the command.
Other special characters - literal symbols that must appear in the command
as they are shown in the format (example: the comma above). Some
commas in Suprtool are optional.
In examples, there is an implied carriage return at the end of each line.

20 • Welcome to Suprtool

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Version 5.7

Highlights in Suprtool 5.7
• Suprlink now has it’s own “Suprmgr” file. Suprlink will process all the
commands in /opt/robelle/linkmgr on startup.
• STExport now has it’s own “Suprmgr” file. STExport will process all the
commands in /opt/robelle/stexpmgr on startup.
• Set Comlog On has been added to Suprtool, Suprlink and STExport to log
all commands entered in Suprtool, Suprlink or STExport are logged in it’s
own file.
• Suprtool now has the $proper function which will shift the first character in
a string and any first character after a space or ampersand.
• Suprtool now has the Translate command and a $translate function to
obfuscate test data or any byte field from being readable.
• Suprtool/Open would not parse a negative number into a quad integer
container.
• Suprtool for Itanium and Suprtool/Open would not properly convert
negative, single and double integers when output,display is invoked.
• Suprtool on both HP-UX platforms now correctly calculates how many
records are in a file loaded via the Table command when the file is a greater
than 2Gb.
•

Suprtool for Itanium and Suprtool/Open incorrectly reallocated if/extract
code space on subsequent tasks, which would eventually cause Suprtool to
fail with the error, “Unable to allocate heap space.”

Highlights in Suprtool 5.6

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

•

Suprtool for Itanium and Suprtool/Open did not properly handle Display type sorts
with over punch characters.

•

Suprtool, Suprlink and STExport now handle 512 fields on HP-UX and Open
platforms.

Suprtool Version 5.7 • 21

•

Suprtools' extract command now has three special keywords to help with extract
using a range, which is designed to make your Suprtool scripts more easily
maintained. Suprtool now has $all, $first and $last which respectively means all
fields, the first field or the last field. Note that $first and $last may only be used in a
range extract.

•

$subcount has been added to keep a running count for a given sort break.

•

Suprtool would use an incorrect field definition when copying a file where the input
file had a duplicate field name with different field definitions; the second field would
utilize the first definition.

•

Suprtool would give an incorrect result when doing an arithmetic expression with
more than one set of brackets and the data involved is Packed-Decimal. (Itanium
only)

•

Suprtool and STExport would incorrectly assume a positive sign for a packeddecimal field that had an invalid sign value, when converting from Decimal to Ascii.
(Itanium only)

•

Suprtool for AMXW did not allocate enough space to support the same number of
defined fields and items as previous versions.

Highlights in Suprtool 5.5
•

Set Fastread now has a default value of off.

•

STExports Escape command has been re-written.

•

Suprtool for HP-UX now supports 268 fields in both an Eloquence database and SD
files.

•

STExport for HP-UX now supports 268 fields in an SD file.

•

Suprlink for HP-UX now supports 268 fields in an SD file.

•

The PA_Risc version of Suprtool, Suprlink and STExport now prints out the Build
version number.

•

Set Oracle Integer on and Set Ifouroutput on no longer writes out double the
calculated record size when output,data is used and the input source is an Oracle
table, see the compatibility section for details.

•

Set Oracle DataBug On | Off has been added to mimic the incorrect behaviour of
writing double the number of bytes in versions 5.1 thru 5.4 and if no extract
commands were in place and either set ifouroutput or set oracle integer were on.

•

The $edit function did not work properly with alpha based edit masks and if the target
was greater than 32 characters.

•

A NUMRECS command with a percent greater than 101 would produce a strange
result if the input source was an Oracle table on the Itanium version. This is fixed in
Suprtool 5.5 Build 5.

•

Suprtool for HP-UX now supports 300 data items in an Eloquence dataset and in SD
files.

•

The PA_RISC version of Suprtool, Suprlink and STExport now print out the Build
version number.

22 • Suprtool Version 5.7

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Highlights in HP-UX version 5.4.01
•

Suprtool for HP-UX on Itanium would fail when sorting very large records.

Highlights in HP-UX version 5.4

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

•

Suprtool for HP-UX on Itanium would fail with an HPPAC error if the field had
spaces when reading a display field.

•

The Eloquence loading algorithm has been changed to make another attempt at
loading the routines.

•

The Output command has been enhanced to accept a new verb "else", which when
invoked it will write out the records that do not qualify and write them to an external
file.

Suprtool Version 5.7 • 23

Installing Suprtool

Overview
We have two types of Installations, Tape and Download. We provide links to the
Installation instructions on our web site for each type of Install.

Who Needs To Use These Instructions
The system manager should use the following installation instructions to install
Suprtool/UX. No one can be using Suprtool/UX during the installation. The
installation should only take a few minutes.

Instructions for HP-UX
If you received a production release tape from Robelle, then you can install using the
instructions on this web page:
http://www.robelle.com/support/install/tape/sxprod.html
If you downloaded the Suprtool production release from our web site then the
instructions can be found here for the ftp download method:
http://www.robelle.com/downloads/install-sxprod-ftp.html
and here for the WRQ download method:
http://www.robelle.com/downloads/install-sxprod-wrq.html

Instructions for AMXW
Suprtool for AMXW is not available on tape, but can be easily downloaded from our
web site. The instructions for the production release install can be found here:
http://www.robelle.com/downloads/install-amxwprod.html

24 • Installing Suprtool

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Roadmap for HP-UX

Road Map to Suprtool on HP-UX
Over the past year, we have created several new versions and options for Suprtool on
HP-UX. This next section describes the various options

Suprtool for HP-UX
This is the original version of Suprtool that supports Eloquence, Oracle and Allbase
databases. Suprtool for HP-UX comes in two flavours, one in PA_RISC and one in
Native Itanium. The PA_RISC version can run on both platforms, however the
Native Itanium version runs strictly on Itanium machines.
The Native Itanium version of Suprtool does not include the DBedit module. The
Native Itanium version is a full port of all Robelle software from SPLash to C, using
Allegros Splash to C technology and some new underlying supporting C code.

Suprtool for HP-UX, with Dynamic Image loading
The dynamic load version of Suprtool for HP-UX dynamically loads IMAGE
intrinsics from a single shared library. This allows Suprtool for HP-UX to work with
products like IMAXSOFT, which builds IMAGE replacement intrinsics to work with
other databases like Oracle and DB2.

Suprtool for AMXW
Suprtool for AMXW is a new product that works with Speedware's AMXW
emulation product and comes in many flavours including Itanium, for any questions
on Suprtool for AMXW on PA_RISC or Itanium please e-mail neil@robelle.com.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Roadmap for HP-UX • 25

Quick Start Guide for Suprtool

How to Run Suprtool
Use the following command to access Suprtool:
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
SUPRTOOL/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1981-2010.
(Version 5.6)
>

Suprtool prints its version number and the current time right after a banner. Suprtool
then prompts with ">". Press Return after typing each command. For example, if you
type the help command:
>help

Suprtool prints some help text and a keyword list. Type a keyword or press Return to
leave Help.
To exit Suprtool, type "Exit" at the Suprtool prompt.
>exit

What is a Task?
Tasks are the building blocks with which Suprtool helps you to solve data processing
problems. In a task, Suprtool reads information from a file or database, selects and
processes some information, and writes out the result. You can visualize a Suprtool
task like this:

Input
Records

Suprtool
selects and
processes

Output
Records

The examples that follow all consist of Suprtool tasks. Simple solutions require only
one task. Complex solutions consist of several tasks, often with the output of one
task becoming the input for the next task.

26 • Quick Start Guide for Suprtool

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Copying Files
Copying One File
Use the Input command to specify a data file.
>input file1,reclen 80, nolf
>output result
>xeq

The Output command creates the file called "result", which is a copy of the input
file.

Appending to a File
To append to an existing file, use the Append option in the Output command.
>input file2, reclen 80, nolf
>output result,append
>xeq

Fields in Data Files
What is a Self-Describing File?
A self-describing (SD) file is actually a pair of files, one with data and the other with
field information. These files have the advantage of behaving like data files, which
can provide field information to Suprtool without you having to Define all the fields.
The Input command is also simpler because there is no need for either the Reclen or
the LF parameters.

Creating an SD File
To create an SD file, use the Link option in the Output command.
>select * from sales
>output result,link
>xeq

Now the data file "result" has the same field names as the Sales table. Suprtool can
read this data file and know about the fields automatically.
>input result
>if
sales_total>20000 and product_price<5000
>output custlist
>xeq

Define Fields in a Data File
A regular data file does not have any field information associated with it. If you need
to work with the fields in a data file, you need to tell Suprtool about the fields using
the Define command. For example, say you have a data file with lines that look like
this:
12345678John

Rutherford

98765432Catherine Smith

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

<32>
<29>

Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 27

|

|

|

|

Account First name Last name
8-byte 12-byte

16-byte

Age
2-byte integer

Use these Define commands to tell Suprtool about the fields:
>input
>define
>define
>define
>define

datafile, reclen 38, lf
account,
1, 8, byte
first_name, 9, 12, byte
last_name, 21, 16, byte
age,
37, 2, int
|
|
|
|
field name
| Length |
Start
Data-type
position

Now you can use the field names "account", "first_name", "last_name", and "age" to
refer to the corresponding parts of the line, just as if this were a database record.
>input
>define
>if
>ext
>output
>xeq

datafile
...
age>65
account, last_name
result

Create an SD File from a Data File
To create an SD file from a data file, follow these steps:

>input
>define
>define
>define
>define

1.

Define the fields that you want to include in the SD file.

2.

Extract the fields in the order you want.

3.

Use the Link option in the Output command to create the SD file.

datafile, reclen 38, lf
account,
1, 1, byte
first_name, 9, 12, byte
last_name, 21, 16, byte
age,
37, 2, int

>extract account, age, first_name, last_name
>output
>xeq

result,link

Repeating Commands
Repeating a Command
Use the Listredo command to see a list of your most recent commands. Use the Do
command to repeat a command, or use the Redo command to modify a command
before repeating it.

28 • Quick Start Guide for Suprtool

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>listredo
>listredo input

{20 most recent commands}
{most recent Input commands}

>input result
>...
>xeq
>do input

{repeat previous Input command}

>input result
>if quantity > 10000
>...
>redo if
then repeat}

{modify previous If command,

If you have used two commands that begin with the same letter, you have to be
careful when repeating those commands. Make sure you use enough letters to
identify each command distinctly from the other. In the following example, if you
wish to repeat the Input command instead of the If command, you need to use "do i
s" instead of just "do i".
>i somefile
>if 
>...
>xeq
>do i s

{repeats previous Input command}

Selecting Database Records
These examples show you how to get records from an Oracle table. It assumes you
have opened the database with the Open command. The results are written to a data
file called "result", which can be read either by a program or by a report writer.
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
>open oracle demo reader

Select All Records
This example extracts all the records from the table. Note that we didn't specify any
selection criteria, so Suprtool selects all the records.
>select * from sales
>output result
>xeq

{input table}
{output file}
{Xeq command performs the task}

Look at the First Few Records
If you want to look at the first few records of a dataset, use the Numrecs command.
This command tells Suprtool to extract at most the number of records specified.
Then, instead of sending the result to a file, send it to the screen with "output
*,ascii". The example shows you how to look at the first 10 records in your dataset.

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 29

>select * from sales
>numrecs 10
>output *,ascii
>xeq

{first 10 records}
{output to screen, format numbers}

Selecting by Criteria
Simple Criteria
To tell Suprtool to choose records based on certain criteria, you can either use any
valid SQL command (e.g., select, where), or you can select all the records and use an
If command. In the following example Suprtool extracts all records with a sales_total
value greater than 20000 from the Sales table. Both tasks produce identical results,
but one way may be faster than the other.
>select * from sales
>if
sales_total > 20000
>output result
>xeq

Complex Criteria
To choose records using more complex criteria, combine several simple criteria
using AND, OR, NOT, and parentheses. In this example Suprtool extracts all records
that have a sales_total value greater than 20000 and a product_price value less than
5000 from the sales table.
>select * from sales
>if
sales_total>20000 and product_price<5000
>output result
>xeq

String of Digits
If you have a byte-type field that consists entirely of digits, and you want to use this
field as a numeric field, you need to define a new display field on top of the existing
field. For example, suppose your data looks like the following, where the customer
account number is stored in the 8-digit byte-type field at the start of the record:
20476789...rest of customer record...

To find all customers with an account greater than 20470000, you would do the
following:
>select
>define
>if
>output
>xeq

* from table
accountnum, account, 8, display
accountnum > 20470000
result

Selecting by Date
The following section on dates does not apply to SQL columns, only to defined
fields and SD fields. Disc files usually store dates as numeric or character fields; you
can use the Define command to isolate the field.

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Before Suprtool can use a date field, it has to know the format of a particular date
field. Use the Item command to specify the format. For example, to tell Suprtool that
the item purch_date is a date field with a format of yyyymmdd (e.g., 20040319), you
would use:
>define purch_date, 11,8
>item
purch_date, date, yyyymmdd

{8 bytes, starts in byte 11}
{date format}

In the following date examples, we show the Define and Item commands in each
example. In practice, however, you only need to use these commands once per date
field, not once per task.

Select by Today's Date
For this example, select all the sales records whose purchase date is today. Note the
use of $today in the If command to indicate today's date.
>input
>define
>item
>if
>output
>xeq

saledata,reclen 70,nolf
purch_date, 11,8
purch_date,date,yyyymmdd
purch_date = $today
result

{select today's date}

Other tricks with $today
>if
>if

purch_date = $today(-1)
purch_date = $today(+1)

{yesterday}
{tomorrow}

Select by Particular Date
To specify a particular date, use the $date function in the If command. The $date
function has the form $date(year /month /day). This example selects all the sales
transactions for August 12, 2000.
>input
>define
>item
>if
>output
>xeq

saledata,reclen 70,nolf
purch_date, 11,8
purch_date,date,yyyymmdd
purch_date = $date(2000/08/12)
result

Select by Year
Suppose we want to select all the sales transactions for 2000. Suprtool does not have
a short-hand for specifying "everything in that year". To specify an entire year, use a
date range from January 1st to December 31st.
>input
>define
>item
>if

saledata,reclen 70,nolf
purch_date, 11,8
purch_date,date,yyyymmdd
purch_date >= $date(2000/01/01) and &
purch_date <= $date(2000/12/31)
>output result
>xeq

Select Prior Month
In the $date function, use a * to indicate the current year, month, or day. Similarly, a
*-1 means the previous year, month, or day. For this example, select all the sales

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 31

transactions for the prior month. Note the use of the special keywords "first" and
"last" to indicate the first and last day of the month.
>input
>define
>select
>item
>if

saledata,reclen 70,nolf
purch_date, 11,8
* from sales
purch_date,date,yyyymmdd
purch_date >= $date(*/*-1/first) and &
purch_date <= $date(*/*-1/last)
>output result
>xeq

Selecting by Lists of Values
Sometimes you want to find records based on criteria contained in another file or
table.

Finding Data Based on a List
Suppose we want to find all orders for the customers "1234", "9876", and "5555."
We simply use a list of values after the equal sign in the If command. A match is
made if a customer matches any one of the values in the list.
>select * from order_details
>if
cust_no = "1234", "9876", "5555"
>output orders
>xeq

If we wanted to find orders for all customers except "1234", "9876", and "5555", we
would simply change the equal sign in the If command to a not-equal sign. A match
is made if a customer does not match any values in the list.
>select * from order_details
>if
cust_no <> "1234", "9876", "5555"
>output orders
>xeq

Finding Data Based on a File
If you have a large list of values in a file, you can load them into Suprtool and select
data based on this list. First use the Table command to load values from an external
file into a table. Then use the $lookup function of the If command to match data to
the table.
Suppose our list is in a self-describing file called Custlist. We create a programtemporary table called cust_table. Note that this is not the same as an Oracle table.
>select
>table
>if
>output
>xeq

* from order_details
cust_table, cust_no, file, custlist
$lookup(cust_table, cust_no)
orders

If you want to find all customers not on the list, just negate the If condition by
simply putting "not" in front of the $lookup.

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>if

not $lookup(cust_table, cust_no)

Finding Data Based on Another Table’s Criteria
Sometimes you need to find data from one table based on conditions from another
table. This is a typical example: you want to find all of the pending orders for those
customers whose accounts receivable balance is 0.
First we find the customers with an AR balance of 0, and extract their customer
numbers to a file.
>select
>if
>ext
>output
>xeq

* from receivables
ar_balance = 0
cust_no
custlist,link

Now we can find information by loading a file of customer numbers into a table and
then applying the $lookup feature.
>select
>table
>if
>output
>xeq

* from order_details
cust_table, cust_no, file, custlist
status="PENDING" and $lookup(cust_table,cust_no)
orders

Finding Data in a Data File
So far, the examples have looked up data from a table. If you want to look up
information in a data file, you need to tell Suprtool about the fields. Use the Define
command to do this.
The following example gives you some idea of the byte-size of one kind of record in
a data file.
John

Smith

Anna-May
12-bytes

12345678

Richardson
16-bytes

98765432
8-bytes

If you want to look up customers based on a list of customer numbers in the selfdescribing file Custlist, use the following task. Notice how the start position and
number of bytes is entered into the Define command. This defines the position
within the input file, not the table file.
>input
>define
>table
>if
>output
>xeq

flatfile, reclen 36, nolf
cust_no, 29, 8, byte
cust_table, cust_no, file, custlist
$lookup(cust_table, cust_no)
result

Sorting Database Records
Sort Records
To tell Suprtool to sort table records, you can either use any valid SQL command
(e.g., select, order by), or you can select the records and use a Sort command. Here
are two examples where Suprtool extracts all records from the Sales table into a data

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 33

file called "result". The records are sorted by the field cust_account. Both tasks
produce identical results, but one way may be faster than the other.
Sorting in the Select command:
>select * from sales
>output result
>xeq

order by cust_account

Sorting in the Sort command:
>select * from sales
>sort
cust_account
>output result
>xeq

Sort Records in Descending Order
This example extracts all records from the Sales table into a data file called "result".
The records are sorted by the field sales_total in descending order (i.e., show highest
totals first). Use the Desc option in the Sort command to do this.
>select * from sales
>sort
sales_total desc
>output result
>xeq

{descending order}

Sort by Multiple Keys
This example extracts all records from the Sales table into a data file called "result".
The records are sorted by the field cust_account, then by sales_total in descending
order. Use two Sort commands to do this because the Sort command only accepts
one field at a time.
>select
>sort
>sort
>output
>xeq

* from sales
cust_account
sales_total desc
result

{input}
{first sort key}
{second sort key}
{output}

Duplicate Records
In the following examples, the key field is in the first four bytes of the record.
"Duplicate-ness" is based on records having the same key value. In any group of
records with the same key value, the first record is considered to be the "original",
and the rest are considered to be the "duplicates".

Report without Duplicate Records
This is an example of filtering out duplicated records (the original remains). This is
done by using the None option of the Duplicate command.
Input

Result

1111 a

1111 a

2222 b

2222 b

2222 c

3333 e

2222 d

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3333 e
>select
>sort
>dup
>output
>xeq

* from table
keyfield
none keys
result

Report Only the Duplicate Records
This is an example of keeping only the duplicated records (the original is not kept).
This example is the opposite of the previous example. Use the Only option of the
Duplicate command to do this.
Input

Result

1111 a

2222 c

2222 b

2222 d

2222 c
2222 d
3333 e
>select
>sort
>dup
>output
>xeq

* from table
keyfield
only keys
result

Report Only the Unique Records
This example shows how to report only those records without duplicates. That is, if
the records have duplicates, both the originals and their duplicates are omitted from
the report.
Input

Result

1111 a

1111 a

2222 b

3333 e

2222 c
2222 d
3333 e
You have to use two Suprtool tasks to accomplish this. The first task creates an
intermediate file Dupfile that contains the keys of the duplicate records. The second
task creates the desired output file Result that contains only the unique records.

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>select
>sort
>extract
>dup
>output
>xeq

* from table
keyfield
keyfield
only keys
dupfile

>get
>table
>if
>output
>xeq

dataset
dup-table, keyfield, sorted, dupfile
not $lookup(dup-table, keyfield)
result

Report Only the Duplicates and Their Originals
This performs the opposite function to the one outlined above. It keeps only the
duplicates and their originals.
Input

Result

1111 a

2222 b

2222 b

2222 c

2222 c

2222 d

2222 d
3333 e
Once again, you have to use two Suprtool tasks to accomplish this. The first task
creates an intermediate file Dupfile that contains the keys of the duplicate records.
The second task creates the output file Result that contains only duplicate files and
their originals.
>select
>sort
>extract
>dup
>output
>xeq

* from table
keyfield
keyfield
only keys
dupfile, link

>select
>table
>if
>output
>xeq

* from table
dup_table, keyfield, sorted, dupfile
$lookup(dup_table, keyfield)
result

Deleting Duplicate Data File Records
The following tasks read the file Datafile and create two new files. The file named
"result" does not have duplicate records. The other file named "archive" has only the
duplicate records.
Task 1: Identify which records to delete.

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>input datafile,reclen 38, nolf
>define key1,1,8
>define key2,13,12
>define
>ext
>sort
>sort
>dup
>out
>xeq

rec,1,38
rec
key1
key2
only keys
dupfile, link

{length of the record}

Task 2: Write records to archive.
>input
>table
>if
>output
>xeq

datafile, reclen 38, nolf
duptab, rec, sorted, dupfile, hold
$lookup(duptab, rec)
archive

Task 3: Delete the records.
>input datafile
>if
not $lookup(duptab, rec)
>output result
>xeq

Decimal Places
Data in disc files often has an implied number of decimal places. For example, dollar
amounts usually have two implied decimal places for the cents. In this case, the
number stored is scaled by a factor of one hundred (e.g., you would enter 10000 to
represent $100.00).
>input saledata, reclen 70, nolf
>def total_sales, 40, integer
>if
total_sales > 99900
>out result
>xeq

{find sales > $999}

You can use Suprtool's Item command to identify defined fields that have an implied
number of decimal places. Once you do this, you can then enter regular, unscaled
numbers. For example, to enter five cents, use 0.05; to enter $100.00, use 100. If a
field is a dollar and cents amount scaled by 100, use the following to tell Suprtool
about the decimal place:
>item total_sales, DECIMAL, 2

With the Item command, the previous example becomes more understandable:
>input
>def
>item
>if
>out
>xeq

saledata, reclen 70, nolf
total_sales, 40, integer
total_sales, decimal, 2
total_sales > 999
result

{find sales > $999}

Converting Numbers
There are several ways to convert binary numbers (e.g. I2, P8) into human-readable
ASCII form. You can use STExport's Output,ASCII or Output,DISPLAY if you
want to convert all numbers.

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 37

If you want to convert only some of your numeric fields, you can use Suprtool's
numeric conversion feature to convert the binary fields to display fields.
define mynumber,1,6,display
get dataset
ext some-fields...
ext mynumber = binary-number
output filename
xeq

Note that this technique also works for converting a number from one numeric type
to another numeric type.
You can also convert from binary numbers to a formatted byte field using the $edit
function:
>in mysdfile
>def a,1,10,byte
>def b,1,10,byte
>ext a=$edit(int-field,"$$,$$$.99-")
>ext b=$edit(int-field,"999999999-")
>list
>xeq
>IN FILE1SD.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
A
=
$11.11B
= 000001111-

Counts and Subtotals
Count and Subtotal on Sort Keys
This example counts the number of sales transactions for each customer and
produces the total sales for each customer. We use the Count and Total options of the
Duplicate command. Note that we made the output file self-describing so we can
easily work with it later.
>input
>ext
>sort
>dup
>list
>out
>xeq

transactions
{self-describing file}
cust_account
cust_account
{need to sort by key}
none keys count total sales_total
standard
result, link

The output file contains three fields. The first field is the cust_account that we
extracted. Suprtool created two new fields at the end of each output record: st-count
and st-total-1. St-count contains the number of times each cust_account occurred,
while st-total-1 contains the total sales for each cust_account.

Sort by Count or Subtotal
When Suprtool counts or subtotals, the output is sorted according to the key fields. If
you want your output file to be sorted by the count or by a total, you must process
the output file with a second task. The following example sorts the previous file of
totals by ST-COUNT. We choose a descending sort sequence, so that we can see
first the customers with the largest number of orders.

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>input result
>sort st-count, desc
>list standard
>xeq

{input from previous task}
{highest counts appear first}
{produce a simple report}

Total by Field
If you want to get a single total for a field, without caring about subtotals on sort
breaks, you can use the Total command. Total prints out the result on $stdlist. For
example, to compute the total sales value for 2000 transactions, use these commands:
>select
>if
>total
>output
>xeq

* from sales
purch_date>=000101 and purch_date<=001231
sales_total
$null

Running Totals
You can get a running total on a field using the $total function.. The target data must
be a packed field with 28 digits, in order to help avoid overflow issues. A sample use
of the total function could be:
>def mytotal,1,14,packed
>get orders
>ext mytotal = $total(sales-amount)
>xeq

Running SubTotals
Suprtool has the ability to keep a running subtotal for any numeric field based on a
given sort key. The target data must be a packed field with 28 digits, in order to help
avoid overflow issues.
A sample use of the $subtotal function could be:
>def mytotal,1,14,packed
>get orders
>sort order-number
>ext order-number
>ext part-number
>ext description
>ext sales-amount
>ext mytotal = $subtotal(sales-amount,order-number)
>out sales,link
>xeq

This would result in a file containing a running subtotal in the field mytotal for a
given order-number. You could then generate a simple report with the simple
Suprtool commands:
>in sales
>list standard
>xeq

The basic syntax for the $subtotal function in the extract command is:
extract targetfield = $subtotal(field,sort-field)

You must specify the sort command before referencing the sort-field in the $subtotal
function. You can subtotal up to ten fields per task.

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 39

Listing Records
You can print selected input records either formatted or with the Octal, Hex,
Decimal, or Character representations. To dump all sales records with a negative
amount, use these commands:
>select * from sales
>if sales_total < 0
>list lp
>xeq

This finds the entries that meet the selection criteria and prints them to the default
line printer, showing column names and column values converted to ASCII. If you
suspect that your data is bad, you can dump the records in Octal/Char format instead:
>select * from sales
>if sales_total < 0
>list octal,char
>xeq

If you want the listing in column format, use List Standard:
>select * from sales
>if sales_total < 0
>list standard lp
>xeq

Since there are no file equations on HP-UX and symbolic link do not always
function the way you would hope. We have added a new keyword to the List
command to make it easier to have the list output go to a file and to also append to
and existing file. The File option takes the next parameter as being the filename:
>in test/file1sd
>list stan file myslist
>xeq

If the file myslist exists it will be over-written, unless you specify the Append
option. If you specify the append option the new report will be added to the file.
So if you want to incorporate multiple reports you just need to do the following:
>in test/file1sd
>list stan file myslist
>xeq
>in test/file2sd
>list stan file myslist append
>xeq

Changing the Output Record Format
You can change the output file record format by using the Extract command. The
Extract command causes Suprtool to assemble Output records by stringing together
fields extracted from Input records. You would use the following to extract two of
the nine fields from the customer records:
>select * from customer
>extract cust_account
>extract credit_rating
>output out1
>xeq

{input from a table}
{extract the key value and}
{ one other field}
{output file will have two fields}

You can easily insert data into the middle of a record, again using the Extract
command. Define the first and second halves of the record as two big chunks. Now
Extract the first part, note the constant you wish to insert, then Extract the second
part.

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>input myfile, reclen 95, nolf
>define part1,1,60,byte
>define part2,61,35,byte
>extract part1, "constant", part2
>output newfile
>xeq

{95 bytes wide}
{first 60 bytes}
{remaining 35}
{extract an 8-byte constant}
{103 bytes now}

Producing a Condensed Table Listing
When debugging test databases, it is often desirable to produce a condensed listing
of a table on $stdlist. The following example combines the Extract command with
the ASCII output option (i.e., all binary and packed-decimal data is converted into
readable ASCII characters). For readability, each data value is prefixed with an
abbreviated column name. This listing is more compact than the one produced by the
List command.
>select * from customer
>extract "Account=",cust_account," "
>extract "C/R=",credit_rating
>output *,ascii
>xeq

{* implies $stdlist}

The output would look like:
Account=04598921 C/R=
Account=44657844 C/R=
Account=98753198 C/R=

500000
2000000
300000

Simple Reports
You can produce simple reports with Suprtool's List command. You select the
records for the report with the If command and the fields for the report with the
Extract command. Reports can include running headings with the date, title, and
page number and an optional line of column headings. Suprtool can produce default
titles and headings.
>select
>extract
>extract
>list
>xeq

* from customer
cust-account
credit-rating
standard

The output would look like this:
Jan 17, 2000 11:59

Page 1

CUST_ACCO CREDIT_RATING
4598921
44657844
98753198

5000.00
20000.00
3000.00

Your First Report
Our report selects all customers in California, sorts the records by city, and reports
on the city, account number, and name of each California customer:

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 41

>select
>if
>sort
>extract
>extract
>extract
>extract
>list
>xeq

* from customer
state = "CA"
city
city
cust_account
name_first
name_last
standard

{input table}
{California customers}
{sort by city name}
{city first on each line}
{followed by account#}
{and first name}
{and finally last name}
{produce a quick report}

These commands produce a report with four columns. The title consists of the date
and page number. The column headings are the name of each column that we
extracted.

Column Headings
Column headings default to uppercase field names. The names are truncated if they
are longer than the field itself. One space is inserted between fields.
Suprtool does not automatically align user-specified headings with the data columns.
We suggest specifying heading strings with the same length as the fields they
represent, while taking into account the space between the data columns.
In our example, we enter one column heading per line (using Suprtool's continuation
character "&"):
>list standard,heading &
{----+----1----+----2}
"City
" &
"Account
"
&
"First Name "
&
"Last Name"

{field is X12}
{field is Z8}
{field is X10}
{field is X16}

We included one space between fields. Note that an extra space was needed for the
Account
heading (it is an 8-digit field, but we used 10 characters). Because cust-account is a
zoned-decimal field, an extra space is required for the sign.

Printing Mailing Labels
You can print mailing labels by combining the Extract command with the List
Oneperline command. We assume that each mailing label starts with two blank lines,
followed by the customer name and address, followed by another blank line. The
Suprtool commands to produce the labels are as follows:
>select
>extract
>extract
>extract
>extract
>extract
>extract
>extract
>list
>xeq

* from customer
{input customers}
" "
{first field}
" "
{second field}
customer_name
{name first}
street_address(1)
{three lines of address}
street_address(2)
street_address(3)
" "
{last blank field}
oneperline, noname, noskip, norec

The line
extract " "

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command creates a single field that consists of a blank space. Each of these blank
fields results in a blank line on our mailing labels, since the List command puts one
field on each output line.
If you want to combine two fields on one line, you would first have to create an
output file with the combined fields and use this file as input to List Oneperline.

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Quick Start Guide for Suprtool • 43

Running Suprtool under HP-UX

Running Suprtool
To run Suprtool for HP-UX, type this command:
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
Suprtool. Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1981-2010.
(Version 5.6) Type ? for help.
>

Suprtool prints its version number and prompts with ">". Press Return after each
command you type. For example, if you type
>help

Suprtool prints some Help text and a keyword list. You can type a keyword for more
specific information, or press Return to leave Help.

Configuring Different Shells
When you log in to HP-UX, a shell program is invoked. This program interprets
commands, executes them, and controls command execution. To make configuration
changes, you have to know which shell you are using and what files are
automatically executed.

Bourne and Korn Shells
The Bourne and Korn shells execute the file /etc/profile when you log in to HP-UX.
Then they look for a .profile file in your home directory. If it exists, the file is
executed. If you use SAM to add new users, the file /etc/d.profile is automatically
copied to the home group of the new user. If you want to make global changes to the
commands executed at login time, you should change two files:
/etc/profile
/etc/d.profile

{always executed at login time}
{default .profile for new users}

C Shell
The C shell executes the file /etc/csh.login when you log in to HP-UX. First it looks
for the .login file in your home directory. If the file exists, it is executed. Then the C
shell executes the .cshrc file in your home directory (also executed any time you
invoke a new copy of /bin/csh). If you use SAM to add new users, the files
/etc/d.login and /etc/d.cshrc are automatically copied to the home group of the new

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Running Suprtool under HP-UX • 45

user. If you want to make global changes to the commands executed at login time,
you should change these files:
/etc/csh.login
/etc/d.login
/etc/d.cshrc

{always executed at login time}
{default .login for new users}
{default .cshrc for new users}

Setting Up a PATH for Suprtool
You can invoke Suprtool with the command:
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool

If you just type
suprtool

to invoke Suprtool/UX, you must either add /opt/robelle/bin to your PATH or copy
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool to a directory that is currently on your PATH. Similarly, the
man pages for Suprtool are in /opt/robelle/man/man1/suprtool.1. To make the man
pages available to everyone, you can either add /opt/robelle/man to your MANPATH
or you can copy the man pages to a directory that is currently on your MANPATH.

Bourne and Korn Shells
See Configuring Different Shells (above) for a discussion on the files that are
automatically executed by the Bourne and Korn shells. The easiest way to change the
two PATHs for all the users on your HP-UX machine is to logon as root, and add
these two lines to the file /etc/profile after any existing PATH or MANPATH
statements:
PATH=$PATH:/opt/robelle/bin
MANPATH=$MANPATH:/opt/robelle/man

Remember to delete any PATH or MANPATH settings in /etc/d.profile so that new
users do not override your changes. You also have to warn existing Bourne and Korn
shell users to change the .profile file in their home directories.

C Shell
See Configuring Different Shells (above) for a discussion on the files that are
automatically executed by the C shell. The easiest way to change the two PATHs for
all the users on your HP-UX machine is to logon as root, and add these two lines to
the file /etc/csh.login after any existing PATH or MANPATH statements:
set path ($path /opt/robelle/bin)
setenv MANPATH "$MANPATH":/opt/robelle/man

Remember to delete any PATH or MANPATH settings in both /etc/d.login and
/etc/d.cshrc so that new users do not override your changes. You also have to warn
existing C shell users to change their .login and .cshrc files in their home directories.

Dynamic Loading
Suprtool for HP-UX and AMXW dynamically loads the required Eloquence and
Oracle routines on startup. Suprtool requires two Eloquence libraries, namely:

46 • Running Suprtool under HP-UX

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

libimage3k.sl and libeqdb.sl. and one from Oracle, typically libclntsh.sl. This library
will have other dependencies, and this varies by version of Oracle. The Oracle
library is only loaded if you have the Oracle option enabled. In this version if any of
the dynamic loading of Eloquence or Oracle fails, Suprtool will continue.
The Suprtool Image Replacement version on HP-UX, which dynamically loads a
third-party set of Image Replacement intrinsics, will stop if the intrinsics fail to load.
See the Suprtool for HP-UX Roadmap section of this manual.
By default, Suprtool will first look at SHLIB_PATH and uses shl_load call on HPUX to locate and load the libraries for Eloquence and Oracle.

PA_RISC and Itanium
There are two types of machines that HP has that run HP-UX, the older machines are
based on the PA_RISC chip and the new machines use the Itanium (and Itanium 2
chips). Any program that runs on Itanium must utilize libraries that match its own
program type. Therefore if a PA_RISC program runs on Itanium and looks for a
library, it must load the PA_RISC version of the libraries that it needs and
conversely an Itanium program must load the libraries specific to its type.

How to Tell what Machine I am on?
There are many ways to tell what kind of machine you are on, here are a couple:
uname -m
getconf MACHINE_MODEL

In each case the Itanium machine will typically say ia64 somewhere in the result of
the above two commands. PA_RISC machines typically say "9000" somewhere in
the string.

What is the Program File?
Since there are two types of machines there are also at least two types of program
files. Suprtool is primarily either PA_RISC 1.1 or ELF-32 / IA64 which is also
known as Itanium. To determine the type of program file you can use the file
command:
Itanium
file suprtool
suprtool:

ELF-32 executable object file - IA64

PA_RISC
file suprtool
suprtool:

PA-RISC1.1 executable dynamically linked -not stripped

The PA_RISC binary can run on both platforms but you need to have PA_RISC
libraries for Eloquence or Oracle if you are using the Oracle module. An Itanium
binary will not run on a PA_RISC machine and will fail with "cannot execute".

PA_RISC Loading
Suprtool by default looks in the libraries in any of the directories named in
SHLIB_PATH. For example to insure that Suprtool resolves the library loads you
can set the SHLIB_PATH system wide in your /etc/profile file in the following
manner:

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Running Suprtool under HP-UX • 47

export SHLIB_PATH=/opt/eloquence6/lib/pa11_32:/opt/oracle/lib

If you do not have the SHLIB_PATH variable set to a value where the libraries can
be found, Suprtool will then try to load from their default names locations. For
Eloquence the default location is :/opt/eloquence6/lib/pa11_32.
The Oracle interface will first try to load libclntsh.so and then attempt to load
libclntsh.sl from $ORACLE_HOME/lib32/libclntsh.sl.

Itanium Loading
You can change Suprtool to pay attention to LD_LIBRARY_PATH and use dlopen
to load libraries, you can set the environment variable:
export ROBELLE_DYN_LOAD =Y.
It is generally advisable to use DLOPEN or the ROBELLE_DYN_LOAD option
when using the Itanium version. The PA_RISC version of Suprtool can use either
type of loading, the default or the dlopen method invoked with
ROBELLE_DYN_LOAD.
The Itanium version will make one more attempt at loading the Eloquence libraries
from hpux32/libimage3k.sl and hpux32/libeqdb.sl as most users are setting
SHLIB_PATH and LD_LIBRARY_NAME pointing to the lib directory.

Printing Loader Warnings
When loading Oracle libraries Suprtool would report warnings on startup if it failed
to load the Oracle libraries. Suprtool by default no longer prints these warnings. To
check if your libraries were loaded you can run Suprtool with the –lw option:
./suprtool -lw

Control Characters and stty
Most HP-UX users have Control-D configured as the end-of-file character, and
Control-C as the interrupt character. If you use Robelle-style modify, you must
reassign Control-D to a different control character. If you are familiar with MPE, you
may want to assign Control-Y as your interrupt character. A standard shell
configuration file (.profile for Bourne and Korn shells, and .login for the C shell)
usually contains a line like:
stty erase "^H" kill "^U" intr "^C" eof "^D" swtch "^Z"

To change both the end-of-file and interrupt characters, you should change the "intr"
and "eof" control keys as follows:
stty erase "^H" kill "^U" intr "^Y" eof "^E" swtch "^Z"

Note that many programs require an end-of-file signal. Many introductory books on
UNIX assume that Control-D signifies the end-of-file. Once you have changed the
control character, remember to use Control-E for the end-of-file (at least Control-E is
easy to remember since end-of-file starts with the letter "E").

Suprmgr Configuration Files
When you run Suprtool, it automatically "uses" this configuration files if it exists:

48 • Running Suprtool under HP-UX

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

/opt/robelle/suprmgr

The system manager usually creates /opt/robelle/suprmgr, and puts Suprtool
commands in it to set Suprtool options. To check the options for your site, examine
this configuration file.

On-Line vs. Batch Access
You normally run Suprtool as an on-line session. You type Suprtool commands on
your terminal, and Suprtool prints responses on your terminal. If you redirect stdin or
stdout, Suprtool assumes that it is in batch.
Suprtool in batch is almost identical to Suprtool on-line, except for answering
questions. When Suprtool asks a question in batch, it does not expect an answer from
stdin because no one is there to answer. Suprtool assumes that you want your batch
task to complete, so it always selects the option that completes the command
successfully. This is normally a "yes" answer, as in "yes, purge the file". Suprtool
prints the question on stdout, as well as the answer that it has selected for you.

Command Line Options
You can invoke Suprtool/UX with various options. The syntax for invoking
Suprtool/UX is
suprtool [-cv]

Initial Command Line: -ccmdstring
You can specify commands by using the -c option followed by the actual commands.
There must be no space between the -c and the command list.
If there is a space within the command, the whole command must be enclosed in
single or double quotation marks; otherwise, the quotation marks are optional. Here
are some examples:
suprtool -c"use usefile"
suprtool -c"set prompt $"

Default Outcount File Name: -oc
If you want to know how many records Suprtool has processed, use the -oc option.
This option sets the file name for outcount to ".stoutcount". After a successful task,
Suprtool writes the number of output records to the .stoutcount file. You can then
use this file in shell scripts to check for specific record counts.
For example, suppose that you want to check for at least ten records from an Oracle
database. You would write a shell script like:

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Running Suprtool under HP-UX • 49

#!/bin/sh
#
# Select records from an Oracle table and check that there
# are at least ten.
suprtool -oc << !EOD
open
oracle scott tiger
select * from emp
if
sal > 1000.00
output /dev/null
exit
!EOD
if [ `cat .stoutcount` -ge 10 ]; then
echo "More than 10 records found"
fi

Exit with Verify: -v
Some users inadvertently Exit from Suprtool by entering the Exit command instead
of Xeq. To prompt for Exit approval, use the -v option.
suprtool -v
>e
Okay to exit [no]:
>

Combining -c and -v
You can combine both the -c and -v options with the following command:
suprtool -c"use usefile" -v

Loader Warnings
Suprtool by default does not print loader warnings. These are errors or problems
when Suprtool starts up. Suprtool will attempt to find the Eloquence libraries and if
configured, the Oracle libraries. You may use both, none or one of these libraries, so
these warning/errors may be perfectly valid for your site. If you want to see the
loader warnings you can run Suprtool with the –lw option:
suprtool -lw

HP-UX Notes
This section describes Suprtool/UX features that interact with the HP-UX
environment.

Shell Commands
You can execute shell commands by typing them anywhere you type a Suprtool
command. If a command is both a shell and Suprtool command, you must precede
the shell command by an exclamation mark (!) or a colon (:). Shell commands are
executed by your default shell (the one configured in /etc/passwd for your user
name).

50 • Running Suprtool under HP-UX

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

$suprtool
>whoami
>!whoami
>:whoami
>set ...
>!set ...

{these 3 commands are identical}

{does Suprtool's Set command}
{does HP-UX's Set command}

Shell commands are executed by a child copy of your shell. Child shells cannot
change environment variables in the parent's environment. To change the value of an
environment variable, you must first exit Suprtool.

Hardcoded File Names and ROBELLE Variable
Some file names are hardcoded into Suprtool. This section describes the hardcoded
file names that Suprtool/UX may need. Suprtool will normally look for files in the
/opt/robelle directory unless you set the ROBELLE variable.

ROBELLE Variable
Normally Suprtool looks files in the /opt/robelle directory. If you move Suprtool you
must set the ROBELLE variable.
export ROBELLE="/users/robelle"

/opt/robelle/suprmgr
This is an optional file that is designed to contain configuration commands. You
cannot change this file name. If you move Suprtool/UX to a different directory you
must set the ROBELLE variable so Suprtool may find this file.
For example, if you move Suprtool to the /users/robelle directory you must set the
ROBELLE variable in the following manner:
export ROBELLE="/users/robelle"

You can then put your suprmgr file in the /users/robelle directory.

/opt/robelle/help/suprtool
This is the name of the Suprtool/UX Help file. You can override this name by using
Set Filename Help or set the ROBELLE variable as outlined previously.
/set filename help /usr/local/help/suprtool

Outcount File
If you want to automatically check the number of output records that Suprtool
produced, you must produce an outcount file. This file contains a string with the
number of output records that Suprtool processed.
By default, no outcount file is produced. If you invoke Suprtool/UX with the "-oc"
option, Suprtool writes the number of output records to a file called ".stoutcount."
Use Set Filename Outcount to specify your own file name for the output count.
If you add Set Filename Outcount to the Suprmgr file, every successful invocation of
Suprtool/UX produces a file. While these files are small, they may clutter up a busy
system so that is why the default file name is none.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Running Suprtool under HP-UX • 51

Differences Between MPE and HP-UX
We have tried to make the MPE and HP-UX versions of Suprtool as compatible as
possible. This section describes how Suprtool/UX is different from Suprtool/MPE.

Record Length
On MPE, Suprtool can obtain the record length of a file. There is no concept of
record length on HP-UX because a file consists of a string of bytes. In Suprtool/UX,
there are two ways to determine the record length.
Specify the record length with the Rec parameter of the Input command.
Use self-describing files.
If the specified record size is incorrect, Suprtool/UX cannot verify it. The most
common symptom of an incorrect specification in size is an offset of one or more
characters in each field.

Line Feeds
In MPE, there is no separator between records in a file. In HP-UX, there may not be
a separator, or there may be a line feed between each record. For Suprtool to
correctly read a data file, it must know whether the line feeds are present. You can
specify whether or not a file has line feeds via the LF or NOLF options in the Input
command.
Suprtool and STExport allow control over whether or not line feeds will be written to
the output file or not. For details please see the Output Commands for both Suprtool
and STExport.

Duplicate Output Files
If the output file already exists (and you haven't requested the Erase or Append
option), Suprtool has to decide what to do. This is how Suprtool/UX handles
duplicate output files:
In Suprtool/UX, the duplicate output file processing takes place at the
beginning of a task (in Suprtool/MPE it occurs at the end).
If Suprtool/UX is in batch, it purges any existing file with the same file
name (Suprtool/MPE chooses a new output file name of the form
OutputNN). If the Suprtool/UX task is on-line, it prompts the user to
purge the file.
When Suprtool/UX purges a data file, it always deletes any associated .sd
file, even if the output option is not Query or Link.

Classic Reals
Suprtool/UX does not support Classic real numbers (real or long). If you are porting
data files from MPE to HP-UX, you should first convert any Classic floating point
numbers to their IEEE floating point equivalents. You can do this by using the
Extract command on Suprtool/MPE.

52 • Running Suprtool under HP-UX

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

:run suprtool.pub.robelle
>base
sample
>get
customer
>define
ieee-credit-rating,1,4,ieee
>extract cust-no
>extract name-first
>extract name-last
>extract ieee-credit-rating = credit-rating
>out
mpefile
>xeq

The Classic and IEEE floating point formats are not identical. Be sure to check the
IEEE values after converting them from Classic floating point.
Eloquence still allows for a schema to use “R” type items, but internally they are
stored as IEEE. Suprtool and STExport will just map the real and long data types to
their respective IEEE data types. Suprlink does not need to map these data items as
it does not support Real, Long or IEEE key values. You can turn this mapping off
with Set RealMap Off, but you should not need this option.

Define Command
Suprtool for HP-UX will not allow you to define a real type item. Although Suprtool
can map “R” items in SD files and in Eloquence datasets, we do not allow the
creation of real or longs using the define command.

Input from Stdlist
In Suprtool/MPE, "input *" means read the input data from the stdin input device.
This is usually a job stream, and data is terminated by an !EOD symbol.
Suprtool/UX does not support reading data from stdin (via Input * or any other
method). If you need to create temporary data in the middle of a script, it is easy to
use a temporary file. For example, the following script creates a temporary file,
writes three lines of data to it, then uses this file as input to Suprtool/UX. At the end
of the script we make sure that we remove the temporary file that we created.
#!/bin/sh
datafile=`mktemp`
echo "1234567 Line 1" >> $datafile
echo "2345678 Line 2" >> $datafile
echo "3456789 Line 3" >> $datafile
suprtool
input
define
define
extract
extract
list
exit
!EOD

<< !EOD
$datafile,rec 14,lf
key
,1,7
line
,8,7
key
line
standard

rm $datafile

Missing Features
The following Suprtool features on MPE are currently not available in Suprtool/UX:
Extracting a range of fields from an SQL database

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Running Suprtool under HP-UX • 53

Export command (STExport exists as a separate program)
Link command (Suprlink exists as a separate program)
Table Command with the File option requires that the file being loaded is
self-describing.
Out= option of the Listredo command
Output Ask, Num,Key, and Num,Query
Output Temp (There are no temporary files in HP-UX)

54 • Running Suprtool under HP-UX

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool and AMXW

What is AMXW
Automated Migration to uniX and Windows is a complete tool designed to migrate
HP e3000 Cobol, SPL, C, FORTRAN, Pascal and Protos application environments to
the HP9000, Integrity Itanium, Windows, Linux, Sun or AIX platforms. This
product from Speedware is commonly referred to as AMXW.

What is Suprtool for AMXW
Suprtool for AMXW is a hybrid of Suprtool for HP-UX that uses the AMXW file
system intrinsics, shell commands and CI support such that customers applications
require little or no changes as part of the migration process.
Currently Suprtool for AMXW is only available on HP-UX.

Running Suprtool
Suprtool for AMXW can be run from the standard HP-UX prompt but primarily it is
meant to run under the AMXW shell.

Symbolic Links and running Supramxw
For AMXW version 8.05.01 Build5 and greater you can install Suprtool for AMXW
in a more MPE like manner, the below instructions rely on the fact that you have
installed the software in the usual Robelle location of /opt/robelle/bin.
You can change the location of this installation, but the path cannot exceed 40
characters. You will need to create a 'group' and 'account' called PUB and
ROBELLE - just like on the 3000.
You will then need to add a link to all of the suprtool object files.
There are 3 objects...supamxw, stexamxw and linkamxw.
1. Position yourself in the PUB.ROBELLE directory.
cd $NLROOTDIR/ROBELLE/PUB
2. Make the links. Make sure that your umask is set accordingly so that others will
have access to these links...with read / execute access.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool and AMXW • 55

ln -s /opt/robelle/bin/supramxw suprtool
ln -s /opt/robelle/bin/linkamxw suprlink
ln -s /opt/robelle/bin/stexamxw stexport
ln -s /opt/robelle/bin/supramxw SUPRTOOL
ln -s /opt/robelle/bin/linkamxw SUPRLINK
ln -s /opt/robelle/bin/stexamxw STEXPORT
3. Make sure that your HPPATH variable contains a refererence to PUB.ROBELLE.
SETVAR HPPATH "!HPPATH,PUB.ROBELLE"
You will be able to run suprtool through amxw using:
suprtool
SUPRTOOL
RUN SUPRTOOL.PUB.ROBELLE

Suprtool/AMXW
Suprtool for AMXW is based on the code for Suprtool for HP-UX. For the most part
the areas of Suprtool for AMXW that uses the AMXW “MPE” intrinsics related to
file operations. Following are some of the exceptions and improvements to make
Suprtool for HP-UX more MPE like and some of the key exceptions that are not.

Form Command
The Flimit and the Eof is now displayed at the end of the form command of a selfdescribing file:
>form xyz
File: xyz
(SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
CUSTNO
X6
1
MATCHCODE
X10
7
NAME1
X32
17
NAME2
X32
49
NAME3
X32
81
STREET
X32
113
ZIPCITY
X32
145
PHONE
X18
177
TURNOVER
3E4
195
SALESAREA
X6
219
Limit: 1455 EOF: 1179 Entry Length: 224

Blocking: 1

Numrecs Command
Since AMXW supports the concept of File Limits Suprtool for AMXW the
NUMRECS command is supported.

Output Command
While the Output command parsing is the same for AMXW version as it is the HPUX version, the lf option does not come into effect for files created by Suprtool for
AMXW. The same applies to STExport and Suprlink as well.

56 • Suprtool and AMXW

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Temporary Files
Suprtool for AMXW supports temporary files in all of the necessary commands
within Suprtool. It will open temporary files with the input command and generate
temp files when created by the Output command and/or Total command. The same
applies to STExport and Suprlink as well.

Appending Records
Suprtool for AMXW will check to see if there is room in the file that you are
appending to, just like the MPE version. Therefore you may see the error message:
Error : No room to append records

Table operations
Suprtool for AMXW uses the HP-UX version of the code for memory mapped files.
This means that Suprtool for AMXW currently has a limitation of a total of 500 Mb
for files.

Variable Substitution
Suprtool for AMXW supports two types of variable substitution. The first being the
MPE-like variables that are availabe in the AMXW shell. Suprtool for AMXW will
first attempt to resolve these variables first and then resolve an environment
variables that are left set in the standard HP-UX manner. The same rules apply with
Set Varsub on and Set VarsubCompat on.
There is one issue with Suprtool for AMXW variable substitution that is different
than Variable Substitution on MPE. Varsub on MPE is done via a low-level MPE
routine, however, since this is not available Suprtool must do something different
that is as close to the MPE version as possible. So Suprtool surrounds a given line in
quotes and resolves the variable(s) by calling AMXW routines in a way that resolves
the variables. The issue is however, that if you mix quotes (typically If command and
Extract command), the variable substitution will fail and only part of the line will be
parsed. Therefore it is advisable not to mix quotes in this situation.

Set Commands
Some Set commands that do not work in Suprtool for HP-UX do work in Suprtool
for AMXW. These are documented in the following section along with some
AMXW specific commands.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool and AMXW • 57

Command Details for AMXW

AMXW
The following section contains the details typically from the MPE manual that are
specific to Suprtool for AMXW and not Suprtool for HP-UX.

58 • Command Details for AMXW

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Numrecs Command [N]
Specify the size of the input file (for tape files), output file (for datasets), and the sort
scratch file.
NUMRECS size | percentage%
(default: size=10,000 or EOF of input source)

Parameters
When you know that you are selecting a small subset of the entire input source, use
the Numrecs command to reduce the size of the sort scratch file and, if required, the
size of the output file. If you select more than size entries, Suprtool prints a warning
message, and ignores the rest of the input records. However, the output file will have
the records that were selected. Use a percent sign (%) to specify the Numrecs as a
percentage of the input file size. The percentage can range from 1 to 500.

Using Numrecs for Tape Files
The Numrecs command is required to read more than 10,000 records from a tape
file. Suppose you want to read a tape file with 30,000 records. You would use the
Numrecs command to increase the size of the output file:
>:file t;dev=tape
>input *t
>numrecs 30000
>output out2
>xeq

{define tape file}
{specify Suprtool input}
{make room for 30000 records}
{output file will have room for}
{ 30000 records}

Reducing File Sizes
Suppose that the d-sales dataset contains 100,000 entries, but you use the If
command to select 15% of the entries. We would specify 15 as the percentage on the
Numrecs command to reduce the size of the sort scratch file and the output file:
>get d-sales
>numrecs 15%
>if sales-qty<100
>sort cust-account
>output out2
>xeq

{specify input}
{specify 15000 as file size}
{select a subset of d-sales}
{sort using the dataset path}
{output file will have room for}
{ 15000 records}

MPE Files vs. Datasets
When you specify a source of records using the Input command (as opposed to
reading a dataset using the Get or Chain command), Suprtool attempts to duplicate
all of the input file's attributes in the output file. This includes the file limit. For this
reason, the Numrecs value is ignored if the output file limit is smaller than the input
file limit. Numrecs is still useful when reading MPE files to reduce the size of the
sort scratch file.

Appending to Files
When you want to create a file that you can append to later, you need to use both the
Numrecs command and the Set Squeeze Off command.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Command Details for AMXW • 59

>get d-sales
>numrecs 200%
>set squeeze off
>output dsale
>xeq
...
>get d-history
>output dsale,append
>xeq

{output file will have extra room}
{reserve room between EOF and LIMIT}

{dsale has room for appending}

Set Commands
AMXW Externalsd
SET AMXW ExternalSd [ ON | OFF]
(Default: OFF)
Suprtool for AMXW now has an option to create the external self-describing file as
well as updating the “label” information that AMXW keeps track of. This was done
to help some other applications work in conjunction with AMXW and Suprtool. The
setting you need to use is:
Set AMXW Externalsd on

The default for this setting is off.
While the External SD is written out in this case for the other Applications. Suprtool
for AMXW will ignore the External SD file when reading these files.

AMXW PerfWrite
SET AMXW PerfWrite [ ON | OFF ]
(Default: OFF)
Suprtool for AMXW now has an option to do multi-record writes to the output file,
which has given as much as a 10 times performance increase.
Set AMXW PerfWrite On

The default for this setting is off. AMXW version 8.05.01 Build 13 or higher is
required for this to work.

Filecode
SET FILECODE [ number ]
(Initially: 0; Default: no change)
When Suprtool writes to an old file (Output,Append and Output,Erase are the only
cases), it leaves the filecode of the output file unchanged. When Suprtool creates a
new file with the Output,Ask or Output,Query option, it gives the file a special
filecode (1071 and 1084 respectively). When the input file has a nonzero filecode,
Suprtool carries that filecode over to the new output file. See "Output Command
[O]" on page 199 for details on Output options such as Ask, Erase, and Query. To
convert a self-describing file into a non-SD file, see "Suprtool and Self-Describing
Files" on page 68.

60 • Command Details for AMXW

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

In all other cases, new files created by Suprtool have a default filecode of zero. You
can specify an alternate default filecode using Set Filecode.
Specifying Set Filecode forces Suprtool to create the output file with a specific
filecode whenever it was going to use zero. To be effective, this Set command
should be added to the Suprmgr file. To configure Suprtool to use the filecode 222
on output files, you would add this line to your Suprmgr file:
set filecode 222

This feature is useful for MPEX users who wish to manage Suprtool output files. For
example, to find all of the Suprtool output files you would do the following:
:run mpex.pub.vesoft
%!listf @.@.@(code='222')
%exit

Of course, you can still use a :File command explicitly to override the filecode of the
output file.

Squeeze
SET SQUEEZE [ ON | OFF ]
(Initial & Default: )
Turning Set Squeeze On forces Suprtool to always truncate the output file limit to
the end-of-file when the output file is closed. Turning Set Squeeze Off forces
Suprtool not to change the limit when closing the output file. By default or by
specifying Set Squeeze (i.e., with no option) forces Suprtool to decide when to
truncate the output limit to the end-of-file.
Suprtool will not squeeze a file limit if the input source is a file, the output file is not
a new file, the output file is KSAM (CM, NM or KSAM64), or if the Ask or Num
query output options were specified. In all other cases, Suprtool squeezes the file
limit down to the EOF.
Set Squeeze Off can be combined with the Numrecs command to automate job
streams in which data is appended to the output file. For example,
>get d-sales
>numrecs 200%
>output dsale
>set squeeze off
>xeq
>get d-history
>output dsale,append
>xeq

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

{output file will have extra room}
{reserve room between EOF and LIMIT}
{Dsale has room for appending}

Command Details for AMXW • 61

Suprtool Issues and Solutions

A Suprtool Task
Suprtool's primary function is to extract data quickly; its focus is batch extraction.
The key principle is: the bigger the input data source and the smaller the subset of
data selected, the more performance improves.
Your aim is to replace serial reads and selection with Suprtool. To do this, break
your task into components: an input choice, some processing selections, and the
output choice.

Input Choices
Suprtool reads fixed-length data files. You can create self-describing files with
Suprtool's Query or Link output options. It is easier to work with self-describing files
because they have information about the fields in each input record.
Often you select a subset of the input records using the If command. Only selected
records are passed to the processing stage and the output choice.

Processing Selections
If you do not specify any processing, the input records are quickly copied to the
output choice. Some of your processing choices are
1.

Sort the records into ascending or descending sequence (Sort or Key).
No records are output until all of the selected input records have been
sorted.

2.

Total one or more input record fields (Total).

3.

Remove or select duplicate records (Duplicate).

Output Choices
Usually you wish to extract a subset of your records to feed into a report program, so
the default output file is a data file. The default output file format matches the input
file format, unless you use the Extract command. You can specify different formats
for the output file by qualifying the Output command. To have readable ASCII
output, use "output xxx,ascii". To produce "self-describing" files, use Output
xxx,Link.
By default, every output record is identical to the corresponding input record. The
Extract command assembles output records by stringing together fields extracted

62 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

from the input records. With the Extract command you can insert constant values
into the output record.
Each output record is written to the output choice. You can also see a formatted
listing of each record with the List command.

Large File Support
Suprtool can read, sort and write files greater than 2Gb on HP-UX 10.20 or higher.
Suprtool is limited to processing files with 2.1 billion records or less.

Suprtool and Allbase
Specify an Allbase database with the Open command. Once Suprtool has opened
the database, use the Form command to obtain information about the tables in the
database. Use the Select command to choose what data to read from your Allbase
database. Allbase access is available as a separate add-on module to Suprtool.

Data-Types
When you specify a Select command, Suprtool figures out how to translate the
Allbase internal data-types into ones that Suprtool can process. Not all Allbase datatypes can be processed by Suprtool. The following table lists the Suprtool data-type
that corresponds to the Allbase data-type:
Allbase Data-Type

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Data-type

Integer

Double

Smallint

Integer

Binary

Not Supported

Char

Byte

Varchar

Byte

Real

Ieee-32

Float

Ieee-64

Decimal

Packed

Numeric

Packed

TID

Not Supported

Date

Byte

Time

Byte

Datetime

Byte

Interval

Byte

Varbinary

Not Supported

Long binary

Not Supported

Long varbinary

Not Supported

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 63

Date and Time Types
Allbase has four types of fields that are associated with dates and times. These fields
are converted to byte-type data and are returned with specific lengths.
The date and time fields are returned with the following byte lengths:
Data-Type

Length

Date

10

Time

8

Datetime

23

Interval

8

Restrictions
Suprtool cannot currently handle all Allbase database concepts. The current
restrictions are:
Suprtool requires that the ownername be specified when selecting a
particular table in the following manner:
>select * from purchdb.orders
In this example the owner is purchdb and the tablename is orders.
2.

Suprtool does not currently handle the Allbase date format. You can
convert the Allbase date format to something that Suprtool can handle
with the TO_CHAR function in the Select statement. For example:

>select qty,TO_CHAR(date,'YYYYMMDD') from manufdb.testdata
>def mydate,date[1],8
{redefine date }
>item mydate,date,yyyymmdd
{define the date format}
>if mydate<=$today(-900)

Suprtool and Oracle
You specify an Oracle database with the Open command. You can open any Oracle
database to which you normally have access. If you cannot open your Oracle
database, check with your system or database administrator so that your environment
can be set up properly. Once Suprtool has opened the database, use the Form
command to obtain information about the tables in the database. Use the Select
command to choose what data to read from your Oracle databases.
Oracle access is available as a separate add-on module to Suprtool.

Data-Types
When you specify a Select command, Suprtool figures out how to translate the
Oracle internal data-types so that Suprtool can process them. Not all Oracle datatypes can be processed by Suprtool. The following table lists the Oracle data-type
and the corresponding Suprtool data-type:
Oracle Data-Type

64 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool Data-Type

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Varchar2

Byte

Number

Varies, see below

Long

Not supported

Rowid

Not supported

Date

Oracle Date

Raw

Not supported

Long raw

Not supported

Char

Byte

Mislabel

Not supported

Number Data-Type
Oracle numbers are translated into a variety of Suprtool data-types. The translation
depends on the precision of the number and the number of decimal places. The
following table describes the translation for each case:
Precision

Decimal Places

Suprtool Data-Type

None

Any

8-byte IEEE

1-4

Zero

2-byte Integer

5-9

Zero

4-byte Integer

1-9

Non-zero

Packed-decimal

10-27

Any

Packed-decimal

28-38

Any

8-byte IEEE

In packed-decimal translations Suprtool uses the precision of the number to
determine the size of a packed-decimal number.

Order By vs. Sort
Oracle's Order By statement on the Select command does not always generate the
same results. Specifically, sorted fields with null field values appear at the beginning
when they are sorted by Suprtool's Sort command.

Restrictions
Suprtool/UX cannot handle all Oracle database concepts. The current restrictions are:
Suprtool/UX can handle varchar2, char, date, and number data-types. It
cannot handle any other data-type.
Because any Oracle Select command can be used, it is possible to generate
column names that are not compatible with Suprtool/UX. For example,
>select sal + comm from bonus
This example produces a column called "sal + comm". In some cases Suprtool/UX
correctly uses this as the column name (e.g., the List command). You cannot refer to
this column by name in any Suprtool/UX command that accepts field names as a
parameter.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 65

SDUnix Utility
SDUnix is an MPE program that takes self-describing file information and writes it
out to an MPE flat file. This flat file can then be transferred to HP-UX together with
the data file so that Suprtool/UX can reference the self-describing information about
the fields.
To copy the SD file to the HP-UX machine, it must have an .sd extension and be in
the same directory as the data file. For example, if the data filename is
/usr/local/data/datafile, the SD file must have the name /usr/local/data /datafile.sd.
The SD file is written out to the same domain (permanent or temporary) as the input
file. The SD file contains only one record with the necessary length to store all of the
label information.

Installation
SDUnix has been included on your HP-UX tape and needs to be installed on your
MPE system. You can do this with either FTP or DSCOPY.

Installing using FTP
1) Log on as Mgr.Robelle
:hello mgr.robelle,pub

2) Remove the Sdunixnm file
:purge sdunixnm.pub

3) FTP the file from your Unix machine
ftp dopey
binary
cd /opt/robelle/mpe
get sdunixnm sdunixnm;rec=128,1,f,binary;code=nmprg;disc=1400

4) Remove any old versions of Sdunix
:purge sdunix

5) Rename the program file
:rename sdunixnm,sdunix

To install the CM version of SDUnix, specify Sdunixcm as the file name,
;disc=400,1,1 for the file size, and PROG for the filecode.

Installing with DSCOPY
1) Log on as Mgr.Robelle
:hello mgr.robelle,pub

2) Remove the Sdunixnm file
:purge sdunixnm.pub

3) Specify file command for proper program file size
:file sdunixnm;disc=1400

4) DSCOPY the file from your Unix machine

66 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

dscopy /opt/robelle/mpe/sdunixnm:hpux[user:password] to
*sdunixnm;bin;fcode=1030;rsize=256;fix;rep

5) Remove any old versions of Sdunix
:purge sdunix

6) Rename the program file
:rename sdunixnm,sdunix

To install the CM version of SDUnix, specify Sdunixcm as the file name,
;disc=400,1,1 for the file size, and 1029 for the filecode.

SDUnix Parameters
All SDUnix parameters are specified via Info = string. There are three parameters:
input-file sd-file LF | NOLF
The first parameter is the name of an MPE self-describing file. The second parameter
is the name of the .sd file that SDUnix created.

LF vs. NOLF
Use the third parameter to specify whether the data file has LF (line feed) as the
record separator, or whether the file does not use a file separator. If you use FTP to
copy the data file to your HP-UX machine, you should specify the NOLF option and
be sure to use a binary mode transfer. If you are using DSCOPY (with its default
options) to copy the data file, you should specify the LF option.

Examples
The following section contains examples of creating an SD file on MPE, converting
the SD information, and finally copying the two files to an HP-UX machine.
First create an SD file with:
:run suprtool.pub.robelle
>base store,5
Database password [;]?
>get d-inventory
>out dinv,link
>exit

Now you can convert the label information to an .sd file using the SDUnix utility.
Note that the data file is the first file passed in the info string.
Specify LF if you are using DSCOPY.
:run sdunix.pub.robelle;info="dinv dinvsd lf"

Now you can use DSCOPY to copy the files to the HP-UX machine.
:dscopy dinv
to store.dinv
:dopey[data:password]
:dscopy dinvsd to store.dinv.sd:dopey[data:password]

Specify NOLF if you are using FTP.
:run sdunix.pub.robelle;info="dinv dinvsd nolf"

Use FTP to copy the files to the HP-UX machine.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 67

:ftp
ftp>
ftp>
ftp>
ftp>
ftp>

dopey
binary
exitonerror
put dinv /users/data/store.dinv
put dinvsd /users/data/store.dinv.sd
quit

Now you can use Suprtool/UX to read the SD file.
$ suprtool
>input store.dinv
>form
File: store.dinv
(SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
BIN-NO
I1
1
LAST-SHIP-DATE
I2
3
ON-HAND-QTY
I2
7
PRODUCT-NO
Z8
11
SUPPLIER-NO
Z8
19
UNIT-COST
P8
27
ITEM-DESC1
X20
31
ITEM-DESC2
X20
51
ITEM-DESC3
X20
71
ITEM-DESC4
X20
91
Entry Length: 110 Blocking: 1
>out dinvfile
>xeq

No line feeds

Link vs. Query
SDUnix and Suprtool/UX can recognize files created with the ,Query option and
from Query. However, they cannot recognize compound item details or any Item
attributes, such as Decimal or Date type.

Suprtool and Self-Describing Files
A problem with data files is that there is no field information. Self-describing files
solve this problem by providing field information about the file. Suprtool reads and
writes SD files; Suprlink requires SD files as input and creates an SD file as output.

Create an SD File from a Table
You request an SD file using the Link option of the Output command. If you extract
columns from the table, only the extracted columns appear in the SD file.
>select * from sales
>output salefile,link
from sales}
>xeq

{input from a table}
{salefile has all of the columns

Create an SD File from a Data File
You must Define and Extract the fields you want to have in the SD file. Use the Link
option of the Output command to create the file as a self-describing file. Although
Suprtool itself allows longer field names, SD files only store the first 16 characters of
a field name, unless SDExtName is on.

68 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>input sales.data,reclen 16,nolf
{input from a data file}
>define cust_no,1,6,byte
>define invoice_date,7,6,integer
>define sales_qty,13,4,packed
>extract cust_no,invoice_date,sales_qty
>output salefile,link
{salefile has all of the
extracted columns}
>xeq

SD Files as Input
When you specify an SD file as input to Suprtool, all the field information becomes
available. You can select, extract, and total fields without the Define command. In
addition, the Input command no longer needs any Reclen or LF parameters.
>input salefile
>form
>if sales_total > 10000
>extract cust_account
>extract sales_qty
>extract sales_tax
>extract sales_total
>total sales_total
>output newfile,link
>xeq

{self_describing file}
{display the fields in the file}
{select based on a field}
{only extract a few fields}

{total a field from the file}
{create a new SD file}

Listing SD Files
Suprtool normally lists data files in an Octal/Char format. When listing an SD file,
Suprtool produces a formatted listing with field names and field values converted
into ASCII:
>input salefile
>list
>xeq

{self-describing file}
{produce a formatted listing}

Decimal Places and Date Formats
You use the Item command to identify items with an implied number of decimal
places or a date format. If you create a self-describing file, this information is
retained. When you input such a file, all Suprtool commands are automatically
informed about the decimal places and date formats. The Form command shows
these extra attributes as comments at the end of each field description. For example,
>input salefile
>item deliv_date ,date
,yyyymmdd
>item purch_date ,date
,yyyymmdd
>item sales_tax ,decimal,2
>item sales_total,decimal,2
>output newfile,link
>xeq
>form
newfile

{self_describing file}

{creates SD file with item attributes}
{shows decimal pts. and dates}

Extended Field Names
A few users have expressed interest in having the ability to have SD field names be
greater than 16 characters. However, a large number of customers have software that
relied on the SD format remaining the same. The compromise was to add Extended
names to the end of the .sd file. The new Extended names will be written out and

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 69

used inside Suprtool when you turn on this feature with Set SDExtname On.
Suprtool will only use this information if this setting is turned on.
Suprtool and Suprlink now have a new optional extended name format for SelfDescribing files. Not all portions of Suprtool and Suprlink handle the new extended
name format.
The Suprtool List command does not utilize the extended name.
Suprlink does not use the full extended names for key items, but rather uses the
regular truncated name just as it did previously. Suprlink does however, carry on the
Extended information and writes it to the output file.

Restrictions of SD Files
So far in this section, we have shown how to create self-describing files using the
Link option of the Output command. The Link option produces a special form of
self-describing file. Not all software can read this form of self-describing file. You
can use the Query option to create an old-style self-describing file. The Query option
has the following restrictions.
Self-describing files were originally created by HP in MPE so that files could be fed
into HPWORD and HP graphics packages. One problem with HP's definition was
that no provision was made for compound fields (e.g., 10J2). When Suprtool creates
an SD file with compound fields via the Query option, it uses a special data-type.
When you input such a file to Suprtool, all compound fields are treated as byte
arrays. Suprtool correctly copies and extracts these fields, but you cannot select with
them. The Query option is not capable of retaining information about decimal places
or date formats.

Suprtool and Sorting Files
When Suprtool sorts two records that have the same key value, the first record read
by Suprtool is the first record on the output file. For data files, this means that input
records with the same key values appear in the same order in the output file.

Suprtool and Personal Computers
You can format files to be downloaded to your PC for use in spreadsheets or
databases with the PRN option of the Output command. Suprtool formats your file as
a PC structure (a comma-delimited file). Not all PC applications support the PRN
format. For more precise data conversion, create a self-describing file then use
STExport. See the STExport manual for details. You transfer the Suprtool output file
to your PC and then import it into your PC application.

Downloading to the PC
After you have created a PRN file using Suprtool, you can use FTP or any of the
many terminal emulator programs available to download the file to the PC. This
includes Reflection from Attachmate.

70 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Decimal Places
Be sure to specify which fields have decimal places when creating the PRN file.
Suprtool reserves extra space for decimal points that appear in the PRN output.
When formatting numeric fields, Suprtool inserts the decimal point at the correct
place. When you import your file into your PC application, numeric fields are
automatically formatted correctly.

Spreadsheets
The following procedure allows you to include literal headings in your spreadsheet
using only one file, the size and shape of which is computed by STExport. We have
tested this method with MS Excel; it should work with any spreadsheet that supports
the importing of delimited files.
There are two steps. First, build a self-describing file with Suprtool, then use
STExport to convert it to PRN and add the headings.
1. In Suprtool build a self-describing file:
>input
>define
>item
>extract
>output
>xeq

...
items...
items...
fields...
sdfile,link

2. In STExport convert to PRN and add the header line:
$input
sdfile
$heading fieldnames
$output pcdata
$exit

The file Pcdata is a variable-length PRN file with both headings and data.

Suprtool and PowerHouse Applications
You can use Suprtool to significantly speed serial extracts using Quiz and QTP from
Cognos. In many cases the changes to existing applications are minor.

Suprtool with Quiz/QTP
Quiz, QTP, and Quick are components of PowerHouse 4GL, a popular fourth
generation language sold by Cognos. You can improve the performance of Quiz
reports by using Suprtool to select and sort the records from a file or SQL table, and
passing selected records to Quiz for final reporting. To do this, you need some way
to tell Quiz about the record structure of Suprtool's output file. Quiz already has the
capacity to do this without making any changes to the PowerHouse PDL dictionary.
In the following example, Suprtool extracts records from the Custmast file, sorts
them, and writes them to the Cmasfile file. These are the records we need for the
Quiz report.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 71

Step 1: Create a Subfile with Quiz
The first step is to use Quiz to extract one entry from the Custmast file and write it to
a PowerHouse "subfile". Note that you could also use QTP to build the subfile.
$rm cmasfile.sf
$rm cmasfile.sfd
$quiz
>access custmast
>report summary all
>set subfile name cmasfile keep
>set report limit 1
>go

This creates 2 files: Cmasfile.sf, containing the extracted data, and Cmasfile.sfd,
containing the PowerHouse record definition for the data portion of the subfile. We
use Suprtool to reload the Cmasfile.sf file with all the records required for the final
report.

Step 2: Output Erase in Suprtool
Once you have created the PowerHouse subfile, use the Erase option of the Output
command in Suprtool to load the file. This overwrites any data in the data portion of
the subfile, but it does not affect the "dictionary" for that file.
$suprtool
>input custmast,reclen 80,nolf
>if credit_limit>=1000000
>sort custnum
>output cmasfile.sf,erase
>exit

Step 3: Report with Quiz
The Cmasfile.sf file now contains the sorted records for the Quiz report. Quiz can
access the file because the Cmasfile.sfd containsthe record definition. You can now
use Quiz to generate the report:
$quiz
>access *cmasfile
>report ...
>go

Using QTP to Create Subfiles
You can also use QTP instead of Quiz to create the PowerHouse subfile:
$rm cmasfile.sf
$rm cmasfile.sfd
$qtp
>access custmast
>set input limit 0
>subfile cmasfile keep include custmast
>go

Creating Subfile with Script File
The process of creating a subfile is essentially the same regardless of the input file
being used. The only things that change are the subfile and input file names. Here is
a script file for automating this task. This script can be executed before running
Suprtool or from within Suprtool.

72 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

#!/bin/sh
rm usefile
echo set report limit 1
echo access $2
echo set subfile name $1 keep
echo report summary all
echo go
echo exit
quiz

>usefile
>>usefile
>>usefile
>>usefile
>>usefile
>>usefile
:makesub cmasfile, custmast
>input custmast,reclen 80,nolf
>if credit_limit>=1000000
>sort custnum
>output cmasfile.sf,erase
>exit

Quiz: Generating Suprtool Commands
Suprtool does not have the ability to prompt users for selection criteria. You can
easily create a short Quiz procedure to prompt for values and create a file of Suprtool
commands.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

define D-PROMPT date format YYMMDD =
&
parm prompt "Enter selection date: "
report &
"input custmast,reclen 80,nolf"
&
skip "if DATEFIELD = " D-PROMPT pic "^^^^^^" &
skip "output OUTFILE"
&
skip "xeq"
set nohead
set report device disc name STCODE
set page length 0
go

Quiz edits the user's input for a valid date. Note that there is no ACCESS statement,
but Quiz still writes one record to the output file. Execute the resulting commands as
a Suprtool usefile:
$suprtool < STCODE

Year 2000 Solutions with Suprtool
Suprtool often has to process dates in both the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. If
you include the century in your dates, Suprtool should behave as most users expect. If
you do not include the century in your dates, how Suprtool behaves will be dependent
on your specific application and data.

What If I Have Four-Digit Years?
If your dates have four-digit years, Suprtool should work as expected. Selection
based on the $today or $date features will select dates in both the twentieth and
twenty-first centuries. Dates that do not collate correctly (e.g., mmddccyy) will not be
accepted by Suprtool's If command for relative selection (e.g., <, <=, >, or >=). If you

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 73

have these date formats you can use the $stddate function, converts any date format
to a ccyymmdd type date.
Suprtool, as it has always done, will continue to sort dates based on their numeric
value and not on any implied date order.
In Suprtool 4.0, we introduced some new command parsing features that let you
control how Suprtool parses the year of the $date function. You can either use twodigit years by applying a cutoff rule or you can force all years to be specified as four
digits.

What does Set Date Cutoff do?
Date Cutoff tells Suprtool what century to use when Suprtool generates a constant
date value from the $date function.
Before version 4.0, Suprtool would assume 19 for the century for any user-specified
$date with a two-digit year. For example:
>item date-field,date,ccyymmdd
>if date-field <= $date(40/12/26)

Previously the $date function would convert the user specified $date to 1940/12/26
in order for it to be compared to the date-field format of CCYYMMDD. Now with
Set Date Cutoff xx, Suprtool assumes 20 for the century if the two-digit year
specified in the $date function is less than the value of Set Date Cutoff. For example:
>set date cutoff 50
>item date-field,date,ccyymmdd
>if date-field <= $date(40/12/26)

Suprtool in this case assumes the full $date to be 2040/12/26, because the 40 in $date
is less than the 50 in Set Date Cutoff.
The default value of Set Date Cutoff is 10.

Stddate and Set Date Cutoff
When $Stddate has to convert from a date with only a two-digit year, the conversion
to the four-digit year will use the value of Set Date Cutoff when converting the date.
For example,
>get sales-detail
>set date cutoff 15
>def new-ship-date,1,4,double
>item ship-date,date,mmddyy
>ext order-no / sales-amount
>ext new-ship-date = $stddate(ship-date)
>out salesinfo,link
>xeq

In this example, if any ship-date has a year of 14 or less, then the century applied to
the new-ship-date field will be 20. Ship-dates with a year of 15 or more will have a
century of 19 applied.

What does Set Date ForceCentury do?
Set Date ForceCentury On will not allow a yy date to be entered in the $date
function, it will force the user to enter a full ccyy date.

74 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>set date forcecentury on
>item date-field,date,ccyymmdd
>if date-field >= $date(98/12/10)
Error: You must specify the century or Set Date ForceCentury off

The default value for Set Date ForceCentury is off.

What If I Have Two-Digit Years?
If you have dates with two-digit years, there are two main solutions to making your
application ready for the Year 2000:
Convert all of your date data to use four-digit years and modify your
programs to process four-digit years, or
Assume that certain dates are in the twentieth century and some in the
twenty-first (this is usually called date windowing).
The first solution requires that you change all Suprtool Item commands for two-digit
years to a four-digit year format. If you have not already done so, you may want to
isolate all of these Item commands in a single file per input source (e.g., one file for
every dataset in every database in your application or just one file for every
database). You can nest use-files, making this approach even easier (e.g., having one
database use-file that then includes each dataset use-file with a list of Item
commands). You may also want to use Suprtool to assist you in changing your actual
data from two-digit years to four. See "Can Suprtool Convert Two-Digit Years to
Four Digits?" on page 77 for more details.
If you do not include the century in your dates (the second solution above), you will
have the following problems:
Selecting dates in yymmdd format will not produce the expected results in
relative operations (e.g., <, <=, >, or >=). You will need to change all
of your If commands to use the $stddate function.
Sorting dates that include both 20th and 21st century dates, will not collate
the way most users expect, whether with Suprtool, the COBOL sort
verbs, or HPs sort tools. This is because Suprtool, and all HP-supplied
tools, sort based on the numeric value of a date. To make this work
correctly within Suprtool, you will need to use the $stddate function in
an Extract command to generate a date with a four-digit year, then sort
on this new date field with another Suprtool task.

What Is Wrong with Two-Digit Years?
Currently the date format of yymmdd collates (sorts) correctly if the date is not
beyond December 31, 1999. Given the current date of 981210, numerically this is
less than next year whose date value is 991210.
At the turn of the century dates in the yymmdd format (or yymm) will no longer sort
correctly because the value of December 10, 2000 (001210) is less than 981210.
Consequently, if we have a date beyond 1999, stored in yymmdd format, a relative
operation such as:
>if date-field >= $date(98/12/10)
will not find the date of December 10, 2000. You will need to use the $stddate
function to make this task work correctly.
>if $stddate(date-field) >= $date(98/12/10)

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 75

How Do $Today and $Date Work?
Suprtool's date functions ($date and $today) are a short-hand method of generating a
numeric constant. So a date selection like:
>item invoice-date,date,YYMMDD
>if invoice-date < $today

is exactly the same as:
>if invoice-date < 980401

{on 1st April, 1998}

Suprtool does record selection on the numeric value of the field and not on the
implied date value. If we move the calendar ahead to January 1, 2000 and do the
same commands as above, the result would the same as if you had typed:
>if invoice-date < 000101

{on 1st January, 2000}

If you have some invoice dates from the previous century (e.g., 990101 for
December 1st, 1999), they will not be selected.

Will Suprtool Generate an Error for Two-Digit Year
Dates?
Sometimes.
Because dates beyond 1999 will not collate properly for the YYMMDD and YYMM
formats, starting in version 4.0.11 the If command produces an error if the year
specified in a $date or $today function is greater than 1999 and the date format is
YYMMDD or YYMM, and you are performing a relative operation (e.g., <, <=, >,
or >=).
>item enddate, date, yymmdd
>if
enddate >= $date(*+4/*/*)
{21st. century date}
^
Error: Cannot use a date beyond 1999 for this format

Suprtool returns this error by default, but you can override it with the following set
command:
>set date ifyy2000error off

This tells Suprtool to allow the previously described relative operations and suppress
the error message. While you can override the error checking, the behavior of $today
and $date is not changed.

How Do I Use $Today and $Date with yymmdd
Dates?
If you need to have Suprtool select dates in YYMMDD format with $Today or
$Date, you need to use one of the following solutions:
Change the date storage format to include the century in all datasets and
data files, so you can use the following item command:
>item invoice-date,date,CCYYMMDD
Use the $stddate function that adds the century component to dates in a
ccyymmdd format in a J2 container.
Also see "Case 1: Converting a J2 Date from yymmdd to ccyymmdd" on page 77
and "Case 2: X6 yymmdd Data to X8 ccyymmdd" on page 79 for more specific
details on converting two-digit-year date formats into four-digit-year date formats.

76 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

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aammdd Date Format
The aammdd date format was developed by James Overman of HP for use in the
MM3000 product. This format is only available for the X6 data-type.
The aammdd format is similar to yymmdd, but the year portion of the date use a
combination of numbers and letters of the alphabet to represent years beyond 1999.
By substituting a letter of the alphabet in the first position of the year, we can extend
a six-digit date and also ensure that the dates collate correctly. For example,
YY of AAMMDD

CCYY

A0 - A9

2000 - 2009

B0 - B9

2010 - 2019

C0 - C9

2020 - 2029

Because letters are greater than numbers in the collating sequence we can ensure that
aammdd dates beyond 1999 will order correctly.
Suprtool also supports other date formats with this two-digit year representation.
These formats are aamm, mmddaa and ddmmaa.

Invalid Dates
The If command has a $invalid function to find all invalid dates for a particular field.
An invalid date is any number of a particular date format whose date equivalent
cannot be found on the calendar. For example, a date with a month of 99 will be
considered invalid.
>base store.demo
Database password [;]?
>get d-sales
>item deliv-date,date,ccyymmdd
>if $invalid(deliv-date)
>out baddates,link
>xeq

Can Suprtool Convert Two-Digit Years to Four
Digits?
Suprtool is capable of converting dates from one format to another using a variety of
Suprtool features. We will show how Suprtool can convert common dates without
the century to those that have the century included. While Suprtool can convert your
data, it is up to you to change your programs. Adager, a third-party program for
changing Image database structures, has the ability to change date fields. Suprtool
can convert data in Image databases, flat files, self-describing files and KSAM files.

Case 1: Converting a J2 Date from yymmdd to
ccyymmdd
The $stddate function can convert six-digit date formats to ccyymmdd. But what if
all the dates are not actually dates, but some dates are filled with 9s as a flag to an
application?
Consider this dataset with two date fields, J2 items and in the date format yymmdd.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 77

Database: STORE.DB.GREEN
D-SALES
Detail
Set 5
Entry:
Offset
CUST-ACCOUNT
Z8
1 (!M-CUSTOMER)
DELIV-DATE
J2
9
PRODUCT-NO
Z8
13 (M-PRODUCT)
PRODUCT_PRICE
J2
21
PURCH_DATE
J2
25
SALES-QTY
J1
29
SALES-TAX
J2
31
SALES_TOTAL
J2
35
Capacity: 602 (14) Entries: 10 Highwater: 10 Bytes: 38

First, we need to know and understand our data. Are there any invalid dates? If so,
does the value have some other logical meaning?
>get d-sales
>item deliv-date,date,yymmdd
>item purch_date,date,yymmdd
>if $invalid(deliv-date) or $invalid(purch_date)
>list
>xeq
>GET D-SALES (9) >OUT $NULL (0)
CUST-ACCOUNT
= 10010
DELIV-DATE
PRODUCT-NO
= 50513001
PRODUCT_PRICE
PURCH_DATE
= 999999
SALES-QTY
SALES-TAX
= 2691
SALES_TOTAL

=
=
=
=

999999
19220
2
21910

>GET D-SALES (10) >OUT $NULL (1)
CUST-ACCOUNT
= 10010
DELIV-DATE
PRODUCT-NO
= 50513001
PRODUCT_PRICE
PURCH_DATE
= 1
SALES-QTY
SALES-TAX
= 21910
SALES_TOTAL

=
=
=
=

125213
19220
2691
21910

IN=10, OUT=2.

CPU-Sec=1.

Wall-Sec=1.

In this example, we see two records that do not contain proper dates. The first record
contains all 9s, which is probably used as some sort of flag. We may need to add 99
in front of these dates.
But the second record is obviously wrong. We can use Dbedit to correct this before
converting the other dates. We need to know our data to properly convert to a new
date format.
Once all the incorrect dates are fixed, we can start converting. We can add a prefix of
19 or 20 to all the appropriate dates by using the following Extract statement. Please
note that we are updating this directly. In case we need to redo this task, we only
convert those dates that have not yet been converted. In this example we set the
cutoff year to 30 so any dates before 30 will have 20 as the century and the others
will have 19.
>get d-sales
>set date cutoff 30
>item purch_date,date,yymmdd
>item deliv-date,date,yymmdd
>if not $invalid(purch_date) and not $invalid(deliv-date)
>update
>ext purch_date = $stddate(purch_date)
>ext deliv-date = $stddate(deliv-date)
>xeq

We have now converted all the J2 yymmdd dates to a ccyymmdd format and added
the correct century to the date.

78 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

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Case 2: X6 yymmdd Data to X8 ccyymmdd
The following Suprtool task shows how you can generate a new file to put into a new
database with dates in a different format.
Consider the deliv-date and purch_date fields of the D-Sales dataset:
Database: STORE.DBOLD.ACCOUNT
D-SALES
Detail
Set 5
Entry:
Offset
CUST-ACCOUNT
Z8
1 (!M-CUSTOMER)
DELIV-DATE
X6
9
PRODUCT-NO
Z8
15 (M-PRODUCT)
PRODUCT_PRICE
J2
23
PURCH_DATE
X6
27
SALES-QTY
J1
33
SALES-TAX
J2
35
SALES_TOTAL
J2
39
Capacity: 611 (13) Entries: 15 Highwater: 15 Bytes: 42

You want to convert to a date format with room for a cc at the beginning of the
deliv-date and purch_date:
Database: STORE.DB.ACCOUNT
D-SALES
Detail
Set 5
Entry:
Offset
CUST-ACCOUNT
Z8
1 (!M-CUSTOMER)
DELIV-DATE
X8
9
PRODUCT-NO
Z8
17 (M-PRODUCT)
PRODUCT_PRICE
J2
25
PURCH_DATE
X8
29
SALES-QTY
J1
37
SALES-TAX
J2
39
SALES_TOTAL
J2
43
Capacity: 608 (16) Entries: 0 Highwater: 0 Bytes: 46

In order to convert these dates you need to be able to put either a 19 or 20 in front of
the yymmdd date, depending on the value of the year. Before you can do either of
these you must confirm, once again, that you have no invalid dates.
>base store.dbold
>get d-sales
>item deliv-date,date,yymmdd
>item purch_date,date,yymmdd
>if $invalid(deliv-date) or $invalid(purch_date)
>list
>xeq

Once you have confirmed that there are no invalid dates you can start converting the
dates that you have. Because there are two date fields in this dataset you must be
careful to add the appropriate century for the proper field. For this example, assume
that if a year is less than 1950 then the century should be 20.
You can easily convert each date by processing each field separately by using an
intermediate self-describing file:

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 79

>base store.dbold,1
Database password [;]?
>get d-sales
>set squeeze off
>item deliv-date,date,yymmdd
>if deliv-date >= $date(1950/01/01)
>out sales01,link
>ext cust-account
>ext "19"
>ext deliv-date / sales_total
>xeq
IN=15, OUT=14. CPU-Sec=1. Wall-Sec=5.

Now insert 20 to the century for the appropriate records:
>base store.dbold
>get d-sales
>if deliv-date < $date(1950/01/01)
>ext cust-account
>ext "20"
>ext deliv-date / sales_total
>out sales01,link,append
>xeq

Now you can convert the other field from the flat file, (sales01) and add a century to
the purch_date field:
>reset
>base
{close the open database}
>in sales01
>item purch_date,date,yymmdd
>if purch_date >= $date(1950/01/01)
>set squeeze off
>out sales02,link
>ext cust-account / product_price
>ext "19"
>ext purch_date / sales_total
>xeq
IN=15, OUT=15. CPU-Sec=1. Wall-Sec=1.

Because you extracted all 15 records you know you do not have any records with the
purch_date field that need to be updated with a "20".
Now you can insert the records into the new database:
>base store.db
>in sales02
>put d-sales
>xeq

Now you have converted two dates from an X6 format to an X8 format.

Case 3: Different Date Formats X6 MMDDYY Data
to X6 YYMMDD
The following Suprtool task shows you how to convert a date in a self-describing file
from mmddyy to yymmdd format.
Consider the following self-describing file with the deliv-date and purch-date fields:

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Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

File: SALES04.DATA.ACCOUNT
(SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
CUST-ACCOUNT
Z8
1
DELIV-DATE
X6
9
<>
PRODUCT-NO
Z8
15
PRODUCT-PRICE
I2
23
PURCH-DATE
X6
27
<>
SALES-QTY
I1
33
SALES-TAX
I2
35
SALES-TOTAL
I2
39
Limit: 115 EOF: 15 Entry Length: 42 Blocking: 97

You want to convert these two dates to a data format of yymmdd before adding a
century in front of the year. This can be easily accomplished by defining each sub
part of the date and extracting those parts in the new order. You can use string
addition to re-order the field in one pass.
>in sales04
>def new-deliv,1,6
>item new-deliv,date,yymmdd
>def deliv-date-mm,deliv-date[1],2
>def deliv-date-dd,deliv-date[3],2
>def deliv-date-yy,deliv-date[5],2
>def new-purch,1,6
>item new-purch,date,yymmdd
>def purch-date-mm,purch-date[1],2
>def purch-date-dd,purch-date[3],2
>def purch-date-yy,purch-date[5],2
>ext cust-account
>ext new-deliv = deliv-date-yy + deliv-date-mm + deliv-date-dd
>ext product-no / product-price
>ext new-purch = ext purch-date-yy + purch-date-mm + purch-date-dd
>ext sales-qty / sales-total
>out sales05,link
>xeq

You now end up with a file that looks like this:
File: SALES06.DATA.ACCOUNT
(SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
CUST-ACCOUNT
Z8
1
NEW-DELIV
X6
9
<>
PRODUCT-NO
Z8
15
PRODUCT-PRICE
I2
23
NEW-PURCH
X6
27
<>
SALES-QTY
I1
33
SALES-TAX
I2
35
SALES-TOTAL
I2
39
Limit: 115 EOF: 15 Entry Length: 42 Blocking: 97

Year 2000 Testing
Testing software to see if it works in the year 2000 and beyond is difficult. Currently
there are four software tools that change the software date for specific sessions or
applications, making it easier to test software for year 2000 compliance. The four
tools are:
Hourglass from Allegro Consultants, Inc.
Time Machine from SolutionSoft Systems, Inc.
Setdate from the HP Jazz machine on the Web
TimeWarp/3000 from Omnisolutions
All versions of Suprtool work with Hourglass, but versions previous to 4.0.13 did not
work with Time Machine, Setdate, or TimeWarp. This version of Suprtool now
works with all these tools. Note that this change only applies to non-expiring

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 81

versions of Suprtool. Expiring versions of Suprtool (such as trials, pre-releases, and
products obtained through VARs) do not work with Time Machine or Setdate.

Performance Issues
HP-UX sites use Suprtool because it provides access to their data many times faster
than they are used to. Suprtool also enables them to perform time-consuming DP
functions with only a few simple commands. The typical Suprtool task consists of
extracting some data for a report, then feeding the Suprtool output file into the final
report program. For example, you might fill a data file with the subset of data
needed, then report that file with Microfocus COBOL.

Eloquence Performance
Suprtool/UX has high-speed dataset reads for Eloquence databases. Suprtool for HPUX by default calls dbget to do serial reads, however, if you use Set FastRead On,
you will efficient large reads. Testing has shown that the CPU time can be improved
by anywhere from two to five times and Wall time has improved anywhere from two
to six times faster. In order to turn this feature on for all accesses you can put the
command:
Set FastRead On

into the file /opt/robelle/suprmgr. This means that Suprtool will use the faster reads
for all runs of Suprtool. Set FastRead On must be set prior to the Base command
otherwise it will be ignored. Starting with Suprtool version 5.1, Fastread is now on
by default in the “regular” version of Suprtool for HP-UX. The “regular” version of
Suprtool for HP-UX/AMXW refers to the version that does NOT use the
ROBELLELIB_IMAGE variable to find and load the IMAGE intrinsics.

Sort Performance
Suprtool/UX uses its own set of sorting routines. These routines are generally faster
than the sorting algorithms provided with software tools and SQL databases.
If you have the right data, Suprtool/UX can sort much faster than other HP-UX tools.
Because sort performance varies a lot from application to application, we
recommend that you test Suprtool/UX in your own environment.
You can improve the performance of sort operations by moving the sort workspace
to a different physical disk drive than the input file uses.
You can move the sort scratch space by setting the TMPDIR environment variable to
a directory that resides on another physical disk drive, provided you have read and
write access to that directory.
export TMPDIR="/var/tmp/sortscratch"

Oracle Performance
Suprtool/UX provides you with easy ways to let either Oracle or Suprtool do most of
the work. Whether it is best to use Oracle or Suprtool depends on your specific
machine, database, and application. You can use the Select command to force Oracle
to do much of the processing or you can use Suprtool to do the work. In our testing,
Suprtool consistently sorts two to four times faster than Oracle. Your performance
improvements may be different from ours, so we recommend that you take some

82 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

common tasks and try them with both tools. Here is an example of sorting with
Oracle and then with Suprtool:

Oracle sorts data
>select * from emp order by ename

Suprtool sorts data:
>select * from emp
>sort ename

For more information on Oracle performance, we recommend the book Oracle
Performance Tuning by Peter Corrigan and Mark Gurry (published by O'Reilly and
Associates).

Analyzing Performance Data
It is better to test Suprtool with your own database and your own application needs,
rather than trust a "generic" performance test. The ideal test is an actual production
report whose bad performance is causing you a problem. If you obtain improvements
by using Suprtool, you know that you can achieve better speed in practice as well as
in tests.
Use Suprtool as a front end to your problem report, producing a small extract file
that contains just the fields and records needed for your final program. Once you get
that working, consider linking in data from other files or datasets using Suprlink. For
comparison purposes, run the Suprtool test at the same time as you would normally
run the original program. Comparing a standalone midnight run against a mid-day
run does not give valid results, nor does comparing two runs in succession (the
second run benefits on HP-UX because the files are already in memory at that time).

Variable Substitution
Suprtool supports environment variable substitution. To use this enhancement you
must do a:
>set varsub on

Due to how HP-UX processes work with environment variables any variables must
be exported prior to running Suprtool, STExport or Suprlink. All of these modules
support HP-UX variable Substitution.
export tablefile='abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzabcd'
export infile='file1sd'
./suprtool -oc << \!EOD
set varsub on
in $infile
table mytable,char-field,file, &
/users/robdev/suprtool/test/$tablefile
if $lookup(mytable,char-field)
out file05,link
exit
!EOD

Suprtool examines a command line and looks for variables denoted by the "$" sign.
Since Suprtool has some functions that begin with a $-sign, these will take
precedence regardless of the value set in the variable of the same name.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 83

Suprtool Functions
Suprtool supports environment variable substitution. To use this enhancement you
must do a:
>set varsub on

Over the years we've grown the if/extract function list, to the point where it needs it's
own documentation for both the if and extract commands. Functions can be used in
both the if and extract commands, however, some functions were sometimes written
to either be specifically used in either if or extract, but typically have an application
in both.

UC4/Scripting and Functions
UC4 is a scripting/scheduling/job system found on many platforms and is common
on HP-UX. It also resolves environment variables for you when it runs your scripts.
Suprtool has a number of functions that require a "$" sign in front of them making
them look like variables. This causes an issue with UC4 as it tries to resolve any
variables. So if a script has a $lookup in it and $lookup is not a variable then the
$lookup is removed, for example what would happen is:

>if $lookup(mytable,key)

becomes:
>if (mytable,key)

In order to rectify this all that needs to happen is you "Escape Out" the Environment
Variable from being resolved by changing the script to be:
>if \$lookup(mytable,key)

When you do this UC4, (and HP-UX for that matter), now knows that the $lookup is
not a token that needs to be resolved as an environment variable but the $lookup is a
literal.

String/Byte Functions
Suprtool has a number of functions that work on String/Byte type fields. In all cases
the target and source of these functions are byte type fields and are treated as strings
internally to Suprtool.

$TRIM (Works on byte type fields)
Purpose is to remove spaces from the beginning and the end of a field.

84 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

If Usage:
>if $trim(last_name) = “ARMSTRONG”

This means that Suprtool will qualify "ARMSTRONG", " ARMSTRONG", "
ARMSTRONG" etc.

Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields)
EXT byte_target=$trim(byte_source)

Example:
DEF lastname,1,16,byte
EXT lastname=$trim(last_name)

Data Examples Before and After:
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
=
ARMSTRONG
ext lastname=$trim(lastname)
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
= ARMSTRONG

$LTRIM (Works on Byte type fields)
Purpose is to remove spaces from the left side of the field.

If Usage:
if $ltrim(first_name) = "NEIL "

Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields)
ext byte_target=$ltrim(byte_source)

Example:
DEF lastname,1,16,byte
EXT lastname=$ltrim(last_name)

Data Examples before and after:
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
=
ARMSTRONG
ext lastname=$ltrim(lastname)
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
= ARMSTRONG

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 85

$RTRIM (Works on Byte type fields)
Purpose is to remove spaces from the right side of the
field.

If Usage:
if $rtrim(first_name) = "Neil"

Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields)
extract byte_target=$rtrim(byte_source)

Example:
def lastname,1,16,byte
ext lastname=$rtrim(last_name)

Data Examples:
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
=
ARMSTRONGbb
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
=
ARMSTRONG

It is difficult to show what $RTRIM does in a simple
instance, however, it is perfect for
constructing/merging two separate fields into on as in:
ext fullname=$rtrim(first-name) + " " + $trim(last-name)

Data Result
Neil Armstrong

$UPPER (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose is to make all relevant bytes "Upper" case.

86 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

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If Usage:
if $upper(first_name) = "NEIL"

Extract Usage (target: Byte type fields)
extract byte-target=$upper(byte-source)

Example:
def lastname,1,16,byte
ext lastname=$upper(last_name)

Data Examples:
>ext lastname=$upper(lastname)
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
= ARMSTRONG

$LOWER (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose it to make all relevant bytes "Lower" case.

If Usage:
if $lower(first_name)

= "neil"

Extract Usage:
ext byte_target=$lower(byte_source)

Example:
def newfirstname,1,16,byte
ext newfirstname=$lower(first_name)

Data Examples:
>ext lastname=$lower(lastname)
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
LASTNAME
= armstrong

$PROPER (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose is to make the relevant bytes either Upper or
Lower Case in an intelligent manner. It will Upshift the
first character in a field and anything following a
space or dash.

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 87

If Usage:
if $proper(first_name) = "Neil"

Extract Usage:
ext byte_target=$proper(byte_source)

Example:
def fullname,1,30,byte
ext fullname=$proper(first_name)

Data Examples:
>ext fullname=$proper(fullname)
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
FULLNAME
= Neil Armstrong

$SPLIT (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose is to extract a string into a byte type field
that begins at a certain character instance and ends and
a second character instance. Commonly used to reformat
name fields and read .CSV files.

If Usage:
Not that commonly used.

Extract Usage:
extract field=$split(field_from,start_pos,instance,end_pos,instance)
define acct-x,1,12,byte
define fullname,1,30
ext acct-x=$split(record,first,",")
ext fullname=$split(record,",",",")

Data Examples:
Source Data of record
123456789,"Neil Armstrong",435

acct-x result
123456789

Data Examples:
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
ACCT-X
= 123456789
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
FULLNAME
= "Neil Armstrong"

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$FINDCLEAN (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose is to find any specified character(s) in any
byte string fields anywhere in a given byte field.

If Usage:
clean "^10"
if $findclean(e-mail)

Records will qualify if a Line Feed is in the e-mail
field.

$CLEAN (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose was to "clean" and remove unwanted characters
from any byte-string fields in any point in the field.
Typically used to removed un-printable characters from
byte fields.

If Usage: (Not commonly used)
clean "N"
if $clean(first_name)=" eil"

Extract Usage:
extract byte_target=$target(byte_source)

Example:
clean "N"
set cleanchar " "
extract byte_target=$clean(byte_source)

Data Examples:
Source: Neil
Target: eil

Example, remove Line Feed from E-mail Address field and
shift data to the left:
Clean "^10"
set cleanchar ""
ext e-mail=$clean(e-mail)

$TRANSLATE (Works on Byte-type fields)
Purpose to translate any character from a byte type
field to any defined byte, primarily to obfuscate data
and was primarily designed for the extract command.

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 89

If Usage:
translate "A:C"
if $translate(Full_Name)="Neil Crmstrong" { not commonly used }

Extract Usage:
translate "A:C"
translate "B:D"
translate "a:f"
extract New-byte-field=$translate(byte-field)

Data Examples: (Using above code)
Source Data:
Barry Armstrong

Result Data
Dfrry Crmstrong

$ETOA
Purpose is to convert Ebcidic to Ascii, for a byte type
field.

Extract Usage:
Extract $etoa(char-field)

$ATOE
Purpose is to convert Ascii to Ebcidic, for a byte type
field.

Extract Usage:
Extract $atoe(char-field)

$etoa and $atoe cannot be used in if command, nor do
they put a result in a field, they just extract the
converted byte-type field.

String Addition
Suprtool is capable of doing string addition, again this
is with byte type fields, you can do add various byte
type fields together and even the results of various
functions from above.

90 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Extract Usage:
extract target_byte_field = byte-field1 + " " + byte-field2
extract FullName = $trim(first_name) + ' ' + $trim(last_name)

Example:
extract FullName = $trim(first_name) + ' ' + $trim(last_name)

Data Result:
>IN STRINGS.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
FULLNAME
= "Neil Armstrong"

Numeric Functions
There are a number of functions that are used to assist
and help perform some arithmetic operations.

$TRUNCATE
Purpose is to not round a given result or arithmetic
expression or number. Suprtools default behaviour is to
round a result, the $truncate function will change that
behaviour.

If Usage:
if $truncate((qty * price) / 100 = 100

Extract Usage:
extract new_price=$truncate((qty * price) / 100)

$ABS
Purpose is to return the absolute value of a given
number.

IF Usage:
if $abs(credit-field)=5000

Extract Usage:
extract newnum=$abs(credit-amt)

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 91

$TOTAL
Purpose is to provide a running total for any numeric
field and deposit the result into a packed-decimal
field.

IF Usage:
Not commonly used in if

Extract Usage:
define mytotal,1,18,packed
ext mytotal=$total(sales-amount)

$SUBTOTAL
Purpose is to provide a running total for any numeric
field and deposit the result into a packed-decimal
field. The target packed-decimal field is reset to 0 on
a control break on the specified sort field.

IF Usage:
Not commonly used.

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Extract Usage:
define target,1,18,packed
sort sort-field
ext target=$subtotal(fieldtototal,sort-field)

Example of $TOTAL and $SUBTOTAL
>in file1sd.suprtest
>def mytotal,1,14,packed
>def mysubtotal,1,14,packed
>sort char-field
>ext char-field
>ext int-field
>ext mytotal=$total(int-field)
>ext mysubtotal=$subtotal(int-field,char-field)
>list
>xeq
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (0)
CHAR-FIELD
= 11111
INT-FIELD
MYTOTAL
= 1111
MYSUBTOTAL
= 1111
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (1)
CHAR-FIELD
= 22222
INT-FIELD
MYTOTAL
= 3333
MYSUBTOTAL
= 2222
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (2)
CHAR-FIELD
= 22222
INT-FIELD
MYTOTAL
= 5555
MYSUBTOTAL
= 4444
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (3)
CHAR-FIELD
= 33333
INT-FIELD
MYTOTAL
= 8888
MYSUBTOTAL
= 3333
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (4)
CHAR-FIELD
= 33333
INT-FIELD
MYTOTAL
= 12221
MYSUBTOTAL
= 6666
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (5)
CHAR-FIELD
= 33333
INT-FIELD
MYTOTAL
= 15554
MYSUBTOTAL
= 9999

= 1111

= 2222

= 2222

= 3333

= 3333

= 3333

$COUNTER
Purpose is to provide a running counter starting from 1,
and the target/result field is a double integer.

IF Usage:
Not commonly used.

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 93

Extract Usage:
define mycounter,1,4,double
ext mycounter=$counter

$SUBCOUNT
Purpose is to provide a running counter starting from 1,
and the target/result field is a double integer. The
counter is reset when the control-break occurs on the
specified sort field.

IF Usage:
Not commonly used

Extract Usage:
define mysubcount,1,4,double
sort customer-no
ext mysubcount=$subcount(customer-no)

Examples for $counter and $subcount:
in file1sd.suprtest
def mycount,1,4,double
define mysubcount,1,4,double
sort char-field
ext char-field
ext mycount=$counter
ext mysubcount=$subcount(char-field)
list
xeq
>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (0)
CHAR-FIELD
= 11111
MYCOUNT
MYSUBCOUNT
= 1

= 1

>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (1)
CHAR-FIELD
= 22222
MYCOUNT
MYSUBCOUNT
= 1

= 2

>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (2)
CHAR-FIELD
= 22222
MYCOUNT
MYSUBCOUNT
= 2

= 3

>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (3)
CHAR-FIELD
= 33333
MYCOUNT
MYSUBCOUNT
= 1

= 4

>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (4)
CHAR-FIELD
= 33333
MYCOUNT
MYSUBCOUNT
= 2

= 5

>IN FILE1SD.SUPRTEST.GREEN >OUT $NULL (5)
CHAR-FIELD
= 33333
MYCOUNT
MYSUBCOUNT
= 3

= 6

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$SIGNED
When the target of an extract conversion is a packed or
display- type field, Suprtool always converts positive
values to a neutral number. To ensure that expressions
with positive values have a positive result, use the
$signed function:

IF Usage:
Not commonly used:

Extract Usage:
extract packed-field=$signed(int-field)
extract display_field=$signed(dbl-field / 10)

Arithmetic Operations
+ - * / mod
Suprtool has the ability to perform any and all
Arithmetic functions on numeric fields.

If Usage:
if sales-total <> (sales_qty * unit_price) + sales_tax

Extract Usage:
ext sales-total=(sales_qty * unit_price) + sales_tax

Conversion/Formatting
$NUMBER
Purpose is to convert a
that can be put into an
must be numeric and the
type field, even though
characters in it.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

freeform number, to a number
actual numeric field. The target
source field must be a display
it can have non numeric

Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 95

If Usage:
if $number(disp-field)=500

Extract Usage:
define disp-field,byte-field,display
length}
define newdouble,1,4,double
ext newdouble=$number(disp-field)

{define byte as display with same

Data Examples:
$5.00

---> 500

Notes: Suprtool will try and match the decimal places of
the defined by the item command of the numeric target to
the decimal places in the actual data and handle the
data properly. For example if the target field has an
item command definition of two decimal places, Suprtool
will handle the data Raw data accordingly:
Raw Data
5.1
5.123
5.139

Result of $number
5.10
5.12
5.14

$EDIT
Purpose is to format a number or byte-string field to a
particular format using an editmask similar to the
syntax found in Cobol into a target byte-type field.
Primarily designed to help format data for list and/or
reports.

If Usage:
if $edit(somefield,"$$$$.99-")="$5.00" {Not commonly used}

Extract Usage:
ext byte-field=$edit(dbl-field,"$$$$.99-")
ext byte-field=$trim($edit(dbl-field,"$$$$.99-"))

Data Examples:
500

96 • Suprtool Issues and Solutions

$5.00

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Other Functions
$LOOKUP
Purpose is to determine if a key value has been loaded
into memory with options to reference associated data.

If Usage:
if $lookup is capable of determining if a key value
exists and also compare against a field specified with
the data field.
table tablename,key,file,filename
if $lookup(tablename,key)
table tablename,key,file,filename,data(data-field)
if $lookup(tablename,key,data-field) = inputsrcdatafield

Extract Usage:
table tablename,key,file,filename,data(data-field)
extract target-field=$lookup(tablename,key,data-field)

$NULL
Purpose is to return true or false if an Oracle field
has Nullness.
open oracle suprtest suprpass
select * from file1
if $null(somefield)

$READ
Purpose is to expand the command line limit for an if
command beyond 256 characters.

If Usage:
if $read
-number=1 and
-number=3 and
-//

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 97

Date Functions
$TODAY
Purpose is to determine the current date.

If Usage:
If date-field=$today(-1)
if date-field=$today

Extract Usage:
ext target-date=$today

The date-field and target-date must be defined as having
a particular date format (item command) and in a proper
container for that particular date type.

$DATE
Purpose is to determine a given date.

If Usage:
if date-field=$date(*/*/*)

Extract Usage:
ext date-field=$date(*/*/*)

Date-field must be defined as having a particular date
format (item command) and in a proper container

$INVALID
Purpose is to determine if a given date is valid or not.

If Usage:
item check-date,date,ccyymmdd
if $invalid(check-date)

Extract Usage:
Not typically used in extract.

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$STDDATE
Purpose is to convert from any supported Suprtool date
in any container to CCYYMMDD in a double integer
container. For date formats with only two digit years
Suprtool will look at the value of Set Date Cutoff in
order to determine what century to convert it to,
whether it be 19 or 20.

If Usage:
item my-yymmdd-date,date,yymmdd
if $stddate(my-yymmdd-date) = 20141213

Extract Usage:
item my-yymmdd-date,date,yymmdd
define new-ccyymmdd-date,1,4,double
ext new-ccyymmdd-date=$stddate(my-yymmdd-date)

$DAYS
Purpose is to convert any supported Suprtool date to a
number of days since 4713BC or Julian Day format. Main
purpose in if is to compare two dates and get the
diffference. Main purpose in extract is to typically
transform a date to be so many days away from the
current date value.

If Usage:
if ($days(entry-date) - $days(order-fulfill-date)) >=30

Extract Usage:
extract new-date=$stddate($days(entry-date) + 10)

the footer - can be used anywhere

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Suprtool Issues and Solutions • 99

Suprtool Commands

General Notes
When you run Suprtool, it prompts for
commands with a ">" character and reads
command lines from the standard input device.
Suprtool commands contain a command name
which may include one or more optional
parameters that are each separated by commas.

Do not enter the > sign when
typing commands.

In this chapter, we describe the Suprtool commands in alphabetic order. Each
command name is followed by its minimal abbreviation in brackets. For example:
[D] for Define and [DU] for Duplicate.
Most Suprtool commands work within the context of the input file. In general, the
Base, Chain, Get, Open, Select and Input commands must be entered before other
commands. Once the input source has been specified, commands can be entered in
any order.

Abbreviating
You may shorten the command name to any substring that uniquely defines the
command. For example, Form can be abbreviated as FO or F, since there are no
other commands that start with "F". Duplicate, however, can be abbreviated only to
DU, since there is also a Define command in Suprtool.
>i sdfile
>l
>x

{Input command}
{List command}
{Xeq command}

Uppercase or Lowercase
You can enter the letters in either uppercase or lowercase because Suprtool upshifts
everything in the command line except literal strings within quotes (e.g., "abc") and
disc file names. These two commands are identical:

100 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>EXTRACT QTY
>extract qty

Multiple Commands per Line
You can enter several commands on a single line, if you separate them with
semicolons. An entire "task" can be placed on one input line.
>in sdfile;out new;xeq
>in sdfile;if cust-status<>10,20,30;list;x

Caution: Suprtool cannot distinguish between several commands on one line and
several commands entered on several lines. This is not a problem when using
Suprtool in batch, as Suprtool stops executing when an error occurs. But when using
Suprtool interactively, specifying multiple commands separated by a semicolon,
Suprtool keeps on parsing the rest of the line after it finds an error. For example, if
you misspell the "fldname" when you type the following,
>get dsetname; if fldname="value";delete;out filename;xeq

Suprtool sends you an error message with the typo, but continues with the rest of the
command line. This has the effect of deleting all the entries in the dataset. It is risky
to type Xeq on the same command line as any other command unless:
You are not concerned with the consequences if you make a mistake (e.g.,
any "extract" task should be safe).
You don't make any mistakes.
The usual reason for putting all the commands on one line, including the Xeq, is to
permit repetition of the task by using the Before command. It is not necessary to type
everything on one line because with the Listredo command, Suprtool allows you to
pick and choose any of your last 1000 commands.

Continuation
The maximum physical command line is 256
characters. You may enter commands on
multiple input lines by putting an "&"
continuation character at the end of the line. The
maximum total command length is 256
characters. The separating comma in commands
is not optional. Should your If command exceed
256 characters, use the Table command, or
$read.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 101

>in sdfile
>if status="20" and &
state="AZ","CA","OR"
>output outfile

{continue the If command}
{select several states}

Comments on Command Lines
Comments may appear at the end of any
command line, as long as they are surrounded by
curly braces. Many of the examples in this
manual show comments at the end of command
lines. You can enter a comment as the only item
in a Suprtool command line. When you enter
continued command lines, the comment can
appear before or after the continuation character:

You may also use MPE's
:COMMENT command to
enter comment lines.

>{The following task extracts all customer records for}
>{
the different customers we are interested in.}
>in customer
{input self-describing file}
>if status = "10" or &
{prepaid status}
status = "20" or &
{current status}
status = "30"
{arrears status}
>output outfile
{output to a disc file}
>exit
{execute the task and exit}

HP-UX Commands
If Suprtool doesn't recognize the command you have entered, it tries to interpret it as
an operating system command. Suprtool also interprets any command line beginning
with an exclamation mark (!) or a colon (:) as an O/S command. For example:
>!# sort custfile by custnum
>input custfile
>key 1,10
>ls sort*
>out sortcust
>exit

{comment}
{no '!' on the next command}
{check for file name}

Calculator
Any command line beginning with an equal sign (=) is treated as a calculator
expression. This feature can be used to compute blocking factors and do other
calculations without the need of an electronic calculator. For help, type =?.

Control-Y Interrupt
You can interrupt a Suprtool task with the Control-Y key (hold down Control while
striking Y). Suprtool responds by telling you how much work it has done
(IN=,OUT=,etc.) and asks if you wish to stop. Hit the Return key to continue or type
YES to stop the task. Even though you abort the task, your output file is saved
(although it may be empty if you stop before the sort phase is over).
Many HP-UX sites use Control-C as the interrupt key instead of Control-Y. Use the
HP-UX 'stty' command to display your 'intr' setting. You may see some Suprtool
messages indicating Control-Y is the key combination to enter, when in fact you will
need to use whatever you have defined in stty.

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Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Add Command [Add]
Specify an SQL table to which you wish to Add records.
Add

tablename

Add

Ownername.tablename

Use the Add command to "insert" records into an Oracle table. You must specify at
the very least the Oracle tablename and you must have opened the Oracle database to
which you wish to add records.
The tablename specified must be a valid table and not a view. The fields from the
input source, or the extracted names must be the same as the column names in the
table to which you wish to add records.
You do not have to specify all columns in the table; unreferenced columns will be
given default values depending on their data-type.
You cannot currently add records from another SQL table. However, you can extract
the records you want into a file and then add from that file.
In the case where you have two target tables of the same name you can Insert
records via the add command into the proper table by specifying the
Ownername.Tablename.

Notes
Suprtool cannot currently support integers larger than two words.
The Ownername.Table name syntax must be separated by a period or other special
character. While typically Oracle syntax typically only allows for just the ".", the
syntax parsing in Suprtool is such that several special characters will be allowed such
as: !.~`=|<> which will work as the separator between the Ownername and
Tablename.
Although this may seem like incorrect behaviour it was the best way to allow for
backward compatibility and not breaking our other parsing behaviour and is
documented here for completeness.

Examples
The first example shows a typical Add task. A self-describing file's records are added
to the table called customer. This assumes that the self-describing file has the same
structure and that the field names are the same as the column names.
>open oracle scott tiger
>in custrecs
>add customer
>exit

{open SQL database}
{input file you wish to add}
{specify the Oracle table}
{execute the task}

Our next example shows how to add by redefining the fields from a self-describing
file into a table. The names are redefined so that the field names being extracted will
match those in the table of the SQL database.

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Suprtool Commands • 103

>open oracle scott tiger
>in custrecs
>def cust_name,custname
>def cust_addr,address
>extract cust_name
>extract cust_addr
>add customer
>exit

{open SQL database}
{input file you wish to add}
{redefine the items to match}
{the names in the table}
{extract data under the column name}
{specify the Oracle table}
{execute the task}

Another example shows input from a flat file.
>open oracle scott tiger
>in salehist
>def cust_number,1,6,byte
>def item_no,7,10,byte
>def sales,18,4,double
>extract cust_number
>extract item_no
>extract sales
>add customer
>exit

{open SQL database}
{input file you wish to add}
{redefine the items to match}
{the names in the table}
{extract data under the column name}
{specify the Oracle table}
{execute the task}

Final example shows use of the Ownername with the Tablename :
>open oracle scott tiger
>in custrecs
>add scott.customer
>exit

104 • Suprtool Commands

{open SQL database}
{input file you wish to add}
{specify the Oracle owner and table}
{execute the task}

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Base Command [BA]
Opens a specified Eloquence database. Once you have it open, you can extract data
from datasets, delete entries, load new entries into datasets and Update certain
entries.
To close the current database, use Base without parameters.
BAse [[host][:service]/]database
Open an Eloquence database (close current base). Suprtool will open an Eloquence
database, the syntax has been improved to allow you top optionally specify the
hostname, and or service, to connect to a given database.
base sample,5
base :eloqdb/sample,5
base hostname.robelle.com:eloqdb/sample,5

Basename is the name of your database. Mode is the DBOPEN mode that you want
(i.e., mode-1 for shared updates, mode-5 for shared read-only), and password is the
DBOPEN database password. When the password is included in the Base command,
it is always upshifted. Use the ? option to specify lowercase passwords.
Suprtool opens the Base, which remains open until you do another Base command, a
Reset Base, or a Reset All, even if you do several extracts from the database.

Examples
The first example shows a typical Suprtool task. A dataset in the Store database is
read and a subset of the entries are sorted into a disc file:
>base store,5,READER
>get d-sales
>if sales-total>10000
>sort cust-account
>output salesout
>exit

{open for read access only}
{select an input dataset}
{choose a subset of all entries}
{sort by account number}
{output has same structure}
{ as the d-sales dataset}

Our next example opens the database with the Creator password (which is the
default). No output file is produced; instead, we produce a formatted listing of the
input dataset:
>base store
>form sets
>get d-inventory
>list
>exit

{use the Creator password}
{you cannot remember the names}
{ of the datasets in Store}
{print the dataset fields formatted.}
{ no output file is created}

In session mode, this command would prompt for the database password. If none is
entered, or Suprtool is not running interactively, the Creator password is used by
default (;). Because the open mode was not specified, the database is opened in
mode-1.

Database Passwords in Batch
In batch mode, it is necessary to specify a database password without the password
being echoed on the job stream listing. A special database password is provided to
allow for this. When a question mark "?" is used as the database password, Suprtool
prompts for the password on the next physical input line without echoing. This
occurs in batch mode or in session mode. For example:

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 105

>base store,5,?
Password >
>get d-inventory
terminal.}
>exit

{Suprtool prompts for the password.}
{Password is on this line, but it won't}
{show on job stream listing or

Open Modes
Base does not allow mode-7 for exclusive read access, but it does allow mode-4 for
exclusive update while others read. Mode-4 disallows changes while you are
extracting from the database. Mode-3 for fully exclusive access is tolerated, but
causes Suprtool to use slow DBGETs to extract from datasets.
Suprtool allows you to open a second database in the Put command when you are
copying from one database to another.

Eloquence Libraries
If the Eloquence libraries have not been loaded Suprtool will print an error on the
Base command. To find out specific error messages as to why the libraries have not
been loaded then just run Suprtool with the –lw option, which means print loader
warnings.

106 • Suprtool Commands

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Before Command [B]
Repeat any combination of the previous 1000 command lines, with or without
editing.
BEFORE

[ start [ / stop ] ]
[ string ]
[ ALL | @ ]

(Default: redo previous line)
(BQ=redo without change)
The Before command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them.
If you don't need to change them, use BQ or Do.
The Before command uses Qedit-style Control characters for modifying the
commands. The default mode is to replace characters. To delete use Control-D, and
to insert use Control-B. If you prefer HP-style modify (D, R, I, and U), use the Redo
command instead of Before.

Examples
>ll *.fd
*.fd not found
>Before
ll *.fd
s
ll *.sd
>listredo -10/
>before 5
>bef 8/10
>b ls
>b ls *
>b @*
>before -2
>before -5/-2

{".sd" is not spelled right}
{redo most recent command}
{last command is printed}
{you enter changes to it}
{the edited command is shown}
{you press Return}
{redo 5th command in stack}
{redo 8th through 10th}
{redo last ls command}
{redo "ls *" command}
{redo last containing "*"}
{redo command before previous}
{redo by relative lines}

Modify Operators
If you wish to change any characters within the line, the modify operators are the
regular Control Codes used in Qedit:
Characters

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Action

Any printing characters

replace the ones above. (This assumes your
EOF key has been altered from the HP-UX
default.)

Control-D plus spaces

deletes columns above.

Control-B

puts you into "insert before" mode.

Control-A

starts appending characters at the end of line.

Control-A, Control-D, plus spaces

deletes from the end.

Control-T

ends Insert Mode, allowing movement to a
new column.

Control-G

recovers the original line.

Suprtool Commands • 107

Control-O

specifies "overwrite" mode (needed for
spaces).

Persistent Redo
Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from
another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save
your redo commands. Please see "Redo" on page 230 for details.

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Chain Command [C]
Selects an Eloquence dataset and a search path as the input source for the next
extract. For detail datasets, the Chain command does a DBFIND on the specified
search path and uses DBGET mode-5 to read the records. For master datasets, the
Chain command uses DBGET mode-7. You must have read access to all fields in the
dataset entry. Only one Chain, Get, or Input command is allowed per extract task.
CHAIN setname,search-field=value [,...]
CHAIN setname,search-field=table-name
When using Chain, the size of the output file defaults to the size of the Chain dataset.
If the dataset is large and the selected subset is small, you should use the Numrecs
command to reduce the size of the output file.

Selection by Individual Values
Suppose you want to find all the sales records for customer account "1234".
Assuming that cust-account is a search field in the d-sales dataset, you would use
this:
>base store,5,READER
>chain d-sales,cust-account="1234"
customer 1234}
>out out1
>xeq

{open for read access only}
{read the sales records for

If you want to select sales records for more than one customer, you would use:
>chain d-sales,cust-account="12345","67890","39201"
>out out2
>xeq

Values with Decimal Places
You can specify values with decimal places for search fields with implied decimal
places. For example,
>item unit-cost,decimal,2
{two implied decimal points}
>chain d-inventory,unit-cost=10,10.5,10.75
>out out3
{select records for 1000, 1050,
and 1075}
>xeq

Selection with a Table
You can specify the records to read using a table. The Table command may appear
before or after the Chain command. Use this option when you have a file of key
values to search for:
>{select the sales records that match the values in custfile}
>chain d-sales,cust-account=sales-table
>table sales-table,cust-account,file,custfile
>out out4
>xeq

Combining Chain with If
The Chain command selects an input dataset and a set of key values to search for. To
specify additional selection criteria, use the Chain command to specify the key
values and the If command for the additional selection criteria:

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Suprtool Commands • 109

>{select records for customer 1234 where the sales-qty is }
>{ greater than 100}
>chain d-sales,cust-account="1234"
>if sales-qty > 100
>out out5
>xeq

Notes
The Chain command is intended to replace a Get and If combination where the
primary selection is by key value. In many cases, it is still faster to use the Get
command to read the entire dataset than it is to use the Chain command to use
search-paths. Use Set Stat On to compare the performance of the Chain and Get
commands.
The Chain command always reads the chain values in sorted order by ascending
search-value. You do not need to specify a Sort command to have the output file
sorted by the search field.

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Clean Command [CL]
Specifies what characters to clean when using the $Clean function.
CLEAN [ SPECIAL |   ]
(Default: None)
Suprtool will "clean" or replace all of the characters specified in the Clean command
from a byte type field when invoked by the $Clean function. To define what
characters that need to be replaced you use the clean command with the character
you want to clean in quotes. Since most of the characters that you will need to clean
are unprintable, you can enter the decimal equivalent of the character. This is
denoted by entering the "^" character in quotes preceding the decimal number of the
character you wish to clean.
An example of how easy it would be to clean your database of certain "bad"
characters in byte-type fields would be as follows:
>base mydb,1,;
>get customer
>clean "^9","^10","^0","^7"
>update
>ext address(1) = $clean(address(1))
>ext address(2) = $clean(address(2))
>ext address(3) = $clean(address(3))
>xeq

The SPECIAL keyword automatically defines Clean characters of Decimal 0 thru to
Decimal 31.
>base mydb,1,;
>get customer
>clean special
>update
>ext address(1) = $clean(address(1))
>ext address(2) = $clean(address(2))
>ext address(3) = $clean(address(3))
>xeq

You can also specify a range of characters with the following syntax:
>base mydb,1,;
>get customer
>clean "^0:^10"
>update
>ext address(1) = $clean(address(1))
>ext address(2) = $clean(address(2))
>ext address(3) = $clean(address(3))
>xeq

The above task would clean all byte type fields of any characters from Decimal 0
(Null) to Decimal 10. (Line Feed)

Removing Bad Characters
You can have the Clean function clean the field, and instead of replacing with a
space, the $clean function will essentially shift characters to the left by Setting the
CleanChar in the following manner:

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Suprtool Commands • 111

>Set Cleanchar “”

Suprtool will pad the field that was cleaned with the appropriate amount of
characters with a space at the end of the field.

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Define Command [D]
Defines fields that can be used in the Duplicate, Extract, If, Item, Sort, Table, and
Total commands. With Define, you can do selection on ordinary data files using the
same kind of readable "expression" that you use with databases. You can also access
data fields that are not actually structured as defined in the database (e.g., implicit
subfields within an IMAGE field).
DEFINE field, definition
field is an identifier up to 32 characters long, must begin with a letter, and can
consist of letters A through Z, digits 0 through 9, or the following symbols:
+-*/?#%&@_$'
In the case where the field name is written to a self-describing file, only the first 16
characters are used.
definition can be in two different forms: absolute or relative.

Absolute Definitions
DEFINE field, byteposition,sublen [,type] [,subcount]
(Default: type=BYTE, subcount=1)
The byteposition is a positive integer giving the byte index where the field starts. The
first byte is always number 1, not 0. The sublen is the number of bytes in the field.
When the subcount is 1 (default), the sublen is the total number of bytes in the field.
When you specify a subcount, the sublen is the byte-length of each subfield.
See Data-Types below for the definition of type.
>input uxfile,reclen 40, lf
>def qty,14,4,double
>def name,5,6
>sort name
>total qty
field "QTY"}
>exit

{input from a disc file}
{double integer (PIC S9(9) COMP)}
{character string of 6 bytes}
{sort using the field "name"}
{total all the values of the

Relative Definitions
DEFINE field, fieldname [ (subscript) ] [ [offset] ] [,sublen] [,type]
[,subcount]
(Default: sublen/type=same as fieldname)
The fieldname is a field from an Eloquence dataset specified in Get or Chain, or a
column from a table specified in Select, or a field from a self-describing file, or
another Defined field. Relative definitions are similar to COBOL's Redefine verb.
The sublen and type are optional. They default to the total byte length and type of the
fieldname. The (subscript) parameter is an optional sub-item index for arrays such as
Eloquence compound items like 5J2 or 4X20. The first sub-item is number 1, and if
no subscript is provided, Suprtool uses the first sub-item. The [offset] parameter is
optional and specifies a byte offset from the position that would otherwise be used.
This allows you to define fields relative to other fields. The [offset] starts at 1 and
not at 0 (i.e., FIELD[1] is the first byte of the field).

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 113

To define a field that corresponds to the second index of the address array of the
customer file, you would use:
>in customer
>define city,address(2)
>if city="Vancouver"
>list
>xeq

{self-describing file}

Data-Types
Here are the valid types:
Type

Description

BYTE

printable ASCII characters

INT/INTEGER

two's complement

DOUBLE

two's complement

IEEE

IEEE floating-point

PACKED

packed-decimal

PACKED*

packed-decimal, last nibble unused

DISPLAY

zoned-decimal numeric field

LOGICAL

unsigned integer

CHARACTER

for Native Language Support

The Define command also accepts Fpoint as the data-type for IEEE numbers.
The following table shows the Suprtool definitions for the IMAGE data-types:
IMAGE Type

Number of Bytes COBOL
Declaration

SUPRTOOL
Definition

I1

2

S9(4) COMP

>define a,1,2,integer

I2

4

S9(9) COMP

>define a,1,4,double

I4

8

S9(18) COMP

>define a,1,8,integer

J1

2

S9(4) COMP

>define a,1,2,integer

J2

4

S9(9) COMP

>define a,1,4,double

J4

8

S9(18) COMP

>define a,1,8,integer

Un

n

A(n)

>define a,1,n,byte

Xn

n

X(n)

>define a,1,n,byte

Zn

n

9(n)

>define a,1,n,display

Pn

n/2

S9(n-1) COMP-3

>define
a,1,n/2,packed

K1

2

>define a,1,2,logical

K2

4

>define a,1,4,logical

E2

4

>define a,1,4,ieee

E4

8

>define a,1,8,ieee

Data-type Display may have a trailing overpunch sign.

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Packed-Decimal Fields
When defining packed-decimal fields, you must convert the number of decimal
digits into a byte count. The last digit of a decimal field is always used for the sign.
There are two data-types for decimal fields: PACKED for those that end on a byte
boundary and PACKED* for those that end in the middle of a byte. Here are some
example definitions of packed-decimal fields:
Suprtool Definition

Description

>define m,1,2,packed

s9(3) COMP-3, P4 in IMAGE, 2 bytes, 4
nibbles, last is sign digit

>define n,1,2,packed*

s9(2) COMP-3, P4 in IMAGE, 2 bytes, 4
nibbles, last digit is unused

>define p,1,6,packed

s9(11) COMP-3, P12 in IMAGE, 6 bytes, 3
words, 11 digits

Data-Type Warning
The Define command accepts field definitions of any combination of byte-length and
data-type. However, many combinations have limited usefulness in Suprtool. In
these cases, Suprtool prints a warning. For example:
>def field,1,1,integer
Warning: Length of 1 is of limited use for the data-type INTEGER

Examples
The following examples show the various data-types and combinations that are
available with the Define command:
>define
>define
>define
>define
>define
>define
>define
>define

a,11,4,double
b,21,2,int
e,21,8
f,address(5)
g,address(5)[3],4
h,address(5)[4],2,byte
i,x[6],4
j,invoice,6,byte

{J2 or I2, S9(9) COMP}
{J1 or I1, S9(4) COMP}
{character string}
{fifth occurrence of address}
{relative offset}
{middle of the address}
{starts at sixth byte of X}
{redefine field as Byte}

Absolute Example
The following example shows the most basic use of the Define command to create a
new field definition at an absolute location in the input record.
{"amt" is an integer that starts at the 11th byte of file}
>def amt,11,2,int
>if amt > 1000
{"amt" is now a field we can select on}
>output outfile

Absolute Example with Subcount
IMAGE and Suprtool allow fields to be repeated. In the next example, we define an
amount field that repeats twelve times (e.g., once for each month of the year). We
use a subscript when we want to refer to a specific month.

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Suprtool Commands • 115

>def amt,11,2,int,12
repeats 12 times}
>if amt(5) > 1000
>output outfile

{"amt" is an integer that
{we select on the 5th subfield}

Relative Examples
Use the simplest form of relative definitions to rename existing fields.
>def quantity,qty
>if quantity = "100 "

{"quantity" is a more readable name}
{selection on the new field}

The Define command copies the byteposition, sublength, and type to the new field,
but it does not copy the subcount. Define assumes that you want the first subfield:
>def amount,amt
>if amount > 1000
as amt(1)}

{amt is 12J2}
{amount is 1J2 and is the same

Relative Example with Subcount
Because Suprtool defaults the subcount to one, you might want to specify an explicit
subcount when giving a new name to an existing field.
>def amount,amt,,,12
>if amount(5) > 1000
selecting for May}

{amt is 12J2; same length and type}
{amount is 12J2; we are

Relative Example with Subscript
Use subscripts to define a new field that corresponds to a specific subfield.
>def may,amt(5)
>if may > 1000

{amt is 12J2}
{may is the fifth subfield}

Relative Example with Offset
Many applications define subfields within a larger character field. A common
example is a part-number where the first four digits are the warehouse location, the
second four digits are the bin number, and the last four digits are a serially assigned
number. Use the offset parameter to define new fields that are relative to the start of
the part number. The file INVOICES is a self-describing file.
>in invoices
>def warehouse,part,4
>def bin,part[5],4
>def release,part[9],4
>if bin = "100"

{part is 12 bytes}
{warehouse starts at part}
{bin is second four bytes}
{release is the last four bytes}
{use any field for selection}

Note that redefining the digits of a larger numeric field only works when the field is
a character field (type X, U, or A).

Relative Example Combining Subscripts and Offsets
If we have ten part numbers combined into one field (e.g., 10X12) we can still define
a single field that corresponds to the bin number of one of the parts.

116 • Suprtool Commands

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>in invoices
>def bin3,allparts(3)[5],4
fifth byte …}
>if bin3 = "100"

{allparts is 10X12}
{we are checking starting at the
{… of the third part}

Notes
The purpose of the Define command is to tell Suprtool to look at a portion of the
input record in a certain way. For example, if the record contains ASCII digits in the
first ten bytes, Define could be used to assign a field definition to the first six bytes.
In this case, the field must be defined as data-type Byte, Char or Display.
The Extract command may be
used for data conversion. See
the Data Conversion section
of the Extract command for
details.

The Define command cannot be used to convert
data from one format to another. Using the same
example, the Define command could not be used
to treat the first six digits of the ten digit ASCII
field as Integer, Packed, Real, or any other
numeric data format. If the input record contains
ASCII digits, Define cannot change them to
another data-type.
It may be helpful to think of the Suprtool Define command as similar to a COBOL
REDEFINES clause, or a FORTRAN EQUIVALENCE statement.

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Suprtool Commands • 117

Delete Command [DEL]
Deletes all entries selected from the input Eloquence dataset.
DELETE
Delete has no parameters, and can be entered only after the source of input records
has been specified using Get or Chain. Delete causes Suprtool to "delete" the input
records after they have been read, either all of the input records, or a subset defined
by the If command. Delete is not supported for SQL or disc files, only for Eloquence
datasets.

Examples
>:comment Delete and sort old transactions, write to file.
>base store
>get d-sales
{dataset to delete from}
>if purch-date<980101
{select which records to delete}
>delete
{ask for deletion}
>sort cust-account
{sort by account and sort}
>sort purch-date
{ by date}
>output oldsales
{output file with deleted and
sorted records}
>exit

Losing Records
Delete can be combined with other operations, such as select, sort, write to output
file, and even a Put to another dataset. Care must be used when combining
operations, because such combinations cannot be restarted if the Suprtool "run" is
aborted for any reason (including hitting Control-Y and answering "yes"). See
"Suprtool and " on page 64 for more details on using the Delete and Put commands
in combination.
Suprtool deletes records during the input phase. This means that records are deleted
before they are sorted. All of the selected input records are deleted before the first
output record is written when sorting the input. If you press Control-Y and answer
"yes" before a delete task has completed, there may be no way to recover your
deleted records.

Warning Message
When deleting records from the input dataset, Suprtool asks for permission to delete
all records if there is no If command to select the records to be deleted:
Delete all records from the D-SALES dataset [no]:
Respond Yes for the task to continue.
In batch mode, Suprtool assumes Yes and keep processing.
Note that if there is no If command, but there is some other command to limit the
number of records deleted (e.g., the Numrecs command or a record-range on the Get
command), Suprtool still asks the question, implying that all records in the dataset
will be deleted. In these cases, only the records that are read, based on the limiting
factor, will be deleted.
For interactive approval of each deletion, see the Delete command of Dbedit.

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Notes
For Eloquence manual master datasets, a DBDELETE call fails if the entry to be
deleted is a "chain-head" with related detail entries still linked to it. When this
happens, Suprtool, by default, prints an error and stops processing the input data. If
Set Dumponerror On, the record is printed on $stdlist. If Set Ignore On has been
entered, Suprtool continues processing and prints a count of "chain-heads" at the end.
Records that cannot be deleted are not included in the output file.

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Suprtool Commands • 119

Do Command [DO]
The Do command repeats (without changes) any of the previous 1000 commands.
DO

[ start [ / stop ] ]
[ string ]
[ ALL | @ ]

(Default: repeat the previous command)
Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 of them
are retained. Use the Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can
repeat a single command (do 5), a range of commands (do 5/10) or the most
recent command whose name matches a string (do list). If you want to modify
the commands before executing them, use Redo or Before.

Examples
>listredo
>do
>do 39
>do 5/8
>do list
>do grep
>do grep job *
>do @job
>do -2
>do -7/-5
>do 5/

{see the previous 20 commands}
{do previous command again}
{do command line 39 again}
{do command lines 5 to 8 again}
{do most recent List command}
{do last starting with "grep"}
{do last "grep job *" command}
{do last containing "job"}
{do command before previous one}
{do by relative line number}
{do command lines 5 to "last"}

Notes
The Do command can be abbreviated to ,., as in MPEX . You cannot use ";" to
combine commands on the same line.

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Duplicate Command [DU]
By default, Suprtool copies all selected input records to the output file. The
Duplicate command determines what to do with duplicate output records. Duplicate
records can be discarded, producing an output file without duplicates. Alternatively,
you may be interested in seeing the duplicate records, so you can create an output
file consisting solely of the duplicate records. When deciding whether an output
record is a duplicate, Suprtool either compares the keys only or the entire output
record.
DUPLICATE

NONE | ONLY
RECORD | KEYS [num]
[ COUNT ] [ TOTAL ... ]

None
The None option removes duplicate records from the output file. Suprtool compares
each output record with the previous output record. If they are not the same, the
record is added to the output file. This option corresponds to the former Nodup and
Nodupkey options of the Output command.
>key 1,4
>duplicate none keys
Input
1111
2222
2222
3333

Output
10
25
35
48

1111
2222
3333

10
25
48

Only
The Only option is the exact opposite of None. Only selects all output records that
would not be written by the None option. When the Only option finds a record that
duplicates a record already in the set, it writes that duplicate to the output file. Note
that the first record is not written to the output file. Here are two examples:
>key 1,4
>duplicate only keys
Input
1111
2222
2222
3333

Output
10
25
35
48

2222

35

Input
1111
2222
2222
2222

Output
10
25
35
42

2222
2222

35
42

Record
Suprtool has two methods for comparing output records: Record and Keys. The
Record option compares the entire output record. This option can be specified
without a sort, but in that case the input file must already be sorted. Note that there
are two data fields in the records in the following example, so that a comparison of
the entire record yields no duplicates.

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Suprtool Commands • 121

>duplicate none record
Input
Output
1111
2222
2222
3333

10
25
35
48

1111
2222
2222
3333

10
25
35
48

Keys
The Keys option compares only the sort keys to determine whether an output record
is a duplicate. This option requires that at least one sort key be specified.
{sort by agent}

>sort agent
>duplicate none keys
>output agents

{create roster of agents}

The Keys Num option determines the level at which Suprtool compares sort keys.
This option controls which duplicate records get included in (or excluded from) the
output file.
In the following example we sort by agent and by bill-date (in descending order), but
only check for duplicates at the agent level.
{sort by agent}
{sort by date}
{only check for duplicate agents}
{create roster of agents}

>sort agent
>sort bill-date,desc
>duplicate none keys 1
>output agents

Count
The Count option causes Suprtool to produce a new field in the output record with
the number of occurrences of each key value. The count field is called st-count, and
is an I2-type field. The Count option can only be used with Duplicate None Keys.
>key 1,4
>duplicate none keys count
Input
1111
2222
2222
3333

Output
10
25
35
48

1111
2222
3333

10
25
48

1
2
1

{two records for key value 2222}

Total
The Total option allows up to 15 fields to be subtotaled for each duplicate key.
Separate the fields with spaces, not commas. The Total option can only be used with
Duplicate None Keys. A new field is created at the end of the output record for each
total. Each field is called st-total-n:
>sort customer-no
>extract customer-no
>duplicate none keys total sales-qty sales-amt

The above commands will create a self-describing file with the field customer-no
and the total by each customer of the sales-qty in the field st-total-1. Similarly the
field st-total-2 will contain the total sales-amt by customer number.
The following data-types are chosen for each total based on the data-type of the
field:

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Data-Type

Total Data-Type

IEEE

E4

all others

P28

Please see the P28 Fields section on how to define these fields in Cobol and
PowerHouse programs.
Note that for byte fields, there can be only digits in the field. If there are other
characters such as "+", "-", or ".", then Suprtool reports an error.
You can use the Link output option to easily see the fields that Suprtool creates. For
repeated fields (e.g., 6I2), the first subfield is subtotaled if you don't provide a
subscript. You can combine the Count and Total options, but the Count option must
appear before the Total option. You cannot combine the Total command with the
Total option of the Duplicate command.
>key 1,4
>def field,5,2,integer
>duplicate none keys total field
Input
1111
2222
2222
3333

Output
10
25
35
48

1111
2222
3333

1
2
4

10
60
48

{25 + 35 = 60}

Deleting Duplicate Records
There is no direct way to delete duplicate records. Specifying both the Delete and
Duplicate commands does not delete all duplicate output records. This is because the
Delete command occurs in the input phase, as records are read and selected, but the
Duplicate command occurs in the output phase after the sort has taken place. The
Duplicate command is not part of the selection process; it is the If command that
determines what records are deleted. A common mistake is to specify the Duplicate
and Delete commands without an If command. In this case, Suprtool asks your
permission to delete all input records. Answer "No" to this question to abort the task.
It may be possible to remove duplicates from an input dataset using Suprtool, but
only through roundabout methods. These are too case-specific to document here. If
you need to do this, call Robelle technical support for assistance.

Self-Describing Files
When you are using the Count or Total options, the sort information is not retained
in the output file. This means that if your output file is in LINK format, there are no
sort keys. If you are going to use this file from Suprlink, use the BY-clause of the
LINK command to manually specify the sort keys.

Non-Self-Describing Files
If the input file is not a self-describing file and you are using Count or Total, you
also need to extract all the fields from the file. You can quickly extract the fields by
defining a new field that contains the entire record. For example, if your records are
56 bytes long, then you do the following to extract all the fields:

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>define entire,1,56,byte
>extract entire

Output Restrictions
When you are using the Count and Total options, the only Output formats that you
can use are Data, Data-Num, Query, and Link. If you want to quickly see the Count
or Total results without using a second pass, use the List Standard command.
>select * from table
>sort key_field
>duplicate none keys count total data_field
>output result,link
>list standard
>xeq

Notes
The option of Only or None must be specified before the option of Record or Keys.
Reversing the order causes a syntax error in the Duplicate command.
You cannot combine the Total command with the Total option of the Duplicate
command.
It is important to note that if the field being sorted is the result of a $function, then
you may not be sorting on the value of the field after the function has transformed
the field. For example the following task may not give you the result you expect:
>base store,5
>get d-sales
>def cust-accountx,1,6,byte
>ext cust-accountx = $edit(cust-accout,"zzzz99")
>sort cust-accountx
{sorting on transformed field before it has
value from function}
>dup none keys
>output dsales
>exit

In this instance you will not be sorting on cust-accountx as transformed by the $edit
function, but rather the first six bytes of d-sales. Therefore it is important to note
when you are using extract to transform a field, you will not be sorting on that
transformed value.
Therefore the way to do the transformation would be to either divide into two tasks
or if you can logically sort on the field before the transformation in order to achieve
the result, so the task could be:
>base store,5
>get d-sales
>def cust-accountx,1,6,byte
>ext cust-accountx = $edit(cust-accout,"zzzz99"
>sort cust-account
{Note sorting on source field}
>dup none keys
>output dsales
>exit

or if two tasks are necessary:

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>base store,5
>get d-sales
>def cust-accountx,1,6,byte
>ext cust-accountx = $edit(cust-accout,"zzzz99"
>output tempsales
>xeq
>in tempsales
>sort cust-acctx
>dup none keys
>output dsales
>exit

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Suprtool Commands • 125

Edit Command [ED]
Edits an Eloquence database.
EDIT
The Edit command of Suprtool invokes an independent module of Suprtool called
Dbedit. This module permits the user to add, change, list, or delete individual records
or "chains" of records from an Eloquence database. This module should be useful for
debugging systems, doing data entry on simple systems, and quickly prototyping
systems. The Edit command uses the database opened previously by the Base
command. Where Suprtool is primarily a serial tool, the Edit module is primarily a
tool for chained or keyed access.

Examples
>:comment Edit the STORE database.
>base store,1,writer
>edit
#list d-inventory
#exit
>

{open for write access}
{switch to Dbedit}
{Dbedit prompts with "#"}
{returns control to Suprtool}
{Suprtool prompts again}

Notes
An entire user manual has been provided to describe how to use the Edit feature of
Suprtool. See See the Dbedit section in the manual for all the details.

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Exit Command [E]
Exit Suprtool in one of two ways.
EXIT

[ ABORT | XEQ ]

(Default: XEQ)
Users are often frustrated when they exit Suprtool after specifying only part of a task
because Suprtool starts processing the task. To exit Suprtool without executing the
current task, use the Abort option.
Typing Exit with no parameters means Exit Xeq. Suprtool recognizes special
command names which specify both the Exit command and an exit option (e.g., EA
means Exit ABORT).

Exit Abort [EA]
Cancels the current operation and terminates Suprtool. The Exit command without
parameters always attempts to perform the task currently specified, while Exit Abort
cancels the task and terminates immediately. Thus, Exit Abort is similar to Reset
All;Exit.

Examples
You began to specify a sort, stopped for coffee, and decided to cancel the task on
your return:
>!#

You began to specify a sort, stopped for

>!#

coffee, and decided to cancel the task

>!#

upon your return.

>open oracle demo reader
>select * from customer
>sort name_last; sort name_first
...coffee break ...
>exit abort

{cancel the sort and terminate}

End Of Program

Exit Xeq [EX]
Signal the end of command input and the start of an extract operation. After the
Suprtool task completes, Suprtool terminates. Exit Xeq is the default option (i.e.,
specifying Exit starts execution of the current task).

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Suprtool Commands • 127

Examples
$/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
>exit
No action taken.

{no input was specified}

$/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
>input rep23.newdata
>out rep23.data
>xeq
>input rep24.newdata
>out rep24.data
>exit

{copy one file}
{copy and stop}

Notes on Exit Xeq
If you have entered neither sort keys nor an input source, Exit terminates Suprtool
without performing any task. If you have defined an input source but without any
sort keys, Suprtool does a copy operation prior to stopping.

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Export Command [EXP]
You cannot use Suprtool's Export command to invoke STExport/UX, but you can
run STExport/UX by itself.
/opt/robelle/bin/stexport
STExport/UX/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1988-2010
(Version 5.6)
$

STExport/UX only accepts self-describing files created by Suprtool/UX or the MPE
SDUnix program. STExport has it's own section in this manual.

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Extract Command [EXT]
Assembles output records by stringing together fields extracted from input records.
There can be up to 300 extracted fields, and the same field may be extracted more
than once. Constant values may be used instead of the value of the field from the
Input record.
EXTRACT field [(subscript)] [=value |=field2 ] [,...]
EXTRACT field1 [(subscript1)] \ field2 [(subscript2)]
EXTRACT target-field [=expression]
(Default: subscript=entire field)

Field Parameter
Each extracted field must be an Eloquence field name, an SQL database table
column, or a field in an SD file, or a Defined field. If the field requires an Item
definition, then the Item command must precede the Extract command. Extract
specifies a rearrangement of the Input data fields to produce the Output data record.
The subscript parameter is valid only for compound items. The total item is extracted
if it is compound and no subscript is specified.
>extract account
>extract rating
>output out1

{extract the key value and}
{ one other field}
{output file has two fields}

Cumulative Extracts
The Extract command is cumulative. If two Extracts are specified in one run, all
fields of the two Extract commands are used.
>extract status,balance,account,purchased

is equivalent to
>extract status,balance
>extract account,purchased

Constants
Extracting Constants
The value part of the Extract command is used to place a constant in each record of
the output file. In this case, the field defines the type and length that the value
occupies. The value portion must match the type of the field. String values will be
extended with blanks to fill the entire field. If the input data does not have a field of
the correct size and type, you can create one using the Define command.
>ext account
>ext rating=0
"rating" field}
>output out2

{key value}
{place the value "0" in the

The total number of bytes that you can extract for all constants is 5,100 bytes for
MPE/iX and HP-UX, and 1,275 bytes for MPE/V.

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Packed and Display Constants
When extracting non-negative packed and display constants, Suprtool extracts them
as unsigned unless you use a leading plus sign. For the value zero, you can use a
leading plus or minus sign to get a positive or negative 0.
>def
>ext
>ext
>ext
>ext
>ext

field,1,6,packed
field = 1
field = +1
field = +0
field = 0
field = -0

{unsigned 1}
{signed 1}
{positive 0}
{unsigned 0}
{negative 0}

Decimal Places
If a field has implied decimal places, Suprtool scales the input values according to
the number of decimal places. For example,
>item tax ,decimal,2
>item total,decimal,2
>extract tax
= 1.02
>extract total = 100
>output out3

{two implied decimal pts.}
{same}
{specified decimal pts.}
{value stored as 10000}

Blank Fill
If you want to create an output record that consists of fifty blanks followed by the
customer name, use:
>define filler,1,50
>ext filler=" "
>ext name

String Constants
You can specify a string constant without referring to a field. For example, to leave a
space between fields, you must do the following:
>extract account," ",rating
>output *,ascii

Suprtool uses the length of the string to determine the size of the field. The following
example extracts the same fields as the previous example, but each output record
identifies the field:
>extract "Customer Account=",account," "
>extract "Credit Rating=",rating
>output *,ascii

The output would look like:
Customer Account=04598921 Credit Rating=
Customer Account=44657844 Credit Rating=
Customer Account=98753198 Credit Rating=

5000
20000
3000

The spaces after "Credit Rating=", before the rating value, is due to the numeric field
Rating being extracted with blanks for its leading zeros. This is the result of the Ascii
option of the Output command.

Repeated Fields
If the field is an IMAGE repeated field (e.g., 10J1), the Extract command places the
value in each of the repeated fields when you do not specify the subscript. If you
specify a subscript, only that one repeated field will have the new constant value.

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Suprtool Commands • 131

In this example, Address is a repeated field (2X20). We wish to extract the data as it
exists in the input record rather than forcing it to a constant value.
>ext account
>ext address

{extract key value}
{take both of the repeated fields}

In the next example, we assume that the Balance field is a repeated field (12J2). We
wish to make each of the 12 repeated fields in the output record equal to 100:
>extract name
>extract balance=100

If we only wanted to extract the sixth field of BALANCE and set it to 100 we would
do the following:
>extract name
>extract balance(6)=100

Character Constants
Use the ^-character to specify any ASCII character. The number (the actual ASCII
value), or letter (^A means control A), must follow immediately after the ^-character.
Suprtool treats character constants as strings. When you extract the constant to a
field longer than one byte, Suprtool pads it with spaces.
>define field,1,1
>ext field = ^0
>ext field = ^G
>ext field = ^27
>ext field = ^252
>ext field = ^186

{byte field}
{binary zero}
{Control-G (bell)}
{escape}
{Roman-8 box}
{Euro currency symbol €}

You can also extract the constant directly without referring to a defined field. This
always produces a one-byte constant with no blank padding.
>ext
>ext
>ext
>ext

^0
^13,^10
^M,^J
^27,"&dB"

{binary zero}
{Carriage Return, Line Feed}
{CR, LF again}
{escape sequence}

Dates
Extracting Today's Date
To extract today's date, use the following:
>item
>extract
>extract
>extract

field,date,ccyymmdd
field=$today
field=$today(-1)
field=$today(+1)

{identify date format of field}
{today's date}
{yesterday's date}
{tomorrow's date}

Use the Item command to qualify the field as a date. Suprtool uses the date format to
determine the output format of the date. The $today function accepts one optional
argument which is the number of days before or after today. The maximum number
of days in either direction is 9999.
Oracle dates include both the date and the time. If you extract an Oracle date using
$today, the time is always 00:00 (i.e., midnight).

Extracting Relative Dates
The Extract command provides the same relative date features as the If command
(see "Date Selection" on page 170 for a complete description of the options of

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$date). You must first use the Item command to identify the field name as a date.
Suprtool uses the field type and length along with the date format to determine the
output format of the date. Note that the three parts of $DATE are always specified in
(year/month/day) order, regardless of the date format of the field.
>item
>extract
>extract
>extract

field,date,mmddyy
field=$date(*/*/*)
field=$date(*/*-1/01)
field=$date(*/*-1/last)

{today's date}
{start of last month}
{end of last month}

Oracle dates include both the date and the time. If you extract an Oracle date using
$date, the time is always 00:00 (i.e., midnight).

$Stddate
Similar to the If command, the Extract command is also capable of utilizing the
$stddate function. This will allow for conversion of any of the supported Suprtool
date formats to be converted to a date in the ccyymmdd date format in a double
integer container.
For example,
>in sdfile
{a self describing file}
>def new_ship_date,1,4,double
>item ship_date,date,mmddyyyy
>ext order_no / sales_amount
>ext new_ship_date = $stddate(ship_date)
>out salesinfo,link
>xeq

Invalid Dates
Because the $stddate must have a valid date in order to properly convert the date to
the ccyymmdd format, a value of 0 will be returned for any invalid dates. An invalid
date is any number of a particular date format whose date equivalent cannot be found
on the calendar.
This means that if you attempt to extract use the $stddate function against a value
that is not a valid date then the extracted value will be 0.

$Days
As with the $stddate function, the $days function is also available to the Extract
command. You can convert any supported date to a Julian Day number in the
following manner:
>in ordfile
>def ship-days,1,4,double
>def order-days,1,4,double
>def delay,1,4,double
>ext order-no
>ext ship-days=$days(ship-date)
>ext order-days=$days(order-date)
>ext delay=$days(ship-date)-$days(order-date)
>out neword,link
>xeq
IN=15, OUT=15. CPU-Sec=1. Wall-Sec=1.

Invalid Dates
If an invalid date is encountered, the extracted value will be zero. Therefore in the
example above, if the order has not yet been shipped (ship-date does not contain a
valid date) the resulting delay value will be negative.

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Add and Subtract Dates
With the $days function, you can generate a date that is n days before or after any
date. In the following example, we show you how to get the previous day's date.
>input YOURFILE
>def origdate,1,8
>def yesterday,1,8
>item origdate,date,yyyymmdd
>item yesterday,date,yyyymmdd
>ext origdate
>ext yesterday = $stddate($days(origdate) – 1)
>out tmpfile,link
>xeq

{or +7 for next week}

Sample output:
ORIGDATE YESTERDAY
19990101 19981231
19991231 19991230
19990301 19990228

Date Limits
The $date function in Suprtool can generate dates between the years 1583 and 2583.
Some date formats have limits based on their particular format, such as 2027 for a
Calendar date and 2259 for the aammdd aamm, mmddaa, ddmmaa dates.

Range of Fields
Extracting a Range of Fields
You can specify a range of fields to extract using the following:
Extract Field1 \ Field4
Extract $first / $last
Extract $all
This feature only works with Eloquence fields, input files "equated" to an Eloquence
dataset and for self-describing files. If you specify a range, Suprtool extracts all 4 of
the field names between field1 and field4 inclusive. When specifying a range of a
self-describing file that has been equated to an Eloquence dataset, the Eloquence
dataset definition takes precedence.
>get d-sales
>ext product-no\sales-qty
>out dsales
>xeq

{a self-describing file}

is exactly the same as:
>get
>ext
>ext
>ext
>ext
>out
>xeq

d-sales
product-no
product-price
purch-date
sales-qty
dsales

{a self-describing file}
{first field in the range}
{last field in the range}

Extracting a Range of Subscripted Fields
Suprtool accepts a subscript on either field in a range. You can even use this feature
to extract a range from a single field. For example, if sales_amt is a 12J2 field:

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>in sales
>ext sales_amt(4)\sales_amt(6)
>out dsales
>xeq

{a self-describing file}

is equivalent to:
>in sales
>ext sales_amt(4)
>ext sales_amt(5)
>ext sales_amt(6)
>out dsales
>xeq

{a self-describing file}
{first subscripted field}
{intermediate subfield}
{last subscripted field}

Alternate Syntax for Extracting a Range
Suprtool accepts a slash "/" in place of the backslash "\" to specify a range. Use the
slash with care, because it is a valid character in field names. For example,
>extract a/b
would produce the error message:
Error:

Field "A/B" does not exist

To use a slash in an extract range, surround it with spaces:
>extract a / b
You can also use $first, $last or $all in extracting a range. The intention is to make
your scripts more easily maintained. If you had a script that you wanted to put a
sequence number at the beginning and then extract the rest of the dataset you could
specify the starting field and the ending field. For example:
base orddb
get customers
def seq-no,1,4,double
ext seq-no=$counter
ext order-no / pst-code
out newfile,link
xeq

If you added any fields to the beginning or end of the dataset and you used the
specific fieldnames you would have to re-write the script. However, you can use the
$all feature in extract range:
base orddb
get customers
def seq-no,1,4,double
ext seq-no=$counter
ext $all
out newfile,link
xeq

You can also write the script using $first / $last as your preference, but $first and
$last are also useful if you need to add data into the middle of the fields you extract:
base orddb
get customers
def seq-no,1,4,double
ext $first / zip
ext seq-no=$counter
ext tax-code / $last
out newfile,link
xeq

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Numeric Expressions
You can specify arithmetic expressions for any numeric data-type in the Extract
command. Arithmetic expressions involve the operators +, -, *, / and mod. Extract
arithmetic expressions work exactly as If command arithmetic expressions. To
extract an expression, use this syntax,
EXTRACT target-field = expression

Target-Field
The target-field determines the byte-length, data-type, and repeat-count for the
expression. The expression is extracted during the output phase and cannot be used
by other Suprtool commands that accept fields (e.g., sort). To avoid confusion, it is
best to define a new field name for the target-field instead of using an existing field
name.

Examples
>extract budget99 = actual98 + 1000
>extract total = cost * qty
>extract day = ccyymmdd-date mod 100

In the following example, the field total is used twice. In the first case, it is used
to tell Suprtool how to format the arithmetic expression. In the second case, it is used
in the sort command. Warning: In this example, the output file is sorted by the value
of total as it appears in the input record. It is not be sorted by cost * qty.
>extract total = cost * qty
>sort
total

{sort by input total}

Restrictions
You can only use one expression in each Extract command, and the expression must
be the last item. If you want to extract several expressions or more fields after an
expression, you need to use several Extract commands.
Incorrect
>extract name, i=sales + tips, c=cost + expense, dept

Correct
>extract name, i=sales + tips
>extract c=cost + expense
>extract dept

Constants vs. Expressions
If you have an arithmetic expression that starts with a constant, Suprtool assumes
that you are attempting to extract a single constant value and not an arithmetic
expression. To specify an arithmetic expression that starts with a constant, surround
the expression with parentheses. For example,
Incorrect

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>extract c = 6000 - cost
Error: Missing comma or invalid arithmetic expression

Correct
>extract c = (6000 - cost)

Numeric Truncation
The accuracy of arithmetic computations is limited to approximately sixteen digits.
Suprtool may truncate four-word integers (quad), or large packed-decimal numbers,
or display numbers when they are converted to floating-point. Suprtool does not
produce any error or warning in this case.

$Abs function
Suprtool supports an $abs function, which returns the absolute value of a number.
For example, if a field called Credit contains the value -547.83, the $abs function
returns 547.83.
This function will work on a field or even on an expression such as:
>def newcredit,1,4,double
>ext newcredit = $abs(credit / 100 * 1.07)

This function will also work in the If command:
>if $abs(credit / 100 * 1.07) > 500.00

$Truncate function
Suprtool supports a $truncate function which returns the number to the left of a
decimal place. For example if the field stddev contains the value 547.83, the
$truncate function will return 547. Note that there is no rounding.
This function will work on fields and expressions. For example,
>def newdev,1,4,double
>ext newdev = $truncate(stddev / 100 * 1.07)

This function will also work in the If command:
>if $truncate(stddev / 100 * 1.07) > 200

$SubTotal Function
Suprtool has the ability to keep a running subtotal for any numeric field based on a
given sort key. The target data must be a packed field with 28 digits, in order to
avoid overflow issues.
A sample use of the $subtotal function could be:

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Suprtool Commands • 137

>def mytotal,1,14,packed
>get orders
>sort order-number
>ext order-number
>ext part-number
>ext description
>ext sales-amount
>ext mytotal = $subtotal(sales-amount,order-number)
>out sales,link
>xeq

This would result in a file containing a running subtotal in the field mytotal for a
given order-number. You could then generate a simple report with the simple
Suprtool commands:
>in sales
>list standard
>xeq

The basic syntax for the $subtotal function in the extract command is:
extract targetfield = $subtotal(field,sort-field)

You must specify the sort command before referencing the sort-field in the $subtotal
function. You can subtotal up to ten fields per pass and the $subtotal function is also
available in the if command, however, by nature it is of limited use.

$Total Function
Suprtool has the ability to keep a running total for any numeric field. The target data
must be a packed field with 28 digits, in order to help avoid overflow issues. A
sample use of the total function could be:
>def mytotal,1,14,packed
>get orders
>ext mytotal = $total(sales-amount)
>xeq

You can total up to ten fields per pass and the $total function is also available in the
if command, however, is of limited use.

$Counter Function
For years Suprtool has had the ability to output a record number to an output file
with the num option of the output command:
>in mysdfile
>out myfile,num,data

The above could would generate an output file called myfile, however, you would
lose the SD information and you can only put the number at the beginning or the end
of the data. Suprtool now has a counter function that allows you to place a $counter
at any spot as well as preserve the SD information.
>in mysdfile
>def mycount,1,4,double
>ext field1
>ext field2
>ext mycount=$counter
>out myfile,link
>xeq

The file myfile will be self-describing and contain the fields field1, field2 and
mycount. The field mycount is defined as a double integer, since this is the only field

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type that the $counter function can use. Each record will have a unique ascending
number starting with one.

String Expressions
You can combine byte-type fields together and use the built-in string functions to
create new fields out of existing ones. This can reduce the number of tasks required
to provide a solution. String expressions may involve the + operator and $upper,
$lower, $trim, $ltrim or $rtrim. To extract a string expression, use this syntax:
EXTRACT target-field = expression

Target-Field
The target-field determines the byte-length for the expression. The data-type must be
Byte or Char. The expression is extracted during the output phase and cannot be used
by other Suprtool commands that accept fields (e.g., Sort).

Examples
>extract id-no = warehouse-no + bin-no
>extract full-name = first-name + last-name

Constants vs. Expressions
If you have an string expression that starts with a string, Suprtool assumes that you
are attempting to extract a single string value and not an string expression. To
specify a string expression that starts with a constant, surround the expression with
parentheses. For example,
Incorrect
>extract name = " " + product-desc
Error: Missing comma or invalid arithmetic expression

Correct
>extract name = (" " + product-desc)

Variable Length Strings
String expressions use variable-length strings. Suprtool keeps track of the length of
every string, and all operations are done using the actual string length. For fields, the
length of the string is the length of the field. If you do not want to retain all the
spaces in a field, use one of the built-in trimming functions.
String constants are created with the exact length of the constant. For example, the
string "abc" is three characters long and the string "a" is one.
When assigning the string expression to the target field, Suprtool pads the final string
value with spaces to fill out the target field. String expressions longer than the target
field generate an error.

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>in testfile
>def a,1,10,byte
>ext a="I'm too long for this container"
Error:

String is too long for the specified item

String Truncation
Suprtool produces an error if the string expression is longer than the target field. You
cannot override this error with Set Ignore On. To help avoid the error, you may want
to trim the expression of trailing spaces before assigning it to the target field. For
example,
>extract new-field = $trim(a + b + c)

Upshifting Strings ($Upper)
Use the built-in function $upper to upshift all the characters of a string expression
into uppercase characters. This function can be used to upshift a single field, a
complicated string expression, or any subpart of an expression. Both ASCII and
Roman-8 characters are upshifted by $upper. For example,
>extract city-up = $upper(city)
>extract full-name = $upper(first + last)

Downshifting Strings ($Lower)
If you want to downshift all characters of a string expression to lowercase, use the
built-in function $lower. This function can be used to downshift a single field, a
complicated string expression, or any subpart of an expression. Both ASCII and
Roman-8 characters are downshifted by $lower. For example,
>extract city-lower-case = $lower(city)
>extract city-state = $lower(city + state)

Trimming Spaces Using $Trim, $LTrim, $RTrim
Use one of three built-in string functions to remove leading or trailing spaces from a
string expression. The three functions are:
$Trim:

Remove leading and trailing spaces from the string expression.

$LTrim:

Remove leading spaces.

$RTrim:

Remove trailing spaces.

Splitting Variable Length Strings
Suprtool can extract portions of a byte field based on the occurence of certain
characters.
Consider the following Data:
Armstrong/ Neil/ Patrick
Green/ Bob/ Miller
Edwards/ Janine/
Armstrong/Arthur/Derek

The $split function can extract each token into separate fields. The syntax for the
$split function is:
$split(Field,Start Character,Occurence,End Character,Occurence)

The following task will $split the data in the wholefield into three separate fields.

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>in namefile
>define lastname,1,30
>define firstname,1,20
>define middlename,1,20
>extract lastname = $split(wholename,first,"/")
>extract firstname=$trim($split(wholename,"/","/"))
>extract middlename=$trim($split(wholename,"/",2," ",2))
>out names,link
>xeq

The first extract statement tells Suprtool extract the bytes from the field wholename,
starting at the beginning (first keyword), and stopping at the "/" character. The
second extract statement, tells Suprtool to extract the bytes between the first
occurence of the "/" character to the next occurence of the "/" character, and then that
string is trimmed of spaces as it is nested within the $trim function.
The third and final extract statement tells Suprtool to extract the bytes beginning
with the second occurence of the "/" character to the second occurrence of the space
character.
If the target field is not long enough to hold the data Suprtool will abort with an
error. You can easily prevent this from happening on blank fields by nesting the
$split statement within a $trim or $rtrim function.

First/Last
The $split function also has a Last keyword, whereby you can split the field from a
given occurrence of a character to the end of the field. So in the given example from
above the extracting out of the middlename could be coded as such:
>extract middlename=$trim($split(wholename,"/",2,last))

The above means to extract out all the data from the second occurrence of the "/", to
the end of the field and trim all spaces. Naturally as noted above we also have the
First keyword, which indicates the start of the field.

Unprintables
You can specify an unprintable character for Suprtool to use as the character to $split
on, using the following syntax:
>extract middlename=$split(wholename,^9,2,last)

which means that the split would start at the second occurrence of Decimal Nine, or
the Tab character. Please note that for specifying unprintable characters you do not
put in quotes.

Cleaning your Data
In this day and age of migrations we were looking at issues that customers have run
into when importing data into new databases. What came from this investigation
where ways to Clean up your data in any given byte type field.
We have added two methods to clean your data, you can use Suprtool to clean an
individual byte type field, or STExport to clean all of the byte-type fields for a given
file that you are exporting.

Un-printables
Sometimes un-printable or extraneous characters get stored in files or databases that
have no business being there. This may be some tab characters in an address field or

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perhaps and embedded carriage return or line-feed. Suprtool now supports the clean
function which will replace individual characters for a given byte field.
There are three things that Suprtool needs to know in order to "clean" a field.
Suprtool needs to know which characters it needs to clean, what character it needs to
change the "bad" characters to, and also what field does it need to clean.

Clean Command Syntax
You can specify special characters Decimal 0 thru Decimal 31 via the command:
Clean special

You can also specify a range or characters by using the following syntax:
Clean "^0:^31","^240:^255"

The Clean command is used to tell Suprtool what characters it needs to look for in a
given byte type field. For example:
clean "^9","^10","."

will tell Suprtool to replace the tab character (Decimal 9), Line Feed (Decimal 10),
and a period to whatever the Clean character is set to. The CLean command takes
both, decimal notation and the character itself, however, it is probably most
convenient to use the Decimal notation for the characters that you wish to clean. The
Decimal notation is indicated by the "^" character.

Setting the Clean Character
By default, Suprtool will replace any of the characters specified in the clean
command with a space. You can specify what character to use to replace any of the
characters that qualify with the following set command:
>set CleanChar "."

This will set the character to replace any of the qualifying "to be cleaned" characters
to be a period.

Cleaning a Field
You call the clean function, the same way you normally use other functions available
to if and extract. For example:
ext address1=$clean(address1)

shows how to clean the field address1. You do not necessarily need to have the target
field be the same as the source field.
def new-address,1,30
ext new-address=$clean(address1)

Cleaning your data
An example of how easy it would be to clean your database of certain "bad"
characters in byte-type fields would be as follows:

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>base mydb,1,;
>get customer
>clean "^9","^10","^0","^7"
>set cleanchar " "
>update
>ext address(1) = $clean(address(1))
>ext address(2) = $clean(address(2))
>ext address(3) = $clean(address(3))
>xeq

The above task will look at the three instances of address and replace the tab,
linefeed, null and bell characters with a space.
If you want to just remove the characters all you need to do is set the CleanChar in
the following manner:
>Set CleanChar “”

This means that the $clean function will remove the characters specified in the clean
command, but not replace with any character, which effectively shifts the text to the
left and pad the equivalent amount of spaces at the end.

Extract from a Table
Suprtool has the ability to load data into a table via the Table command, and extract
that data out of the table using the Extract command. The Extract command can
utilize the $lookup function to return data. The syntax for the $lookup function
would look as follows:
>extract target = $lookup(table-name,key-field,data-field)

The Table name, key-field and data-field are all defined by the Table command,
which must be input before the Extract command. A classic example: your boss
comes to you with a list of new prices for certain parts and asks you to update the
Part-Master dataset.
Just load the new prices into a Table, index by the product number (prodno), then
Extract the price field from each record and replace it with a $lookup on the table.
Here is the code:
>table newprices,prodno,file,bosslist,data(price)
>get part-master
>if $lookup(newprices,prodno)
>update
>extract price = $lookup(newprices,prodno,price)
>xeq

We do the If $lookup to select only the parts which have new prices, then do Extract
with $lookup to replace the existing price with a new one. The Update command
forces a database update on each selected record and must come before the Extract
command.
Now let's see how a Table can be used to add additional useful information to a
record. Let's say we build this table of Canadian provinces (The file prov-file is
assumed to be a Link, or self-describing, file, created by a previous pass of
Suprtool.)
>table provtab,prov-code,file,provfile,data(prov-name)

At this point the key into the Table is the prov-code item and for each entry in the
Table there is one associated prov-name. To append prov-name to each output
record, we read the customer dataset, extracting the customer name. We also Define
prov-name as a new field and extract it for the output record, but we fill it with a
value that is based on the prov-code for each customer entry:

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>get
>ext
>def
>ext
>out
>xeq

customers
cust-name
full-prov-name,1,30
full-prov-name=$lookup(provtab,cust-prov-code,prov-name)
somefile

To update a dataset, you do the same commands, but you insert an Update command
prior to the Extract from a Table. Below is an example that shows how to update an
Eloquence record using data values from a Table.
Let's assume that we have new unit cost information for each product:
>form newcosts
File: NEWCOSTS.NEIL.GREEN
(SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
PRODNO
Z8
1
UNIT-COST
P8
9
Limit: 13 EOF: 13 Entry Length: 12 Blocking: 64

We load a table with the product number key value (prod-no)and the new unit cost
data value (unit-cost):
>table prodcost-table,prodno,file,newcosts,data(unit-cost)

We can then select that unit-cost field from the prodcost-table using the Extract
command:
>extract unit-cost = $lookup(prodcost-table,prodno,unit-cost)

Here is the entire task, keeping in mind that Update must be specified before the
Extract command.
>base store.suprtpis
Database password [;]?
>get d-inventory
>table prodtable,prodno,file,newcosts,data(unit-cost)
>update
>if $lookup(prodtable,prodno)
>extract unit-cost = $lookup(prodtable,prodno,unit-cost)
>xeq

If you did not specify the If $lookup, then records that did not qualify under the
$lookup function in the extract field, will result in zeroes for any numeric field and
spaces for any byte type fields.

Data Conversion
You can convert numeric fields from one data-type to another. Any nonbyte field
type is considered to be numeric. You can also lengthen or truncate character fields.
The general syntax for doing conversions is:
EXTRACT target-field = source-field

Target-Field
The target-field determines the byte-length, data-type, and repeat-count for the
expression. The expression is extracted during the output phase and cannot be used
by other Suprtool commands that accept fields (e.g., Sort). To avoid confusion, it is
best to define a new field name for the target-field instead of using an existing field
name.

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The following example shows defining a new target-field as a double integer. The
Extract command target-field then takes the definition from the Define command
and extracts data from the source-field (display-field).
>in oldfile
>def salesqty,1,4,double
>ext order-no / order-date
>ext salesqty = display-field

Packed and Display Fields
When the target of an extract conversion is a packed- or display-type field, Suprtool
always converts positive values to a neutral packed- or display-value. To ensure that
expressions with positive values have a positive result, use the $signed function:
>extract packed_field = $signed(int_field)
>extract display_field = $signed(dbl_field / 10)

Truncation errors can occur when Suprtool converts from nonfloating-point to
floating-point. See the discussion under Numeric Truncation above.

Byte Fields
Use the Extract command to shorten or lengthen byte-type fields.
If the target-field is longer than the source-field, Suprtool fills the trailing space in
the target-field with spaces.

Byte to Numeric Conversion
Suprtool cannot explicitly convert from a byte field to a numeric field such as a
double integer. The Extract command, however, does allow conversion from a
display field to a double integer (or any other numeric field).
You can define a byte field to be a display field if all of the characters in the field
contain a number. For example if you have a six-character byte field that looks like
this:
012345
you can define it in the following manner:
>def display-field,1,6,display
This field can then be converted to any of the other numeric types that Suprtool
supports.
If the field is six characters and contains blanks, decimal, currency or a sign symbol
in the data then you can utilize the $number function.

$Number Function
Suprtool now has the ability to accept free-form "numbers" as display data types.
This means numbers in the form:
1234.45-12345
-123.2134
12343
$123.45

can now be accepted and converted to any other numeric data type. Consider the
following data:

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Item-number
12345
34563
21312

New-Price
+123.45
+ 27.5
+ 1.545

Suprtool can now read and convert the data in New-Price using the number function.
Let's say we want New-Price to be a double integer and currently occupies eight
bytes starting in position six. Here is the task you would use to convert the NewPrice free-format number into a double integer.
>in mynums
>def item-number,1,5,byte
>def new-price-ascii,6,8,display
>def new-price,1,4,double
>item new-price-ascii,dec,2
>item new-price,dec,2
>ext item-number
>ext new-price=$number(new-price-ascii)
>out somefile,link
>xeq

The $number function take the free-format number and make it a valid display
number. It will determine the decimal, sign and add leading zeroes. It will round the
number to the defined number of decimal places.
In the case of 1.545 number, Suprtool will round the value to be 1.55, since the given
number of decimal places is two and the preceding value is five or greater. If you
have a whole number such as 54, with no decimal point the value becomes 54.00.
Suprtool will not accept data that has:
More than one sign.
More than one decimal place.
Spaces in between numbers.
Signs that are in between numbers.
Characters that are not over punch characters.
Fields that when edited do not fit in the defined space for the
display field.

You can control the character that defines the currency, thousand and decimal
symbol for other currencies and formats using the following commands:
>set decimalsymbol "."
>set thousandsymbol ","
>set currencysymbol "$"

Suprtool in the above case will strip the currency and thousand symbols and use the
decimal symbol to determine the number of decimal places. You can set these
characters to any values you want but the defaults for each are used in the above set
commands. The Decimal and thousand symbols are only single characters. The
currency symbol allows for four characters.

Numeric to Byte Conversion
Suprtool has several ways to convert binary numbers (e.g., J4, I2, P8) into humanreadable ASCII form. You can use STExport or Suprtool's Output,Ascii or
Output,Display commands.
If you want to convert only some of your numeric fields, you can use Suprtool's
numeric conversion to convert binary fields to display fields. For example, here is a
conversion of a J4 field to an Z18 field:

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define mynumber 1,18,display
get dataset
extract some-fields...
extract mynumber = binary-number
output filename
xeq

You can also use the $Edit function to format and directly convert to byte format.

$Edit Function
Suprtool can format fields using edit-mask features similar to edit-mask features of
Cobol. Suprtool employs two distinct types of edit-masks: one for byte type fields
and the other for numeric fields.
The type of mask utilized depends on the source type of the field. If the source field
is numeric, then the numeric edit-mask logic is applied, if the source field is byte
type, then the byte edit-mask logic and characters apply.
The target field must always be a byte type field.

Placeholders and Format Characters
An edit-mask consists of "placeholder" characters, such as "9" for a numeric column,
and "format" characters, such as "." for the decimal place. Sometimes an edit-mask
character acts as both a placeholder and a format character, such as the "$" in
floating dollar signs.

Byte-Type Formatting
For Byte type fields there are two placeholder characters. These are:
X ~ place the data in the matching column for the X in the edit-mask
Z ~ place the data in the matching column unless the data is a zero; if the data is a
zero, then replace with a space
The format characters are as follows:
B (space) / (slash) , (comma) . (period) + (plus) - (minus) * (asterisk)
and a Space. Please note that you can denote a space using two methods, either by
putting a "B" in the mask or a space itself. For example, suppose you have data that
is in ccyymmdd format in an X8 field. Here is how you would use a "xxxx/xx/xx"
mask to format the data:

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>in mydate
>form
File: MYDATE.TEST.NEIL (SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
A
X8
1 
Limit: 10000 EOF: 2 Entry Length: 8
>def formatdate,1,10
>ext formatdate=$edit(a,"xxxx/xx/xx")
>list
>xeq
>IN MYDATE.NEIL.GREEN (0) >;OUT $NULL (0)
FORMATDATE
= 2003/09/24
>IN MYDATE.NEIL.GREEN (1) >;OUT $NULL (1)
FORMATDATE
= 2003/09/24

As you see in the example above, the placeholder character is the "x" and the "/" is
the format character. You insert a space either by specifying a "B" or by putting an
actual Space character in the edit-mask. An example of inserting a space might be
the formatting of Canadian postal codes (e.g., V3R 7K1):
>in postal
>form
File: POSTAL.NEIL.GREEN
Entry:
Offset
POSTAL-CODE
X6
1
Limit: 10000 EOF: 2 Entry Length: 6
>def post1,1,7,byte
>def post2,1,7,byte
>ext post1=$edit(postal-code,"xxx xxx")
>ext post2=$edit(postal-code,"xxxbxxx")
>list
>xeq
>IN POSTAL.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
POST1
= L2H 1L2
POST2
= L2H 1L2
>IN POSTAL.NEIL.GREEN (1) >OUT $NULL (1)
POST1
= L2H 1L2
POST2
= L2H 1L2

Z-placeholder for byte-fields
The Z-placeholder character works differently for byte-fields than for numeric fields.
For byte type fields, if the Z placeholder and the corresponding data is "0", then the
zero is suppressed, regardless of the position. This is primarily for suppression of
zeroes in byte type date fields:
ext a=$edit(date-field,"xxxx/zx/zx")

The above edit mask would then edit a byte type date of 20031005, to be:
2003/10/ 5

Overflow and limits
An edit mask is limited to 32 characters in total for both numeric and byte type
fields. If data overflows the edit-mask, by default Suprtool will fill that field with
asterisks. There is an option to have Suprtool stop when it encounters a formatting
overflow:

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>set editstoperror on

will force Suprtool to stop if there is data left over after applying the edit-mask. With
byte-type fields, leading spaces do not cause overflow. Therefore if your data
consists of:
"

L2H1L2"

and your edit mask is:
"xxxBxxx"

It is not an overflow since there are only spaces to the left of the "L". If the data was:
"

JL2H1L2"

an overflow exception would occur.

Numeric field edit-masks
Our edit-masks for numeric fields are patterned after those in COBOL. We provide
four placeholder characters, each with a slightly different effect:
"9" - insert a digit from 0 to 9 in this position
"$" - if you specify more than one dollar sign, you get a floating dollar sign. This
means that there can be as many numeric positions as there are dollar signs, but if
some positions are not needed because the value is small, the $ floats to the right
next to the first digit and the preceding positions are blank.
"*" - if there are enough digits in the value, the * position is replaced by a numeric
digit; if not, an asterisk is printed. Leading asterisks are often used for check writing,
so that no one can insert a different value.
"z" - insert a numeric digit at this position; if the rest of the data to the left is a zero
then a space will be placed at this position. For example:
>ext a=$edit(int-field,"$$,$$$.99-")
>ext b=$edit(int-field,"99,999.99-")
>ext c=$edit(int-field,"cr99999.99")
>ext d=$edit(int-field,"-$9999.99")
>ext e=$edit(int-field,"**,***.99+")
>ext f=$edit(int-field,"zz,zzz.99+")
>list
>xeq
>IN FILE1SD.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
A
=
$11.11B
= 00,011.11C
= CR00011.11
D
= -$0011.11
E
= ****11.11F
=
11.11>IN FILE1SD.NEIL.GREEN (1) >OUT $NULL (1)
A
=
$22.22B
= 00,022.22C
= CR00022.22
D
= -$0022.22
E
= ****22.22F
=
22.22-

Signs
As shown in the example above, there are also numerous format characters for
numeric edits, including four ways to specify the sign. You can specify a sign, with
+, -, or the typical accounting specification of "CR" and "DB". You will note in the
example above that the "cr" in the mask was up-shifted to be "CR". This is because
the entire mask is up-shifted as the mask is being parsed.
You can specify more than one sign in a numeric field edit, although Suprtool will
give you a warning that having two sign edit-mask characters does not really make
sense. Cobol gives a Questionable warning when compiling an edit-mask with two
sign characters. Suprtool will apply the sign in both places.

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Keep in mind that most data has three states:
Postive
Negative
Neutral
Any neutral data will not display the sign. If you specify a "+" sign in the edit-mask
and the data is negative, it will of course display a "-" sign.

Decimal Places
For numeric-type edits, Suprtool attempts to adjust the data according to the number
of decimal places in the edit-mask, when compared to the number of decimal places
defined in the field.
For example if the data field has one decimal place, and the edit mask has two
decimal places, then the data is adjusted:

Data and Edit mask:
102.3

ZZZZ.99

will result in the final data being:
102.30

Similarly, if the data has three decimal places and the edit-mask only has two, then
the data will be rounded appropriately with the same rules as outlined in the $number
function.
You can specify more than one decimal place in an edit-mask. However, Suprtool
will print a warning and it will utilize the right-most decimal place for data
alignment. The decimal place character is defined by a set command:
>set decimalsymbol "."

If you define another character as the decimal symbol, Suprtool will use that
character as the point to align the decimals. If you define a decimal symbol that is
not an allowed edit-mask character with Set Decimalsymbol, Suprtool will assume
that the field has zero decimal places and adjust the data accordingly.

Currency and Dollar signs
Suprtool edit-masks support both fixed and floating dollar signs. Logic for floating
dollar-signs will be invoked if more than two dollar signs are defined in the editmask.
A floating-dollar edit mask attempts to put the dollar sign at the left most position of
the significant data. For example if you have the following data and edit mask:
0001234.54 $$$$$$.$$

the data would end up as:
$1234.54

Suprtool will not however, put the dollar sign to the right of the decimal place. If you
had the same edit mask and the data was, .09, the data would end up being formatted
as:
$.09

Similarily, the $edit function will attempt to place the dollar sign correctly in most
cases. For example Suprtool will not format data in the form of:

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$,123.50

Suprtool, does attempt to fixup these cases and would format the data in the
following manner:
$123.50

Overflow and floating dollar
If the number of digits in the data is equal to the number of placeholder dollar signs,
then the dollar sign is dropped and not added to the edited field.
12345.50 $$$$$.99

would result in:
12345.50

Set CurrencySymbol
If Set CurrencySymbol is not equal to "$", then after the formatting has been applied,
whatever symbol(s) are defined within the set command, are used to replace the "$"
symbol in the data. For example, if you have the Currency symbol set as "CDN".
>set currencysymbol "CDN"

Suprtool will replace the "$" after the edit-mask has been applied with CDN,
provided there is room to the left of the dollar-sign.It is recommended that if you are
using multiple characters for the dollar symbol that you leave enough characters to
the left of the symbol.
For example if the CurrencySymbol is defined as CDN, then you should leave two
spaces to the left of a fixed dollar sign definition. If there is not enough room, to put
in the currency symbol, then the dollar symbol is blank.

Overflow and limits
An edit mask is limited to 32 characters in total for both numeric and byte type
fields. If data overflows the edit-mask, by default Suprtool will fill that field with
asterisks. There is an option to have Suprtool stop when it encounters a formatting
overflow:
>set editstoperror on

will force Suprtool to stop if there is data left over to place when applying the editmask. With numeric-type fields, leading zeroes do not cause overflow.

Restrictions
You can only use one expression in each Extract command, and the expression must
be the last item. If you want to extract several expressions or more fields after an
expression, you need to use several Extract commands.
Incorrect
>extract name, i=sales + tips, c=cost, dept

Correct

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>extract name, i=sales + commission
>extract c=cost
>extract dept

Extracting Bits
The Extract command can be used to define individual bits from one data item as
separate fields.
>def
>def
>ext
>ext

order-shipped,1,2,int
order-paid
,1,2,int
order-shipped=status-field.(0:1)
order-paid=status-field.(1:1)

This makes it easier to check the status of certain bits within a given field.

EBCDIC Conversions
Use the $etoa or $atoe functions to convert specific fields from EBCDIC to ASCII or
vice versa. Each of these functions accepts a single parameter that is a byte-type
field:
Extract $ETOA(char-field)
Extract $ATOE(char-field)
There are several restrictions on the $etoa and $atoe functions:
They do not work with either the ASCII or PRN output options.
You cannot extract an EBCDIC constant. The following example would
produce an error message:
>extract $etoa(char-field) = 'abcdef'
You cannot extract a range of fields using $etoa or $atoe.

Notes
The Extract command is valid only with
Output xxx,data
Output xxx,data,num
Output xxx,query
Output xxx,link
Output xxx,ascii
Output xxx,prn
The Extract occurs logically after the sort phase, if any, but prior to the final Output,
Put, or List. An If command can refer to fields of the input record that are not
included in the extracted output record. The sort keys can be fields that are not
among those extracted.
If the extracted record length is shorter than the input record length, Suprtool
attempts to speed up sorts by doing the extract before sorting. Suprtool can only do
the extract before sorting if the output option is DATA (the default), QUERY, or
LINK, and all of the sort keys are included in the Extracted fields.
One advantage of not using the Extract command is that the output file from
Suprtool has exactly the same format as the input dataset which created the file. You
can then use the =setname option of the Input command to define all of the fields in

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the output file. Even if you change your database structure, many of your job streams
that use Suprtool and the =setname option will not have to be changed.

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Form Command [F]
The Form command displays information about an Eloquence or SQL database, or
the current Select command, or the fields in a self-describing file. The Form
command is similar to the Form command of QUERY on the HP e3000.
FORM [ SETS | ITEMS | PATHS | dataset | data-item | filename ]
(Default: depends)
The Form command displays the structure of a database, dataset, table or selfdescribing file.
When showing the form of an Eloquence dataset or a self-describing file, Suprtool
shows the byte offset of each field after the subcount, type, and sublength. The first
field always appears at offset one. If you have specified a date format or the number
of implied decimal places with the Item command, these attributes appear as part of
the form listing.

Dataset List
>ba sample
Database: sample
TPI: Eloquence B.07.00 B.07.00.11
Sets:
CUSTOMERS
PARTS
ID
ORDERS
LINEITEMS

Set
Item
Num Type Count
1
MDX
10
2
MDX
10
3
MDX
1
4
DDX
7
5
DDX
7

Capacity
1355
524
2259
1008
1008

Entry
Count
1177
182
47
47
272

Load
Entry
Factor Length
87 %
112
35 %
53
2 %
2
5 %
21
27 %
22

B/F
0
0
0
0
0

Suprtool shows the type of each dataset (e.g., "M" for Manual master, "A" for
Automatic master, "D" for Detail). If you have enabled dynamic dataset expansion,
Suprtool adds "DX" to the type of the dataset (e.g., "MDX", "DDX"). Since
Eloquence has these features available by default the Type of Dataset will always be
either MDX or DDX.

Detail Datasets
If you request information about a specific detail dataset, Suprtool prints the path
information in DBSCHEMA format. The path shows the related master dataset and
the sort item-name. When displying the form of an Eloquence dataset, Suprtool
shows the capacity in a format similar to the one in DBSCHEMA.

154 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>form orders
Database: SAMPLE
ORDERS
Detail
Set# 4
Entry:
Offset
ORDERNO
X16
1
ORDERID
I2
17 (!ID)
ORDERDATE
I2
21
CUSTNO
X6
25 (CUSTOMERS)
ORDERSTAT
I1
31
ORDERTYPE
X2
33
ORDERVALUE
E4
35
Capacity: 1008 (0), 0, 0, 0 Entries: 47 Highwater: 0

Bytes: 42

Master Datasets
The Form Sets command indicates which datasets have MDX enabled. A Form
command on these datasets shows details of their expansion setting.
>form parts
Database: SAMPLE
PARTS
Master
Entry:
PARTNO
PARTLOOKUP
DESCRIPA
DESCRIPB
PARTUNIT
PROFITGROUP
MATNUMBER
PRICEUNIT
PRICE1
PRICE2
Capacity: 524 (0), 0, 0, 0

Set# 2
Offset
X16
1 <>
X10
17
X20
27
X20
47
X2
67
X4
69
X16
73
X2
89
E4
91
E4
99
Entries: 182 Bytes: 106

SQL Select
When showing the form of an SQL select, Suprtool shows the column's name, the
SQL type and the Suprtool type. When showing the form of a self-describing file,
Suprtool shows the byte offset of each field after the subcount, type, and sublength.
The first field always appears at offset one.
>open oracle scott tiger
>select * from emp
>form
Column Name:
Oracle Type:
EMPNO
ENAME
JOB
MGR
HIREDATE
SAL
COMM
DEPTNO

Number
Varchar2
Varchar2
Number
Date
Number
Number
Number

(4)
(10)
(9)
(4)
(7,2)
(7,2)
(2)

Nulls:
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y

Suprtool Type:
Integer
Byte
Byte
Integer
Oracle Date
Packed
Packed
Integer

SQL Database
If an Allbase database is open and no input file has been specified, the default Form
command shows all of the tables in the database. If a Select command has been
specified, the default Form command shows the columns in the Select command.
The exact format of the Form command is different for each SQL database.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 155

Third-Party Indexing
If the database is enabled for indexing, the Form command shows any third-party
index that corresponds to an IMAGE/Eloquence field. When doing a Form dataset,
each field is checked to see if it is a byte-type or Z-type third-party index. If it is, the
comment "<>" is shown. Indexes that have a name other than an Image-item
name are shown at the end of the form listing. The Form command only shows those
indexes that can be referenced by the Chain command.
For example,
>form m-customer
M-CUSTOMER
Master
Entry:
CITY
CREDIT-RATING
CUST-ACCOUNT

Set# 1
Offset
X12
1
J2
13
Z8
17

CUST-STATUS
X2
NAME-FIRST
X10
NAME-LAST
X16
STATE-CODE
X2
STREET-ADDRESS
2X25
POSTAL-CODE
X6
Capacity: 211 (7) Entries: 20
Additional Third-Party Indexes:
SI-LAST-NAME
X16

<>
<>
<>

25
27 <>
37 <>
53 <>
55 <>
105
Bytes: 110
B

Self-Describing Files
The Link output option produces an SD file with information about how the file was
sorted, what fields are compound, and the date format or the number of implied
decimal places for any fields. The Form command shows all of this information:
File: custfile
(SD Version B.00.00) Has line feeds
Entry:
Offset
CHAR_FIELD
X5
1 <>
REPEATED_I1
3I1
6
{compound field}
DATE_FIELD
J2
12 <>
COST_FIELD
J2
16 << .2 >>
Entry Length: 20 Blocking: 1

Default Form
If a Chain, Get, Select, or Input command of a self-describing file has been entered, a
Form command without parameters shows the fields in the current input source. If a
Base command has been specified, but no input source, a Form command without
parameters does a Form Sets. If an Open command has been specified, but no input
source, a Form command without parameters shows the tables in the SQL database.

Form Keywords
The Form command shows items, paths, and sets before it searches for a dataset or
file with these names. Use a string (e.g., "sets") to display the form of a dataset or
file that matches one of the Form keywords.
>form "paths"

156 • Suprtool Commands

{paths is the name of a dataset}

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Get Command [G]
Selects an Eloquence dataset from a previously opened Base as the input source for
the next extract. You must have read access to all fields in the dataset entry. Only
one Chain, Get, or Input command is allowed per extract task. Get always reads the
dataset serially.
GET setname

[(startrecord/[endrecord]) | (#count)]

(Default: all records)

Dataset Input
The first example shows the most common use of the Get command. An input
dataset is specified as input to Suprtool. We select a subset of the entire input dataset
using the If command:
>base store
>get d-inventory
>if unit-cost<10000
>output out1
>xeq

{serially read dataset}
{the UNIT-COST field is}
{ automatically defined by Get}

FastRead
Suprtool for HP-UX can read Eloquence datasets in two modes, one is with dbget
mode-2 serially and the other is a large “blocked” fast read method. The default
method used depends on your version of Suprtool. Suprtool has two flavours in
terms of which set of “Image” intrinsics it uses. The first or regular version loads the
Eloquence libraries by using the SHLIB_PATH or looks for the Eloquence libraries
in their default location. This “regular” version of Suprtool for HP-UX has the
FastRead option turned on by default. The version of Suprtool that uses the
ROBELLELIB_IMAGE variable to find the Image libraries has the FastRead option
off by default. This setting must be turned on prior to the Base command. See the
Set command for details

Selection by Record Number
The (startrecord/endrecord) parameter permits selection of input records on the
basis of the Eloquence record numbers. These numbers always start with 1, and the
endrecord parameter is assumed to be the last record in the dataset if it isn't
specified.
Note that you should use extreme care when you are using the record number
selection option on master datasets. This is because the record numbers of master
dataset entries can be changed as entries are added or deleted from the dataset. For
example, if there are deleted entries in the master dataset, then you could get fewer
records than expected.
Numrecs is another way to
select only a few records.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

When debugging software, it is convenient to
scan the first few records of a dataset. Specifying
a startrecord/endrecord parameter makes this
easy:

Suprtool Commands • 157

>get m-product(1/20)
>list
>xeq

{first twenty records}
{produce a formatted list of each …}
{… record with no output file}

This example gets any records that are in the first twenty IMAGE locations. This
may be fewer than twenty records, if there were deleted or unused entries in the first
twenty record numbers.

Random Selection
The #count parameter selects every "nth" record from the dataset, where "n" is equal
to count. This option is designed to allow "random" selection from the dataset. It
cannot be combined with the (startrecord/endrecord) option.
Test databases can be constructed from random samplings of production databases.
Using the #count parameter and the Put command we build a test dataset:
>base store
>get d-inventory(#15)
>put d-inventory,test
>exit

158 • Suprtool Commands

{every 15th record is read}
{put to the d-inventory dataset in …}
{… Test database}

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Help Command [H]
Show what commands and options are available in Suprtool.
HELP [ command | keyword [ ,option ] ]
(Default: browse through the entire help file)

Command Help
If you specify any parameters, Help first assumes that you want help on a Suprtool
command. If you know the structure of the help file, you can additionally specify one
of the keywords under the command name.
>help ext
>help ext,notes

{help on the Extract command}
{Notes section of the Extract command}

Keyword Help
If Suprtool cannot find any help in the "Commands" section of the help file, it
assumes that you specified one of the outer-level keywords in the help file. To see
this list of keywords, type help with no parameters. You see a short introduction to
Suprtool and then a list of keywords. You can specify any of these keywords on the
Help command. You can also specify a subkeyword.
>help start
>help start,task

{Quick Start section}
{Task section of Quick Start}

Quick Help - HQ
HQ asks Suprtool to look under the keyword Quick in the help file. Quick contains
the text from the Suprtool Quick Reference Guide, offering the experienced user a
quick review of the syntax of any command.
>hq input
>hq commands

{quick description of Input}
{quick list of command names}

Notes
If no parameters are specified, Help allows you to browse through the "help" file.
The Help Command uses the QHELP subsystem to allow you to look at the material
in the file /opt/robelle/help/suprtool (which contains most of the user manual). For
"help in help", type "?" when you see the QHELP prompt character ("?"). The help
file is organized into levels. To go back to the previous level, press Return instead of
a key name. If you press F8, you will exit the QHELP subsystem and return to
Suprtool.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 159

If Command [IF]
Specifies a subset of records to select from the input source during the next extract
task. The If command supports full logical expressions, with comparisons between
all data-types, between data fields and constant values, or between one data field and
another. The If command also provides partial string compares, bit field extracts,
subscripted IMAGE fields, AND-OR-NOT operators, and parentheses to override
precedence. You can use arithmetic expressions involving any numeric data-types.
IF expression
Note: The examples below show multiple If commands. These are for illustrative
purposes only. Suprtool does not permit multiple If commands in a single task.
Instead you can combine multiple conditions using AND and OR.

Alternatives to the If command
There are a few selection criteria that the If command cannot perform. In these cases,
you need to use other Suprtool commands. If you wish to select by record numbers,
use the record number options in the Input command. If you wish to limit the number
of records selected, use the Numrecs command.

There Is No Else Clause
The If command in Suprtool does not have an Else clause but the output command
does. To write out the records that do not match the If criteria, you can use
output,else to get both the selected data and the data that was not selected by an if
criteria. See the output command for details.
>get
dataset
>if
expression
>output file1,else,link
>xeq

{this task is the "If … then"}
{file1 and temp file else created}

You can also use a second task with the same criteria negated by a NOT.
>get
dataset
>if
expression
>output file1,link
>xeq

{this task is the "If … then"}

>get
dataset
>if
not (expression)
>output file2,link
>xeq

{this task is the "else"}

Expressions
An expression specifies the logical criteria that Suprtool uses to select records from
the input source.

Simple Expressions
The simplest expression is a single comparison between two fields (e.g., A=B) or a
field and a constant (e.g., A="XX"):
field relation field
field relation constant

160 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Fields
A field can be a temporary, Defined field, or a field from a self-describing file, or an
Eloquence field, or a column from a database table. Each field has a type (see "Key
Command [K]" on page 186 for further details). The constant must match the type
of the field. If the field has a byte-type, you must surround the constant with quotes.
>if name="TAMMY ROSCOE"
>if rating>10000
>if balance=arrears

{name is byte}
{rating is integer}
{compare two fields}

Constants
A constant is a value that matches the data-type of field. Constants are either a string
constant in quotes, a numeric constant, or a date constant specified with $date or
$today. See the next section about Constants for more details.
Constant

Type

"NATHAN ARMSTRONG"

string constant

12345

numeric constant

$date(00/07/09)

date constant July 9, 2000

Relations
A relation is one of the size comparison symbols (Suprtool does not use words like
"EQUALS" as in QUERY):
Relational operator

Means

=

equal to

>

greater than

<

less than

>=

greater than or equal to

<=

less than or equal to

<>

not equal to

Complex Expressions
Complex expressions can be made by combining the AND, OR, and NOT operators,
arithmetic operators (+, -, *, / and mod), and parentheses. The order of precedence of
operators, from highest to lowest, is
Operator

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Precedence

( ... )

Highest.

NOT

Take the opposite.

AND

Both must be true.

OR

One or the other must be true.

-

Unary minus.

*/

Higher than addition and subtraction.

Suprtool Commands • 161

+-

Lowest.

Use parentheses where necessary to change the order of evaluation.
>if status="1" and amount>100 or purchased="000115"
>if (status="1" or status="2") and amount>100

Multiple Values
You can check a data field for several test values without using the AND and OR
operators. After the equals or not-equals sign, list the alternate values separated by
commas.
The OR operator is = (equal sign). Instead of "IF A=5 OR A=6 OR A=7", use "IF
A=5,6,7". This selects a record if A is equal to 5, 6, or 7.
The AND operator is <>. Instead of "IF A<>5 AND A<>6 AND A<>7", use "IF
A<>5,6,7". This selects a record if A is anything but 5, 6, or 7.
>if field = 5,6,7
>if part = "12345","67890","39201","92308","14892"
>if delivered <> 981231,990101

This method works well if you are searching for a small number of values. Use the
$lookup function to check a data field for many test values.
IF $LOOKUP(tablename, fieldname)
The $lookup function returns TRUE, if the specified field name contains a value
from the specified table. You can also look for values that are not in a table.
IF NOT $LOOKUP(tablename,fieldname)
See the Table command for a complete description of how to combine tables and the
$lookup function. (Note: Suprtool's Table command is not related to tables in
databases.)
$lookup parameter

function

tablename

The name of a table specified in the Table command.

fieldname

A field from the input record. This field must be exactly
the same length as the item used in the Table command.

Multiple Values and Table Data
Suprtool can use the “data” loaded into a Table in a comparison operation. The
$lookup function will return the data value from the table to compare against another
field or literal.
>In file1sd
>Table mytable,char-field,data,tabfile,data(id-field)
>If $lookup(mytable,char-field,id-field) = int-field

So what Suprtool will do in this case is read a record, lookup the record in the table
and retrieve the data item in the table. If Suprtool does NOT find an entry in the
table, a zero will be returned if the data type is numeric and spaces will be returned if
it is a byte type.
So using the case above, if no entry is found in the table, zero is returned, and if intfield is equal to zero, then the record will qualify.
If you don’t want to have any values returned from the table lookup, you just preface
the if with a standard lookup.

162 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>get
>table
>if

ord-details
cust-table, cust-no, file, custlist,data(state-code)
$lookup(cust-table,cust-no) and &
$lookup(cust-table, cust-no, state-code) = state-code
>output orders
>xeq

When using $lookup to return data, the $lookup must always be on then left side of
the expression. If not Suprtool will stop with an error:
>if id-field=$lookup(mytable,char-field,id-field)
Error: $lookup in this context (data comparison) must be on left side

Performance of $Lookup
Due to the nature of the $lookup function, it can
be, at times CPU intensive, however, since the If
command uses short-circuit evaluation, $lookup
should be specified as the last part of the If
command. For example,

Short-circuit evaluation
means that the If command
does not always need to
evaluate all the parts of the
command.

>if status = "10" and $lookup(cust-table,account)
is faster than
>if $lookup(cust-table,account) and status = "10"
because Suprtool can evaluate status = "10" faster than $lookup. When the
status is not "10" Suprtool knows the record will not be selected, therefore there is no
need to do the $lookup.

$Null(fieldname)
The If $null(fieldname) command selects any rows that have null values in them.
This feature is available only for SQL databases and only on columns that allow null
values:
>if $null(SALESTOTAL)

If you want to find only those values that are not null, you can add the NOT keyword
in front of $null:
>if not $null(SALESTOTAL)

Constants
This section describes numeric and string constants. See also Date Selection.

Numeric Constants
Numeric constants are not enclosed in quotes. Numeric constants may be just simple
whole numbers (e.g., 5, 0, -56, 10004) or they may have a decimal point (e.g., 5., 0.0,
-.56, 99.9, 1.4). IEEE numbers may also have a scale factor (e.g., 5E-5, 0.01E+4).
"Over-punches" for the sign are not required, or recognized, in Suprtool. Always
enter -11 as -11, not 1J for a DISPLAY field.

String Constants
String constants are delimited with double- or single-quote marks. That is, either
"VANC" or 'VANC'. Any characters within quotes are not upshifted. If the constant
is shorter than the field to which it is being compared, the constant is padded with

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 163

blanks. String constants are expected for fields of type BYTE, U, or X, but numeric
constants are expected for fields of type Z (zoned decimal).
>if field = " "
>if field = "XX"
>if field = 'XX'

{check for all blanks}
{double-quotes are okay}
{so are single-quotes}

If you want to compare for a quote itself, you include two quotes in the string for
each quote you want.
>if field = "AB""CD"

{look for AB"CD}

Character Constants
Use the ^-character to specify any ASCII character. The number (the actual ASCII
value), or letter (^A means control A), must follow immediately after the ^-character.
Suprtool treats character constants as strings. When you compare the constant to a
field longer than one byte, Suprtool pads the constant with spaces.
>define field,1,1
>if field = ^0
>if field = ^G
>if field = ^27
>if field = ^252

{byte field}
{binary zero}
{Control-G (bell)}
{escape}
{Roman-8 box}

To look for "null values" or "low values" in byte-fields, it is usually sufficient to
check the first byte for a binary zero:
>define first-byte,bigfield,1,byte
>if first-byte = ^0

Subscripts
Use subscripts to access individual items in repeated fields, or to access substrings.

Numeric Subscripts
For repeated numeric fields only one index is allowed.
If Table has the form 10J2, it holds ten double integers.
Table(1) is the first sub-item.
Table is the same as Table(1).
Table(5) is the fifth sub-item.
>if table(5) = 23
>if table(2) = 20 or table(4) = 30
>if table(8) = 31 and table(9) = 28

Character Subscripts
Character string fields may have 1, 2, or 3 subscripts after them. Character string
fields are allowed more than one subscript value.
If ADDR has the form 5X30, it consists of 5 substrings of 30 characters each.
ADDR(1) is the first 30-character sub-item of ADDR.
ADDR without subscript is the same as ADDR(1).
ADDR(2) is the second 30-character sub-item of ADDR.

164 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

ADDR(2,4) is the second sub-item, starting with the 4th byte and extending
for the remainder of the sub-item, 27 bytes.
ADDR(2,4,6) starts at the same location, but extends for only 6 bytes.
If NAME has the form X50, it is not a repeated field.
NAME is the same as NAME(1).
NAME(1,4,6) is the first (and only) sub-item, starting at the 4th byte and
extending for 6 bytes.
NAME(1,10) is a field that starts at the 10th byte and implicitly extends to
the end of the field (for the remaining 41 bytes).
>if name(1,4,6) = "HAWAII"
>if addr(3) = "VANCOUVER, B.C."
>if addr(3,11,20) == "@B.C.@"

{pattern matching}

Numeric Expressions
Bit Selections
The If command can extract and test any series of one or more contiguous bits in a
field. Suprtool allows bit extracts only on Integer or Logical fields of two bytes in
length (one 16-bit word). To do a bit extract from another type of field, first use
Define to redefine the data as a two-byte Logical field.
Once Suprtool extracts a bit string, it always treats it as an Unsigned Integer, a
Logical, and never interprets it as negative. The format for bit extracts calls for a
starting bit number and a bit count. The 16 bits in a computer word are numbered
from the left, 0 to 15. The two bytes to extract from need not be on a "word
boundary" (i.e., they can start in any byte position). See "Define Command [D]" on
page 113 for how to define a two-byte logical field.
field . (startbit : bitcount)
>define bitfield,name,2,logical
>if bitfield.(4:2)=3

How to Check a Byte for a Numeric Value
Because Suprtool does not have one-byte integers, it can be difficult to check a
single byte for a specific numeric value. Use a two-byte integer Define field and the
bit-extract operator to solve this problem:
>define word,transcode,2,integer
>if word.(0:8)=13

See "Character Constants" on page 164 for an alternate method.

Decimal Places
Use the Item command to specify the number of implied decimal places in an item.
If you do not do this, you must scale all numbers in the If command. For example,
let's assume that you want to find all inventory records with a cost equal to $80.59. If
you do not use the Item command, your If command would look like this:
>if cost = 8059

{no decimal places}

By telling Suprtool about the number of decimal places in the cost item, your If
command looks more natural (which usually means you will make fewer mistakes):

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 165

>item cost,decimal,2
>if cost = 80.59

{decimal places included}

Numeric Conversion
The If command can compare two numeric fields to each other (not just one field to
a constant). All relation operators are supported: <, <=, =, <>, >, and >=. However,
you cannot compare a byte-field to a numeric-type field.
Suprtool usually converts the field on the left side of a relational operator to floatingpoint. Then the floating-point number is converted into the type of the field on the
right side of a relational operator and the comparison is done. The exceptions to this
rule are integer-to-double, packed-to-packed, and display-to-display comparisons,
which use a direct comparison algorithm.
Truncation errors can occur when Suprtool converts from one field type to floatingpoint. See also Accuracy and Numeric Truncation.

Arithmetic Expressions
You can specify arithmetic expressions for any numeric data-type in the If command.
Arithmetic expressions involve the operators +, -, *, / and mod. The Mod operator
returns the remainder between a dividend and a divisor. Arithmetic expressions
cannot start with a numeric constant (e.g., if 2 + a = 10 is invalid). Arithmetic is not
allowed on byte-type fields. If you have a byte-type field that consists entirely of
numeric digits, redefine the field as display type and use the redefined field name in
the If command.

Examples
>if
>if
>if
>if

field + 10 = 1115
cost * qty > 10000
total < qty * price + tax
yymmdd-date / 100 mod 100 <= 03

{numeric field}
{first quarter}

Missing Features
Arithmetic overflow in computations will cause Suprtool to abort.

Accuracy
By default, Suprtool uses floating-point arithmetic to compute. In some cases, there
can be slight inaccuracies due to rounding errors.

Numeric Truncation
The accuracy of arithmetic computations is limited to approximately sixteen digits.
Suprtool may truncate four-word integers (quad) or large packed-decimal or display
numbers when they are converted to floating-point. Suprtool does not produce any
error or warning in this case.

$Abs function
Suprtool supports an $abs function, which returns the absolute value of a number.
For example, if a field called Credit contains the value -547.83, the $abs function
returns 547.83.
This function will work on a field or even on an expression such as:

166 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>if $abs(credit / 100 * 1.07) > 500.00

This function will also work in the Extract command:
>def newcredit,1,4,double
>ext newcredit = $abs(credit / 100 * 1.07)

$Truncate function
Suprtool supports a $truncate function which returns the number to the left of a
decimal place. For example if the field stddev contains the value 547.83, the
$truncate function will return 547. Note that there is no rounding.
This function will work fields and expressions:
>if $truncate(stddev / 100 * 1.07) > 200

This function will also work in the Extract command:
>def newdev,1,4,double
>ext newdev = $truncate(stddev / 100 * 1.07)

String Expressions
You can do comparisons with byte-type fields in numerous ways using Suprtool.
These powerful features minimize the number of tasks you must execute in order to
select the data you need. The fewer the number of tasks, the faster your data is
delivered to the users and applications that need it.
You can combine byte-type fields together and use the built-in string functions to
create string expressions. String expressions involve the + operator and the other
string functions such as $lower, $upper, $trim, $ltrim and $rtrim.

Fixed vs. Variable Length Strings
String comparisons are done using fixed- and variable-length strings. For most users,
there should be no difference between the two types of strings. When doing string
comparisons, Suprtool always pads shorter strings with spaces, with the one
exception of comparing two fixed-length fields (see "Byte Fields" below).
String expressions involving the + operator or the $upper, $lower, $trim, $ltrim and
$rtrim built-in functions are done using variable-length strings. Suprtool keeps track
of the length of every string, and all operations are done using the actual string
length. For fields, the length of the string is the length of the field. If you do not want
to retain all of the spaces in a field, use one of the built-in trimming functions.
When creating string expressions, string constants are created with the exact length
of the constant. For example, the string constant "abc" is three characters long and
the string "a" is one.

Byte Fields
For historical reasons, comparing two byte-type fields to each other is a special case.
If the two fields are exactly the same length, Suprtool compares them completely. If
one field is shorter, the comparison is done for the length of the shortest field.
Suprtool does not check for spaces in the trailing characters of the longer field. For
example,

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>define
>define
>if

short, 1,10
long ,11,15
short = long

{ten character field}
{fifteen character field}

In this example, Suprtool compares the ten bytes in the short field with the first ten
bytes of the long field, but ignores the last five bytes of the long field. If the
expression on either side of the equal sign consisted of more than one field (using the
+ operator) or involved any of the string functions, ($upper, $lower, $trim, $ltrim or
$rtrim), Suprtool would have compared both sides of the equal sign by padding the
shorter field with spaces. It is only the case where you are directly comparing one
byte-type field to another that Suprtool uses the length of the shortest field for the
comparison.
You cannot compare a byte-field to a numeric-type field. If you have a byte-field that
consists entirely of numeric digits, redefine the field as a display-type and use the
redefined field name in the If command.

Character Type
Byte-type fields can also be checked to see whether they contain only Alpha,
Numeric, Alphanumeric, or Special characters. The complete field is compared
against the specified character types.
Type

Characters

Alpha

A-Z, a-z (52 characters)

Numeric

0-9 (10 characters)

Special

anything else (194 characters, including
spaces, punctuation, Roman-8 letters, binary
junk)

Alphanumeric

A-Z, a-z, 0-9 (62 characters)

For the test result to be true, all the characters in the field must be of the specified
character type. To test a substring, use the Define command to define a subfield.
>if field = alpha
>if field <> numeric

Examples:
String

Class

"1234"

numeric

"12.3"

no class, contains both numeric and special

"ABCD"

alpha

"B JONES"

no class, contains both alpha and special

"

special

"

"A1B2"

alphanumeric

Pattern Matching
Suprtool can also select records based on a pattern of characters, rather than an exact
string of characters. For example, use the following to select all records with
"CONNOR" anywhere in the Name field,

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>if name == "@CONNOR@"

The double equals (==) is the operator for pattern matching. The at signs (@) means
anything before or after "CONNOR" is acceptable, including nothing.
For character fields, there are two comparison operators for patterns: "==" (matches),
and "><" (does not match). The pattern is specified as a quoted string, using the
special characters listed below. Embedded spaces are allowed in the pattern and must
be matched in the target field.
These are the special characters:
Character

Meaning

@

Zero, or more, characters of any type.

#

A single numeric character.

?

A single alphabetic or numeric character.

~

Zero, or more, blank characters.

&

Escape character to match the next character
explicitly (&@ looks for the @ character).

^

Reserved for future use.

!

Reserved for future use.

Any other character must be matched, one for one.
>if name=="@ZANDER@"
>if name=='@ZANDER@ARMSTRONG@'
>if name><"@#@"
>if name=='@qedit@','@suprtool@'

{does name contain ZANDER anywhere?}
{does name contain ZANDER perhaps …}
{… other characters, then ARMSTRONG?}
{does name not contain numerics?}
{qedit or suprtool?}

For more information, see Special Characters in the Glossary.

Finding Special Characters
With the $Clean function you can clean "bad" characters inside of text fields,
however the $Clean function does not report back what records were "cleaned". For
this reason we have the $FindClean function. $FindClean will return true if it finds a
character defined using the Clean command. This makes it extremely easy to find a
set of Special characters that you can define.
>in cleansd
>clean "^9","^10"
>if $findclean(nonprint)
>list

The above task will list the record if the field nonprint has a Tab (Decimal 9) or a
Line Feed (Decimal 10) anywhere in the field. You can Find and clean the "bad"
characters from a field at the same time:
>in cleansd
>clean "^9:^10"
>if $findclean(nonprint)
>extract nonprint=$clean(nonprint)
>list

Trimming Spaces ($Trim, $Ltrim, $Rtrim)
Use one of three built-in string functions to remove leading or trailing spaces from a
string expression. The three functions are:

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$Trim:

Remove leading and trailing spaces from the string expression.

$LTrim:

Remove leading spaces.

$RTrim:

Remove trailing spaces.

Because Suprtool pads shorter strings with spaces when doing comparisons,
trimming spaces is most useful when creating a combined string with several fields.
For example, you might want to combine a person's first and last name (including a
space between the two):
>if $trim(first) + " " + $trim(last) = "Joe Smith"

Mixed Case ($Upper and $Lower)
By default, Suprtool does an exact match when comparing two string expressions. If
the expressions vary in the capitalization of characters, Suprtool finds them to be
different. To do caseless string comparisons or pattern matches, use the $upper or
$lower functions. Both ASCII and Roman-8 characters are shifted by $upper and
$lower. For example,
>if $upper(city) = "VANCOUVER"
>if $lower(city) = "edmonton"

Note that if you use the $upper or $lower functions, Suprtool does not upshift or
downshift any constants used in the comparison. You must explicitly specify the
constants in the correct case or you can use $upper or $lower with the constant:
>if $upper(city) = $upper("vancouver")

Use the $upper or $lower functions for caseless pattern matching. As with other
comparison operators, you must specify constants in the correct case when doing
pattern matching:
>if $upper(city) == "VAN@"
>if $lower(city) == "ed@"

You can use $upper and $lower with string expressions that combine many fields
and string functions as shown in the following example:
>if
-

$read
$upper($trim(first) +
" "
$trim(last))
= "JOE SMITH"
//

+

Date Selection
The If command has four functions to help select records based on dates: $date,
$today, $days and $stddate. The $date function works for any date. The $today
function works for the current date and dates relative to today. The $stddate and
$days functions work for almost any date. To use these date functions, you must first
identify the date format of an item by using the Item command.
The $date function makes it easier to specify a target date for certain date formats
(e.g., PHdate or ASK). To select records based on a specific date, use this feature:
>if field=$date(year/month/day)

Suprtool checks the date's validity. To select the transactions for January 1999, you
would do the following:

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>item trans_date,date,phdate
>if trans_date >= $date(1999/01/01) and &
trans_date <= $date(1999/01/31)

Relative Dates
You can specify a relative date using the $date function. Then you can create job
streams that don't rely on hard-coded dates. The general syntax of the $date function
is:
$date(year/month/day)
The year can be a specific number (e.g., 2000) or an asterisk "*" for the current year.
To specify a relative year, you add or subtract years from the one you specified:
>if field=$date(2000/01/01)
>if field=$date(2000-1/01/01)
>if field=$date(*-1/01/01)

{January 1, 2000}
{January 1, 1999}
{January 1, last year}

The month can be a specific number (e.g., 6 for June) or an asterisk "*" for the
current month. To specify a relative month, you add or subtract months from the one
you specified:
>if
>if
>if
>if

field=$date(2000/06-1/01)
field=$date(*/*/01)
field=$date(*/*-1/01)
field=$date(*/*-18/*)

{May 1, 2000}
{start of current year and month}
{start of last month}
{exactly eighteen months ago}

The day can be a specific number (e.g., 15), an asterisk "*" for the current day, the
word "first" for the first day of the month, or the word "last" for the last day of the
month. You cannot add or subtract relative days; use $today instead.
>if field=$date(2004/01/first)
>if field=$date(*/*/*)
>if field=$date(*/*-1/last)

{January 1, 2004}
{today's date}
{last day of previous month}

Combining these features makes it possible to generate batch jobs that require no
operator input. For example, to select all of the transactions for last month you would
use:
>item trans_date,date,phdate
>if trans_date >= $date(*/*-1/first) and &
trans_date <= $date(*/*-1/last)

Month End
Suprtool is always expecting a valid date. Suppose that you have a month-end job
that contains the following If command:
>if field = $date(*/*-1/*)

When you run the job on May 31, 2000, if Suprtool were to use the literal
interpretation of $date(*/*-1/*), it would use the date April 31, 2000. In fact, there is
no such date; April has only 30 days. Whenever you specify * for the day, and the
day is greater than the last day of the month you specified, Suprtool uses the actual
last day of the month instead of the current day of the month. In our example,
Suprtool would use April 30, 2000. Suprtool will take leap years into account when
calculating the last day of February.

Today's Date
To select records based on today's date, use the following:

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>if field=$today
>if field=$today(-1)
>if field=$today(+1)

{today's date}
{yesterday's date}
{tomorrow's date}

Use the Item command to qualify the field as a date. The $today function accepts one
optional argument which is the number of days before or after today. The maximum
number of days in either direction is 9999.

yymmdd and Beyond 1999
Because dates spanning the turn of the century will not collate properly for the
yymmdd form, you need to use $stddate to compare these dates.
>item ship-date,date,yymmdd
>if ship-date < $date(2000/12/31)
>if $stddate(ship-date) < $date(2000/12/31)

{will not work}
{will work}

Finding Invalid Dates
Use the $invalid function to find invalid dates. An invalid date is a number in a date
format whose date equivalent cannot be found on a calendar. For example, a month
value of 99 would be considered invalid.
>input sdfile
>item deliv-date,date,ccyymmdd
>if $invalid(deliv-date)
>out baddates,link
>xeq

{a self-describing file}

$Stddate Function
The $stddate function converts any date format in nearly any data-type container and
internally converts it to the ccyymmdd format in a double integer container.
This allows you to compare dates with dissimilar formats and data-types. For
example,
>in orddets
>item order-date,date,ccyymmdd
>item bill-date,date,mmddyyyy
>if $stddate(bill-date) <= order-date
>output badords,link
>xeq

This feature is also available for dates that have two-digit years. The century portion
of the date will be generated by $stddate, which uses the normal cutoff rules
specified by Set Date Cutoff.
>in invdets
>set date cutoff 20
>item invoice-date,date,yymmdd
>item close-date,date,mmddyyyy
>if $stddate(close-date) <= $stddate(invoice-date)
>out badinvs,link
>xeq

In this case all invoice-date values with a yy portion between 20 and 99 will have a
19 for the century. All invoice date values with a yy portion of less than 20 will have
20 for the date generated by the $stddate function.

Invalid Dates
A date must be valid before $stddate can convert it to the ccyymmdd format.
Otherwise, a value of 0 will be returned for any invalid dates. An invalid date is a

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number in a date format whose date equivalent cannot be found on a calendar. This
includes dates selected by the $invalid function. We can eliminate the invalid dates
from the above task by changing the If command slightly.
>input sdfile
>set date cutoff 20
>item invoice-date,date,yymmdd
>item close-date,date,mmddyyyy
>if (not $invalid(close-date) &
or not $invalid(invoice-date)) &
and
$stddate(close-date) <= $stddate(invoice-date)
>out badinvs,link
>xeq

In this example, if either the close-date or the invoice-date are invalid, then they will
not be evaluated by the $stddate function and will not be selected. Although your
requirements may be different, you need to remember that invalid dates evaluated by
the $stddate function will return a 0 value.

$Days Function
Suprtool supports a $days function, which converts any supported date to a Julian
Day number (the number of days since 4713 BC). This allows for Date arithmetic, in
which you can calculate the difference between two dates, even if they have
dissimilar formats.
For example you could find all orders that were not shipped within 30 days of being
ordered.
>form ordfile
File: ORDFILE.SALES.MFG
(SD Version B.00.00)
Entry:
Offset
ORDER-DATE
X8
1
<>
SHIP-DATE
X8
9
<>
ORDER-NUMBER
X6
17
Limit: 10000 EOF: 15 Entry Length: 22 Blocking: 16
>in ordfile
>if $days(SHIP-DATE) - $days(ORDER-DATE) >=30
>list
>xeq

Invalid Dates
As with the $stddate function, if a date is not a valid date, then the result of the $days
function will be zero. In the example above, if the order has not yet been shipped,
then the SHIP-DATE will likely be blank, or zero, or some other special value.
$Days(SHIP-DATE) will be zero, and the resulting calculation will be a negative
number.

Notes on Relative Dates
The $date and $today functions always generate a constant from the date, just as if
you had typed it. For example, when run on February 13, 2004, the follwing task:
>item field,date,yymmdd
>if field > $today

is the same as:
>if field > 010213

Suprtool normally does no date conversion of the actual dates. Dates that do not start
with the year do not collate correctly, so Suprtool does not allow relative

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comparisons with them (<, <=, >, and >=), although you may still compare for strict
equality or inequality. The following examples will be rejected by Suprtool:
>item trans_date,date,ddmmyy
>if trans_date >= $date(*/*-1/first) and &
trans_date <= $date(*/*-1/last)
Error: Invalid date format for the comparison
>input myfile,reclen 80, nolf
>define mydate,1,6
>item mydate,date,ddmmyy
{e.g., 301100}
>define ....
>if mydate > $date(00/11/01)
Error: Invalid date format for the comparison
>if mydate > $date(01/11/00)
Error: Invalid date: Year = 1 Month = 11 Day = 00

If the date format does not allow the specification of a certain day, such as yymm,
ccyymm, yyyymm, aamm, ccyy and mmyyyy, then you do not need to specify the
entire date format, although Suprtool will allow either format for $date.
>item trans_month,date,yymm
>item purch_date,date,yymm
>if trans_month <= $date(*/*/*) and &
purch_date >= $date(00/01)

Because dates beyond 1999 in the yymmdd and yymm date types do not collate
correctly, relative comparisons are no longer valid. Suprtool produces an error in the
following case:
>item trans_date,date,yymmdd
>if trans_date >= $date(2004/01/01)
Error: Cannot use a date beyond 1999 for this date format.

You can override this setting by entering the Set Date Ifyy2000error command:
>set date ifyy2000error off
>item trans_date,date,yymmdd
>if trans_date >= $date(2004/01/01)

Century and $Date
Suprtool needs to generate a $date or $today date in the ccyymmdd format. If you
specify a two-digit year in the $date function, Suprtool needs to assume a century for
the given date:
>item trans-date,date,ccyymmdd
>if trans-date >= $date(01/01/01)

Suprtool assumes 20 for the century if the specified year is less than the Set Date
Cutoff value, and 19 if the specified two-digit year is greater than or equal to this
value.

Oracle Dates
Oracle dates contain both the date and the time. The $date and $today functions
check the date, but ignore the time.

Date Limits
The $date function in Suprtool can generate dates between the years 1583 and 2583.
Some date formats have limits based on their particular format, such as 2027 for a
Calendar date and 2259 for the aammdd aamm, mmddaa, ddmmaa dates.

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Non-Collating Date Types
You can use the $stddate function to convert the non-collating date format to a J2
data item with a date format of ccyymmdd.
For example, to select the purchases by the field purch_date for November 2000 in a
ddmmyy X6 field, you would use the $stddate function as follows:
>item purch_date,date,ddmmyy
>if $stddate(purch_date) >= $date(2000/11/first) and &
$stddate(purch_date) <= $date(2000/11/last)

Dynamic Date Selection
You can use the If command for dynamic date
selection. Suppose you have a control file that
maintains the start and end of a range of dates in
which you are interested. You can use the control
file to select records from another file or dataset,
based on this date range. This is a two-step
process, in which the first Suprtool pass creates
the If command with your dates, and the second
pass does the actual selection from the dataset.

Using a first pass to generate
a Suprtool command
dynamically, then using that
command in a second pass, is
a powerful technique.

>input datecntl, reclen 12, nolf
>define start_date,1,6,byte
>define end_date,7,6,byte
>extract "if sales_date >= '"
>extract start_date
>extract "' and sales_date <= '"
>extract end_date
>extract "'"
>output seldate,temp
>xeq

{read the one_line control file}
{start date is the first six bytes}
{end date is the next six bytes}
{assemble the If command}

{write the If command to a file}

This task produces a usefile that looks like this:
if sales_date >= '001101' and sales_date <= '001231'

Now you can use this file named seldate to do the actual selection:
>open oracle demo reader
>select * from sales
>use seldate
>output sdetail
>exit

{use the file that has the If command}

Long Expressions
Long If commands can use an ampersand to continue the command over several
lines:
>if status = "20" and
>> state = "AZ",
>>
"CA",
>>
"OR"

&
&
&
{no ampersand on the last line}

This is awkward to use and, for internal reasons, the maximum length is restricted to
256 characters. The $read function makes it easier to enter long If commands. Its
maximum length is based on the complexity of the expression, not on the number of
characters.

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$Read Function
The $read function reads the If expression from $stdinx, or from the usefile if the If
command is in a usefile. $Read continues to prompt for input lines until you press
Return or enter "//." You must remember to enter all the necessary parts of the If
expression, including connectors like AND and OR and commas. You do not use an
ampersand (&) to continue from one line to the next when using $read.
>if $read
-status = "20" and
-state = "AZ",
"CA",
"OR"
-

{prompt for the expression}
{$read prompts with "-"}
{the comma is still needed}
{no comma on the last line}
{blank line to terminate $read}

Redoing $Read
When prompting for an expression, $read saves each line in the redo stack and
accepts the Before, Do, Listredo, and Redo commands. This provides an easy way to
specify all or part of a previous $read expression.

Error: Data Overflow
While the $read function permits long expressions, there are other internal limits
within the If command. The first is a limit on the amount of space for constants.
Suprtool must blank-fill all string constants to their full length. The following
example overflows the data space:
>define char-256,1,256
>if char-256 = "a","b","c"
Error: Data Overflow

In this example, Suprtool attempted to create three 256-byte constants. There wasn't
enough room for the last constant. Solutions to this problem include:
If possible, define short fields. If you have long field names, you may want
to use the Define command to define shorter subfields.
Use tables and $lookup for many values.
Split the extract task into multiple passes. On the first pass, use an If
expression that results in the fewest possible number of output records.
Use the output file from the first pass as input to the second. Apply the
remainder of your If expression during the second pass.

Error: Code Overflow
Suprtool translates If commands to an internal machine representation. There is a
limit on the size of this code. When an error occurs, there is little you can do except
use tables and $lookup wherever possible, and when this fails use multiple passes.

$Read in Usefiles
When you specify $read in a usefile, Suprtool expects the If expression to appear in
the usefile. This provides a method for storing and executing complicated If
commands.
You can also manipulate Suprtool into prompting for portions of an If command.
When the If command with $read is the last command in a usefile, Suprtool satisfies
the $read from $stdinx. The $read function can appear anywhere in which a space
can appear, so you can use this to prompt the user for values.

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>use prompt.use
>in sdfile
>if status=$read and &
state = $read
-"10"
-//
-"AZ",
-"CA",
-"OR"
-//

{first line of usefile}
{continue the If command}
{last line of the usefile}
{prompt for status}
{end of prompt for status}
{prompt for state}
{user must remember comma}
{user also enters quotes}
{end of the second read}

$-functions
Some $-functions were originally designed for if command and some are more suited
for the extract command. Because of this some $-functions don’t work in the if
command, such as $edit, and others such as $number have interesting side effects.
Specifically with $number, when you work on byte type fields, they will be updated
internally to be treated as display:
Get dataset
Def display-field,byte-field,display
If $number(display-field) > 10000
Out somefile,link
xeq

The field byte-field will have leading zeroes and
treated as a display.

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Input Command [I]
Opens the file that will be the input source for the next extract task. The file must
contain fixed-length records with or without a line feed separator. If you are
selecting records, the selection parameters must appear after any Reclen, LF, or
NOLF parameters. The record length is the length of the data portion of each record,
not including the line feed. If you specify LF, Suprtool/UX includes the line feed as
part of the data by increasing the record length by one character.
If you have an input file with 80-byte records, and each record is separated with a
line feed, you would use:
>input uxfile,reclen 80,lf
>list char
>xeq

Since Uxfile has line feeds, the List command shows a dot (.) as the 81st character of
each record. This dot corresponds to the line feed character. To read every fifth
record in Uxfile, you would use:
>input uxfile,reclen 80,lf, (#5)
>list char
>xeq

To examine a file which has no line feeds between records (e.g., the Suprtool object
code), you would use:
>input /opt/robelle/bin/suprtool,rec 256,nolf
>num
10
>list hex,char
>xeq

Suprtool executes the Input command immediately – it does not wait for an Xeq
command before opening the Input file.
INPUT file

[,RECLEN length] [, LF | NOLF]
[(startrecord/[endrecord])]
[(#count)]

(Default: all input records)

Input File
The first example shows the most common use of the Input command. An input file
is specified as the input source to Suprtool. We select a subset of the input data with
the If command. Before using the If command, we must define a field within the
input record:
>input invent, r 80, nolf
>define a,11,2,int
>output outfile
>if a<10000
>xeq

{input is from a disc file}
{"A" is an integer that starts…}
{ at the 11th byte of Invent}
{records with field "A" less than…}
{ 10000 are written to Outfile}

Selection by Record Number
The (startrecord/endrecord) parameter specifies a range of input records by record
number. The default value for endrecord is the highest record in the file. The first
record number is 0 for disc files.

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The (startrecord/endrecord) parameter must come after the reclen and LF/NOLF
parameters, if it is present. You can check your record selections with the Verify
command.
When debugging software, it is convenient to scan the first few records of a file. The
startrecord/endrecord parameter makes it easy to scan these records:
>input invent,r 80,nolf, (0/19)
>list
>xeq

{first twenty records}
{produce a list of each record}
{ in "OCTAL,CHAR" format}

Random Selection
The (#count) parameter specifies that every "nth" record in the input file should be
selected. This option is designed for random sampling of the input file. The
(startrecord/endrecord) parameter cannot be used with this parameter. Like
(startrecord/endrecord), (#count) must come after the =setname, if present.
Test files can be constructed from random samplings of production files. We can
build a test file with the #count parameter:
>input dinvent(#15)
>output dtest
>xeq

{every 15th record is read}
{create an output file with every}
{ 15th record from Dinvent}

Notes
Only one Input, Chain, Get, or Select command is allowed per extract task. The
Input command opens the specified file immediately. The file is held open until the
input is reset or the current task completes.

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Item Command [IT]
Use the Item command to specify the number of implied decimal points or the date
format for an item. The $date and $today functions of the If command work only
with dates. The Item command must precede any If or Extract commands.
ITEM itemname,DATE | DECIMAL,attribute

Itemname
The itemname must be an Eloquence itemname, a Defined field, an SD (selfdescribing) field, or a column name. If the itemname exists both as an Eloquence
itemname and as a Defined field, the attribute is associated with the Eloquence
itemname and the Defined field is deleted. If the itemname exists both as an
Eloquence itemname and as an SD field, the attribute is only associated with the
Eloquence itemname and a warning is produced. The itemname cannot be qualified
with a subscript.

Date Formats
For dates, the attribute must be one of the following:
Attribute

Attribute

ASK

ccyymm

Calendar

ccyy

ddmmyy

aammdd

ddmmyyyy

aamm

mmddyy

mmddaa

mmddyyyy

ddmmaa

Oracle

SRNChronos

PHdate

mmyyyy

yymm

yyddd

yymmdd

ccyyddd

yyyymm

HPCalendar

yyymmdd

JulianDay

yyyymmdd

EDSDate

ccyymmdd

PHDate8

Abbreviations
When specifying the Date keyword, you can use a leading subset for the date
attribute. For example, if you want to specify the Calendar date type, you can specify
only CA.
>item cal-date,date,ca

If you do not like this feature, you can turn it off by specifying the following
command in your Suprmgr file:

180 • Suprtool Commands

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>set itemabbreviatedate off

Data-Types for Dates
Each date attribute is compatible with certain data-types. For more information, see
the table on data-types in the Define command. The following table shows the
compatibilities:
Date-Attribute

Data-Type Compatibility

ASK

J1 and K1

Calendar

J1 and K1

ddmmyy

X6, Z6, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

ddmmyyyy

X8, Z8, J2, K2, and P10 or greater

mmddyy

X6, Z6, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

mmddyyyy

X8, Z8, J2, K2, and P10 or greater

Oracle

X7

PHdate

J1, K1, J2, and K2

yymm

X4, Z4, J1, and K1

yymmdd

X6, Z6, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

yyymmdd

J2, P8

yyyymmdd

X8, Z8, J2, K2, and P10 or greater

ccyymmdd

X8, Z8, J2, K2, and P10 or greater

ccyymm

X6, Z6, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

yyyymm

X6, Z6, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

aammdd

X6

aamm

X4

mmddaa

X6

ddmmaa

X6

ccyy

X4, Z4, J1, and K1

SRNChronos

X6

mmyyyy

X6, Z6, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

yyddd

X5, Z5, J2, K2, and P8 or greater

ccyyddd

X7, Z7, J2, K2, and P10 or greater

HPCalendar

J2, K2

EDSDate

J2, P8

JulianDay

J2

PHdate8

J1, K1, J2, and K2

Date Limits
The $date function in Suprtool can generate dates between the years 1583 and 2583.
Some date formats have limits based on their particular format, such as 2027 for a
Calendar date and 2259 for the aammdd aamm, mmddaa, ddmmaa dates.

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Calendar
The Calendar attribute is provided for users who have fields containing the 16-bit
MPE Calendar date format as an unsigned, logical value with seven bits for the year
of the century (bits 0-6), followed by nine bits for the day of the year (bits 7-15). The
Calendar date format only supports dates up to the end of the year 2027.

PHdate and PHdate8
The PHdate and PHdate8 attributes are compatible with the COGNOS PowerHouse
date format. If the data-type is J1 or K1, the date is stored as a LOGICAL value with
seven bits for the year of the century (bits 0-6), four bits for the month (bits 7-10),
and five bits for the day (bits 11-15). If the data-type is J2 or K2, the date is stored as
yyyymmdd.
PHDate and PHDate8 date formats are similar, however PHDate values for the year
range from 0 - 99, whereas PHDate8 year values are from 0 - 127. A year of 0 in
PHDate could mean either 1900 or 2000 depending on user applications. A year of 0
in PHDate8 means 1900, and 100 means 2000. The PHDate8 date format is found in
PowerHouse version 8.19 and higher.

ASK
The ASK attribute is compatible with the ASK manufacturing software. ASK uses a
special date format stored as a single integer or a single logical (i.e., J1 or K1 in
IMAGE). This date is relative to January 1, 1973.

yyymmdd
The yyymmdd attribute is similar to yymmdd, except that the first digit denotes the
century. If the first digit is a 1 (one) then the century is 19, and if the first digit is a 2
(two) then the century is 20. Only data-types of P8 and J2 are supported for this date
attribute.
This date format is used by some third-party software packages such as MACS and
APS.

EDSDATE
The EDSDATE date format is similar to the yyymmdd format, in which the first
digit represents the century. The first digit in the EDSDATE is either 0 or 1: a 0
represents a century of 19 and a 1 represents a century of 20.

JulianDay
The JulianDay number is the absolute count of the days that have elapsed since
January 1, 4713 BC on the Julian calendar.
Typically "Julian Day numbers" refer to an integer number corresponding to whole
days, while the "Julian Date" may mean an integer plus a decimal value that resolves
the Julian count to precise parts of a day. Suprtool supports the "JulianDay" number
and does not attempt to support an hour or point in the day.

aammdd and Related Date Formats
The aammdd attribute is similar to yymmdd, except the aa portion of the date uses a
combination of letters and numbers in order to represent dates beyond 1999.
The aammdd date format was developed by James Overman of HP for use in their
MM3000 product. This format is available only for X6 data-type.

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By substituting a letter of the alphabet in the first position of the year, we can extend
a six-digit date and also ensure that the dates collate correctly. For example:
YY of AAMMDD

CCYY

00 - 09

1900 - 1909

90 - 99

1990 - 1999

A0 - A9

2000 - 2009

B0 - B9

2010 - 2019

C0 - C9

2020 - 2029

Because letters are greater than numbers in the collating sequence you can ensure
that aammdd dates beyond 1999 will order correctly.
Suprtool also supports other date formats with this two-character year representation.
These formats are aamm, mmddaa and ddmmaa.

Oracle
Oracle dates include both the date and the time. The $date and $today functions only
apply to the date part of Oracle dates.

SRN Chronos
The Srnchronos date format is used in applications from Software Research
Northwest. Like Oracle dates, this format includes the date and time, but the time
portion is ignored by the $date and $today functions.

DDD Dates
Dates consisting of ddd in the format name use the ddd to represent the nth day in the
current year. This means that January 1 will be day 001, and Dec 31 will be day 365
on non-leap years. Some people refer to these type of dates as Julian dates.

HPCalendar
The HPCalendar date format is supported by HP's new HPCalendar intrinsic and
consists of a 32-bit integer number, whereby the first 23 bits represent the year and
the last nine bits represent the day of the year.

Decimal Places
The decimal attribute is the number of implied decimal places in an item. The
minimum number of implied decimal places is 0. The maximum is based on the datatype of the item:
Data-Type

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Maximum Implied Decimal Places

I1

5

I2

10

I3

15

I4

19

K1

5

K2

10

Suprtool Commands • 183

Pn

n-1

Zn

n

You cannot specify implied decimal places for byte-, char-, or IEEE-type items.
Once you define a decimal place, almost every command in Suprtool is affected.
Suprtool accepts numeric values with decimal points or scales integers according to
the number of implied decimal places (e.g., specify two implied decimal places, then
enter 1,000 to represent 1,000.00). All formatting commands format fields with a
decimal point when appropriate.

Constant Values
When specifying numeric constants for a field with implied decimal places, there are
different formats that you can use. For example, assume that we use the Item
command to specify two implied decimal places for an amount field. The following
are examples of constant values for this item:
Constant

Interpretation

0

zero value padded as necessary

1

$1.00

0.01

$0.01

.01

also acceptable for $0.01

Notes
SQL Columns
You must redefine any SQL columns before you can use the Item command.
>sel * from emp
>def salary,sal
>item salary,decimal,3
>if salary > 15.275

{correct scale}

Compound Items
When you specify a compound item, the attribute applies to all elements of the
compound item.
>item monthly_totals,decimal,2
>if monthly_totals(5) > 1000.00

{12 occurrences}

You cannot apply an attribute to only one sub-item of a compound item:
>item monthly_totals(5),decimal,2
Error: Missing attribute for the Item Command

When to Specify the Item Command
The Item command affects almost all other Suprtool commands. It should be used as
follows:
For databases, specify it immediately after the Select command, but before
any Extract or If commands.

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For disc files, it is best to specify the Define and Item commands
immediately after the Input command.

Usefiles
You can use a usefile as a mini data dictionary for Suprtool. For databases, it is a
good idea to put all the Item commands associated with a database into a usefile.
After the Base command has been specified, the usefile can describe the items in the
database to Suprtool. For disc files, you can put both the Define and Item commands
in a usefile and execute them right after specifying the file with the Input command.
If you use the Link output option, both date formats and implied decimal places are
saved in the self-describing file so they never need to be specified again.
base store
use store.usefile

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Key Command [K]
Specifies the next sort field for an extract task, using an explicit byte position in the
record, not a field name. See the Sort command for specifying sort fields by table
column name or Defined field, or by field name in an SD file. Up to 20 Sort and Key
commands may be specified per extract task; the first is the major sort field.
[KEY] byteposition,bytelen [,type] [,DESC]
(Default: type=BYTE, ASCENDING order).

Parameters
Desc specifies that the field is to be sorted in Descending order.
The byteposition is a number between 1 and the length of the input records,
specifying where the sort field begins. The bytelen parameter is a number from 1 to
the length of the record, specifying how long the sort field is.
The type is a word that gives the desired data-type of the field for sorting purposes:
Type

Description

BYTE

(unsigned, straight compare)

INT/INTEGER

(two's complement)

DOUBLE

(two's complement)

IEEE

(IEEE floating-point)

PACKED

(packed-decimal)

PACKED*

(packed-decimal, last nibble unused)

DISPLAY

(zoned-decimal numeric field)

LOGICAL

(unsigned, like BYTE, 2 characters)

CHARACTER

(for Native Language Support)

The Key command also accepts FPOINT as the data-type for IEEE numbers.

Examples
The first example sorts an integer (PIC S9(4) COMP) field which starts on the 11th
byte of the input record. We sort the entire input file based on one key:
>input bigfile,r 40,lf
>key 11,2,int
>output outfile
>xeq

{input from a disc file}
{key is an integer that starts}
{ at the 11th byte of Bigfile}
{create Outfile and prompt for}
{ more Suprtool commands}

>input discfile,r 40,lf
>key 14,4,double,desc
>output ofile2
>exit

{another input file}
{double integer (PIC S9(9) COMP)}
{sort input in descending order}

The following examples show the various data-types and combinations that are
available with the Key command:

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>key
>key
>key
>key
>key
>key

1,10
1,10,desc
11,4,double
1,6;11,4,ieee
21,6,packed
21,6,packed*

{byte data-type}
{descending sort sequence}
{I2 or J2, S9(9) COMP}
{X6 string and an E2 field at byte 11}
{P12, S9(11) COMP-3}
{P12, S9(10) COMP-3, wasted byte}

Notes
The command name, Key, is optional. Any command that starts with a numeric
character is assumed to be a Key command. The Verify command shows all of the
current key fields, and the Reset command cancels them. If no sort fields are defined
prior to the Xeq or Exit command, Suprtool performs a copy, not a sort.

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Link Command [LIN]
You cannot use Suprtool's Link command to invoke Suprlink/UX, but you can run
Suprlink/UX by itself.
/opt/robelle/bin/suprlink
Suprlink/UX/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1988-2010
(Version 5.6)
+

Suprlink/UX provides high-speed data file linking based on a sort key. Suprlink/UX
only accepts self-describing files created by Suprtool/UX or the MPE SDUnix
program. Suprlink has it's own section in the manual.

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List Command [L]
The List command is used to produce formatted listings of the selected records. You
may specify the List command, or the Output command, or both, or neither. If List is
used instead of Output, Suprtool sets the Output to $null, so that only a listing is
produced.
LIST

[ OCTAL|HEX|DECIMAL ] [ CHAR ] [ NOREC ] [ LABELS ]
[ RECORD ] [ DUPLEX ] [ ONEPERLINE ] [ LP ]
[ NONAME ] [ NOSKIP ] [ STANDARD ] [ DEVICE name ]
[ DATE format ] [ TIME format ] [ PCL format ]
[ LEFTJUSTNUM ] [ RIGHTJUSTNUM ]
[ TITLE "string" ] [ HEADING "string" ["string" ...]]
[FILE filename | APPEND | RECLEN number]

(Default: Octal/Char or "Formatted")
If Suprtool knows about the fields in the input source (e.g., because you have used
the Extract command), the list records are formatted with field names, and internal
binary data-types (e.g., integer) are converted to ASCII. You cannot combine the
Ask or Query,Num output-options with the List command.
Here is a typical use of List: to find any entries in the Customer table that do not
have a valid value for "status".
>open oracle demo reader
>select * from customer
>if status<>10,20,30,40
>list
>xeq

{input from a database}
{read this table}
{the only valid values}
{print bad entries}

Format
You can override the defaults with a specification in the List command (e.g., List
Hex,Char). If the input source is not self-describing and no Extract command is
specified, the default output format is Octal,Char, which also shows both input and
output record numbers.

Decimal Places
The List command formats numbers using the implied number of decimal places. For
example, the following Suprtool commands format the unit cost with two decimal
points. We specify the Rightjustnum keyword, because numbers with decimal
points are hard to read if they are left justified:
>item cost,decimal,2
>list rightjustnum
>xeq

{two implied decimal points}
{numbers right justified}
{ with decimal points}

Listing Record Numbers
The Norec keyword prevents the printing of the input and output record numbers.
The input record numbers are not printed if Output xxx,Data is used and the file is
sorted.

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Listing One Field per Line
Suprtool normally attempts to list more than one field on every line of list output.
The Oneperline keyword causes every field to be shown on a different line.

Listing without Field Names (Noname)
When Suprtool knows the record structure of the output file, it shows the name of
each output field. The Noname keyword causes the field names to be suppressed.
By only extracting a few fields, it is possible to fit the listed output for each record
on one line.

Suppressing Blank Lines Between Records
By default, Suprtool prints a blank line between each record. The Noskip keyword
removes this blank line. If you combine the Noskip, Norec, Noname, and Title
options when extracting a few fields, Suprtool can produce a simple report.

Numeric Justification (Leftjustnum and Rightjustnum)
The List command normally left justifies all numeric fields. Specifying List Standard
causes all numeric fields to be right-justified, unless you override the default with the
Leftjustnum keyword.
Use the Leftjustnum or Rightjustnum keyword to specify the alignment of the
numbers. The two keywords are mutually exclusive. The last one that appears on the
command line is the one that is applied.

LaserJet Listings
There are two methods to select different printing options for a LaserJet and other
PCL-compatible printers. You can permanently set the PCL option for all listings by
using Set List PCL, or you can use the List command to select the PCL option for
just one task. PCL stands for Printer Command Language, which is an HP standard
for printers. The following is a summary of the PCL values:
PCL
Font
Orientation
Dimensions
1

Lineprinter

landscape

175 cols/60 lines

2

Courier

landscape

100 cols/45 lines

3

Courier "standard"

portrait

80 cols/60 lines

4

Lineprinter

portrait

132 cols/80 lines

5

Courier A4 "tight"

portrait

80 cols/60 lines

6

Lineprinter legal

landscape

223 cols/60 lines

See the Set command for a complete description of the PCL options. By default,
Suprtool assumes that the List output device is not PCL-compatible (List PCL 0).
If you use the List command to your terminal with a global Set List PCL value other
than zero, your terminal screen may be cleared. To avoid this situation, you can
explicitly specify the PCL setting along with the device:

190 • Suprtool Commands

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>get d-sales
>list serialp,pcl 2
>xeq

A4-Size Paper
Most of the PCL options, with the exception of PCL 5, were designed and tested
with North American letter-size paper. This is especially true with PCL 5 for A4
paper: it reduces the horizontal spacing between characters so that 80 columns of
Courier output fits on a single line. In addition, if you add 2000 to a PCL code,
Suprtool adjusts the number of rows and columns for that option to match A4 paper.
For example, to print Landscape on A4 paper, use PCL 2004 instead of PCL 1.
In general, selecting A4 paper gives you more space along the long side of the paper
and less space along the short side. If you are happy with the way letter-size rows
and columns work on A4 paper, simply do not add 2000 to the PCL code.

Roman-8 vs. ASCII
The PCL option requests a Roman-8 character set, but some combination font
cartridges only supply the ASCII character set (half as many characters means twice
as many fonts in a single cartridge). If you ask for Landscape Lineprinter and get
Landscape Courier instead, your Lineprinter font probably has the ASCII character
set instead of the Roman-8 character set. To request an ASCII font, add 1000 to the
PCL code. For example, if you have a Super Cartridge (55 fonts in one!), use PCL
1001, 1004, and 1006. To select both ASCII and A4 paper, add 3000.

Double-Sided Printing on LaserJets
The LaserJet IID and IIID can print on both sides of the paper. The Duplex keyword
enables double-sided printing on these printers.
>list duplex

Headings in Listings
Specifying a Title in the List command forces Suprtool to produce a formatted
listing with page-headings, page-numbers, today's date and the current time. If you
want just the date and page numbers, use an empty string. For example,
>list title " "
The following example prints a report on a LaserJet in Landscape (sideways) mode,
using the tiny Lineprinter font, including a page heading with the title. The physical
command line limit is 256 characters. As a result, the maximum size of the heading
is less than 256 characters because the List command and heading options need to be
included in the command line.
>in custs
{self-describing file}
>if status<>10,20,30,40
{the only valid values}
>set list pcl 1
{select LaserJet option}
>list title "Invalid CUSTOMER Records"
>xeq
{include title on listing}

Changing the Date Format
When you select page headings by specifying a title, each page includes today's date.
By default, this date is formatted as mmm dd, ccyy (e.g., Mar 20, 2000). You can
override this format with the Date keyword. Use the Set command to specify a

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 191

different default date format for future List commands (e.g., Set List Date 2). The
valid date formats are as follows:
Value

Format

Example

0 (default)

mmm dd, ccyy

Mar 20, 2000

1

yy/mm/dd

00/03/20

2

mm/dd/yy

03/20/00

3

dd/mm/yy

20/03/00

4

dd mmmyy

20 Mar00

>list title "Example Report" date 3
>xeq

{heading date is in dd/mm/yy format}

Changing the Time Format
When you select page headings by specifying a title, each page includes the current
time. By default, the time is in 24-hour format (e.g., 23:02). You can override this
format with the Time keyword. Use the Set command to specify a different default
time format for future List commands (e.g., Set List Time 2). The valid time formats
are as follows:
Value

Format

Example

0

none

1 (default)

24-hour

23:02

2

AM/PM

11:02PM

>list title "Example Report" time 2
>xeq

{time will be in AM/PM format}

Simple Reports
A Fast Method for Producing Simple Reports
For self-describing files, datasets, and database tables, the Standard keyword is
equivalent to List Noname,Noskip,Norec,Rightjustnum with default column
headings. For data files, the Standard keyword is equivalent to List Octal,Char. In
either case, the Standard keyword provides a default title that describes the input
source. You can override the title, date format, time format, or any other option
selected by the Standard keyword, by specifying them in addition to the Standard
keyword. For example,

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>select * from customer
>list standard
>xeq

{use all Suprtool defaults}

>select * from customer
>list standard,date 3
>xeq

{override the date format}

>input uxfile,reclen 80,nolf
>list standard,char
>xeq

{override the format options}

>input uxfile,reclen 80,nolf
>list standard,leftjustnum
>xeq

{left justify numbers}

>get m-customer
>list standard,title "Customer List"
>xeq

{override title}

>get m-customer
>list standard,heading " "
>xeq

{no column headings}

Listings with Subheadings
When using the Title or Standard keywords, you can also include subheadings with
the Heading keyword. You can specify multiple columns by repeating the string
after the Heading option (e.g., List Heading "First " "Second") or specify the
Heading option multiple times (e.g., List Heading "First ", Heading "Second"). Being
able to specify multiple columns makes it easier to align column headings when
using the Standard keyword. If you specify the Heading keyword without the Title
keyword, a default title is produced.
>select * from customer
{read this table}
>extract account
{Z8 }
>extract firstname
{X10}
>extract lastname
{X16}
>extract rating
{J2 }
>extract status
{X2 }
>sort lastname
>sort firstname
>list standard,title "Customer List", &
heading "Account " " First and Last Names" &
"
" "Credit
" "Status"
>xeq

List Device
By default, the List command lists lines to $stdlist. You can also redirect output to an
attached printer. To redirect to a file on HP-UX we have added the file option.

List File
The File keyword allows for the output from the List command to be directed to a
file. The List command also has a new option to Append to an existing file, so you
can have multiple reports in a single file. The File option takes the next parameter as
being the filename:

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>in test/file1sd
>list stan file myslist
>xeq

If the file myslist exists it will be over-written, unless you specify the Append
option. If you specify the append option the new report will be added to the file.
So if you want to incorporate multiple reports you just need to do the following:
>in test/file1sd
>list stan file myslist
>xeq
>in test/file2sd
>list stan file myslist append
>xeq

Although the concept of record size is not the same on HP-UX as it is on MPE it is
still important in some areas within Suprtool.
In this case the RECLEN parm merely tells the List command where to fold the
lines. The Reclen parm can be a value from 56 to 256 and defaults to 80 bytes.
>List FILE myreport RECLEN 132

Device LP
Use the LP option to send listings to the lp command. The LP option assumes the list
device is 80 columns wide.
>list lp

User Specified Device
Use the Device option to specify a specific logical device for the listing. The device
name must appear after the Device option. The device name is case-sensitive so that
the device "SHIPPING" is different than the device "shipping". The Device option
assumes that the list device is 80 columns wide.
>list device LP
>list device serialp

{same as List LP}
{send to device serialp}

Listing to Attached Printer
If you wish to list to a printer that is attached to your terminal, use List Record.
Suprtool uses Record mode on your terminal or PC to print on the attached printer.
To use this option, you must be using an HP terminal or HP terminal emulator and
your data communication settings must be setup correctly.
You can combine this option with other listing options. You cannot interrupt Record
mode with Control-Y, but you can do a Soft Reset. This unlocks the keyboard and
causes the rest of the output to appear on the screen. You can then stop it with
Control-Y. List record may not return complete control to your PC when running
Reflection. The report printed and the keyboard unlocks, but control is not passed to
your terminal. You can get control back by doing a Soft Reset (Alt-S). You can
prevent this problem by setting DISABLE-COMP-CODES to yes.
If you are listing to an attached printer from a terminal, your terminal may remain
locked after the printout is completed. This generally happens when you have
handshaking enabled. (G-H straps set to No). You can do a soft reset to unlock your
terminal.

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If handshaking is disabled (G-H straps set to Yes), the List command works and
returns control to the terminal but two "S" characters will be printed on the terminal.
There is currently no known workaround to these problems.

ROBELLE_LP
Typically when printing with the list command inside Suprtool, (or Qedit for that
matter), and you are sending the output to a printer device, the “lp” program is used
to accept the data from a pipe. In some cases third party spoolers employ their own
“lp” program.
If the ROBELLE_LP variable is set to the name of the third-party lp program,
Suprtool (and Qedit) will use that program if the output is not to a file. This variable
must be set before Suprtool is run.
export ROBELLE_LP=/opt/thirdpartyspooler/llp
./suprtool
in somefile
list device LP
exit

If the variable is not set then Suprtool uses /usr/bin/lp as it has previously.

Notes
The List operation occurs logically after the sort phase, if any, and after any Extract,
but before the final Output or Put operation. A Reset turns off the current List
options.
For more examples of the List command, see Suprtool Issues and Solutions.

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Listredo Command [LISTREDO]
The Listredo command displays any of the previous 1000 commands.
LISTREDO

[ start [ / stop ] ] [;ABS] [;OUT=file]
[ string ]

[;REL]

[ ALL | @ ]

[;UNN]

(Default: display previous 20 commands)
(BJ and ,, are short for LISTREDO)
Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 are
retained. You can display a single command, a range of commands, all 1000, or all
the commands whose name matches the string. You can display the commands with
ABSolute line numbers (the default), RELative line numbers (-5/-4), or
UNNumbered. If you want to redo any of these commands, see Do, Redo, and
Before.

Examples
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo
>listredo

5
5/10
help
-10
ALL
rm
rm xx
@rm
@;rel

{print all Help commands}
{print last ten commands}
{print entire redo stack}
{print all rm commands}
{print all "rm xx" commands}
{print all with "rm" anywhere}
{print ALL, relative numbers}

Saving to a File
Saving the Listredo commands to a file is not supported in Suprtool/UX.

Notes
The :Listredo command can be abbreviated to BJ as in Qedit, or to ,, (comma
comma) as in MPEX. You cannot use a semi-colon (;) to combine commands on the
same line.

Persistent Redo
Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from
another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save
your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command ("Redo" on page 230) for
details.

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Numrecs Command [N]
Limits the number of records selected and the size of the sort scratch file.
NUMRECS size | percentage%
(default: size=10,000 or EOF of input source)

Parameters
To limit the number of records selected from the input source and to reduce the size
of the sort scratch file, use the Numrecs command. If you select more than size
entries, Suprtool prints a warning message, and ignores the rest of the input records.
However, the output file will have the records that were selected. Use a percent sign
(%) to specify the Numrecs as a percentage of the input file size. The percentage can
range from 1 to 500, but values over 100 have no effect on HP-UX.

Reducing File Sizes
Suppose that the d-sales dataset contains 100,000 entries, but you use the If
command to select 15% of the entries. We would specify 15 as the percentage on the
Numrecs command to reduce the size of the sort scratch file and the output file:
>get d-sales
>numrecs 15%
>if sales-qty<100
>sort cust-account
>output out2
>xeq

{specify input}
{specify 15000 as file size}
{select a subset of d-sales}
{sort using the dataset path}
{output file will have room for}
{ 15000 records}

Disc Files vs. Datasets
When you specify a source of records using the Input command (as opposed to
reading a dataset using the Get or Chain command), Suprtool attempts to duplicate
all of the input file's attributes in the output file. This includes the file limit. For this
reason, the Numrecs value is ignored if the output file limit is smaller than the input
file limit. Numrecs is still useful when reading disc files to reduce the size of the sort
scratch file.

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Open Command [OP]
Specify an SQL database to open. Only one database can be open at a time.
OPEN ORACLE username [password][remotedb@instance]
OPEN ALLBASE dbename owner

Oracle Database
Use the Open command to connect to an Oracle database. You must specify your
Oracle username and password. If you do not specify the password in the Open
command, Suprtool prompts for your password (without echoing it on the screen).
To read data from an Oracle table or view, use the Select command. Use Set Oracle
Rows to specify how many rows for Suprtool to fetch when it is reading Oracle data.
>open oracle scott tiger

Allbase Database
Use the Open command to connect to an Allbase database. You must specify your
Allbase dbename and owner. To read data from an Allbase table or view, use the
Select command. Use Set Allbase Rows to specify how many rows for Suprtool to
fetch when it is reading Allbase data.
>open allbase inventory anne

Remote Databases and Oracle Issues
In order to connect to the remote database using Suprtool, you need to specify the
connection parameters as follows:
>open oracle username/password@machine

Oracle Libraries
If the Oracle libraries have not been loaded Suprtool will print an error on the Open
command. To find out specific error messages as to why the libraries have not been
loaded then just run Suprtool with the –lw option, which means print loader
warnings.

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Output Command [O]
Define the name of the output file as one of these: a new disc file (default), an
existing file (Append or Erase option), or * for $stdlist. If you use List, Put, Update
or Total, Output defaults to $null. Output produces the same record format as the
input source (adjusted by Extract commands), unless you override it with format
keywords.
OUTPUT filename format [ERASE | APPEND]
(Default: DATA only, "new" file)

New Files
The filename is the name of a new disc file to be built by Suprtool (Output xxx). If
Suprtool cannot Save the new file because of a duplicate file name, you may purge
the old file or give the new file a different name. If Suprtool is running in batch
mode, it renames the new file as Outputnn, where nn is the lowest number between
00 and 20 that makes a valid new file name. The Outputnn file is built in the same
directory as the duplicate output file and not in your current directory.

Existing Files
The filename is the name of an old disc file to erase (Output xxx,erase) or to append
to (Output xxx,append). Output xxx,erase does not purge the existing file; it simply
overwrites the contents of the file.

$Stdlist
Specify output to $stdlist by a single asterisk (Output *). Use this filename with the
ASCII option for a quick listing of a file or database table.

Format Options
The format and length of the output records is determined by which of the following
format keywords is selected:
Keyword(s)

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Format

DATA

Default

ELSE

Records not qualified by if condition

KEY

Sort keys only

NUM

J2 record numbers only

NUM,KEY

J2 record numbers plus sort keys

NUM,DATA

J2 record numbers plus data record

QUERY

Self-describing file

LINK

New format self-describing file

NUM,QUERY

Query "numbers" format

ASK

COGELOG ASK select file

ASCII

Convert numeric to ASCII

DISPLAY

Convert numeric to display (zoned-decimal)

PRN

Personal computer format

NOLF

Do not write out Line Feeds to the end of the

Suprtool Commands • 199

record
LF

Write out Line Feeds to the end of the record

DATA
DATA is the default; output records are the same length and format as the input
records.
ELSE
ELSE tells the output command to output any records to the .else file that do not
qualify under a certain if command. If you have a task that looks for all records with
an amount >= 0, then the records <0 will end up in a file with the same name as the
output file but with the extension .else. The ELSE option cannot be used with num or
key or any duplicate option or command.
KEY
KEY creates output records containing only the sort keys, concatenated from left to
right (major key to minor key).
NUM
NUM creates output records of four bytes in length, containing the double-integer
record number of each input record. The record number of the first record is 1 for
database tables and 0 for disc files.
NUM,KEY
NUM,KEY creates output records containing the four-byte record number, followed
by the sort key values, concatenated from left to right (major key to minor key).
NUM,DATA
NUM,DATA creates output records containing the four-byte record number,
followed by the full data record. This can be useful to create "transaction" files from
detail datasets that will later be updated back to the database after a processing stage.
QUERY
QUERY creates a self-describing output file. A self-describing file is a data file plus
an extra file which contains information about the structure of each record in the data
file. This extra file is created with the output file name plus the extension ".sd". This
".sd" file contains the name, type, length, and offset of each field in the data file.
QUERY self-describing files have no provision for repeated fields. These fields
appear with an "unknown" type in the .sd file. See the LINK option for a better selfdescribing file format. The QUERY option produces a file that is similar to the file
produced by the SAVE command in the MPE QUERY program.
LINK
The QUERY output option has some major drawbacks. Compound fields are not
handled, date and decimal point information is not saved, and sort information is not

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part of the file description. The LINK option produces a self-describing file that
solves all these problems. This option is the recommended way to generate files for
Suprlink. We are also encouraging third-party software vendors to accept this format.
To convert a self-describing file back into a non-SD file, simply purge the
corresponding ".sd" file.
NUM,QUERY
NUM,QUERY creates output records in QUERY "numbers" format. This is an
undocumented feature of QUERY that is used by some application packages.
Records in a "numbers" file contain the dataset number and the record number in
ASCII format. A QUERY "numbers" file is usually used as input to a report
program. Substituting Suprtool for QUERY in these batch jobs should improve the
speed.
ASK
ASK is a QUERY-replacement tool from COGELOG. ASK creates output records in
ASK select-file format. Suprtool can be used to scan and select records quickly from
a dataset. ASK Version C can produce reports from the resulting select-file. This
option cannot be used with any other Output option.
Recent versions of ASK read self-describing files. For these versions use the Link
option instead of the Ask option.
ASCII
ASCII converts all binary input fields into their equivalent ASCII values. All binary
fields are right-justified in their fields with a trailing sign. The sign can be a blank,
"+", or "-". Byte fields are not affected by this option. The size of the ASCII field
depends on the format of the binary field:
Field Format
Output Size
I1, J1

6 bytes

I2, J2

11 bytes

I3, J3

16 bytes

I4, J4

20 bytes

K1

5 bytes

K2

10 bytes

E2

12 bytes

E4

23 bytes

Zn

n+1 bytes

Pn

n bytes

Any fields with implied decimal places (see the Item command) are formatted with a
decimal point in the correct position. Suprtool reserves two additional positions for
each output field that has an implied decimal point.
DISPLAY
DISPLAY converts all binary input fields into their equivalent display values (also
known as zoned-decimal). The size of the display field depends on the format of the
binary field:

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Field Format

Output Size

I1, J1

5 bytes

I2, J2

10 bytes

I3, J3

15 bytes

I4, J4

19 bytes

K1

5 bytes

K2

10 bytes

Pn

n-1 bytes

P*n

n-2 bytes

The last digit of the number is replaced with a letter corresponding to positive or
negative values. See the following table.
Units Digit
Positive
Negative
No Sign
0

{

}

0

1

A

J

1

2

B

K

2

3

C

L

3

4

D

M

4

5

E

N

5

6

F

O

6

7

G

P

7

8

H

Q

8

9

I

R

9

Positive values for I- and J-type fields are converted into neutral (i.e., no sign)
display values. The sign is preserved when converting packed fields to display.
DISPLAY is not supported for Real or IEEE fields. Byte fields are not affected by
this option. Display fields in the input record are not converted into display.
PRN
Many PC software packages import PRN files (these files are also called delimited in
some PC documentation). A PRN file has quotes around character-fields and a
comma between each field. Binary values are output in ASCII with an optional
leading sign. Not all applications accept PRN files; for more precise conversion of
data, use STExport.
PRN converts each input-field to a fixed-width output-field, filling with trailing
spaces where necessary. All binary values are converted into their equivalent ASCII
value, left-justified in their fields. The sign precedes the ASCII value for the number
and can be missing, "+", or "-". See the ASCII output-option for the field width of
each data-type.
Output fields with implied decimal places (see "Decimal Places" on page 183) are
formatted with a decimal point in the correct position. Like the ASCII option,
Suprtool reserves two extra columns for each output field with implied decimal
places.

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Lotus 1-2-3 accepts records only up to 240 bytes long. Because the PRN option
leaves room for the maximum value of any field, you may need to restrict the
number of output fields using the Extract command.
While some PC software allows alternate characters to be used to delimit character
fields, Lotus 1-2-3 accepts double quotes only. Since Lotus 1-2-3 rejects character
fields that contains a double quote, Suprtool removes all double quotes from
character fields when generating the PRN format. Suprtool removes quotes by
replacing them with a space.
See STExport for a method of including header lines in the file to be down-loaded.
NOLF
If you need to ensure that line feeds are not written to the end of each record, then
you should specify the NOLF option. It is usually preferable to specify the LF
option.
LF
If you need to ensure that line feeds are written to the end of each record, then you
should specify the LF option. When extracting from SQL databases, Suprtool writes
out records without line feeds. Files with line feeds are usually processed more easily
by most other applications or import programs, so it is advisable to use the LF option
if you are uncertain.
By default, whether Suprtool writes out a line feed depends on the input source. For
example, if the input source has line feeds, then line feeds will be written out at the
end of each record.
When filling up PowerHouse subfiles, some versions of Quiz will abort if no line
feeds are found at the end of the record. It is recommended that when you write to a
PowerHouse subfile, you should always use the LF option on the Output command.

Examples
One reason to use $stdlist as the output file is to obtain a quick listing of the ASCII
fields in the input source. The following example lists the Account, Lastname, and
Firstname columns of the Customer table and separates them by two spaces:
>open ora demo reader
>select * from customer
>extract account
>extract " "
>extract lastname
>extract " "
>extract firstname
>output *
>sort account
>exit

{input from a database}
{use the Customer table}
{account number will be first}
{two spaces}
{the customer's last name}
{two more spaces}
{the customer's first name}
{output the records to $stdlist}
{sorted by the account number}

The following examples demonstrate other combinations of options on the Output
command. The entire Issues chapter of the manual should be reviewed for extended
examples using the Output command. Many Output options were intended for
specific application areas.

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>output
>output
>output
>output
>output
>output

newfile
accum,append
keyfile,key
transf,num,data
querynum,num,query
$null

If you want to find out how many records are qualified by some selection criteria,
without producing an output file, send the output to $null. The Out= count on $stdlist
displays the number of qualifying records.

Notes
The output file must be an "old", existing file if the Append or Erase option has been
specified.

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Put Command [P]
Directs output records to be DBPUT into an Eloquence dataset. Put can be combined
with Output to a file, but if no Output command is entered, Suprtool defaults the
output file to $null. It is your responsibility to ensure that the output records match
the format of the target dataset. The DATA option of the Output command is the
only valid output option when Put is specified.
PUT setname [,[host][:service]/]database]]
(Default: database=Base)

Parameters
If database is not specified, setname must be a valid dataset of the Base previously
opened. You must have write access to the dataset selected.
If database is included, the specified database is opened. This Put database is closed
after the task is completed, unlike the database opened with Base. It is possible to
copy records from one database to another with Suprtool.

Examples
For the first example, we assume that the D-SALES dataset is designed to contain a
week's worth of transactions. Each night, the transactions from a week ago are
moved to the monthly dataset: D-SALES-MON. The D-SALES and D-SALESMON datasets have exactly the same field declarations. The following Suprtool task
would move one day's transactions from D-SALES to D-SALES-MON.
>base store
>get d-sales
>if purge-date=000401
>put d-sales-mon
>exit

{read the weekly dataset}
{select one day's transactions}
{adding them to the monthly dataset}

For the next example, we assume that the D-SALES-MON dataset is in a different
database.
>base store
>get d-sales
>if purch-date=000401
>put d-sales-mon,ostore
>exit

{select one day's transactions}
{add to OSTORE database}
{the output file defaults to $null}

This example shows how Suprtool can read a disc file and Put each record in a
database:
>input dsales
>put d-sales,store
>exit

{"dsales" has exactly the same format}
{ as the d-sales dataset}

Notes
If the dataset selected for output is a master dataset, it is possible that some of the
output records may be duplicate key values. If this happens, Suprtool prints an error
message and terminates the task, unless you have enabled Set Ignore, in which case
the duplicates are counted and reported at the end of the task. Duplicate records are
not written to the output file.

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Suprtool Commands • 205

Q Command [Q]
Prints a message on $stdlist.
Q [ "string" ]
(Default: print a blank line)
The string of up to 253 characters is printed on $stdlist. The string is truncated to the
record width of $stdlist.
The string must be embedded in quotes. Either single-quotes (') or double-quotes (")
are permitted. The quotes are not printed on $stdlist.

Examples
The Q command is often combined with the Userpause command. The example is a
usefile that provides an explanation of how long a task takes:
>q
>q "We will select all transactions over $10,000. Since"
>q "there are many transactions, this task will take"
>q "some time (usually more than fifteen minutes)."
>q
>userpause "Press any key when you are ready to start."

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Redo Command [REDO]
Enables you to modify and repeat any of the previous 1000 command lines.
REDO [ start [ / stop ] ]
[ string ]
[ ALL | @ ]
(Default: redo the previous command)
(Comma "," is short for REDO)
The Redo command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them. If
you don't need to change them, use the Do command. Commands are numbered
sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 are retained. Use the :Listredo
command to display the previous commands. You can redo a single command, a
range of commands, or the most recent command whose name matches a string.
The Redo command uses MPE-style editing logic (D, I, R, U and >). The default
mode is to replace characters. To delete, type DDDD under the characters to be
removed. To insert, type I under the insertion spot, then the new characters. To undo
your changes, type U. To append to the end of the line, use >xxx. To delete from the
end of the line, use >DD. To replace at the end of the line, use >Rxxx. And to erase
the rest of the line, use D>. If you prefer Qedit-style editing (Control-D, etc.), use the
Before command instead of the Redo command.

Examples
{".sd" is not spelled right}

>ll *.fd
*.fd not found
>redo
ll *.fd
s
ll *.sd

{redo most recent command}
{last command is printed}
{you enter changes to it}
{the edited command is shown}
{you press Return}

>listredo all
>redo 5
>redo
>redo -2
>redo 8/10
>redo -10/
>redo rm
>redo rm temp
>redo @temp

{redo 5th command in stack}
{redo previous command}
{redo command before previous}
{redo 8th through 10th}
{redo -10 through last}
{redo last "rm" command}
{redo last "rm temp"}
{redo last containing "temp"}

Notes
The Redo command can be abbreviated to a comma, as in MPEX. You cannot use
";" to combine commands on the same line.

Hpmodify Keys – Reference
Here are the MPE-style REDO sub-commands:
Directive

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Effect

Suprtool Commands • 207

i

INSERT. If text follows the i, this text is inserted in the current line
starting at the i position.

r

REPLACE. If text follows the r, this text replaces the same number of
characters in the current line beginning at the r position.

d

DELETE. Deletes a character from the current line for each d specified
in the edit line. Note that "d d" does not specify a range as it does in
MPE V but simply deletes one character above each d. Multiple d's may
be followed by an INSERT or REPLACE operation.

d>

DELETE. Deletes to the end of the current line from the position
specified by d>. May be followed by an INSERT or REPLACE
operation.

>

APPEND. If text follows the >, this text is appended to the end of the
current line. If a > without text is positioned beyond the end of the
current line, then a simple replacement is performed instead.

>d

DELETE. Deletes from the end of the current line, right-to-left.
Multiple d's and INSERT and REPLACE strings may be specified after
>.

>r

REPLACE. Replaces characters at the end of the command line. The
last (rightmost) character of the replacement string is at the end of the
line.

c

CHANGE. Changes all occurrences of one string to another in the
current line starting at the c. The search string and replace string must
be properly delimited. A proper delimiter is a non-alphabetic character
(such as ' " or /). The substitution is specified as cdelim search-string
delim [replace-string [delim]]. Omitting the replace-string causes
occurrences of search-string to be deleted, with no substitution.

u

UNDO. A single u in column one cancels the most recent edit of the
current line. Using the Undo command twice in a row cancels all edits
for the current line and re-establishes the original, unedited line. If u is
placed anywhere other than column one of the current line, then a
simple replacement is performed. Undo makes sense only if you have a
line on which you have performed some editing that can be "undone."

other

Simple replacement. Any other character (not i, r, d, d>, >, >d, >r, c, or
u) will be put into the current line at the position above where it is
placed, replacing any existing character. Simple replacement also
occurs for the editing characters i, r, c, or > if they are not followed by
text; or if > appears at or beyond the current end of line.

Hpmodify Examples
Here are examples of the MPE-style REDO sub-commands in action:
Edit

208 • Suprtool Commands

Action

u

First occurrence undoes the previous edits. The u must be in column
one.

u

Second occurrence undoes all edits on the current line. The u must be in
column one.

rxyz

Replaces the current text with xyz starting at the position of r.

xyz

Replaces the current text with xyz starting at the position of x.

ixyz

Inserts xyz into the current line, starting at the position of the i.

ddd

Deletes three characters, one above each d.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

d xyz

Deletes a single character above the d, skips one space, then replaces
the current text with xyz starting at the position of x.

ddixyz

Deletes two characters, then inserts xyz in the current line starting at the
position of the i.

d d

Deletes one character above the first d, skips two spaces and deletes a
second character above the second d. It does not delete a range of
characters, making it unlike the MPE V version of Redo.

d d>xyz

Deletes a single character above the first d, skips two spaces and deletes
to the end of the line beginning at the second d, and then places xyz at
the end of the line.

>xyz

Appends xyz to the end of the current line.

>ddxyz

Deletes the last two characters from the end of the current line and then
places xyz at the end of the line.

>rxyz

Replaces the last three characters in the current line with xyz.

>ixyz

Appends xyz to the end of the line. In this case, the i command is
superfluous, because > accomplishes the same result. Using >xyz would
be sufficient.

c/ab/def

Changes all occurrences of ab to def.

c"ab"

Deletes all occurrences of "ab".

cxyz

Replaces the current text with cxyz, starting at c. Because delimiters
have not been specified (as they were in the previous two examples),
this is a simple replacement with the four characters.

Persistent Redo
Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from
another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save
your redo commands. See "Redo" on page 230 for details.

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Reset Command [R]
Resets aspects of the current task.
RESET [ ALL | @ | command [...] ]
(Default: Delete/Sort/Key/If/List)

Parameters
More than one command can be Reset at once by entering several commands
separated by a space or a comma. If no parameters are specified, Suprtool cancels the
previous Sort, Key, If, Delete, and List commands. The other commands remain
unchanged.
If ALL is specified, all of the Input and Output commands are canceled and
database/files are closed. In fact, the only options that are not reset to the initial
condition are Define, Item, Open, and Set options.

Examples
You began to specify a sort, but then you discovered that you specified the wrong
database so you decided to start all over:
>base ostore
>get d-sales
>sort cust-account
>reset all
>base store

{oops, wrong database}
{now we have correct one}

In the next example, you entered an incorrect If command:
>if delivered>000401
>reset if
>if purchased>000401

{wrong field used}
{only reset the If command}
{ and specify it again}

This time both the If command and the Extract commands are incorrect:
>if delivered>000401
>extract delivered
>reset if,extract
>if purchased>000401
>extract purchased,account

{wrong field used}
{ in both commands}
{only reset the If and Extract}
{ commands and start again}

Notes
By resetting certain commands, other commands are also reset. For example,
resetting the Base command resets almost all other commands, except the Define and
Output commands. Resetting the Put command closes the output database when the
database for the Put command is different from the input database. Resetting the
Chain, Get, or Input command resets everything except the Base, Define and Table
commands. Resetting the Table command resets everything except the Base and
Define commands. Resetting either the Define or Item command resets both Define
and Item settings.

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Select Command [SEL]
Specify a select statement for the currently open SQL database. The select command
supports all of the features of the select command of the open SQL database. Only
one select command can be specified at a time.
SELECT select-command
Allbase sorts data:
>select * from user.account@emp order by ename

Suprtool sorts data:
>select * from user.account@emp
>sort ename

The select-command can contain any expression or clause that is supported by the
SQL database. Some features (e.g., ORDER BY) may be done faster by Suprtool
(e.g., the Sort command).
Some Select commands can exceed the 256-character command line limitation. The
Select command, however, can be considerably larger if you use the $read feature of
the Select command. This feature is similar to the If command $read feature and is
invoked by entering the Select command on a line by itself (unlike If, you do not
specify $read explicitly).
>select
-ename,salary,tax_paid
-from scott.employee
-order by ename
-//
>

The Suprtool prompt changes from ">" to "-" after entering the Select command by
itself on a line. The entire command gets sent to the Select command parser after
terminating with two slash marks (//) or a blank line.
You might realize greater performance gains with the Select command if you specify
only the columns that you need in your output file for either tables with many items
or when you need only a couple of items from a given table.
The following Select command
>select col1,col2,col3 from user.account@emp

may be faster than
>select * from user.account@emp

Your mileage may vary.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 211

Set Command [S]
Enables or disables certain operating options within Suprtool. These options are not
reset by Xeq or Reset commands.
SET

ALLBASE ROWS number

SET

ARITHMETIC CLASSIC|IEEE (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

BASECLOSE ON|OFF (not supported in Suprtool/UX)

SET

BLOCKSIZE [size] (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

BUFFER [size] (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

CLEANCHAR 

SET

CURRENCYSYMBOL 

SET

DATE CUTOFF [number]

SET

DATE FORCECENTURY ON|OFF

SET

DATE IFYY2000ERROR ON|OFF

SET

DATE MAPTOPHDATE8 ON|OFF

SET

DECIMALSYMBOL 

SET

DEFER ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

DUMPONERROR ON|OFF

SET

EDITSTOPERROR ON|OFF

SET

EOFREAD ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

FASTREAD ON|OFF

SET

FILECODE number (not supported in Suprtool/UX)

SET

FILENAME Help|Link|Edit|Hint|Export|Outcount filename

SET

FIRSTREC [0|1] (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

HINTS ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

HPUXCmdErr 

SET

IFCHECK ON|OFF

SET

IGNORE ON|OFF (has some effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

ITEMABBREVIATEDATE ON|OFF]

SET

ITEMLOCK 

SET

INTERACTIVE ON|OFF

SET

LABELLEDTAPEREWIND ON|OFF
(has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

212 • Suprtool Commands

SET

LIMITS [Mpe ON|OFF] [ReadOnly ON|OFF] [Tablesize size]

SET

LIST DATE number

SET

LIST PCL [0|1|2|3|4|5|6]

SET

LIST TIME number

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

SET

LOCK [number] (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

MAKEABSENT ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

NLS [number]

SET

NUMBUG ON | OFF

SET

OPENMODE [number]

SET

ORACLE ROWS number (not supported in Suprtool/MPE)

SET

ORACLE INTEGER ON | OFF (not supported in Suprtool/MPE)

SET

ORACLE OPENFIX ON|OFF (not supported in Suprtool/MPE)

SET

ORACE ZERONULL ON | OFF (not supported in Suprtool/MPE)

SET

PATTERN NEW|OLD

SET

PREFETCH [number] (not supported in Suprtool/UX)

SET

PRIVMODE ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

PROGRESS Percent [number] Minimum [number]

SET

PROMPT character

SET

REALMAP ON|OFF

SET

RECOVER ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

REDO filename

SET

SDEXTNAME ON|OFF

SET

SORTFAST ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

SQUEEZE [ON|OFF] (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

STATISTICS ON|OFF

SET

SUBSYSTEM ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

SUSPEND ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

THOUSANDSYMBOL 

SET

USERLABELS ON|OFF (has no effect in Suprtool/UX)

SET

VARSUB ON|OFF

SET

VARSUBCOMPAT ON | OFF

SET

VARSUBDEBUG ON | OFF

SET

WARNINGS ON|OFF

Each option is its own Set command. That is, you cannot specify multiple options in
the same command. Instead, use multiple Set commands. For example, to Set
Statistics On and to define a PCL format for the List command, you would specify
two Set commands:
>set stat on
>set list pcl 1

or

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 213

>set stat on;set list pcl 1

When Suprtool starts running, all the options are
set to initial "factory settings". The Suprmgr file
may contain Set commands to override the initial
values. Set commands remain set until the end of
the Suprtool run, or until changed by another Set
command.

Add system-wide Set
commands to the
/opt/robelle/suprmgr
configuration file.

Some commands have optional parameters (e.g., the numeric value of Set Date
Cutoff). If the command is specified without a value, the default that Suprtool uses
may be different from the program's initial value. When that is the case, the
command description will show the initial value and the default-when-omitted value.

Allbase
SET ALLBASE ROWS number
(Initially: 100)
If you open an Allbase database, Suprtool reads more than one row at a time when
processing the input source. By default, Suprtool fetches 100 rows at a time. You can
vary the number of rows that Suprtool fetches with Set Allbase Rows. The minimum
number of rows is 1 and the maximum number is 990. You must specify Set Allbase
Rows before entering the Select command.

Arithmetic
SET ARITHMETIC Classic | IEEE
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Baseclose
SET BASECLOSE ON | OFF
This command is not supported in Suprtool/UX.

Blocksize
SET BLOCKSIZE [size]
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Buffer
SET BUFFER [ size ]
(Initially: depends; Default: no change)
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

CleanChar
SET CleanChar " "
(Default: space)

214 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

By default, Suprtool will replace any of the characters specified in the clean
command with a space. You can specify what character to use to replace any of the
characters that qualify with the following set command:
>set CleanChar "."

This will set the character to replace any of the qualifying "to be cleaned" characters
to be a period.
If you want to Clean a field and not replace with any character you just need to set
the clean character in the following manner:
>set CleanChar “”

CurrencySymbol
SET CurrencySymbol "$"
(Default: period)
This setting is used to change the Currency character which is used to edit the data in
a field used by the $Number function. The defined currency symbol(s) is stripped
from the field prior to converting to number, in the $number function. The
CurrencySymbol can be up to our characters.
>set CurrencySymbol "$"

The default character for the Currency Symbol is the Dollar sign.

Date Cutoff
SET DATE CUTOFF [ number ]
(Initially: 10; Default: 00)
Date Cutoff tells Suprtool what century to use when Suprtool generates the date
value from the $date and $stddate functions. This setting only affects the date values
generated by the $date and $stddate function in the If and Extract commands. This
does not affect user data.
Versions of Suprtool without Set Date Cutoff would assume 19 for the century for
any user-specified $date with a two-digit year.
Now with Set Date Cutoff xx, Suprtool assumes the following: a value of 20 for the
century if the two-digit year specified in the $date or $stddate functions is less than
the value of Set Date Cutoff; a value of 19 for the century if the two-digit year is
greater than or equal to Set Date Cutoff.
The initial value of Set Date Cutoff is 10. Therefore the default behavior in $date and
$stddate is to treat the two-digit years with values of 00..09 as 2000..2009, and the
two-digit years with values of 10..99 as 1910..1999.
yy Value in $date

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

With Cutoff 10

With Cutoff 25

00

2000

2000

…

…

…

09

2009

2009

10

1910

2010

11

1911

2011

…

…

…

Suprtool Commands • 215

24

1924

2024

25

1925

1925

26

1926

1926

…

…

…

99

1999

1999

We recommend that you always provide a four-digit year when using $date.
However, for reasons of backward compatibility, we introduced Set Date Cutoff. See
"Date ForceCentury" on page 216 for more information.

$Stddate and Set Date Cutoff
When $stddate has to convert from a date in only a two-digit format, the conversion
to the four-digit date will use the value in Set Date Cutoff.
For example,
>input salesdetail
{a self-describing file}
>set date cutoff 15
{range is 1915-2014}
>def new-ship-date,1,4,double
>item ship-date,date,mmddyy
>ext order-no / sales-amount
>ext new-ship-date = $stddate(ship-date)
>out salesinfo,link
>xeq

In this example, if any ship-date has a year of 14 or less, then the century applied to
the new-ship-date field will be 20. Ship-dates with a year of 15 or more will have a
century of 19 applied.

Date ForceCentury
SET DATE FORCECENTURY ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
Set Date ForceCentury On will not allow a yy date to be entered in the $date
function; it will force the user to enter a full ccyy date.
>set date forcecentury on
>item date-field,date,ccyymmdd
>if date-field >= $date(00/12/10)
Error:You must specify the century or Set Date ForceCentury off

The default value for Set Date ForceCentury is off.

Date IfYY2000Error
SET DATE IFYY2000ERROR ON | OFF
(Initially: ON)
By default Suprtool considers dates with a two-digit century component from the
$date and $today functions to be invalid when the dates resolve to be greater than
1999 and the If operation is a relative operation (e.g., greater than or equal to). You
can control whether Suprtool considers this condition an error by using the following
Set command:

216 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>set Date Ifyy2000Error Off

The following example shows what is considered to be an error by the If command
and how the Set command can turn off the error check:
>def a,1,6
>item a,date,yymmdd
>if a >= $today
^
Error: Cannot use a date beyond 1999 for this format
>set date ifyy2000error off
>if a >= $date(2000/01/03)

We have chosen this condition to be an error by default because when the $date
function in the If command resolves a date in a yymmdd format to a value beyond
1999, the result is not always a useful value. For example, a December 10, 2000 date
in a yymmdd format would have a value of 001210, and comparisons to this value
could be logically incorrect.
If you would have included a Delete command in a dataset selection task, you could
have removed all of your records.

Date MapToPHDate8
SET DATE MAPTOPHDATE8 ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
This set command will change any item command reference to phdate to mean
phdate8, for assistance in converting to the newer phdate format found in
PowerHouse version 8.19 and higher.
The set command:
>set date MapToPhdate8 on

changes only the reference to phdate8 in the Item command. It does not change
references that already exist in self-describing files nor does it change the data.
With this setting enabled, any Item command reference, such as:
>item mydate,date,phdate

will actually mean phdate8.

DecimalSymbol
SET DecimalSymbol " "
(Default: period)
This setting is used to change the Decimal character which is used to edit the data in
a field used by the $Number function.
>set DecimalSymbol "."

The default character for the Decimal Symbol is a period.

Defer
SET DEFER ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool.UX.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 217

DumpOnError
SET DUMPONERROR ON | OFF
(Initially: ON)
With DUMPONERROR, Suprtool attempts to produce a formatted listing of records
that cause a database error. The information printed may include the input record
number, the output record number and the data values of the record. Suprtool uses
current options of the List command to print the data values. If no List command is
specified, Suprtool uses the List defaults.

EditStopError
SET EDITSTOPERROR ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
An edit mask is limited to 32 characters in total for both numeric and byte type
fields. If data overflows the edit-mask, by default Suprtool will fill that field with
asterisks. To have Suprtool stop when it encounters an overflow when applying the
edit-mask, just turn on editstoperror:
>set editstoperror on

This will force Suprtool to stop if there is data left over to place when applying the
edit-mask. With numeric-type fields, leading zeroes do not cause overflow. With
byte-type fields, spaces do not cause overflow.

Eofread
SET EOFREAD ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

FastRead
SET FASTREAD [ ON | OFF ]
(Initially: ON (some versions))

Regular Suprtool for HP-UX (version without Dynamic Image Loading) will initially
have the Fastread option on. The Dynamic Loading version has the Fastread option
initially off.
Testing has shown that the CPU time can be improved by anywhere from two to five
times and Wall time has improved anywhere from two to six times faster. You can
enable or disable this feature for all runs of Suprtool on your system by putting the
command:
Set FastRead On

Or
Set Fastread Off

into the file /opt/robelle/suprmgr. This means that Suprtool will use the faster reads
for all runs of Suprtool.

218 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Filecode
SET FILECODE [ number ]
This command is not supported in Suprtool/UX.

Filename
SET FILENAME Help | Link | Edit | Hint | Export | Outcount filename
On HP-UX it is really only necessary to alter the Help filename, since Hints, Export
and Link are not applicable under HP-UX when installing under a different directory.

/opt/robelle/help/suprtool
This is the name of the Suprtool/UX Help file. You can override this name by using
Set Filename Help or set the ROBELLE variable as outlined previously.
/set filename help /usr/local/help/suprtool

Firstrec
SET FIRSTREC [ 0 | 1 ]
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Hints
SET HINTS ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

HPUXCmdErr “”
SET HPUXCmdErr “”
(Initially: Spaces)
HP-UX and MPE are different in terms of whether or not a file operation is an error
or a warning. With file operations such as rm or mv, the shell that executes these
commands returns an error condition to Suprtool which impacts scripts that are
converted from MPE. For example, on MPE a purge command on a file that does not
exist was only considered a warning. On HP-UX, an rm command on a file that does
not exist is considered an error, which halts Suprtool when run in batch .
For example the ksh returns an error code of 2 if you attempt to remove a file that
does not exist.
rm file1x
rm: file1x non-existent
echo $?
2

We have added Set HPUXCmdErr command which will tell Suprtool to ignore
errors from certain OS commands. Please note that this does not impact Suprtool’s
internal checking of Suprtool commands.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 219

For example if you want Suprtool to ignore the common occurrence of stopping a
script when an “error” occurs you just need to set the string in HPUXCmdErr as
follows:
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool << \!EOD
set hpuxcmderrs "rm,:rm,!rm"
:rm file1x
rm file1y
!rm file1y
exit
!EOD

If the command returns an error Suprtool will check to see if it was an rm,:rm or !rm
command and ignore the error.

Ifcheck
SET IFCHECK ON | OFF
(Initially: ON)
With Set Ifcheck On, the If command produces an error if any field used in the If
command is not contained entirely within the input file record. For compatibility
reasons, users may wish to disable this error checking by turning Set Ifcheck Off.

Ignore
SET IGNORE ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
This command has some effect in Suprtool for HP-UX and Suprtool for AMXW.
IGNORE tells Suprtool to continue processing if there are errors in these situations:
"duplicate-key" errors in writing to an IMAGE master dataset, "chain-head" errors in
deleting entries from an input dataset or putting records to a detail dataset, a record
changed before Suprtool could delete it. Traps on divide by zero or bad numeric data
are not available as yet

InitExtents
SET INITEXTENTS ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
Set InitExtents has no effect on Suprtool for HP-UX.

ItemAbbreviateDate
SET ITEMABBREVIATEDATE ON | OFF
(Initially: ON)
The specification of the Date format within the Item command by default expects the
entire keyword. For example for the date format of Calendar, you would have to
specify the entire token of Calendar. If you Set ItemAbbreviateDate On, you would
only have to specify CAL for the Calendar date format.

220 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

ItemLock
SET ITEMLOCK 
(Initially: Spaces)
Item Level locking on Deletes and Updates can be invoked during a task with the
Set itemlock command. For example
!run suprtool.pub.robelle
base order,1,;
get dline
set itemlock item-num
del
out save,link
exit

The Set command must be specified after the Base and Get/Chain have been
specified. This field/setting is reset after each task. Item-Level locking is not
invoked for PUT operations.
There are some cases where Suprtool needs to use the "@" lock descriptor, when
doing a dblock-mode 5 which is an unconditional Item Level lock, however it may
appear as if it is doing a set level lock, however, since Suprtool for HP-UX could be
working against different Image call "interpreters".

Interactive
SET INTERACTIVE ON | OFF
(Initially: depends)
If you run Suprtool from a session, Set Interactive is On. If you run Suprtool from a
batch job or with Stdin or Stdlist re-directed, Set Interactive is Off. When it is On,
Suprtool waits for answers to questions and continues processing even if there are
errors. When it is Off, Suprtool aborts on any error, assumes the "correct" answer to
any question, and generally acts as if there is not an intelligent being typing in the
command. Suprtool chooses the "correct" answer, which allows the task to continue.
In most cases, this is the default answer. However, there are cases where Suprtool
picks a different answer from the default. For example, an "output filename,erase"
command has a default answer of "no," but with Interactive Off, Suprtool uses the
answer "yes."
However, if you run Suprtool on a Remote Session that was created from a batch job,
Set Interactive is On even though you are NOT interactive. If you wish to have
proper batch error processing, your first command after starting Suprtool should be
Set Interactive Off. Set Interactive Off is also useful when automating on-line tasks
with usefiles:
Suprtool –c"set interactive off;use usefile"

LabelledTapeRewind
SET LABELLEDTAPEREWIND ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Limits
SET LIMITS [MPE ON|OFF] [READONLY ON|OFF] [Tablesize size]

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 221

(Initially: MPE ON, ReadOnly OFF, Tablesize 1 megabyte)
When Set Limits MPE is Off, you cannot execute any HP-UX command (e.g., !rm).
This is an irreversible option -- once disabled, it cannot be enabled again by the user.

Table Size
On HP-UX you can control the size of a table with the Set Limits TableSize
command. By default an individual Table will be 50 Megabytes in size and you can
have up to 10 tables. The Global limit for all tables is up to 500 Megabytes. You can
control the size of a given table with the command:
>Set Limits TableSize n

If you enter the command Set Limits TableSize 100 and the next table command that
you build will have a limit of 100 Megabytes.

Read Only
Suprtool normally allows any user with the proper access capabilities to add records
to a database. To prevent users from accidentally updating their database, we provide
the following setting within Suprtool:
>set limits ReadOnly On

The ReadOnly setting, once turned on, cannot be turned off for the current run of
Suprtool. This disables all commands that potentially change data for the specified
database.
If Set Limits ReadOnly is enabled, then the Add, Put, Delete and Update command
in Suprtool will return an appropriate error message.
You can Set Limits Readonly on the command line using the -c option. For example
the following command file can be used to restrict who has write access to a given
database. In this example only the root user is allowed write access:
if [ $USER = "root" ]
then
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
else
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool -c'set limits readonly on'
fi

List
SET LIST option value
Use Set List to configure default values for the List command. You can configure the
default date, time, and format for LaserJet listings.

List Date
SET LIST Date number
(Initially: 0)
When you select page headings with the List command by specifying a title, each
page includes today's date. By default, this date is formatted as mmm dd, ccyy (e.g.,
Mar 20, 2000). Use Set List Date to specify a different default date format for future
List commands (e.g., Set List Date 2). The valid date formats are as follows:

222 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Value

Format

Example

0 (default)

mmm dd, ccyy

Mar 20, 2000

1

yy/mm/dd

00/03/20

2

mm/dd/yy

03/20/00

3

dd/mm/yy

20/03/00

4

dd mmmyy

20 Mar00

List PCL
SET LIST PCL [ 0|1|2|3|4|5|6 ]
(Initial & Default: 0)
Use Set List PCL to configure the default format for LaserJet listings. This option
defines the List device as a PCL device and indicates the orientation and font for the
report. Set List PCL affects only the List command; it is ignored by the Output
command. PCL stands for Printer Command Language, which is an HP standard for
printers. The LaserJet is one of the first PCL devices to be released by HP.
By default, Suprtool assumes that your List output device is not PCL-compatible
(List PCL 0).
PCL 1. To print the Suprtool List output in Landscape mode (across the wide part of
the paper) with the tiny Lineprinter font (16.66 pitch or 8 lines per inch), you should
do the following (this setting prints 175 columns per line):
>:comment Maximum of 175 columns with this font
>set list pcl 1
>:comment You will need LaserJet with proper font cartridge
>list device laser123

PCL 2. To print the listing in Courier font, Landscape mode, 6 lines per inch, and
100 columns wide, use:
>set list pcl 2
>list device laserjet

PCL 3. This option selects the "standard" Portrait orientation with the Courier font
of the LaserJet (80 columns across by 60 lines). You would use Set List PCL 3 when
you insert a Font cartridge that overrides the default font (e.g., 92286F cartridge).
PCL 4. Selects Portrait orientation and Lineprinter font of the L cartridge (and
others). This option prints 132 columns across the page by 80 lines.
PCL 5. Prints 80 columns on A4 paper by slightly narrowing the space between
columns.
PCL 6. Prints tiny letters in Landscape mode on legal-size paper. This gives you 223
columns per line.
The PCL options, with the exception of PCL 5, were designed and tested with North
American letter-size paper. Suprtool can adjust the number of rows and columns for
each option to match A4 if you add 2000 to the PCL code. You can also select the
ASCII character set (instead of the default Roman-8 character set) by adding 1000 to
the PCL code. See "List Command [L]" on page 189 for more details.
Here is a complete table of the PCL codes:

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 223

PCL

L/P

Font

A4 paper
Rows x
Columns

Letter-size Notes
Rows x
Columns

1

L

lp

58 x 188

60 x 175

2

L

courier

43 x 110

45 x 100

3

P

courier

64 x 77

60 x 80

4

P

lp

85 x 128

80 x 132

5

P

courier

64 x 80

60 x 80

A4-squeeze

6

L

lp

60 x 223

60 x 223

legal-size

"standard"

L and P mean Landscape or Portrait orientation.

List Time
SET LIST Time number
(Initially: 1)
When you select page headings with the List command by specifying a title, each
page includes the current time. By default, the time is in 24-hour format (e.g., 23:02).
Use Set List Time to specify a different default time format for future List
commands (e.g., Set List Time 2). The valid time formats are as follows:
Value

Format

Example

0

none

1 (default)

24-hour

23:02

2

AM/PM

11:02PM

List FormFeed
SET LIST Time On | Off
(Initially: Off)
The command Set List FormFeed On, will enable Suprtool to write a form feed to
the list file at the end of each task. This way if you append an additional report to the
list file, the next report and will start on a page break. This only occurs when using
the File keyword, on the list command.
set list formfeed on
in myfile
list file myrept
xeq
in newdata
list file myrept append
xeq

This set List command is the ONLY Set command that does not get reset between
each task.

Lock
SET LOCK [ number ]
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

224 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

MakeAbsent
SET MakeAbsent [ On|Off ]
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

NLS
SET NLS [number]
(Initially: 0 or NLDATALANG JCW)
Use Set NLS with files from MPE systems to specify the language to be used for
sorting Character-type fields (see Native Language Support). The number
corresponds to an NLS language; you cannot use the NLS language name. The
common language numbers are:
Number

Language

00

Native-3000

01

American

02

Canadian-French

03

Danish

04

Dutch

05

English

06

Finnish

07

French

08

German

09

Italian

10

Norwegian

11

Portuguese

12

Spanish

13

Swedish

NumBug
SET Numbug [ On|Off ]
The $number function had a bug whereby it would add on two zeroes and or bad
data if the input number did not have a decimal point. We have fixed the bug so that
the number function no longer adds the two digits on the end in error.
However, some users worked around this issue by doing the following:
>extract target = $truncate($number(conv-field) / 100)

Since some users, used this work around, the fix to the $number function will then
return incorrect results. Therefore, we added the set numbug command to have
Suprtool revert from the correct behaviour to continue to have the bug.
By default, Suprtool will just convert the number and not add on the data at the end,
however, if you have used the work around then you can add the command:
>set numbug on

to the script directly or globally in your suprmgr file.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 225

Openmode
SET OPENMODE [ number ]
(Initial & Default: 1)
By default, Suprtool opens databases in mode-1 when the mode is omitted from the
Base command. Using Set Openmode, you can specify an alternate mode for the
Base command. A common choice would be Set Openmode 5, so that Suprtool
would allow only read-access to the database (disabling the Delete command, for
example).

Oracle Rows
SET ORACLE ROWS number
(Initially: 100)
If you open an Oracle database, Suprtool reads more than one row at a time when
processing the input source. By default, Suprtool fetches 100 rows at a time. You can
vary the number of rows that Suprtool fetches by using Set Oracle Rows. The
minimum number of rows is 1 and the maximum is 990. You must specify Set
Oracle Rows before entering the Select command.

Oracle Integer
SET ORACLE INTEGER ON|OFF
(Initially: OFF)
Suprtool by default maps certain numeric fields into packed-decimal data types when
they have more than one decimal place:
Precision

Decimal Places

Suprtool Data-Type

None

Any

8-byte IEEE

1-4

Zero

2-byte Integer

5-9

Zero

4-byte Integer

1-9

Non-zero

Packed-decimal

10-27

Any

Packed-decimal

28-38

Any

8-byte IEEE

The new setting:
Set Oracle Integer on

changes the Suprtool format from packed-decimal to Integer based on the size of the
Number:
Precision

Decimal Places

Suprtool Data-Type

1-4

Any

2-byte Integer

5-9

Any

4-byte Integer

10-27

Any

8-byte Integer

Oracle OpenFix
SET ORACLE OPENFIX ON|OFF

226 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

(Initially: OFF)
In order to fix a problem introduced by a patch to Oracle 9, we had to change to a
new Oracle call interface call. You can invoke this new call in one of two methods,
the first is to use the following Set command:
>Set Oracle OpenFix On

The second method is to specify the username/password in the following manner:
>open oracle scott/tiger

However, this option should not be needed any longer due to how we load the Oracle
routines and utilize them.

Oracle PassShift
SET ORACLE PASSSHIFT ON|OFF
(Initially: ON)
Oracle 11 now allows for case sensitive passwords. Normally Suprtool upshifts all
characters in an Oracle password, this can be changed with Set Oracle PassShift Off,
which stops Suprtool from upshifting the Oracle password.
This works for both syntax methods of:
open oracle suprtest suprpass

and the syntax that includes the service name:
open oracle suprtest/suprpass@servname

Oracle SpaceNull
SET ORACLE SPACENULL ON|OFF
(Initially: OFF)
Suprtool for HP-UX has a new option to turn on changing null fields to Spaces. Set
Oracle SpaceNull On will change any fields that are "null" (in the SQL sense of the
word), and become spaces for the char, date and varchar data types.
In order to turn this feature on for all accesses you can put the command:
Set Oracle SpaceNull On

into the file /opt/robelle/suprmgr.

Oracle ZeroNull
SET ORACLE ZERONULL ON|OFF
(Initially: OFF)
Set Oracle ZeroNull On will change any fields that are "null" (in the SQL sense of
the word), will become zeroes for the appropriate number type.
In order to turn this feature on for all accesses you can put the command:
>Set Oracle ZeroNull On

into the file /opt/robelle/suprmgr.
Previous to version 4.6 in Suprtool used to return nulls, but Suprtool 4.6 and
Suprtool 4.7 would return zeroes. We have decided to make this optional and make

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 227

the default to return Nulls, due to problems when using the to_char function in the
select statement.

Pattern
SET PATTERN NEW | OLD
(Initially: NEW)
Prior to Suprtool for MPE version 3.1, there was no method of checking for the "@",
"#", "?", or "~" characters in a pattern. Version 3.1 introduced a new patternmatching routine, adding an escape character "&", and two new reserved characters
"^" and "!". Old Suprtool tasks that look for the specific characters &, ^, or ! will not
work with the new pattern-matching routine. Users who are concerned about this can
add the following command to their /opt/robelle/suprmgr file:
set pattern old

Prefetch
SET PREFETCH [ number ]
This command is not supported in Suprtool/UX.

Privmode
SET PRIVMODE ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Progress
SET PROGRESS Percent [ number ] Minimum [ number ]
(Initial & Defaults: Percent 5, Minimum 50000)
The Set Progress command is used to turn the Suprtool progress report feature on or
off. The PERCENT value specified tells Suprtool by which percentage increment to
report the progress messages of any given input or output phase. The allowed range
for set progress is from 0 to 25, the default is every 5 percent. If the PERCENT
parameter is not specified, then the next parameter is considered to be the PERCENT
value. This is to remain compatible with some earlier versions of Suprtool.
The MINIMUM value is the minimum number of records that an input file must
have in order for the progress reports to be printed out. If the MINIMUM value is set
to 15000, then the input file must have at least 15000 records or else progress
messages are not printed out for the entire task. This value allows the user to turn off
progress messages when reading smaller files. The default value is 50000 records.
To always print progress messages, just set the minimum value to 0.
Suprtool does not produce any progress messages under the following conditions:
Set Progress is zero.
Output is to $stdlist via the Output * or List commands.
The input source is an SQL database.
The number of records from the input source is less than the minimum
value.

228 • Suprtool Commands

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Suprtool checks whether or not to print a progress message at the end of each buffer.
Consequently, not all progress increments are reported for small files or datasets.
Suprtool reports the phase that it is in: whether input phase, sort phase, output phase
or combined input/output phase (not sort).
The content of the progress messages is as follows:
Percentage complete
Phase and the total number of records processed
Delta-Sec(Min) - the time elapsed from the previous message
Wall-Sec(Min) - the total elapsed time
CPU-Sec - the total CPU-Seconds at this point
When using the record selection feature of the Input command, Suprtool cannot be
absolutely certain of the total number of records. Therefore, the percentage
calculation is estimated.

Prompt
SET PROMPT character
(Initially: > )
PROMPT tells Suprtool which character to use for prompting. Any special character
can be used as the prompt character. For example:
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
>set prompt %
%open oracle demo reader

RealMap
SET RealMap ON| OFF
(Initially: ON)
Previously, Suprtool would treat an “R” type field in an Eloquence database as an R
type while the data inside Eloquence was stored and treated as IEEE therefore
incorrect results would occur with coercions and arithmetic operations. Suprtool now
by default maps all Real and Long fields to their respective IEEE fields. You can
change Suprtool back to the previous behaviour with Set RealMap Off.
A form command will still show the fields as being “R2” or “R4”, but internally
Suprtool will treat as IEEE, which is how Eloquence stores and treats the numbers.
This will also include Self-Describing files as being the input source. Suprtool will
still not allow the definition of a Real or Long datatype.
Consequently STExport will now support items in SD files that are condidered R
type, however it correctly will map them to IEEE.

Recover
SET RECOVER ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 229

Redo
SET REDO filename
(Initially: none)
Commands that you enter at the Suprtool prompt are saved in something called the
redo stack. You can recall commands from the redo stack using other commands
such as Before, Do and Redo. By default, the redo stack is stored in a temporary file
and discarded as soon as you exit Suprtool. This temporary stack is not preserved
across Suprtool invocations.
Set Redo allows you to assign a permanent file as the redo stack. The redo stack is
then available for future Suprtool invocations. To assign the Myredo file as a
persistent redo stack, enter:
>set redo myredo
If the file does not exist, Suprtool creates it. If it already exists, Suprtool uses it. All
subsequent commands are written to the persistent redo stack. The setting is valid for
the duration of the Suprtool session. As soon as you exit Suprtool, the setting is
discarded. Next time you run Suprtool, you will get the temporary stack.
If the filename is not qualified, the redo stack is created in the current working
directory. This may be desirable if you wish to have separate stacks. If you wish to
always use the same persistent stacks, you should qualify the name.
The Verify command shows which stack is currently in use. If it shows
, it means Suprtool is using the default stack. Anything else is the
name of the file used on the Set Redo command.

Concurrency
When Suprtool uses the default temporary stack, it is only accessible to that
particular instance of Suprtool. You can run as many Suprtool instances as you need
and each one gets its own redo stack. With temporary stacks, you will never get into
concurrency problems.
If you start using a persistent redo stack, you might start running into concurrency
problems. A persistent redo stack can only be used by one Suprtool instance at any
one point in time. If you try to use a persistent redo stack that is already in use, you
will get the following message:
>set redo myredo
The redo file is already in use.
Unable to open file for REDO stack

In this situation, Suprtool continues to use the redo stack active at the time and lets
you continue to work as normal.
Qedit can also have permanent redo stacks. To prevent products from writing to each
other's redo stack, it is advisable to have separate stacks for each product by giving
them different file names. For example if you use
>set redo myredo

you will have a redo stack called myredo for your Suprtool commands. If you exit
Suprtool and run Qedit and supply the same Set Redo command, your Qedit
commands will be written to the same file that was used for your Suprtool
commands.

230 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

SDExtname
SET SDExtname ON | OFF
Suprtool can create SD files with “extended names” when you set SDEXtname on.
By default Suprtool for HP-UX will behave as normal and truncate field names at 16
characters. If SDEXtname is on, Suprtool will write out the fully defined field name
or if the input source is Oracle the full Oracle field name, (up to 32 characters), to the
end of the .sd file. Suprtool will use the “extended” names whereever possible.
The Suprtool List command does not take advantage of the new extended names at
this time.
Suprlink will merge the extended names and create the proper information in the
output SD file, but will not use the extended name when linking two files.

Sortfast
SET SORTFAST ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Squeeze
SET SQUEEZE [ ON | OFF ]
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Statistics
SET STATISTICS ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
STATISTICS causes Suprtool to print statistics at the end of each task. This can be
useful for determining the effectiveness of Suprtool's If and Sort command versus
similar options on the Select command.

Subsystem
SET SUBSYSTEM ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Suspend
SET SUSPEND ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

ThousandSymbol
SET ThousandSymbol " "
(Default: comma)
This setting is used to change the Thousand character which is used to edit the data
in a field used by the $Number function.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 231

>set ThousandSymbol ","

The default character for the Thousand Symbol is a comma.

Userlabels
SET USERLABELS ON | OFF
This command has no effect in Suprtool/UX.

Varsub
SET VARSUB ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
This option tells Suprtool to resolve any environment variables in any command. The
default value for VarSub is Off for backward compatibility. Please note that Suprtool
will not resolve any of its internal $options, such as $LOOKUP, $DATE etc. If you
are using Suprtool for AMXW, Suprtool will try to resolve CI variables with “!” and
then any environment variables left over.

VarsubCompat
SET VARSUBCOMPAT ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
The Set VarsubCompat flag has been added to have variable substitution be more
flexible. On MPE variable substitution would pass the name of the variable thru to be
parsed even if the variable was not set. On HP-UX the default behaviour was to
return spaces if the environment variable was not set. This is still the default
behaviour, however if you set varsubcompat on, Suprtool will return the
environment variable name similar to how MPE works with unresolved variables.

VarsubDebug
SET VARSUBDEBUG ON | OFF
(Initially: OFF)
Suprtool, now has a setting called Set VarsubDebug on which will print out the line
after the variable substitution has occurred. This setting only works if Set Varsub is
on and Set VarsubDebug is on.
export outfile &
:"/GREEN/SUPRTEST/filename901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123
45678901"
/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool
SUPRTOOL/UX/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1981-2007.
(Version 5.6 Internal) TUE, OCT 30, 2007, 2:58 PM Type H for he
>set varsub on
>set varsubdebug on
>in file1sd.suprtest
vd:in file1sd.suprtest
>output !outfile,link,temp
vd:output /GREEN/SUPRTEST/filename90123456789012345678901234567890123
vd:2345678901,link,temp

The output is formatted into 74 byte chunks and printed with a preceding “vd:” so
the “substituted” line is clear.

232 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Warnings
SET WARNINGS ON | OFF
(Initially: ON)
Suprtool normally prints warning messages out to $stdlist. You can turn off these
messages when you are running from batch by issuing a Set Warnings off command.
If you are simulating batch mode with the Set Interactive Off command, you must do
the Set Warnings off after the Set Interactive Off.
The default for this setting is On.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 233

Sort Command [SO]
Specifies the next sort key via an Eloquence field, a table column name, or a field in
a self-describing file, or a Defined field. See "Key Command [K]" on page 186 for
sort keys specified by explicit byte position. Up to 20 Sort and Key commands can
be specified per extract task. The first key entered is the major sort key.
SORT field [(subscript)] [DESCENDING]
(Default: Ascending order)

Field
The field specified must be an Eloquence data item that is a field of the input source,
a selected item from the selected table, or a defined field, or a field from a selfdescribing file.

Subscript
If the field is a compound item (e.g., 2X25), the first sub-item is the default if no
subscript is specified. You can sort on any sub-item by specifying the subscript. For
example,
>sort address(2)

{sorts on 2nd sub-item}

Descending vs. Ascending Order
By default, sorts are done in ascending order. Descending specifies that the field is to
be sorted in descending order.

Examples
The most common use of the Sort command is to specify a sort field of a database
field. You may use the Key command to specify all sorts. We recommend that the
Sort command be used wherever possible. If the structure of your database changes,
your Suprtool tasks still work if sort fields are specified with the Sort command:
>open oracle demo reader
>select * from sales
>sort account
>sort purchased,desc
>output dsales
disc file}
>exit

{input from a table}
{primary sort field}
{newest transactions first}
{write the sorted records to a

In the next example we sort a disc file. We create a field using the Define command.
Rather than using the Key command, we use the Sort command to specify the sort
field. If the disc file changes, only the Define command must be changed:
>input invent
>define a,11,2,int
>output outfile
>sort a
"A" field}
>exit

{input is from a disc file}
{"A" is an integer that starts…}
{ at the 11th byte of Invent}
{sort the input records by the

With the =dataset form of the Input command, we can have even greater flexibility
to use the Sort command. We assume that the file Mcust has the same structure as
the m-customer dataset. We sort the file using the first of the two street addresses in
m-customer:

234 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>base store
>input mcust=m-customer
>sort street-address
>exit

{same format as m-customer}
{a repeated field, but only}
{ the first address is used}

Notes
The Verify command shows all of the current command values and the Reset
command cancels them. If you have not defined any sort fields before the Xeq or
Exit command, Suprtool performs a copy only, no sort.
Suprtool uses some temporary files during a sort. It creates the files in the directory
specified by the TMPDIR environment. The size of the files will be equal to the size
of the output file. If Suprtool runs out of disc space during a sort, you can try to
specify another directory for TMPDIR.
It is important to note that if the field being sorted is the result of a $function, then
you may not be sorting on the value of the field after the function has transformed
the field. For example the following task may not give you the result you expect:
>base store,5
>get d-sales
>def cust-accountx,1,6,byte
>ext cust-accountx = $edit(cust-accout,"zzzz99")
>sort cust-accountx
{sorting on transformed field before it has
value from function}
>dup none keys
>output dsales
>exit

In this instance you will not be sorting on cust-accountx as transformed by the $edit
function, but rather the first six bytes of d-sales. Therefore it is important to note
when you are using extract to transform a field, you will not be sorting on that
transformed value.
Therefore the way to do the transformation would be to either divide into two tasks
or if you can logically sort on the field before the transformation in order to achieve
the result, so the task could be:
>base store,5
>get d-sales
>def cust-accountx,1,6,byte
>ext cust-accountx = $edit(cust-accout,"zzzz99"
>sort cust-account
{Note sorting on source field}
>dup none keys
>output dsales
>exit

or if two tasks are necessary:
>base store,5
>get d-sales
>def cust-accountx,1,6,byte
>ext cust-accountx = $edit(cust-accout,"zzzz99"
>output tempsales
>xeq
>in tempsales
>sort cust-acctx
>dup none keys
>output dsales
>exit

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 235

Table Command [TA]
Builds a table of values for testing in the If or Chain command. There can be up to
ten different tables.
TABLE tablename, itemname, table-keyword, table-values
[,HOLD][,DATA(field,…)
Tables are used by the $lookup function of the If command and as input to the Chain
command. The table keywords are Item, File, and Sorted. The total amount of table
space is restricted by Set Limits Tablesize. Use the following scheme to select input
records based on many data values:
Load a table with the values you are interested in.
Use the $lookup function of the If command to search the table.
Or, use the table with the Chain command to read a selected set of key
values.

Adding Individual Values to a Table
To add a value for an item to a table, use:
TABLE tablename, itemname, ITEM, value [,value]
When you start entering the values for a table, you must enter all the values for that
table before starting another table. Once you switch to another table, the previous
table is "closed" and you cannot enter anymore values into it.

Parameters
tablename
Any identifier name up to sixteen characters long. This name can be the same as the
name of a Define field or database itemname, but we recommend that you choose a
unique name.
itemname
An item from the database specified in the Base or Open command or a Define field.
This cannot be a real-type item.
value
A specific value that must match the type of the item. String values are extended
with blanks to the length of the item.

Examples
Suppose that you wanted to look for several part numbers. You could use the
following If command:
>if part = "12345","67890","39201","92308","14892"

You could also load a table with the part numbers:

236 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>table
>table
>table
>table
>table

part-table,part,item,"12345"
part-table,part,item,"67890"
part-table,part,item,"39201"
part-table,part,item,"92308"
part-table,part,item,"14892"

and use a different If command:
>if $lookup(part-table,part)

Sometimes you need to look for all records that do not have any of a set of values,
>if part <> "12345","67890","39201","92308","14892"

You would use the same Table commands, but a slightly different If command,
>if not $lookup(part-table,part)

Values with Decimal Places
If the itemname for the table has implied decimal places, the Table command accepts
decimal points and scales input values. For example,
>item cost,decimal,2
{two implied decimal points}
>table cost-table,cost,item,10,10.5,10.75
>if $lookup(cost-table,cost)
>out out3
{select records for 1000, 1050,
and 1075}
>xeq

Adding Values from a File
You may need to look for hundreds of part numbers. The Table command accepts
the table values from a file. The file must contain lookup values in exactly the same
format as the itemname which describes the data. Duplicates are eliminated as they
are loaded into the table. For a table consisting of values from a file use:
TABLE tablename, itemname, FILE | SORTED, filename
[,HOLD][,DATA(field1,field2,field3…)]

Parameters
itemname
The item determines the data-type and length of the key values in the table. You can
only load a table from a self-describing file. Suprtool first checks for the field in the
self-describing file.
FILE vs. SORTED
The File option assumes that the file of table values is not sorted. Sorting a large file
of values is slow. If the file is already sorted, use the Sorted option: Suprtool checks
the records to make sure they are in ascending order.
filename
A valid HP-UX file name; the file must be self-describing.
Hold
By default, the Xeq command resets all tables. Use the Hold option when using the
same table in more than one extract task. When Hold is specified, the Xeq command
does not reset the table. Hold applies to individual tables, not all tables.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 237

>table part-table,part,file,partin,hold

Data
The Table allows for data to be loaded along with matching key values.
>table partab,part,file,partin,data(cost,desc)

You can specify up to 20 data fields as long as the total size of the key fields and
data does not exceed 256 bytes. The Table file must be Self-Describing to use the
data option.
When loading data into a table, Suprtool will eliminate the duplicate entries based on
the key value, so some data values may not be loaded into the table.
For information on how to retrieve data from the table, please see the Extract
command, or the Examples section of the Table command.

Examples
If all of your part numbers are in the file Partin, you use:
>table part-table,part,file,partin
>if $lookup(part-table,part)

The following example uses Suprtool to create a file of sales orders for customers in
arrears. The orders data is in the database, but the customer information is in a disc
file. Suprtool reads the disc file and creates a new self-describing file of customer
numbers that are in arrears. This SD file is then used to select the orders for these
customers from the orders table in the database. The account item occurs in both the
disc file and the database. When the Suprtool table is loaded, the account field
information is obtained from the self-describing arrears file.
>input customers,r 60,nolf
>def account,1,8,display
>def status,40,2
>if
status="30"
>extract account, status
>out arrears,link
>xeq
>open oracle demo reader
>select * from orders
>table cust-table,account,file,arrears
>if $lookup(cust-table,account)
>output badorders
>xeq

{disc file}
{customers in arrears}
{self-describing output}
{for the Table command}
{sales orders}

In this next example, low inventory items from the Inventory table are saved in the
SD file Invent. We use this file to load a Suprtool table and select the records from
the Product database table. On the table command, we use the "sorted" tablekeyword instead of "file" because the Invent file is already sorted. We then create a
new file Lowprods with all the product information of the low inventory items.

238 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>select * from inventory
>if
on_hand_qty < 10
{select records}
>sort product_no
{sort by key value}
>out invent,link
{later, use this file}
>xeq
{in the Table command}
>sel * from product
{contains product description}
>table product-table,product_no,sorted,invent
>if $lookup(product-table,product_no)
>sort product_no
>output lowprods
>xeq

Suprtool can load up to ten tables, either from separate files or the same file. The
following example assumes that the files are self-describing.
>input customer
>table cust-table,custno,file,custfile
>table zip-table,zipcode,file,custfile
>if $lookup(cust-table,custno) and $lookup(zip-table,zipcode)
>output newcust,link
>xeq

Keep in mind that using multiple tables may be more memory intensive and require
more resources.

Data Example
Your boss comes to you with a list of new prices for certain parts and asks you to
update the Part-Master dataset.
Just load the new prices into a Table, index by the product number (prodno),then
Extract the price field from each record and replace it with a $lookup on the table.
Here is the code:
>table newprices,prodno,file,bosslist,data(price)
>get part-master
>if $lookup(newprices,prodno)
>update
>extract price = $lookup(newprices,prodno,price)
>xeq

We do the If $lookup to select only the parts which have new prices, then do Extract
with $lookup to replace the existing price with a new one. The Update command
forces a database update on each selected record and must come before the Extract
command.
If you did not do the If $lookup then the price field would contain zeroes for those
fields that did not have a matching record.

Notes
The Xeq command clears any tables that are not held. Set Limits Tablesize restricts
the maximum size of tables, so you can limit the total amount of table space to a
specified number of megabytes. There is a total of 500 megabytes available for all
tables. To control the size of the table, you can issue the Set Limits Tablesize
command. The default Table limit is 50 megabytes for each Table.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 239

TRanslate Command [TR]
Translate command allows you to specify a From and To-character in decimal
notation, which then can be subsequently used in the $translate function.
Translate “^from:^to” TOUNREAD TOREAD
The Translate command also has two special keywords to fill the translation
table to help scramble data in byte-fields from readable to unreadable and
back again to readable.
>in nametest;list;xeq
>IN NAMETEST.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
NAME
= Neil Patrick Armstrong
IN=1, OUT=1. CPU-Sec=1. Wall-Sec=1.
>in nametest
>translate tounread
>ext name=$translate(name)
>list;xeq
>IN NAMETEST.NEIL.GREEN (0) >OUT $NULL (0)
NAME
= Mtxo Kpecxrz Ocndeclmv
IN=1, OUT=1. CPU-Sec=1. Wall-Sec=1.

240 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Total Command [T]
Totals specified fields in the selected input records.
TOTAL field [(subscript)] [decimal-places]
$file filename [ APPEND | ERASE | TEMP ]
$file $list
(Default: subscript=first sub-item, decimal-places=0)

Parameters
Each totaled field must be an Eloquence field, a database column name, or a field
from a self-describing file, or a Defined field. Total specifies that a total value for the
field be printed after processing the records. There does not have to be any output
file (i.e., it can be $null) for a total to be printed. There can be up to 15 totaled fields.
The subscript is valid only for compound items. If no subscript is specified, the first
field of a compound item is totaled. The decimal-places provides a decimal point
when the final total is printed. If the Item command specifies the number of implied
decimal places, the decimal-places parameter is not needed. The values within each
field are assumed to be aligned.

$File Options
By default, totals are written to $stdlist. Use the $file option to have the totals written
to a file or to the List device. When writing to a file, the default is to create a new
file. If Suprtool cannot save the file, it produces an error. The Append, Erase, and
Temp options are the same as in the Output command, although the TEMP option on
HP-UX is simply ignored and a new file is created.
If you want the totals written to the end of the List device (the output of the List
command), specify $list as the $file file name. All other options are ignored when
$list is specified.
To write totals to the output file, use Total $file xxx,Append, where xxx is the name
of your output file. Appending totals to the output file only works if the output file is
a disc file.

Examples
The first example prints the totals for a single field.
>in file1, r 40, nolf
>def amount,1,5
>total amount
>xeq
Totals (TUE, OCT 10, 2000,
AMOUNT

4:30 PM):
611105+

The next example is identical to the previous one, except that we qualify the total
with the number of decimal places.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 241

>in file1, r40, nolf
>total amount,2
>xeq
Totals (TUE, OCT 10, 2000, 4:31 PM):
AMOUNT
6111.05

The previous example specified the number of decimal places by using the Total
command. The next example is the preferred way to specify decimal places because
it qualifies the balance field with two decimal places for all Suprtool commands.
This example also totals two fields.
>input file1, r 40, nolf
>def
balance,11,4,integer
>def
overdue,21,4,integer
>item balance,decimal,2
>item overdue,decimal,2
>total balance
>total overdue
>xeq
Totals (TUE, OCT 10, 2000, 4:32 PM):
BALANCE
143598.16
OVERDUE
17399.73

Reading Total Files
The default size for the file created by TOTAL $file needs to be opened with 48
bytes wide and with linefeeds:
>in file1sd
>tot int-field
>total $file file82a
>xeq
>in file82a,rec 48,lf

You can also send the totals to a list file for simple reports:
>in file1sd
>tot int-field
>list standard file file82a
>total $file $list
>xeq

Sort Break Totals
Please refer to the Duplicate command on how to generate sort break totals.

Notes
You cannot combine the Total command with the Total option of the Duplicate
command.
The Total command prints out a date and time stamp on the title line. This is for
audit purposes.

242 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Update Command [UP]
Update one or more noncritical fields in an Eloquence dataset.
UPDATE [ CIUPDATE ]
Specify the fields to be updated and their new values with the Extract command. The
Update command must be specified after the Chain or Get command, but before the
Extract command(s). You can update part of an Eloquence field by defining the part
you are interested in updating and then using the defined field name in the Extract
command.
The Update command can change values in critical fields (Eloquence search or sort
fields). To update critical fields, you must specify the Ciupdate option, and
CIUPDATE must be On or Allowed in the database.

Example
This example selects all inventory items with a unit-cost less than $10.00 and
increases the unit-cost by five percent.
>get
>item
>if
>update
>extract

d-inventory
unit-cost,decimal,2
unit-cost < 10.00
unit-cost = &
unit-cost * 1.05

{input dataset}
{implied decimal places}
{selection criteria}
{Update must come before Extract}
{calculate the new …}
{… unit-cost value}

>xeq

This next example selects all inventory items with a part number of 12345677 and
changes it to 12345678.
>get
d-inventory
>if
product-no = 12345677
>update ciupdate
>extract product-no = 12345678
>xeq

{input dataset}
{selection criteria}
{new unit-cost value}

You can set CIUPDATE by using the DBUTIL Utility. To set CIUPDATE on just
run Dbutil and use the Set command:
:run dbutil.pub.sys
>>set dbname ciupdate=on
>>exit

Notes
The only commands that can be combined with Update are selection commands
(e.g., the If command). The following commands are not allowed: Delete, Duplicate,
Key, List, Output, Put, Sort, or Total. You cannot update critical fields in master
datasets. Update does not work with disc files or SQL databases.
If you are updating a packed or display field, remember that Suprtool uses unsigned
values for non-negative numbers unless you add a leading plus sign to the number.
See "Packed and Display Constants" on page 131 for more details.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 243

Use Command [U]
Specifies a file of commands to be executed as a group.
USE[Q] filename

Database Date Items
A usefile makes your task easier by allowing common commands to be specified
once in an external file. A common reason for usefiles is to isolate Define and Item
commands for a database in one place. This makes future changes easier and
prevents mistakes. In this example, we isolate all Item commands for dates from our
database in a Suprtool usefile.
>use store.suprtool
define delivered,deliv_date
define purchased,purch_date
item delivered ,date ,yymmdd
item purchased ,date ,yymmdd

Dataset Field Definitions
In the store database, the street-address is a 2X25 item. Suppose that you always
wanted to refer to the first and second part of the address with different names. The
following usefile would access the m-customer dataset and define the two necessary
fields:
>use mcust.suprtool
get m-customer
define street-address-1,street-address(1)
define street-address-2,street-address(2)

Quiet Execution
By default, Suprtool displays the commands in a usefile as they are executed. The
quiet option is not used in the examples above so that you could see the actual
commands inside each usefile. Suprtool can execute commands quietly using the
Useq command:
>useq store.use

{no commands are listed}

Nested Usefiles
Usefiles may be nested. In other words, a usefile may use another usefile to a depth
of ten files. For example if the contents of the Usedef usefile has a references to
Useext, both usefiles would be executed:

244 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

>in dsales
>use usedef
define delivered,deliv_date
define purchased,purch_date
item delivered ,date ,yymmdd
item purchased ,date ,yymmdd
use useext
ext cust-account
ext deliv-date
ext product-no
ext product_price
ext purch_date
ext sales-qty
ext sales-tax
ext sales_total
>xeq

Care must be taken when entering Use commands with a stacked command after a
usefile reference. For example, if you enter
use usedef;def j,1,6,byte

the Define command will not be executed until after the Usedef and any other nested
Use commands are finished.

Notes
The usefile may be an unnumbered, fixed-length file or a Qedit workfile, but no
more than 256 characters per record will be processed. For compatibility with Qedit,
Useq can be abbreviated to UQ.
If a Use file ends with an ampersand, Suprtool will assume that you are continuing
the current command on the next line, outside of the use file.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 245

Userpause Command [USER]
The Userpause command prints a prompt message on the screen and waits for the
user to press a key.
USERPAUSE [ "string" ]
(Default: read without a prompt)
Prints the string and waits for any key. Leading spaces in the string are printed.

Examples
In this example, we have a usefile that displays a message and then waits for the user
before starting the task.
>q
>q "We will select all transactions over $10,000. Since"
>q "there are many transactions, this task will take"
>q "some time (usually more than fifteen minutes)."
>q
>userpause "Press any key when you are ready to start."

246 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Verify Command [V]
Displays the specifications that you have entered so far.
VERIFY

[ ALL | @ | VERSION | command [...] ]

(Default: Input, Output, Sort, Numrecs, changed Set values)

Parameters
More than one command can be verified at once by entering several command names
separated by a comma or a space. The format of the Verify output is organized into
columns wherever possible.
For Verify All, Suprtool prints all of the information concerning the current
invocation of Suprtool, including the value of the Set options and the Suprtool
version number.
For Verify Version, Suprtool prints out the version information.
Verify with no parameters prints the current values for Chain, Get, Input, Output,
and Key or Sort commands. It also prints those Set options which are not currently at
their default setting.

Examples
>v
>verify
>verify
>verify
>verify
>verify

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

input
if
all
version

{current input file}
{selection criteria}
{all current options}
{version number of Suprtool}

Suprtool Commands • 247

Xeq Command [X]
Suspends entry of commands and begins the extract from the input source.
XEQ

Notes
After the Xeq, Suprtool processes the task and accepts commands to specify another
task. Compare this with the Exit command, which stops Suprtool after processing the
input. After an Xeq command, all parameters of Suprtool are reset to their initial
values, except any database that is left open, the Set options, and the Defined fields
even though their calculated offsets are not guaranteed to be correct for the next file
processed.

Examples
>open oracle demo reader
>select * from customer
>output mcstfile
>xeq
>select * from orders
>output allorders
>xeq
>exit

248 • Suprtool Commands

{copies Customer to Mcstfile}
{copies Orders to Allorders}
{terminate, no task to do}
{last Xeq could have been Exit}

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Calculator Command [=]
Evaluates an expression and prints the result in one of several formats.
=expression [,O | D | B | H | A | # | % | $]
Any command that begins with an equal sign (=) is treated as an expression to be
evaluated. An expression consists of numbers and operators, followed by an optional
display format.
The operators can be addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), or
exponentiation (**). The value of the expression is printed immediately on $stdlist.
=20+15
Result=35.0
=20*15
Result=300.0
=20-15
Result=5.0
=20/15
Result=1.33333333333
=20**15
Result=.327680000000E+20

{add two numbers together}
{multiply the same numbers}
{subtraction}
{divide, print precise result}
{20 raised to the 15th power}

Order of Evaluation
Unlike most programming languages, the calculator always evaluates the calculation
from left to right. This is similar to an electronic calculator, where each keystroke is
operated on immediately. You can use parentheses to force the calculator to evaluate
the expression in a different order.
=14+16+15/3
Result=15.0
=14+16+(15/3)
Result=35.0
=14+((16+15)/3)
add to 14}
Result=24.3333333333

{compute an average}
{add 14, 16, and the result of 15/3}
{add 16 + 15, divide by 3, then

Percentages
A number in the calculator expression may be followed by a percent sign (%). The
calculator assumes that you want to qualify the number as a percentage.
=125*5%
Result=6.25
=125+125*5%
Result=12.5
=125+(125*5%)
Result=131.25

{what is 5% of 125}
{add 5% of 125 to 125}
{oops, we needed to change the order}
{this looks like the answer we wanted}

The last two examples show the importance of the order in which calculator
evaluates the expression. We needed to use parentheses to force calculator to
evaluate our expression in the correct order.

Display Formats
A calculator expression may be followed by a comma and a display letter. The
default is decimal (#) and the options are hex ($ or H), octal (% or O), double (D),
ASCII (A) and binary (B). With these options, the result is treated as a 32-bit integer.

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

Suprtool Commands • 249

=10,o
Result=%000012
=-10,o
Result=%37777777766
=100,h
Result=$0064

{standard octal format}
{negative number in octal}
{hexadecimal}

In Double format, calculator prints the double result as two octal numbers (the way
they appear in DEBUG). The first number represents the high-order 16-bits and the
second number represents the low-order 16-bits.
=10,d
Result=%000000 %000012
=1000000000,d
Result=%035632 %145000
=-10,d
Result= %177777 %177766

{treat result as two 16-bit octal words}
{high-order 16-bits are no-zero}
{note negative value, 2's complement}

In ASCII format, up to four characters are printed in Hex, Decimal, and ASCII
display format.
=$2020,a
Result=$2020: 32,32 :" "
=%20161 %72145,a
Result=$2071: 32,113:" q"

$7465:116,101:"te"

In binary format, the high-order 16-bits are examined. If these bits are not zero, they
are printed as two groups of eight bits. A one (1) means that the bit is on and a zero
(0) means that the bit is off. The low-order 16-bits are always printed as two groups
of eight bits.
=10,b
{high-order 16-bits suppressed}
Result=%(2)00000000 00001010
=-10,b
{note negative value, 2's complement}
Result=%(2)11111111 11111111 %(2)11111111 11110110
=1000000000,b
{high-order 16-bits are non-zero}
Result=%(2)00111011 10011010 %(2)11001010 00000000

Input Format
The calculator supports different input formats for numbers. Octal values are
prefixed with a percent sign (%) and hex values with a dollar sign ($). An ASCII
string of up to 4 characters is entered in quotes. The result of the last calculation is
referred to using #.
=%12
Result=10.0
=%12,o
Result=%000012
=$10
Result=16.0
=%177766
Result=-10.0
="abcd",h
Result=$61626364
=#,a
Result=$6162: 97,98 :"ab"

{octal 12 or decimal 10}
{octal input and octal display format}

{octal number that is really negative}

{use result of last calculation}
$6364: 99,100:"cd"

Programmers who make use of the MPE DEBUG software are often frustrated with
the format that Double Integer numbers are printed. DEBUG prints them as two octal
numbers. Calculator accepts two octal numbers as input and prints the result in
standard decimal format.

250 • Suprtool Commands

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

=%35632 %145000
Result=1000000000.0
=%177777 %177766
Result=-10.0

{treat as one double integer value}
{negative double integer value}

Calculator Help
It may be difficult to remember all of the various options that the calculator offers.
For this reason, you can obtain a short description of the calculator by entering the
following:
=?

Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX

{? gives help}
{prints a summary of = functions}

Suprtool Commands • 251

Suprtool Errors and Warnings

Two Types Of Messages
Suprtool prints two types of messages: errors and warnings. In both
cases Suprtool is letting you know that it has encountered a condition
of which you may want to be aware.
This appendix describes both kinds of messages and gives a partial list
of warning messages.

Errors
Errors are defined as conditions which immediately prevent Suprtool
from continuing, or which allow it to complete a task and then stop,
because continuing would likely cause undesirable or erroneous results.
When Suprtool detects a serious error condition such as a syntax error
in a command, a file system error, or a sort error, it prints an error
message. For example,
Error:
Error:

Unknown command name, try HELP
Unable to open >OUTPUT file

Finding Errors Automatically
If you have software that scans spool files for error conditions, have it
look for
"Error: ".
File System Errors
When a file system error occurs, Suprtool prints the HP-UX error
message.
An error during processing terminates the current task (exceptions: bad
data with an If command when Set Ignore is On).
Arithmetic Trap Abort
If Suprtool should Abort with Parm=99x, an error has been detected in
the Arithmetic Trap Routine. This should never happen, so please
report it to Robelle Solutions Technology Inc.
NUMRECS exceeded; some records not processed.
You specified a Numrecs and have reached it. This condition is
considered an error if the input is from a source other than disc.

252 • Suprtool Errors and Warnings

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Command entered is not a valid Suprtool command.
and
MPE access has been disabled. See Set Limits command.
Normally, commands that are not valid Suprtool commands are passed
off to the operating system. If access to the O/S has been disabled via
the Set Limits command, these commands are no longer passed off. If
the user does not precede the command with a colon, we assume that
the invalid command was meant for Suprtool. If a colon precedes the
command, we assume that the command was meant for the operating
system. On HP-UX systems an exclamation mark can be used in place
of a colon.
Output-ASCII not allowed with Duplicate None Keys
Not all processing options are allowed in all combinations. The ASCII
option of the Output command, which reformats the output record, does
not work with Duplicate None Keys. Dup None Keys assumes that the
output record has the same data definitions as the input record.
Xxxx is not the search field of Yyyy
This message is issued by the Chain command when the search field
specified (Xxxx) is not an index into the dataset (Yyyy). The field
specified must be an Eloquence search field.

Warnings
When Suprtool detects an unusual situation that it should bring to your
attention, it prints a nonfatal warning message. For example,
Warning:
Warning:

No input data specified
DATABASE must be RESTORED if System Crashes

The following list explains the most common warnings.
Not all sort fields were extracted.
The sort information will not be written to the output Link file.
This warning occurs when you >output filename,link and are
sorting by a field, but the field is not included in the list of extracted
fields. Suprlink cannot use the file, but it may be a perfectly valid file
for other applications.
NUMRECS exceeded; some records not processed.
You specified a Numrecs and have reached it.
Record selection in effect, percentage calculation is estimated.
You specified a Get or an Input with record number selection and the
percentage complete is estimated.

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Suprtool Errors and Warnings • 253

Welcome to STExport

Welcome to STExport
Welcome to STExport for HP-UX Version 5.6. STExport converts
fields in a self-describing input file into an output file that can be
imported into different applications.
Summary of the STExport commands:
Before

FLoating

Quote

Verif

CLean

Form

REDO

Xeq

Columns

HEAding

Reset

XML

DAte

HElp

Set

Zero

DElimiter

HTML

Sign

=expressio

DO

Input

Spaces

:OS command

Escape

LISTREDO

SPaces

Exit

Output

Use

The minimum abbreviation of each command is shown in capital
letters.

Installing STExport
STExport is installed as part of the Suprtool installation process. See
the "Installing Suprtool" chapter of the Suprtool User Manual for more
details on how to install both Suprtool and STExport.

254 • Welcome to STExport

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Accessing STExport

How To Run STExport
To access STExport, type the following command:
/opt/robelle/bin/stexport
STExport/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1999-2010
(Version 5.6)
$

After a short pause, STExport takes over your terminal and prints out some
identifying information. You will notice that your command prompt has changed to
"$", telling you that you have made it into STExport. STExport expects you to type
command lines, ending each one with Return.

How to Xeq an STExport Task
Normally, you enter a series of commands. These commands specify the Input file,
the Output file, and the formatting options. Finally, you enter an Xeq or an Exit
command. This begins the actual STExport task.
If you entered the Exit command, STExport finishes the current task, then returns
you to the operating system or the program that ran STExport.
$EXIT

If you entered the Xeq command, STExport finishes the current task, then prompts
you for another task. This continues until you enter the Exit command. If you wish to
terminate STExport immediately (perhaps you are confused), enter Exit Abort. This
terminates the STExport program immediately, without attempting any task.

Hardcoded File Names and ROBELLE Variable
Some file names are hardcoded into STExport. This section describes the hardcoded
file names that STExport/UX may need. STExport will normally look for files in the
/opt/robelle directory unless you set the ROBELLE variable.

ROBELLE Variable
Normally STExport looks files in the /opt/robelle directory. If you move STExport
you must set the ROBELLE variable. For example, if you move STExport to the
/users/robelle directory you must set ROBELLE variable in the following manner:

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Accessing STExport • 255

export ROBELLE="/users/robelle"

Using STExport in Batch
You normally run STExport as an on-line session. You type STExport commands
on your terminal and STExport prints responses on your terminal. If you redirect
stdin or stdlist, STExport assumes that it is in batch. STExport in batch is almost
identical to STExport on-line, except for answering questions. When STExport asks
a question in batch, no one is there to answer it. Therefore, STExport does not expect
an answer from stdin. STExport assumes that you want your batch task to complete,
so it always selects the option that will complete the command successfully. This is
normally a "YES" answer, as in "yes, purge the file". STExport prints the question
on stdlist, as well as the answer that it has selected for you.

Command Line Options
STExport has command line options which help control certain features.

Default Outcount File Name: -oc
If you want to know how many records Stexport has processed, use the -oc option.
This option sets the file name for outcount to ".sxoutcount". After a successful task,
Stexport writes the number of output records to the .sxoutcount file. You can then
use this file in shell scripts to check for specific record counts. For example, suppose
that you want to check for at least ten records from a Stexport operation. You would
write a shell script in the following manner:
Stexport -oc << !EOD
in orders
heading fieldnames
out ordprn
exit
!EOD
if [ `cat .sxoutcount` -ge 10 ]; then
echo "More than 10 records found"
fi

Variable Substitution -v
A second command line option allows you to turn on variable substitution. You must
note that the environment variable must be set prior to running STExport.
stexport -v << !EOD
in $myvariable
out ordcomb
exit
!EOD

256 • Accessing STExport

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Introduction to STExport

Importing Data
Use STExport to produce a formatted output file that can be used to import data into
databases and applications. Other databases have different requirements for the
format of input data. You will have to experiment with the various STExport
formatting options to find a format that your particular database tool accepts.

Input File
STExport reads one input file and formats each input record into one record in the
output file. The Input file must be a self-describing file (use the Output-Link option
in Suprtool).

Dates and Decimal Places
Use Suprtool's Item command to specify date formats and the number of implied
decimal places when you create the self-describing file. STExport uses this
information to correctly format the information in the output file. See Appendix A
for a complete example of how to use Suprtool's Item command and Output-Link
option to create an input file for STExport.

Data-Types
Each STExport formatting command applies to all fields of a specific data-type (i.e.,
you cannot specify formatting field by field, only by type). For example, all numerictype fields can be formatted the same.
The main data-types that STExport identifies are
Byte-Type:

STExport assumes that character information is stored in byte-type
fields. By default, all byte-type fields are surrounded by quotes and
trailing spaces are removed.

Numeric-Type:

The numeric data-types are integer, logical, floating-point, packed,
and display. STExport converts the internal representation of each
data-type into a string of ASCII digits. By default, all numeric-type
fields have a leading sign and are variable length. Where appropriate,
numeric-type fields are converted with a decimal point.

Floating-Type:

All commands that affect numeric-type fields also affect floating-type
fields. In addition, you can use the Floating command to specify the
format and decimal places for floating-type fields (i.e., Classic or
IEEE floating-point numbers).

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Introduction to STExport • 257

Date-Type:

If a field has a date format, STExport does extra formatting. By
default, dates are formatted into yyyymmdd (e.g., 20001125).

Formatting Commands
Use the following table to determine which command applies to which data-type:
Command

Data-Type

Date

date-type

Floating

floating-type

Quote

byte-type

Sign

numeric-type

Spaces

byte-type

Zero

numeric-type

Commands
Many of STExport's commands, such as the formatting commands above, once set
will retain their settings between tasks. Several other non-formatting commands will
also retain their settings:
Command
Columns
DElimiter
HEAding
HTML

Each command and its options will remain in effect between any STExport task,
unless specifically turned off.
For example, if a previous task has had custom Headings set with the Heading and
Heading Add options, the Headings will remain in effect for each subsequent task
until a new Heading option is entered.

Performance Considerations
On average, STExport is three-to-five times slower than Suprtool. This is the price
we pay for having all of STExport's formatting features.
You can make STExport faster by doing the following:
Pre-select only the records you need with Suprtool. The fewer records
STExport has to process, the faster it runs.
Use Suprtool's Extract command to select only the fields that you need to
import in your final application. The fewer the number of fields in the
input file, the faster STExport can format each record.

258 • Introduction to STExport

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

STExport Commands

General Notes
When you run STExport, it prompts for commands on stdlist with a "$" character
and reads command lines from stdin. STExport commands contain a command name
followed by one or more parameters, and are patterned after the same commands in
Suprtool.
In this chapter, we describe the STExport commands in alphabetical order.
Following each command name in brackets is the minimal abbreviation for the
command. For example: [I] for Input and [O] for Output.

Abbreviating
You may shorten the command to the first letter of the command name.
$v
$x

{verify}
{xeq}

Uppercase or Lowercase
You may enter the letters in either uppercase or lowercase, because STExport
upshifts everything in the command line except literal strings within quotes ("abc")
and file names. These two commands are identical:
$EXIT
$exit

Comments on Command Lines
Comments may appear at the end of any command line, when they are surrounded by
braces. Many of the examples in this manual show comments at the end of each
command line. You can enter a comment as the only item in a STExport command
line. When continuing command lines, the comment can appear before or after the
continuation character.
${ format reals with two decimal places. }
$input invoices
$floating fixed 2
{Floating option}
$output invfile
{produces the file we want}
$exit

HP-UX Commands
STExport accepts HP-UX commands, with or without an exclamation.

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

STExport Commands • 259

$!ls
$ls

For commands that are the same in both STExport and HP-UX, STExport executes
the HP-UX command only if you type the exclam. For example:
$set
$!set

{you get STExport set command}
{you get HP-UX set command (ksh)}

STExport/UX executes any HP-UX command (e.g., ll), or script file.

File Names
STExport's Input and Output commands accept any valid HP-UX file name. File
names are currently limited to 240 characters.

Calculator
Any command line beginning with an equal sign (=) is treated as a calculator
expression. This feature can be used to do other calculations without the need of an
electronic calculator.
You can obtain a short description of the calculator by entering the following:
=?

{? gives a summary of = functions}

For a detailed description of the calculator and its options, see the Suprtool manual.

Control-Y
You can interrupt a STExport task with the Control-Y key (hold down Control while
striking Y). STExport responds by telling you how far it has gotten (IN=, OUT=,
etc.), and asking if you wish to stop. Hit the Return key to continue or type YES to
stop the task.
Many HP-UX sites use Control-C as the interrupt key instead of Control-Y. Use the
HP-UX "stty" command to display your 'intr' setting.

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Before Command [B]
Repeat any combination of the previous 1000 command lines, with or without
editing.
BEFORE

[ start [ / stop ] ]
[ string ]
[ ALL | @ ]

(Default: redo previous line)
(BQ=redo without change)
The Before command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them.
If you don't need to change them, use BQ or Do.
The Before command uses Qedit-style control characters for modifying the
commands. The default mode is to replace characters. To delete, use Control-D; to
insert, use Control-B. If you prefer HP-style modify (D, R, I, and U), use the Redo
command instead of Before.

Examples
$ll *.fd
*.fd not found
$Before
ll *.fd
s
ll *.sd
$listredo -10/
$before 5
$bef 8/10
$b ls
$b ls *
$b @*
$before -2
$before -5/-2

{".sd" is not spelled right}
{redo most recent command}
{last command is printed}
{you enter changes to it}
{the edited command is shown}
{you press Return}
{redo 5th command in stack}
{redo 8th through 10th}
{redo last ls command}
{redo "ls *" command}
{redo last containing "*"}
{redo command before previous}
{redo by relative lines}

Modify Operators
If you wish to change any characters within the line, the modify operators are the
regular Control Codes used in Qedit:
Any printing characters replace the ones above.
Control-D plus spaces deletes columns above.
Control-B puts you into "insert before" mode.
Control-A starts appending characters at the end of line.
Control-A, Control-D, plus spaces, deletes from the end.
Control-T ends Insert Mode, allowing movement to a new column.
Control-G recovers the original line.
Control-O specifies "overwrite" mode (needed for spaces).

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Persistent Redo
Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from
another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save
your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details.

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Clean Command [CL]
Specifies what characters to clean from a byte type field.
CLEAN [ SPECIAL |   ]
(Default: None)
STExport will automatically clean all the byte type fields for a given SD file. To
define what characters that need to be replaced you use the clean command with the
character you want to clean in quotes. Since most of the characters that you will need
to clean are unprintable, you can enter the decimal equivalent of the character. This
is denoted by entering the "^" character in quotes preceding the decimal number of
the character you wish to clean.
You can set the character with the command set cleanchar as shown below.
$ in mysdfile
$set cleanchar " "
$out myexport
$xeq

Since the Cleanchar is by default set to space, the above task could simply be:
$in mysdfile
$clean "^9","^10","^0","^7"
$out myexport
$xeq

The SPECIAL keyword automatically defines Clean characters of Decimal 0 thru to
Decimal 31.
$in mysdfile
$clean special
$out myexport
$exit

You can also specify a range of characters with the following syntax:
$in mysdfile
$clean "^0:^10"
$out myexport
$exit

The above task would clean all byte type fields of any characters from Decimal 0
(Null) to Decimal 10. (Line Feed)

Removing Bad Characters
You can have the Clean function clean the field, and instead of replacing with a
space, STExport will essentially shift characters to the left by Setting the CleanChar
in the following manner:
>Set Cleanchar “”

STExport will pad the field that was cleaned with the appropriate amount of
characters with a space at the end of the field.

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Columns Command [C]
Specify whether fields are formatted into variable- or fixed-length columns.
COLUMNS

FIXED | NONE

(Default: None)
Most PC software expects imported data to be in variable-length columns. Other
database systems prefer data to be aligned in fixed columns. Use the Columns
command to specify whether the output file has variable- or fixed-length columns.

Output File
The Columns command also affects the format of the Output file. If you specify
Columns None, the output file will have variable-length records. If you specify
Columns Fixed, the output file will have fixed-length records.

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Date Command [DA]
Specify a specific date-format for all dates.
DATE NONE | date-format [ "separator" ]
INVALID ASTERISKS | NULL | "string"
(Default: yyyymmdd Invalid Asterisks)
Use the Date command to specify an output format for dates. Use the Invalid option
to specify how invalid dates should be formatted in the output file. The advantage of
the None option is that it formats all dates, whether they are valid or not. If you
select a date-format, the default Invalid option replaces invalid dates with asterisks
"*".
STExport must know which fields are dates and the format of each date. Use
Suprtool's Item command and Output,Link option to specify the date information.

Date Format
The date-format can be one of:
ccyymmdd
yyyymmdd
ddmmyyyy
mmddyyyy
yymmdd
ddmmyy
mmddyy
aammdd
STExport converts each date field from its internal date format into the format that
you specify.

Separator Character
By default, STExport formats all dates without a separator between the day, month,
and year. Specify your own separator by enclosing it inside quotes after you specify
the date format. The separator must be one character long. For example, to specify
dates in ddmmyyyy format with a slash separator, use
$date ddmmyyyy "/"

To specify dates in yymmdd format with a dash separator, use
$date yymmdd "-"

Oracle Dates
Oracle dates contain both the date and the time. STExport formats the date, but not
the time. If you specify Date None, Oracle dates will be treated as byte-type fields.
Since Oracle dates actually contain binary data, the output is often unusable by other
applications, unless you specify a specific date-format.

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Invalid Dates
By default, all invalid dates are formatted as asterisks. STExport treats any date that
does not have a valid century, year, month, or combination (e.g., February 29, 2000)
as invalid. You can specify how you want STExport to format invalid dates by using
the Invalid option of the Date command.
If you specify,
$date invalid null

STExport will produce a zero-length field if you specify Column Variable and
spaces if you specify Column Fixed. If you want to specify an explicit string for all
invalid dates, do so after the Invalid option. For example,
$date invalid "%%%%%"

will cause STExport to produce a string of five percent signs for any invalid date.

Example
First, use Suprtool to create the input file with the appropriate date attributes:
>get
>item
>item
>output
>xeq

d-sales
deliv-date,date,mmddyyyy
purch-date,date,mmddyyyy
dsales,link

Then use STExport to read the dsales file. Specify Date ddmmyyyy "-" which causes
all valid dates to be formatted in day-month-year format with a dash as the separator:
$input dsales
$date
ddmmyyyy "-"
$output dexport
$xeq

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Decimal Command [DEC]
Specify the format for the decimal place in numeric fields.
DECIMAL

PERIOD | COMMA

(Default: Period)
The Decimal command specifies what separator
will be used to indicate the decimal place in
numeric fields. In North America, the custom is
to indicate the decimal place in numbers with a
period (.). Outside North America, the custom is
to indicate the decimal place with a comma (,). If
the decimal place indicator is incorrect, it is
harder to import files into other applications.

The fields in the input file
must have been created with
decimal places, using
Suprtool's Item command.

The Decimal command does not apply to floating-point fields.

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Delimiter Command [DE]
Specify a delimiter, if any, that appears between each field in the output record.
DELIMITER

NONE | COMMA | TAB | SPACE | "string"

(Default: Comma)
Use Delimiter Comma to create an output file in "comma-delimited" format (this is
common for PC database applications). Use Delimiter Tab to tell STExport to insert
the tab character between fields, instead of a comma.
If you have selected Columns Fixed, you will likely want to remove the delimiter by
specifying Delimiter None. If you want some white space between fixed-length
columns, specify Delimiter Space instead.

String Parameter
You can put anything inside quote characters to specify your own Delimiter. For
example, Delimiter " , " would insert a space, a comma, and another space between
each field in the output record. You can use either single- or double-quote characters
to specify the delimiter (e.g., Delimiter " " and Delimiter ' ' are the same). The
maximum length of the delimiter string is three characters.

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Do Command [DO]
The Do command repeats (without changes) any of the previous 1000 commands.
DO

[ start [ / stop ] ]
[ string ]
[ ALL | @ ]

(Default: repeat the previous command)
Commands are numbered sequentially from one as entered; the last 1000 of them are
retained. Use the :Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can
repeat a single command (do 5), a range of commands (do 5/10) or the most
recent command whose name matches a string (do list). If you want to modify
the commands before executing them, use Redo or Before.

Examples
$listredo
$do
$do 39
$do 5/8
$do input
$do -2
$do -7/-5
$do 5/

{do previous command again}
{do command line 39 again}
{do command lines 5 to 8 again}
{do most recent Input command}
{do command before previous}
{do by relative line number}
{do command lines 5 to "last"}

Notes
The Do command cannot be abbreviated.

Persistent Redo
Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from
another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save
your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details.

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Escape Command [ES]
Specifies what character to escape the defined Delimiter, Quote or End of Line
character.
ESCAPE DELIM | QUOTE | EOL |"string"|
(Default: None)
Many SQL importers allow you to add an escape character in front of characters that
may mean something else to the import program. For example if the import program
thinks that the delimiter character is a comma, the importer may treat a comma in an
address field as an indication to move to the next field, which will throw of the
import.
Some import programs, will treat the next character as data as opposed to a delimeter
if the character is preceded by an escape character, such as a slash. Thus when the
field is analyzed by STExport the data that originally started as:
"Niagara Falls,Ontario, Canada"

would be transformed to be:
"Niagara Falls/,Ontario/, Canada"

This function will not work on fixed columns and can be invoked with the escape
command:
escape delimeter quote eol "/"

The above command will take the defined delimeter, quote and Eol and escape with
a "/", if found in any byte type field.

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Exit Command [E]
Exit STExport in one of three ways. By default, perform the current task, if any, then
leave STExport. Users are often frustrated when they exit STExport after specifying
part of a task and STExport starts processing the task. To avoid this situation, use the
Abort or Suspend options to exit STExport conveniently without executing the
current task.
EXIT

[ ABORT | SUSPEND | XEQ ]

(Default: Xeq)
Typing Exit with no parameters means Exit Xeq. STExport recognizes special
command names which specify both the Exit command and an exit option (e.g., ES
means Exit Suspend).

Exit Abort [EA]
Cancels the current operation and terminates STExport. The Exit command without
parameters always attempts to perform the task currently specified, while Exit Abort
cancels the task and terminates immediately. Should STExport be executed as a son
process, Exit only suspends STExport, while Exit Abort actually terminates the
process.

Examples
$:comment. You began to specify an input file, stopped for
$:comment. coffee, and decided to cancel the task
$:comment. upon your return.
$input invoices
... coffee break ...
$exit abort
{cancel the task and terminate}
End Of Program

Exit Suspend [ES]
This feature is not currently available in STExport/UX.

Exit Xeq [EX]
To perform the current task, you can either use Xeq (which leaves you inside
STExport, ready to define another task) or Exit Xeq (which leaves STExport when
done with the task).
Exit Xeq is the default option (i.e., specifying exit starts execution of the current
task).

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Examples

272 • STExport Commands

/opt/robelle/bin/stexport
$exit

{no input was specified}

/opt/robelle/bin/stexport
$input invoices
$floating fixed 2
$output invdata
$exit

{format and stop}

Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual

Floating Command [FL]
Specify the format and the number of decimal-places for floating-point fields.
FLOATING

DEFAULT |
FIXED decimal-places |
SCIENTIFIC decimal-places

(Default: Default)
By default, STExport formats floating-point fields into either a fixed number or into
scientific notation. Which notation STExport chooses, depends on the value of each
field in each input record. You can force STExport to choose either scientific or
fixed notation and the number of decimal places for all floating-point numbers. You
cannot specify these options for a specific field or make them different for 32-bit
versus 64-bit floating-point numbers.

Fixed Format
Use Floating Fixed to force all floating-point numbers to appear in a fixed format.
You specify the maximum number of digits to the right of the decimal point. If you
specify Floating Fixed, STExport does not remove trailing zeros from the formatted
numbers. If you specify Columns Fixed, all floating-point values will be aligned
along the decimal point.

Scientific Format
Use Floating Scientific to force all floating-point numbers to appear in scientific
notation. You must specify the number of digits to the right of the decimal point. The
Scientific option formats the number with all significant digits to the right of the
decimal-point followed by the exponent (e.g., "0.47832E-10").

Notes
Both the Fixed and Scientific options attempt to round the number to the specified
number of decimal-places within the maximum width for each floating-point datatype. If STExport cannot format a floating-point field in the specified number of
decimal-places, the number appears as asterisks "****".

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Form Command [F]
Display the fields in a self-describing file.
FORM [filename]
If no file name is specified, the fields in the input file are displayed. The display
shows the field type and field length in IMAGE notation. An I1-field is a single
integer. Packed-fields show the number of nibbles (subtract one to obtain the number
of digits). Byte and zoned-decimal fields show the byte length.
When showing the form of a self-describing file, STExport shows the byte offset of
each field after the subcount, type, and sublength. The first field always appears at
offset one.
There are two types of self-describing files. One type is produced with Suprtool's
Query output option. You produce the other type with the Link output option. The
Form command shows the internal self-describing version number, enabling you to
tell the difference.

A.00.00 - Query Output Option
Compound fields have a question mark for the type, and the length is the number of
bytes in the field. Sort information about the file is missing. Here is an example form
listing:
$form custfile
File: custfile
Entry:
CHARACTER
ZONED
INTEGER
DOUBLE
PACKED
QUAD
REPEATINT
LOGICAL
DBLLOG
Entry Length: 44

(SD Version A.00.00)
Offset
X5
1
Z5
6
I1
11
I2
13
P6
17
I4
20
?6
28
K1
34
K2
36
Blocking: 1

Has linefeeds
{length is five bytes}
{room for five digits}
{single integer}
{double integer}
{room for five digits}
{eight-byte integer}
{compound field}
{single logical}
{double logical}

B.00.00 - Link Output Option
These self-describing files contain information about how the file was sorted.
Compound fields are handled correctly, so the Form command shows compound
fields just as you would see them in IMAGE. The Item command in Suprtool
identifies the date format or the number of decimal places of an item. The Link
output option saves the date and decimal attributes as part of the field description:
$form custfile
File: datafile
(SD Version B.00.00) Has Linefeeds
Entry:
Offset
CHARACTER
X5
1 <>
REPEATINT
3I1
6
{compound field}
DATE
J2
12 <>
DOLLAR
P6
16 << .2 >>
Entry Length: 16 Blocking: 1

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Heading Command [HEA]
Specify a heading, if any, that appears as the first record of the output file.
HEADING

NONE | FIELDNAMES |
string | ADD string | COLUMN string

(Default: None)
When importing data into other applications the first line of the import file is often
treated as field names or headings. Use the Heading command to specify what
STExport should write as the first line of the output file.

Field Names
If you specify Heading Fieldnames, STExport creates a default heading. This
heading is constructed by using the field name of each field in the input file. The
Fieldname option uses the formatting options that apply to byte-type fields to
determine the final format (e.g., the Quote command).
STExport produces multiple field names for compound fields. For compound fields,
the repeat count is used to determine the number of field names. The repeat count is
appended to the field name, starting with one, until all the field names have been
generated.

User Specified Heading
You can specify your own heading line by doing:
>heading "your heading"

Because the maximum length of an STExport input line is 256 characters, you may
not be able to specify a long heading with a single Heading command. Use Heading
Add to add additional strings to your heading:
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading

Add
Add
Add
Add

"Account"
"First Name "
"Last Name "
"City "
"State "

{Note no Add in first string}

If you specify your own heading, STExport does not attempt to apply any formatting
options. If you need each field in the heading line to be surrounded by quotes and
separated by commas, you have to supply these yourself. For example,
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading

Add
Add
Add
Add
Add
Add
Add
Add

'"Account"'
','
'"First Name"'
','
'"Last Name"'
','
'"City"'
','
'"State"'

{Note no Add in first string}

Column Headings
It is difficult to get headings right when you have to specify all the quotes and
delimiters with the Heading Add option. Instead, use Heading Column to specify
individual column headings without having to type formatting information.
STExport then uses the current quote and delimiter settings in the heading.

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For example, if you specify:
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading
Heading

Column
Column
Column
Column
Column

'Account'
'First Name'
'Last Name'
'City'
'State'

and Quote Double and Delimiter Comma are in effect, then the heading STExport
produces will be:
"Account","First Name","Last Name","City","State"

Notes
You cannot combine the Add and Column options. You must specify one or the
other. If you start with Heading Add and then later specify Heading Column,
STExport erases the heading you created with Heading Add and starts over with the
first column that you specify with Heading Column. Similarly, if you start with
Heading Column, a Heading string or Heading Add will start over with a new
heading.

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Help Command [H]
Show what commands and options are available in STExport.
HELP

[ command | keyword [ ,section ] ]

(Default: browse through the entire help file)

Command Help
If you specify any parameters, Help first assumes that you want help on a specific
STExport command. If you know the structure of the help file, you can specify one
of the keywords under the command name.
$help sign
$help sign,trailing

{help on the Sign command}
{trailing section of the Sign command}

Keyword Help
If we cannot find any help in the "Commands" section of the help file, we assume
that you specified one of the outer-level keywords in the help file. To see this list of
keywords, type help with no parameters. You see a short introduction to STExport
and then a list of keywords. You can specify any of these keywords on the Help
command. You can also specify a subkeyword.
$help intro,input

{input section of Introduction}

Quick Help - HQ
HQ asks STExport to look under the keyword Quick in the help file. Quick contains
the text from the STExport Quick Reference Guide, offering the experienced user a
quick review of the syntax of any command.
$hq input

{quick description of Input}

Notes
If no parameters are specified, Help allows you to browse through the help file,
/opt/robelle/help/stexport. The Help command uses the Qhelp subsystem from the
QLIB. For "help in help", type "?" when you see the Qhelp prompt character ("?").
The help file is organized into levels. To go back to the previous level, press Return.
Press F8 to exit the Qhelp subsystem and return to STExport.

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HTML Command [HT]
Use HTML to produce Web pages for either Internet or Intranet applications.
HTML NONE | PREFORMATTED | TABLE |
TITLE "string" |
HEADING "string"
(Default: None)
Web applications expect data in a special format called the Hypertext Markup
Language (HTML). Use the HTML option to request that STExport format the input
file into HTML format.

Example
$html table title "Product Listing"

Maximum Size of HTML Files
Web browsers often cannot process large documents. The maximum size depends on
the browser, the version of that browser, the operating system it is working on, and
how much physical memory is present on the client machine. We suggest that you
limit your Web pages to less than 1,000 lines and restrict the number of columns,
unless you are certain that your users can handle larger files. This advice reflects not
so much a limitation of STExport, but a limitation of how Web browsers work.

Preformatted Format
To preserve the columns and spacing of each output line, use the HTML
Preformatted option. This option puts an HTML 
 tag around all the data in the
input file. Most Web browsers will display preformatted text in a fixed-width font
such as Courier. Therefore, if you specify HTML Preformatted, you should also
select Columns Fixed.

Table Format
Use HTML Table to create output in HTML table format. STExport creates tables
with a border between each column and row. Tables make it easier to read tabular
information, but some older browers do not support tables.
If you specify HTML Table, all byte-type fields are left-justified and all other fields
are right-justified. If you use Heading Column or Fieldnames, the column headings
are specified with HTML table heading tags. Most browsers highlight the column
headings in some way, such as bold text centered over the column.

Title
All HTML documents must have a title. By default, STExport uses the title "This is
the Title". You should specify your own title using the Title option.

Heading
The heading appears before the column headings and data from your input file. By
default, there is no heading. Use the Heading option to specify your own heading.

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Column Headings
If you specify HTML Table, use the Heading command to specify column headings
for HTML output. The Heading Fieldnames option will produce acceptable column
headings, but it is better to use Heading Column to specify a string for each of the
fields in your input file.

Roman-8 Characters
HP e3000 and HP 9000 computers use the Roman-8 character set. Web pages must
use the ISO-8859-1 character set. The characters in the Roman-8 set are similar to,
but not identical with, the ISO-8859-1 character set.
When formatting byte-type fields, STExport attempts to convert any Roman-8 input
character into the corresponding ISO-8859-1 character.
STExport also tries to make reasonable conversions such as:
Symbol

Converted
To

>

>

<

<

&

&

Those characters that cannot be converted are dropped from the output. The
following characters cannot be converted:
Symbol

Roman-8 value

name

`

169

grave mark

^

170

circumflex

~

172

tilde

ƒ

190

function symbol

ß

222

beta symbol

Š

235

capital-S, Icelandic

š

236

small-S, Icelandic

Ÿ

238

capital-Y, umlaut

Notes
If you specify HTML Table, STExport sets:
Quotes None
Delimiters None
If you specify HTML Preformatted, STExport sets:
Quotes None
Delimiters Space
Columns None
In either case, any changes cause STExport to print a warning to let you know that
these options have changed. If you do want quotes around byte-type fields or
delimiters between fields, specify those options after selecting the HTML option.

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Dynamic Web Pages
The Common Gateway Interface (CGI) feature of your Web server allows you to
execute custom programs or scripts, and to dynamically generate, then display Web
pages. These custom programs and scripts can be written in almost any programming
language. Perl is probably the most commonly used language, but you could use C or
C++, Applescript on Macintosh, or Visual Basic.

Web Server
First, your Web server software must be configured to allow CGI scripts. On the
NCSA server, you need to change the srm.conf file to
include
ScriptAlias

/cgi-bin/

/usr/local/httpd/server/cgi-bin

This indicates to the server where the CGI scripts are located. If a user enters "cgibin" in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the Web server executes the program
specified out of the directory specified, e.g.,
http://www.mycompany.com/cgi-bin/myscript.pl
will actually execute
/usr/local/httpd/server/cgi-bin/myscript.pl
On the CERN Web server, you need to enter the following in the httpd.conf
configuration file:
Exec

/cgi-bin/*

/usr/local/httpd/server/cgi-bin

Of course, the alias name and directory can be anything you want them to be.
A script can be coded to perform the same task every time it is run. There are
different ways you can pass parameters to a script so that it can do different things.
We will try to keep it simple and focus our attention on a specialized program.
Our application will display a list of all sales records created yesterday. The
information is stored in an Allbase database. The table is called demo.sales and has
the following columns:
Column Name

Allbase Type

Nulls

Suprtool Type:

CUSTOMERNUM

Decimal (8)

N

Packed

DELIVERYDATE

Decimal (8)

Y

Packed

PRODUCTNUM

Decimal (8)

N

Packed

PRICE

Decimal (8)

Y

Packed

PURCHASEDATE

Decimal (8)

N

Packed

SALESQTY

Decimal (4)

Y

Packed

SALESTAX

Decimal (8)

Y

Packed

SALESTOTAL

Decimal (8)

Y

Packed

DeliveryDate and PurchaseDate are in yyyymmdd format. Price, SalesTax and
SalesTotal have two implied decimals.
Before you go any further, you will have to decide where the new HTML file will
reside. When someone connects to your Web site, the server software spawns child
processes using a userid and groupid defined in the srm.conf (NCSA) or httpd.conf
(CERN) configuration file. This user must have read and write access to the

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directory specified in STExport's Output command. This directory must also be
accessible by the server software as defined in the configuration file. For security
reasons, it is not recommended that you create these files in the server's root
directory.
You can configure a default html directory (for example, userdir entry in CERN) for
individual users. When the URL contains a user construct, the server knows it has
to look for the default directory under the user's home directory. Let us assume the
default is public_html.
You could create a public_html directory under the home directory for the userid
specified in the configuration file.
Another option is to create a new user on your system with the same directory
structure, whose sole purpose would be to hold these dynamic HTML files. For
example, create a user called htmluser whose home directory would be
/users/htmluser. Create a /users/htmluser/public_html directory. Directory
permissions should be read/write for user, group and others. The URL to read these
would then be:
http://www.mycompany.com/~htmluser/filename.html

Shell Script
Suprtool and STExport will be executed from a Korn shell script. Let us call it
sx_orders.ksh. It can reside in any directory that has appropriate permissions to
execute. Do not forget to assign eXecute permission to the file (chmod +x
sx_orders.ksh). You can run this script manually from the $ prompt to see if there are
any problems.

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#!/bin/ksh
#
# Make sure the PATH variable includes /opt/robelle/bin
# where Suprtool and STExport usually reside.
#
PATH=$PATH:/opt/robelle/bin
#
# Create a temporary logfile
# and get a file name for the temporary extract file
#
temp_sxlog=`mktemp`
touch $temp_sxlog
temp_sxdata=`mktemp`
#
# Run Suprtool and extract the data.
# - Read commands using "here-is"
# - write messages to temporary logfile
#
suprtool <> $temp_sxlog
Open Allbase /users/orders/db/OrdersDBE clerk
Select * From clerk.sales
Item purchasedate, date, yyyymmdd
Item deliverydate, date, yyyymmdd
Item price, decimal, 2
Item salestax, decimal, 2
Item salestotal, decimal, 2
If purchasedate = \$today(-1)
Sort customernum
Output $temp_sxdata,Link
Exit
!EOD
#
# Check return code in case Suprtool had a problem
# If so, send the "failed" return string to the CGI script
# including the name of the logfile
#
if [ $? -eq 1 ]
then
echo failed=$temp_sxlog
exit 1
else
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#

Suprtool task worked correctly.
Can go on with STExport.
Must go to the target directory
because of file name limit in STExport
and get a file name to store HTML output
cd /users/htmluser/public_html
temp_stexpdata=`mktemp -d .`

> /dev/null

#
# Execute STExport to create the html file
#
stexport <> $temp_sxlog
Input $temp_sxdata
HTML Table Title "Orders Created Yesterday"
\
Heading "Orders Created Yesterday (sorted by customer)"
Heading Fieldnames
Date YYYYMMDD "/"
Output $temp_stexpdata.html
Exit
!EOD
#
# Check return code in case STExport had a problem.

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# If so, send the "failed" return string to the CGI script
# including the name of the logfile
#
if [ $? -eq 1 ]
then
echo failed=$temp_sxlog
exit 1
else
#
# Everything worked fine.
# Send the "OK" return string to the CGI script
# including the name of the HTML file name.
#
echo OK=$temp_stexpdata.html
rm $temp_sxlog
> /dev/null
rm $temp_sxdata
> /dev/null
exit 0
fi
fi

Perl Script
With such a simple example, we could have written the shell script a bit differently
and then used it as a CGI script. However, shell scripts do not have enough features
to easily handle parameters or complex forms.
Instead, it is typical to use another language as an intermediate step. One of the most
popular CGI scripting languages is Perl. Perl has a full set of string handling
functions and can be combined with graphics libraries available from various
sources.
Let us call this one sx_orders.pl. It must reside in the directory defined in the server
configuration file.

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#!/usr/local/bin/perl
#
# Execute shell script and capture returned string
#
$return_string = `/users/orders/scripts/sx_orders.ksh`;
#
# Return string can be OK=html file name
#
or
failed=log file name
# Split function separates return_string's 2 components
#
($status_word, $html_file) = split (/=/, $return_string);
if ($status_word eq "failed") {
#
# If the script failed, print an HTML error page
# including the logfile
#
error_page
}
else {
#
# If the script is successful, display the HTML file
# created by STExport.
# This URL automatically looks for the configured directory
# under htmluser's home directory.
#
print "Location: http://www.hp.com/~htmluser/$html_file", "\n\n"
}
# Format an error message for the user
sub error_page {
print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";
print "\n";
print "\n";
print "Comment Form Error\n";
print "\n";
print "\n";
print "

Comment Form Error

\n"; print "
\n"; print "

\n"; print "Form input was not proccessed. Please mail your "; print "remarks to $webmaster"; print "

\n"; print "Content of the Suprtool/STExport logfile"; print "

";
print `cat $html_file`, "\n";
print "
", "\n"; print "\n"; print "\n"; } CGI Script The CGI script can be invoked explicitly when you type the URL in your browser: http://www.mycompany.com/cgi-bin/sx_orders.pl The script is executed either from an input form,
or invoked through a link in a regular Web page Just click run script 284 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual If you enter the URL, choose the "submit" button on a form, or click on a link, the server will start execution of the Perl script. In turn, Perl will run the shell script. Suprtool and STExport will finally be executed. A status code and a file name will be returned to Perl. It will print either an error page or the extracted information, depending on the status code. There is a lot more you can do with CGI scripting and Suprtool. You could pass parameters to extract information out of different tables in Oracle and Allbase, or specify the sort sequence and the selection criteria. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 285 Input Command [I] Specifies the primary input file. INPUT filename There can be only one Input file per task. The Input file must be a self-describing file, which should be created by Suprtool using the Output-Query or Output-Link option. If you want STExport to format date-fields and implied decimal places, you must use the Output-Link option of Suprtool when you create the file for input to STExport. Every record in the input file is formatted into a corresponding record in the output file. It is best to have Suprtool Extract only the fields you actually need. Only those fields needed for import into the final application should be present in the Input file. 286 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Listredo Command [LISTREDO] The Listredo command displays any of the previous 1000 commands. LISTREDO [ start [ / stop ] ] [;ABS] [;OUT=file] [ string ] [;REL] [ ALL | @ ] [;UNN] (Default: display previous 20 commands) (BJ and ,, are short for LISTREDO) Commands are numbered sequentially from one as entered; the last 1000 are retained. You can display a single command, a range of commands, all 1000, or all the commands whose name matches the string. You can print the commands with ABSolute line numbers (the default), RELative line numbers (-5/-4), or UNNumbered. You can write the commands to your terminal. The Out option is not currently supported on STExport/UX. If you want to redo any of these commands, see Do, Redo, and Before. Examples $listredo $listredo $listredo $listredo $listredo $listredo $listredo $listredo $listredo 5 5/10 help -10 ALL @;rel rm rm xx @rm {print all Help commands} {print last ten commands} {print entire redo stack} {print ALL, relative numbers} {print all rm commands} {print all "rm xx" commands} {print all with "rm" anywhere} Notes The Listredo command cannot be abbreviated, but BJ and ,, (comma comma) are accepted as a short forms. Persistent Redo Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 287 Output Command [O] Specifies the Output file. OUTPUT * | filename [ERASE] [LF] [NOLF] By default, the Output file is named "Output". If you specify Columns None, the output file will have variable-length records. When Columns Fixed is specified, STExport creates the output file with fixed-length records. Line Feeds STExport's Output command allows the user to specify whether the output file has line feeds. Normally STExport determines whether to write out line feeds from the self-describing file. If the self-describing file does not have line feeds, then the resulting file from the STExport task will not have line feeds. This caused problems for some programs that import the file or for some browsers that use the HTML option. You can now explicitly specify line feeds in the output file by using the LF option. $in ora.customer $out file1ex,lf $exit To specify that line feeds are not written out to the file, you can use the NOLF option. $in ora.customer $out file1ex,nolf $exit Stdlist If the output file name is *, each output record is written to stdlist. This is useful for trying out different formatting combinations until you find the one that best fits the application that you want to import data into. For example, $input $output $xeq $floating $input $output $xeq $sign $input $output $xeq 288 • STExport Commands sdfile * fixed 2 sdfile * none sdfile * {change one option} {view the result} {change a different option} {and so on} Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Quote Command [Q] Specify which quote character, if any, is to be used around byte-type fields. QUOTE NONE | DOUBLE | SINGLE (Default: Double) Most software packages expect byte-type fields to be in one of two formats: Fixed-column (see the Column command). Surrounded by single- or double-quotes. In this case, you may also need to remove trailing spaces (see the Spaces command). No Quotes for Fixed Columns Use Quote None to cause byte-type fields to be output as a group of characters. In many cases, you would combine this option with Columns Fixed. Single or Double Quotes By default, all byte type fields are surrounded by double quotes. Specify single quotes using the Single option. If a byte type field contains the quote character specified in the quote command, it is replaced with a space. For example, if the input was: customer's and Quote Single had been specified, then the output would be: customer s Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 289 Redo Command [REDO] Enables you to modify and repeat any of the previous 1000 command lines. REDO [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: redo the previous command) The Redo command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them. If you do not need to change them, use the Do command. Commands are numbered sequentially from one as entered; the last 1000 are retained. Use the :Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can Redo a single command, a range of commands, or the most recent command whose name matches a string. The Redo command uses MPE-style editing logic (D, I, R, U and >). The default mode is to replace characters. To delete, type DDDD under the characters to be removed. To insert, type I under the insertion spot, then the new characters. To undo your changes, type U. To append to the end of the line, use >xxx. To delete from the end of the line, use >DD. To replace at the end of the line, use >Rxxx. And to erase the rest of the line, use D>. If you prefer Qedit-style editing (Control-D, etc.), use the Before command instead of the Redo command. Examples $ll fille fille not found $redo ll fille d ll file $listredo all $redo 5 $redo $redo -2 $redo 8/10 $redo -10/ $redo rm $redo rm temp $redo @temp 290 • STExport Commands {'fille' is a typo} {redo most recent command} {last command is printed} {you enter changes to it} {edited command is shown} {you press } {redo 5th command in stack} {redo previous command} {redo command before previous} {redo 8th through 10th} {redo -10 through last} {redo last rm command} {redo last "rm temp"} {redo last containing "temp"} Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Reset Command [R] Cancel the current task. RESET Reset closes the current Input file, then resets the Output file name to "Output". Formatting options are not reset, only the task-related commands are reset. If you try to reset an individual command, STExport prints a warning. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 291 Set Command [S] Enables or disables certain operating options within STExport. These options are not reset by Xeq or Reset commands. SET [CLEANCHAR ] [MAPPED ON|OFF] [REDO filename] [STATISTICS ON|OFF] [VARSUB ON|OFF] [VARSUBCOMPAT ON|OFF] [VARSUBDEBUG ON|OFF] [WARNINGS ON|OFF ] [XMLTAGCHAR ] "." | "_" | "-" [ZONEDFIX ON|OFF] CleanChar SET CleanChar (Initially: set to space) Sets what character is used to replace a Clean character. If you just want to clean the fields and replace the “bad” character with no character then you need to set the CleanChar in the following manner: >Set CleanChar “” See the Clean command for more details. Mapped SET MAPPED ON | OFF Mapped has no effect within STExport/UX. Redo SET REDO filename (Initially: unnamed temporary file) Commands entered at the STExport prompt are saved in something called the redo stack. You can recall commands from the redo stack by using other commands such as Before, Do and Redo. By default, the redo stack is stored in a temporary file and discarded as soon as you exit. This temporary stack is not preserved across STExport invocations. 292 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual The new Set Redo command assigns a permanent file as the redo stack, allowing the stack to become available for future STExport invocations. For example, to assign the Myredo file as a persistent redo stack, enter $Set Redo Myredo If the file does not exist, STExport creates it. Otherwise, STExport uses the existing file. All subsequent commands are written to the persistent redo stack. The setting is valid for the duration of the STExport session. As soon as you exit STExport, the setting is discarded. Next time you run STExport, you will get the temporary stack. If the file name is not qualified, the redo stack is created in the current working directory. This may be desirable if you want to have separate stacks. If you want to always use the same persistent stacks, you should qualify the name. The Verify command shows which stack is currently in use. If it shows , then STExport is using the default stack. Anything else is the name of the file used on the Set Redo command. Concurrency When STExport uses the default temporary stack, it is only accessible to that particular instance of STExport. You can run as many STExport instances as you need and each one gets its own redo stack. With temporary stacks you will never get into concurrency problems. If you start using a persistent redo stack, however, you might start running into concurrency problems. A persistent redo stack can only be used by one STExport instance at a time. If you try to use a persistent redo stack that is already in use, you will get the following message: $Set Redo Myredo The redo file is already in use Unable to open file for REDO stack In this situation, STExport continues to use the redo stack active at the time and lets you continue working as normal. Qedit can also have permanent redo stacks. To prevent products from writing to each other's redo stack, it is advisable to have separate stacks for each product by giving them different file names. For example, if you use the command set redo myredo you will have a redo stack called Myredo for your STExport commands. If you exit STExport, then run Qedit and supply the same command Set Redo command, your Qedit commands will be written to the same file that was used for your STExport commands. Statistics SET STATISTICS ON | OFF (Initially: OFF) Statistics causes STExport to print statistics at the end of each task. Varsub SET VARSUB ON | OFF Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 293 Setting Variable Substitution causes STExport to resolve any variables in a command before processing. VarsubCompat Set VarsubCompat On | Off The Set VarsubCompat flag has been added to STExport for HP-UX to have variable substitution be more flexible. On MPE variable substitution would pass the name of the variable thru to be parsed even if the variable was not set. On HP-UX the default behaviour was to return spaces if the environment variable was not set. This is still the default behaviour, however if you set varsubcompat on, Suprtool will return the environment variable name similar to how MPE works with unresolved variables. You can invoke this option from the command line with the –cv option. VarsubDebug SET VARSUBDEBUG ON | OFF (Initially: OFF) Suprtool and STExport and Suprlink, now has a setting called Set VarsubDebug on which will print out the line after the variable substitution has occurred. This setting only works if Set Varsub is on and Set VarsubDebug is on. export outfile & :"/GREEN/SUPRTEST/filename901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123 45678901" /opt/robelle/bin/suprtool SUPRTOOL/UX/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1981-2007. (Version 5.6 Internal) TUE, OCT 30, 2007, 2:58 PM Type H for he >set varsub on >set varsubdebug on >in file1sd.suprtest vd:in file1sd.suprtest >output !outfile,link,temp vd:output /GREEN/SUPRTEST/filename90123456789012345678901234567890123 vd:2345678901,link,temp The output is formatted into 74 byte chunks and printed with a preceding “vd:” so the “substituted” line is clear. The above example shows Suprtool, however the same commands apply in STExport and Suprlink. Warnings SET WARNINGS OFF (Initially: ON) Suprtool normally prints warning messages out to $stdlist. You can turn off these messages when you are running from batch by issuing a Set Warnings off command. If you are simulating batch mode with the Set Interactive Off command, you must do the Set Warnings off after the Set Interactive Off. The default for this setting is On. 294 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Xmltagchar SET XMLTAGCHAR "." | "-" |"_" (Initially: ".") In XML the tags that surrounded the data can not have any special characters other than hyphen, underscore and period ("-","_", "."). So STExport replaces any of the invalid special characters with a "." by default. You can change the default character To be something else with the following set command: $Set xmltagchar "_" STExport will only allow the hyphen, underscore and period to be set with this command. ZonedFix SET ZONEDFIX OFF (Initially: OFF) Set ZonedFix has been added to fix a zoned field that when converted to byte, results in "?", meaning that the source field has some characters that were not expected in a Zoned field. If Set ZonedFix is On STExport zeroes out the field after an attempted conversion of the field yields characters that cannot be converted. The default for this setting is Off. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 295 Sign Command [SI] Specify what should be done with the sign character for numeric-fields. SIGN NONE | FLOATING | LEADING | TRAILING (Default: Floating) All numeric-type fields, except logical fields, have a sign. Integer and floating-point fields can have either a space " " (for positive values) or a negative sign "-". Packedand display-type fields can have a space " " (neutral), a plus sign "+" (for positive values), or a negative sign "-". Specify Sign None to cause STExport to completely ignore the sign. If you specify Sign None, no error or warning message appears if any numeric-types have a negative value. Leading vs. Floating If you specify Columns Fixed, it is easy to see the difference between a leading versus a floating sign. A leading sign always appears in the same column whereas a floating sign always appears before the first digit of a number. For example, Sign Leading 22415 207 16600 21910 8411 42 16713 7970 Sign Floating -22415 -207 -16600 -21910 -8411 -42 -16713 -7970 Trailing Sign Specify Sign Trailing to cause the sign character to appear after each formatted number. Remember that for many numeric-types the sign for positive numbers is a space. STExport always leaves room for the sign, even if it is a space. 296 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Spaces Command [SP] Specify whether trailing spaces are to appear in byte-type fields. SPACES NONE | TRAILING (Default: None) If byte-type fields are surrounded with quotes (see the Quote command), the Spaces command determines whether trailing spaces in byte-type fields appear within the quotes. Use Spaces Trailing if you want to retain all of the spaces in a byte-type field. Software packages that store variable-length character data treat trailing spaces as data. Use Spaces None to remove trailing spaces for data that is imported into these applications. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 297 Use Command [U] Specifies a file of commands to be executed as a group. USE[Q] filename Examples A usefile makes your task easier by allowing common commands to be specified once in an external file. For example, the following usefile contains all the commands for creating the Invcust file: $use invuse input invoices floating fixed 2 output invdata exit {input file to format} {formatting option} {produces the file we want} STExport prints the lines in the usefile, including the comment lines. This allows you to include instructions and reminders in the usefile. In the example above, there were no commands for the user to enter. Notes Usefiles cannot be nested in STExport. The usefile may be any unnumbered text file or a Qedit workfile, but no more than 256 characters per record are processed. By default, STExport displays the commands in a usefile as they are executed. STExport can execute commands quietly using the Useq command. For compatibility with Qedit, Useq can be abbreviated to UQ. 298 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Verify Command [V] Print the definition of the current task. VERIFY Verify prints the current Input and Output files and all export specifications; in other words, it is a Verify All command. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 299 Xeq Command [X] Perform the current task. XEQ Xeq checks that you have specified an Input file and an Output file. Then it performs the task and creates the Output file. Finally, it closes the files, ready for you to specify another task or Exit. If you also wish to leave STExport after completing the task, use Exit instead of Xeq. 300 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual XML Command [XML] Use XML to produce XML Documents for either Internet or Intranet applications. XML VERSION "string" DOCTYPE "string" FILE "string" RECORD "string" Example STExport can generate "well-formed" XML output with just a few commands. $input file1sd $xml $output myxml $xeq These four simple commands will generate the following file that packages such as XMLSpy will consider to be "well-formed" XML. The result of such an STExport task will look as follows: Los Altos 100000 4003302 20 Ralph Perkins CA Room 655 Los Altos 040033022 93002 Notes By default STExport will add the simplest version tag at thebeginning of the file, then it inserts a and matching at the beginning and the end of the file. Then STExport encloses each record from the input file in a and tag. Finally, the Self-Describing tags are added around each field's data values and edited appropriately. Naturally users would want options to customize and specify the various options and tags themselves, in order to generate a file that is acceptable to their tools. Version You can specify the "version" tag at the beginning of the XML file with the following command: xml version "?xml version='1.0' encoding='ISO-8859-1'?" STExport will put the "<" and ">" around what is specified in the version string. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 301 Doctype A Document Type Declaration can be made at the beginning of the file via the !DOCTYPE specification. This typically tells whatever tool that is parsing the xml file where the DTD for the file resides. In STExport you can specify simple one-line doctype specs with the following command: xml doctype '!DOCTYPE address-book SYSTEM "address-book.dtd"' This will write the doctype specification at the top of the output file, directly after the XML version specification. File You can customize the "file" tags with the following command commands: xml file "orders" STExport will put the "<" and ">" around what is specified in the File string. Record You can customize the "record" tags with the following command commands: xml record "Details" STExport will put the "<" and ">" around what is specified in the Record string. Example You can enter multiple XML commands per task to set the XML options you require. $in file1sd $xml version "?xml version='1.0' encoding='ISO-8859-1'?" $xml file "Orders" record "Details" $out myfile An example of the output generated by the above commands is as follows:
Los Altos 100000 4003302 20 Ralph Perkins CA Room 655 Los Altos 040033022 93002
Tags In XML the tags that surrounded the data can not have any special characters other than hyphen, underscore and period ("-","_", "."). So STExport replaces any of the invalid special characters with a "." by default. You can change the default character to be something else with the following set command: 302 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual $Set xmltagchar "_" STExport will only allow the hyphen, underscore and period to be set with this command. Quotes All of STExport's XML command options (version, doctype, file and record) allow for a string to be passed via surrounding quotes. The quotes may be either single or double, but keep in mind that if the string is to contain double quotes, then you should surround the entire string with single quotes. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual STExport Commands • 303 Zero Command [Z] Specify whether leading zeros are to appear in numeric fields. ZERO NONE | LEADING (Default: None) Use Zero None to force all numeric fields to have leading zeros removed. If a numeric field has implied decimal places, STExport always formats the number with at least one digit to the left of the decimal place, even if it is zero. Use Zero Leading to force all numeric fields to be zero-filled. In this case, Sign Leading and Sign Floating both cause the sign to appear in the same place (in front of the leading zeros). 304 • STExport Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Example of STExport Output Example In this example we show you how to use Suprtool and STExport. We start with an SQL table, identify the fields that are dates and the number of implied decimal places in other fields. We then produce a self-describing file using the dataset as input and show the default output from STExport. The Form command displays the fields in a dataset or a self-describing file. For files, this information is stored in a file with an extension of ".sd" and is not accessible with other tools. Use the Form command to obtain the record layout of STExport input files. Sales File We will be formatting data from an Oracle table that has the following form: >op oracle custdb dbpass >sel * from sales >form Column Name: Oracle Type: CUSTOMERNUM DELIVERYDATE PRODUCTNUM PRICE PURCHASEDATE SALESQTY SALESTAX SALESTOTAL Number Number Number Number Number Number Number Number (8) (8) (8) (10) (8) (10) (10) (10) Suprtool Type: Double Double Double Packed Double Packed Packed Packed Dates and Decimal Places We use Suprtool's Define and Item commands to identify which of the fields in the sales table are dates and which fields have implied decimal places: Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Example of STExport Output • 305 >def deliv_date,DELIVERYDATE,8,display >def purch_date,PURCHASEDATE,4,double >def product_price,PRICE,4,double >def sales_tax,SALESTAX,4,double >def sales_total,SALESTOTAL,4,double >item deliv_date ,date ,yyyymmdd >item purch_date ,date ,yyyymmdd >item product_price ,decimal ,2 >item sales_tax ,decimal ,2 >item sales_total ,decimal ,2 Salefile We now produce a file called "salefile" using Suprtool's Output,Link option. The Link option produces a self-describing file, complete with the date and decimal-place information: >open oracle custdb dbpass >select * from sales >def deliv_date,DELIVERYDATE,8,display >def purch_date,PURCHASEDATE,4,double >def product_price,PRICE,4,double >def sales_tax,SALESTAX,4,double >def sales_total,SALESTOTAL,4,double >item deliv_date ,date ,yyyymmdd >item purch_date ,date ,yyyymmdd >item product_price ,decimal ,2 >item sales_tax ,decimal ,2 >item sales_total ,decimal ,2 >extract customernum >ext deliv_date >ext PRODUCTNUM >ext product_price >ext purch_date >ext SALESQTY >ext sales_tax >ext sales_total >output salefile,link >xeq IN=8, OUT=8. CPU-Sec=1. Wall-Sec=1. >form salefile File: salefile (SD Version B.00.00) No linefeeds Entry: Offset CUSTOMERNUM I2 1 DELIV_DATE Z8 5 <> PRODUCTNUM I2 13 PRODUCT_PRICE I2 17 << .2 >> PURCH_DATE I2 21 <> SALESQTY P12 25 SALES_TAX I2 31 << .2 >> SALES_TOTAL I2 35 << .2 >> Entry Length: 38 Blocking: 1 Notice how the Form command correctly identifies which fields are dates and which fields have implied decimal places. STExport uses this information to format the file. STExport Output We then use STExport to read the self-describing Salefile to produce our sample output on stdlist. To demonstrate how dates are handled, we insert a separator in each date field: 306 • Example of STExport Output Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual /opt/robelle/bin/stexport $input salefile {self-describing input file} $date yyyymmdd "-" {dates with a dash separator} $output * {output to stdlist} $xeq 10020,1993-10-05,50511501,98.31,1993-10-01,0.02,27.53,224.15 10003,1993-10-15,50511501,98.31,1993-10-15,0.01,13.76,112.07 10003,1993-10-15,50512501,145.62,1993-10-15,0.01,20.39,166.00 10003,1993-10-15,50513001,192.20,1993-10-15,0.01,26.91,219.10 10016,1993-10-21,50521001,24.59,1993-10-21,0.03,10.33,84.11 10016,1993-10-21,50532001,139.85,1993-10-21,0.01,19.58,159.42 There are no byte-type fields in the input file, so all fields are converted from their internal numeric representation to a string of digits. All date fields were converted from their internal yyyymmdd format to the external yyyymmdd format with a dash separator between day, month, and year. All fields with implied decimal places have been converted with a decimal point. Load Data Into Oracle If you need to load the export file into an Oracle database, you can use Oracle's own SQL*Loader. Files created with STExport can be processed immediately with SQL*Loader. Suppose we want to load the data extracted in Salefile. We would use STExport to format the information and store the results in Expsale. :run stexport.pub.robelle $input salefile $date yyyymmdd "-" $output expsales $xeq {self-describing input file} {dates with a dash separator} {output to a file} If the Oracle database resided on an HP 9000, we would need to transfer Expsale. How you transfer the file is not important as long as it gets there in the same format, including line separators. Also note that the file should have an extension. SQL*Loader expects a .dat extension by default. The Oracle table should have all the necessary columns. To create a table with the fields in Salefile, you could use the following: create table sales_details ( CUST_ACCOUNT dec(8), DELIV_DATE date, PRODUCT_NO dec(8), PRODUCT_PRICE dec(8,2), PURCH_DATE date, SALES_QTY dec(6), SALES_TAX dec(8,2), SALES_TOTAL dec(8,2) ) tablespace USERS; SQL*Loader requires what is known as a control file. It contains the load specifications such as the data file, the destination table, the field delimiter, the text field delimiters and the column specifications. In this case, the control file (expsales.ctl) looks like this: Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Example of STExport Output • 307 load data -- Specify input datafile. Infile expsales dat extension is assumed. -- -- Name of the table where the data is loaded. --- Append new rows to existing data, if any. -Append Into Table sales_details -- Fields are separated by commas -Fields Terminated By ',' -- Character fields are enclosed in double-quotes -Optionally Enclosed By '"' -- Specify the column names as they appear --- in the data records. --- For a Date-type column, specify the input format --- Example: column Date "YYYYMMDD" -(CUST_ACCOUNT, DELIV_DATE date "YYYYMMDD", PRODUCT_NO, PRODUCT_PRICE, PURCH_DATE date "YYYYMMDD", SALES_QTY, SALES_TAX, SALES_TOTAL) In its simplest form, SQL*Loader is invoked with the following command: $ sqlload userid=username/password control=expsales.ctl log=expsales.log The username and password are valid Oracle connect information. SQL*Loader reads the load specifications from the file specified in the control keyword. It writes operation information and statistics to the file specified in the log keyword. It also creates a number of files to report data problems etc. SQL*Loader has many other options to control the load task. Refer to the appropriate Oracle documentation for details. 308 • Example of STExport Output Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Limits Within STExport Maximums Delimiter - Maximum Length - 3 Bytes The delimiter must appear between every field in the output record. To help avoid exceeding the maximum output record length, the maximum delimiter length is three characters. Input File - Maximum Record Size - 4096 Bytes We recommend that you use Suprtool's Extract command to minimize the input record size. Input File - Maximum Fields - 300 If you must have more than 300 fields, use Suprtool's Define and Extract commands to extract several fields as one contiguous series of bytes. Output File - Maximum Record Size - 4096 Bytes When formatting many fields, it is possible to produce large output records. Once again, using the Extract command to minimize the size of the input records will avoid large output records. The total length of the Heading line in the output file is also restricted to 4096 bytes. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Limits Within STExport • 309 Welcome to Dbedit Introduction Welcome to version 5.6 of Dbedit, a module of Suprtool that permits people to add, change, list, or delete individual records or "chains" of records from an Eloquence database. Dbedit is useful for debugging applications, for quickly prototyping systems, and for the data entry of simple applications. Dbedit is not available on the Itanium version of Suprtool. You enter Dbedit via the Edit command of Suprtool. Once in Dbedit, you cannot use the Suprtool commands (while in Suprtool you cannot use the Dbedit commands). Certain commands are the same in both Dbedit and Suprtool (e.g., Use, Before, and Set). The Before command works independently and each software module saves its own last command. Restrictions Most Dbedit commands require you to have opened the database using the Base command of Suprtool. Dbedit does not have a Base command. You cannot switch to another database while in Dbedit. Instead, you must Exit, do a Base command in Suprtool, then Edit. The maximum size of any individual data item is 80 bytes (i.e., 5X80 is acceptable, but X100 is not). Only datasets whose search fields are compatible with Dbedit can be accessed (i.e., no K5 search fields). Functions of Dbedit There are five major functions in Dbedit: Command Function 310 • Welcome to Dbedit ADD Add new entries to a dataset. CHANGE Change a master search value in all related datasets. DELETE Delete entries from a dataset. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual LIST List the value of entries in a dataset. MODIFY Modify specific fields of an entry from a dataset. Performance of Dbedit Suprtool was designed to be as fast as possible, while Dbedit was designed to have as many features as possible. Dbedit does no special optimizations. It uses the standard IMAGE/Eloquence intrinsics to do all of the accesses to the database. Dbedit does not use the fast sequential access method of Suprtool, but Dbedit usually works only with a few records within your database at one time. Field Lists Dbedit arranges the list of fields in a dataset different from QUERY or Suprtool. The QUERY ADD command prompts for the each field in the dataset in the order they were declared in the IMAGE schema. In Dbedit, the order of field lists is changed using the following algorithm: The search field for a master dataset or the primary search field for a detail dataset appears first. Any other detail search fields appear second. Any sort fields appear third. All other non-search and non-sort fields that are compatible with Dbedit appear last. Where a noncompatible field would appear in a list, Dbedit replaces it with a compatible field from the end of the list. Example: The following example shows the difference between QUERY and Dbedit. We add an entry to the d-inventory dataset of the Store database. In this dataset, supplier-name is the primary search field and product-no is another nonprimary search field. QUERY/3000 >add d-inventory BIN-NO =>>1201 LAST-SHIP-DATE =>> OH-HAND-QTY =>> PRODUCT-NO =>>2001001 SUPPLIER-NAME =>>STD Ribbons UNIT-COST =>> DBEDIT/SUPRTOOL Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Welcome to Dbedit • 311 #add d-inventory SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO >2001001 BIN-NO >1201 LAST-SHIP-DATE > ON-HAND-QTY > UNIT-COST > Database Locking Dbedit uses the following locking strategy. The Add command locks one dataset (using DBLOCK, mode-3) after all of the field values have been entered. The Modify and Delete commands do the following: After all of the field values have been entered, the dataset is locked. The records are re-read using DBGET, mode-4 for details or DBGET, mode-7 for masters. The re-read record is compared with the original record. If they are not the same, no update or delete is done. The record is updated or deleted. When a search field or a sort field is changed with the Modify command, the record is deleted and added again. The dataset is unlocked. The Change command locks the entire database while all key values are being changed. In all cases, the DBLOCK is done unconditionally. This means that Dbedit always waits for other locks to be released (possibly holding up your terminal). Decimal Points If you use Suprtool's Item command to specify implied decimal places for an item, Dbedit scales all input values according to the number of implied decimal places. When listing records, fields with implied decimal places are formatted with a decimal point. For example, >item unit-cost,decimal,2 >edit #add d-inventory:unit-cost SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO >2001001 UNIT-COST >10.50 SUPPLIER-NO PRODUCT-NO UNIT-COST Type ? to get a description of the field. 312 • Welcome to Dbedit {two implied decimal pts.} = 5051 = 50513001 = 10.50 When Dbedit prompts for field values, you can type a question mark to obtain a description of the field. If the field has implied decimal places, the field description will include the number of decimal places (e.g., << .2 >> for two implied decimal points). Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Critical-Item Update Like IMAGE on MPE, Eloquence has the critical-item update feature. This feature allows programs to change critical fields in detail datasets (search fields and sort fields) by using DBUPDATE. Prior to criticalitem update, programs had to use DBDELETE and DBPUT to change critical fields. By default, Eloquence databases have critical-item update disabled. It is enabled using the the dbutil program. Enabling critical-item update allows Dbedit's Change command and Modify;Updatekey to execute much faster. There are two choices in DBUTIL for enabling criticalitem update: Set CIUPDATE = On. Set CIUPDATE = Allow. The first option turns on critical-item update for all programs. The second option allows user programs (like Dbedit) to enable critical-item update as needed. The second option is the safest, since some programs depend on IMAGE/Eloquence giving an error when they attempt to change a critical field. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Welcome to Dbedit • 313 Dbedit Commands General Notes When you run Dbedit, it prompts for commands on Stdlist with a "#" character and reads command lines from Stdin. Dbedit commands have a command name followed by one or more parameters separated by semicolons, colons, and commas. Semicolons are NOT used to combine several commands on the same line as in Suprtool. This chapter describes the Dbedit commands in detail. The commands are presented in alphabetical order. Each command name is followed by the minimal abbreviation for the command, in brackets. For example: [F] for File and [FO] for Form. Abbreviating You may shorten command names to any substring that uniquely defines the command. For example, Add can be shortened to AD or A, since there are no other commands that start with "A". Form, however, can be abbreviated only to FO, since there is a File command, abbreviated F, in Dbedit. >base store.pub,5 >edit #l m-customer;all #e {list} {exit} Uppercase or Lowercase You may enter letters in either uppercase or lowercase, because Dbedit upshifts everything in the command line. These two commands are identical: #LIST M-CUSTOMER #list m-customer Continuation The maximum physical command line is 256 characters. You may enter commands on multiple input lines by putting an "&" continuation character at the end of the line. The maximum total command length is 256 characters. Multiple commands cannot be placed on one input line. 314 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual The separating semicolon, colon, or comma in commands is REQUIRED, not optional. :run suprtool.pub.robelle >base store.pub,5 Suprtool} >edit #list m-customer #list m-customer;all customer} #exit {open the database in {enter Dbedit} {use all of the defaults} {list all records in m{return to Suprtool} Control-Y If you press Control-Y during an operation, Dbedit responds by printing a blank line and stopping the current operation. Please note that on HP-UX the "Control-Y" or Interrupt character may be defined as Control-C Comments on Command Lines Comments may appear at the end of any command line, when they are surrounded by braces. Many of the examples in this manual show comments at the end of each command line. You can enter a comment as the only item in a Dbedit command line. You can also enter comments after field values. # { List all related records for a specific supplier. } #list m-supplier;related {Must include Related keyword} SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons {supplier to search for} If you want to include a brace as part of an x-type field, you must precede the brace with the Dbedit escape character "[". For example, to search for the supplier "{STD Ribbons}", you would use: #list m-supplier SUPPLIER-NAME {include braces in the name} >[{STD Ribbons} OS Commands Dbedit interprets any command line beginning with a colon (:) as an OS (HP-UX) command. For example: #:comment Modify M-CUSTOMER records #modify m-customer #exit Calculator Any command line beginning with an equal sign (=) is treated as a calculator expression. You may use this feature to compute data entry values without the need of an electronic calculator. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 315 =2745*1.33 Result= 3650.85 Example Database The examples in this manual use the revised STORE database described in the IMAGE/3000 Handbook. Prompting for Search Criteria In the Change, Delete, List and Modify commands, Dbedit first prompts you for search criteria and then processes the records you have selected. Search criteria are any or all of the search and sort fields of the file. Dbedit asks for the value of the primary search field first, unless you override the prompt ordering with the KEY option. For detail datasets, it then asks for match values for the other search fields and sort fields. You may press the Return key to any of these prompts to indicate that you don't care what values these fields have. When Dbedit finishes processing the records you select, it recycles and prompts you for the next set of search criteria. You may press the Return key at this point to exit from the command and return to the # prompt. Command Parameters The major commands (File, List, Add, Delete, Modify, and Change) have a similar parameter structure, consisting of the command name, then an optional file part and an optional option part. A space separates the file part from the command name, and a semicolon separates the option part from the file part. The general format of these commands is #command [file] [;options] File Parameter The file parameter consists of dataset name followed by an optional list of field names. If the file part is missing, Dbedit uses the previous file. The general format of the file parameter is #command [file] [:fieldname,...] Even when you use field names, Dbedit will add the search fields to the field list. In the Add command, Dbedit assumes default values for noncritical fields that are missing, but will prompt for the search fields and sort fields (they are required). #add d-inventory:bin-no BIN-NO} SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO >105391 BIN-NO >10 {assume defaults for all but In this case you will not be prompted for LAST-SHIP-DATE, ONHAND-QTY, or UNIT-COST. 316 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual In the Modify command, you can specify a set of fields to modify. Dbedit will not prompt you for new values for any other fields. For example: #mod d-inventory:unit-cost SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO >105391 {only modify UNIT-COST} {prompt for search value} {prompt for another one} Enter new values (or to leave as is): SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons {prints the search value} PRODUCT-NO >105391 {prints the other one} UNIT-COST >500 {prints existing value} {prompts for new value} In this case you will not be prompted for BIN-NO, ON-HAND-QTY, or LAST-SHIP-DATE. When working on a single dataset, it is only necessary to specify the dataset name in the first command. For example: #list d-inventory SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons {use the previous file #list parameter} SUPPLIER-NAME >// Option Parameter The file parameter and the options must be separated by a semicolon. #command [file] [;option...] The available options are: numeric-value, All, Key, Limit, Related, UNder, UPdatekey These options qualify the operation of the File, List, Modify, Change, Delete, and Add commands. Some options only apply to one command. Options can be combined and can be abbreviated. When more than one option is specified, each option must be separated by a semicolon. #list d-inventory;key=product-no;under PRODUCT-NO > Numeric-Value Option Commands normally cycle, prompting for new search values or new entries, until you press Return or Control-Y. However, if you specify a numeric-value after the semicolon, the command only prompts you numeric-value number of times. For example, if you only want to do one List function, you would enter: #list d-inventory;1 NAME once} {only prompt for SUPPLIER- All Option The All option works only with the List, Modify, or Delete commands. When All is specified, every record in the specified file is processed sequentially. You can stop the scan by pressing Control-Y. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 317 Key Option The Key option overrides the primary search field. Dbedit prompts for the primary search field first. Often, this is not the value that you know. You can use the Key option to force Dbedit to prompt you for another search field. For example: #list d-inventory SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO > {use defaults} #list d-inventory;key=product-no {use PRODUCT-NO} PRODUCT-NO >105391 SUPPLIER-NAME > Limit Option The Limit option controls the number of entries allowed per key value. This option is only useful for the Add command. Dbedit limits the number of entries for the first field in the field list to the Limit value specified. For example, #add d-inventory;limit=2 {two records per supplier} #add d-inventory;limit=2;key=product-no {two records per product} Related Option The Related option is for finding or deleting related records. It applies only to Delete and List. If you use Related when Listing an entry in a master dataset, Dbedit prints the specified master entry and then prints all detail entries with the same search value in all datasets that are linked to the master dataset by an explicit path. If you use List Related with a detail dataset, Dbedit prints the specified detail entry, followed by the master entry for each search field in the detail. You can only Delete Related from a master dataset. Dbedit shows the master entry. After confirming the deletion, Dbedit deletes all entries with the same search value in all related datasets. Control-Y can be used to interrupt the deletion process. Dbedit can only use explicitly defined paths to navigate between datasets. User-defined paths are not supported in Dbedit. When listing related records, Dbedit shows all fields in each dataset including those that Dbedit normally doesn't support (e.g., X100). The following example shows how related records are listed, starting with a master dataset and then its related detail datasets. 318 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual #list m-supplier;related SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons {all related records} The M-SUPPLIER record is listed here. D-INVENTORY records with a SUPPLIER-NAME of STD Ribbons are listed here. Under Option When Dbedit prompts for a value for a field, it prints a series of underlines. These underlines indicate the maximum field width. These underlines can be useful, but they may not work on all terminals. You can disable underlining by using Set Underline Off. Once underlining is turned off, you may wish to enable it again, but only for one command. The Under option overrides the Set Underline, but only for the current command. Updatekey Option The Updatekey option allows the Modify command to change the value of search and sort fields (i.e., critical fields). Normally, Modify does not allow any changes to the search or sort fields. Without the Updatekey option, Modify does a DBUPDATE of the modified record. If CIUPDATE is Disallowed when you specify Updatekey and change a critical field, Modify will DBDELETE the existing record, then DBPUT a new record with the changed values. If CIUPDATE is On or Allowed in the database, Modify can use DBUPDATE to change the critical fields. This is much faster than using DBDELETE and DBPUT. Subcommands You may enter a subcommand any time Dbedit prompts for the value of a field. The available subcommands are: Subcommand Purpose // stops the current command immediately. \\ same as // (you may also use the Control-Y (Interrupt key). ? describes the current field, including any implied decimal points. < goes back one field to the previous field in the list. <3 goes back three fields. << returns to the first field in the list. > goes forward one field to the next field in the list. >3 goes forward three fields. >> skips the rest of the fields in the list. This is especially useful when Dbedit is prompting you for multiple search and sort fields and you only want to enter the first. ' uses blanks for the field (useful in batch). * uses the last value for this field. [ forces what follows the [ to be a value and not a subcommand (e.g., [*BOB tells Dbedit to use *BOB as the actual value instead of interpreting the * to mean "last value"). Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 319 @F search for the field F (e.g., @bin-no). The field can include a subscript (e.g., @street-address(2)). = calculator. Examples #list m-supplier SUPPLIER-NAME >// {we'll stop immediately} #list m-supplier {we will start again} SUPPLIER-NAME >Standard Type PRODUCT-NO >< {re-enter supplier-name} SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO >>> {skips the rest} #list m-supplier SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons PRODUCT-NO >[>575 {">575" is the part-no} #modify d-inventory SUPPLIER-NAME PRODUCT-NO BIN-NO UNIT-COST >STD Ribbons >105391 >@unit-cost > {skip to unit-cost} #modify m-customer CUST-ACCOUNT >4003302 CITY >@street-address(2) STREET-ADDRESS(2) > 320 • Dbedit Commands {go to subfield} Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Add Command [A] Adds new entries to a dataset. ADD [file] [;options] Options: numeric-value|Key|Limit|UNder If no field list is entered as part of the file, Dbedit will prompt for all of the fields in the file. You may use the ">n" or ">>" subcommands to navigate quickly through the field list, but you must enter values for all search and sort fields. The database password must give you write access to the entire dataset. The Add command will stop after LIMIT= number of entries have been added for any one key value. Dbedit checks each search field value as it is entered. For master datasets the search field value must not exist. For detail datasets the search field value must exist. To add records from a disc file, see the Put command of Suprtool. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 321 Before Command [B] Repeat any combination of the previous 1000 command lines, with or without editing. BEFORE [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: redo previous line) (BQ=redo without change) The Before command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them. If you don't need to change them, use BQ or Do. The Before command uses Qedit-style Control characters for modifying the commands. The default mode is to replace characters. To delete use Control-D, and to insert use Control-B. If you prefer HPstyle modify (D, R, I, and U), use the Redo command instead of Before. Examples #listf @.soruce NON-EXISTENT GROUP. #Before listf @.soruce our listf @.source shown} {'source' is not spelled right} (CIERR 908) {redo most recent command} {last command is printed} {you enter changes to it} {the edited command is {you press } #listredo -10/ #before 5 #bef 8/10 #b listf #b @temp #before -2 previous} #before -5/-2 {redo 5th command in stack} {redo 8th through 10th} {redo last Listf command} {redo last containing "temp"} {redo command before {redo by relative lines} Modify Operators If you wish to change any characters within the line, the modify operators are the regular Control Codes used in Qedit: Any printing characters replace the ones above. Control-D plus spaces deletes columns above. Control-B puts you into "insert before" mode. Control-A starts appending characters at the end of line. Control-A, Control-D, plus spaces, deletes from the end. Control-T ends Insert Mode, allowing movement to a new column. Control-G recovers the original line. Control-O specifies "overwrite" mode (needed for spaces). 322 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Change Command [C] Changes all uses of a specific search field value in all detail datasets related to a master. This command only applies to master datasets. CHANGE [file] [;options] Options: numeric-value|Key|Limit|UNder This command changes the search field value in all related detail datasets. Dbedit can only change values in detail datasets where there is an explicit IMAGE path. It is up to the user to change any user-defined paths. Once this command has started making changes to the database, it cannot be stopped. Entering Control-Y during the change will have no effect. Dbedit locks the entire database while all changes are taking place. The database password must give you write access to all related datasets that must be changed. If CIUPDATE is On or Allowed in the database, the Change command executes much faster. Example #change m-supplier Change Key Value for File: M-SUPPLIER Enter Existing Key Value to Find: SUPPLIER-NAME >Standard Ribbons Enter New Key Value to Replace with: SUPPLIER-NAME >STD Ribbons SUPPLIER-NAME CITY STREET-ADDRESS (2) ZIP-CODE = Standard Ribbons = San Leandro STATE-CODE = 100 Main St. = 94345 OK to change this entry [no]: y Begin changes (be patient) .. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual = CA .. end changes!! Dbedit Commands • 323 Delete Command [D] Removes entries from a dataset. DELETE [file] [;options] Options: numeric-value|All|Key|Limit|Related|UNder If you are deleting entries from a master dataset, all entries from related detail datasets must be removed first. Before any record will actually be deleted, Delete prints the record and asks you whether it is okay to delete it; the default answer is NO. The field list of the file specifies which fields to list before prompting for verification of the deletion. The ALL option allows you to review all entries in a detail dataset and remove some or all of them. The database password must give you write access to the entire dataset. ALL does not work on master datasets; use the Suprtool >Delete command instead. You can delete records related to a master dataset, but not the other way around. Dbedit does not print the detail records that are deleted. Use the List command with the RELATED option before doing the deletion. 324 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Do Command [DO] The Do command will repeat (without changes) any of the previous 1000 commands. DO [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: repeat the previous command) Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 of them are retained. Use the :Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can repeat a single command (do 5), a range of commands (do 5/10) or the most recent command whose name matches a string (do list). If you want to modify the commands before executing them, use Redo or Before. Examples #listredo #do #do 39 #do 5/8 again} #do list command} #do show #do showjob job command} #do @job #do -2 previous} #do -7/-5 #do 5/ {do previous command again} {do command line 39 again} {do command lines 5 to 8 {do most recent List {do last starting with "show"} {do last "showjob job" {do last containing "job"} {do command before {do by relative line number} {do command lines 5 to "last"} Notes The Do command cannot be abbreviated. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 325 Exit Command [E] Leaves Dbedit and returns control to Suprtool. EXIT 326 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual File Command [F] Establishes the current file, field list, and search field. FILE [file] [;options] Options: numeric-value|All|Key|Limit|Related|UNder|UPdatekey If Set Reset is Off, you can use the File command to specify the KEY= for the specified file. For example: #set reset off #file d-inventory;key=product-no will cause all subsequent commands to prompt for the PRODUCT-NO before the SUPPLIER-NAME. Specifying a new file or options parameter in the Add, Change, Delete, List, or Modify commands overrides and replaces the current file and option values. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 327 Form Command [FO] The Form command displays a description of the items and datasets in a database. FORM [ SETS | ITEMS | PATHS dataset | data-item | filename ] (Default: fields in current dataset) If you request information about a specific detail dataset, Suprtool will print the path information in DBSCHEMA format. The path shows the related master dataset and the sort item-name. The capacity is also shown in DBSCHEMA format. The blocking factor appears after the capacity in parentheses. When showing the form of a dataset, Dbedit shows the byte offset of each field after the subcount, type, and sublength. The first field always appears at offset one. If you have specified a date format or the number of implied decimal points with the Item command, these attributes will appear as part of the form listing. Example >base store,5 >item last-ship-date,date ,yymmdd >item unit-cost ,decimal,2 >edit {enter Dbedit} #form d-inventory D-INVENTORY Detail Entry: BIN-NO J1 1 LAST-SHIP-DATE J2 3 <> ON-HAND-QTY J2 7 PRODUCT-NO Z8 11 (M-PRODUCT) SUPPLIER-NAME X16 19 (!M-SUPPLIER) UNIT-COST P8 35 << .2 >> Capacity: 112 Entries: 3 Entry Length: 19 Blocking: 14 Form Keywords The Form command shows Items, Paths, and Sets before searching for a dataset or file with these names. Use a string (e.g., "sets") to display the form of a dataset or file that matches one of the Form keywords. >form "paths" 328 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Help Command [H] Show what commands and options are available in Dbedit. HELP [ command | keyword [ ,option ] ] (Default: browse through the entire help file) Command Help If you specify any parameters, Help first assumes that you want help on a specific Dbedit command. If you know the structure of the help file, you can specify one of the keywords under the command name. #help list #help list,notes command} {Help on the List command} {notes section of the List Keyword Help If no help is found in the Commands section of the help file, we assume you specified one of the outer-level keywords. To see this list of keywords, type help with no parameters. You'll see a short introduction to Dbedit before the list. Specify any of the keywords, or a subkeyword, on the Help command. #help intro {introduction section} Quick Help - HQ HQ asks Dbedit to look under the keyword QUICK in the help file. QUICK contains the text from the Dbedit Quick Reference Guide, offering the experienced user a quick review of the syntax of any command. #hq add #hq commands names} {quick description of Add} {quick list of command Notes If no parameters are specified, Help allows you to browse through the "help" file. The Help command uses the QHELP subsystem to enable you to move through the file Dbedit.Help.Robelle, which contains most of the User Manual. For "help in help", type "?" when you see the QHELP prompt character ("?"). The help file is organized into levels. To go back to the previous level, press Return instead of a key name. If you press F8, you will exit the QHELP subsystem and return to Dbedit. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 329 List Command [L] Displays entries from a dataset. LIST [file] [;options] Options: numeric-value|All|Key|Limit|Related|UNder The field list of the file parameter specifies which fields of the entry to print (default of course is all of them). Search field values are not listed, unless they are included in the field list. The ALL option lists all records in the specified file. The RELATED option prints related records from other datasets as well as the records you select. The Suprtool >List command also displays selected records, with the option of dumping totally in Octal/Char format. Use >List when you suspect that a dataset contains bad data, or to select from a large dataset (>List is faster than #List). #list m-customer List in File: M-CUSTOMER CUST-ACCOUNT CITY CUST-ACCOUNT NAME-FIRST STATE-CODE STREET-ADDRESS (2) ZIP-CODE >4003302 = = = = = Los Altos 4003302 Ralph CA Room 655 Century Plaza = 93002 CREDIT-RATING CUST-STATUS NAME-LAST Building {all related records} #list m-supplier;related List in File: M-SUPPLIER SUPPLIER-NAME CITY STREET-ADDRESS (2) SUPPLIER-NAME ZIP-CODE >Standard Ribbons = San Leandro = 100 Main St. STATE-CODE = CA = Standard Ribbons = 94345 Related Records from the File : Key to path: SUPPLIER-NAME BIN-NO = 1201 ON-HAND-QTY = 296 SUPPLIER-NAME = Standard UNIT-COST = 500 330 • Dbedit Commands = 100000 = 20 = Perkins D-INVENTORY LAST-SHIP-DATE PRODUCT-NO Ribbons = 840501 = 105391 Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Listredo Command [LISTREDO] The Listredo command will display any of the previous 1000 commands. LISTREDO [ start [ / stop ] ] [;ABS] [;OUT=file] [ string ] [;REL] [ ALL | @ ] [;UNN] (Default: display previous 20 commands) (BJ and ,, are short for LISTREDO) Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 are retained. You can display a single command, a range of commands, all 1000, or all the commands whose name matches the string. You can print the commands with ABSolute line numbers (the default), RELative line numbers (-5/-4), or UNNumbered. You can write the commands to your terminal or OUT to a temporary file. If you want to redo any of these commands, see Do, Redo, and Before. Examples #listredo #listredo #listredo #listredo #listredo #listredo #listredo commands} #listredo anywhere} #listredo #listredo #listredo 5 5/10 help -10 ALL purge purge xx {print all Help commands} {print last ten commands} {print entire redo stack} {print all Purge commands} {print all "purge xx" @purge {print all with "purge" @;rel 1/10;out=*lp @;unn;out=save {print ALL, relative numbers} {dump commands to printer} {write commands to a file} Notes The Listredo command cannot be abbreviated, but BJ is accepted as a short form. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 331 Modify Command [M] Changes the values of any or all fields in a dataset entry. MODIFY [file] [;options] Options: numeric-value|All|Key|Limit|UNder|UPdatekey The field list of the file parameter specifies which fields to modify. When the UPDATEKEY option is specified, search and sort field values may be changed. The existing value of each field is printed before a new value is accepted. Entering a carriage return preserves the old value. If a new value is entered, it replaces the old value. The ALL option allows you to review and modify all of the entries in a dataset in serial order. If CIUPDATE is On or Allowed in the database, the UPDATEKEY option executes much faster. #modify m-customer:credit-rating Modify in File: M-CUSTOMER CUST-ACCOUNT >4003302 Enter new values (or to leave as is): CUST-ACCOUNT CREDIT-RATING CUST-ACCOUNT 332 • Dbedit Commands =4003302 =1000.00 2500.00 = 4003302 CREDIT-RATING = 2500.00 Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Q Command [Q] Prints a message on $stdlist. Q [ string ] (Default: print a blank line) The string of up to 80 characters is printed on $stdlist. The string should not be enclosed in quotes unless you want the message printed in quotes. You can use Q to include instructions in usefiles. Use :COMMENT in usefiles for a nonprinting comment line. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 333 Redo Command [REDO] Enables you to modify and repeat any of the previous 1000 command lines. REDO [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: redo the previous command) The Redo command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them. If you don't need to change them, use the Do command. Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 are retained. Use the :Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can redo a single command, a range of commands, or the most recent command whose name matches a string. The Redo command cannot be abbreviated. The Redo command uses MPE-style editing logic (D, I, R, U and >). The default mode is to replace characters. To delete, type DDDD under the characters to be removed. To insert, type I under the insertion spot, then the new characters. To undo your changes, type U. To append to the end of the line, use >xxx. To delete from the end of the line, use >DD. To replace at the end of the line, use >Rxxx. And to erase the rest of the line, use D>. If you prefer Qedit-style editing (Control-D, etc.), use the Before command instead of the Redo command. Examples #listf @.soruce correctly} NON-EXISTENT GROUP. #redo listf @.soruce our listf @.source #listredo all #redo 5 #redo #redo -2 previous} #redo 8/10 #redo -10/ #redo purge #redo @temp 334 • Dbedit Commands {"source" is not spelled (CIERR 908) {redo most recent command} {last command is printed} {you enter changes to it} {edited command is shown} {you press } {redo 5th command in stack} {redo previous command} {redo command before {redo 8th through 10th} {redo -10 through last} {redo last Purge command} {redo last containing "temp"} Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Set Command [S] Changes certain operating options within Dbedit. Except for LP, these options are saved when you return to Suprtool and restored if you enter Dbedit again. SET [LP ON|OFF ] [PROMPT character ] [QUIET ON|OFF ] [RESET ON|OFF ] [UNDERLINE ON|OFF ] [VERIFY ON|OFF ] LP SET LP ON|OFF (Initially: OFF) All output from the List command is normally sent to $stdlist. When you turn Set LP to On, Dbedit opens the file Suprlist which defaults to the line printer. Turning Set LP Off closes the SUPRLIST file and releases it to the spooler. Dbedit automatically closes the Suprlist file when you return to Suprtool. Prompt SET PROMPT char (Initially: #) Prompt tells Dbedit to use a different character for prompting. Any special character can be used as the prompt character. For example: >edit #set prompt % %list m-customer Quiet SET QUIET ON|OFF (Initially: OFF) Turning this option On causes Dbedit to reduce the number of helpful messages that are printed and to shorten other messages. Reset SET RESET ON|OFF (Initially: ON) When you use the File, List, Modify, Change, or Delete commands you may override the default order that Dbedit uses to prompt for search Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 335 fields (using the KEY= option). With Reset On, Dbedit always resets the KEY= option to the default. With Reset Off, Dbedit will continue to use the new order of search fields. Underline SET UNDERLINE ON|OFF (Initially: ON) When Dbedit prompts for field values, it prints a series of underlines to show the field width. Underline Off disables this feature. Users with slow printing terminals will find Dbedit faster with Underline Off. The Under option may be used to temporarily enable underlining for a single command. Verify SET VERIFY ON|OFF (Initially: ON) When you are adding new records to a dataset, Dbedit lists the contents of new records after you have entered all of the field values. Turning Verify Off causes Dbedit to stop listing new records after they are added. 336 • Dbedit Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Use Command [U] Specifies a file of commands to be executed as a group. USE[Q] filename Examples A usefile makes your task easier by allowing common commands to be specified once in an external file. Usefiles can also be set up for data entry functions such as adding a new customer into the database (e.g., add one master entry, add one billto entry, add multiple shipto entries, and then list the master entry plus RELATED details). For example, here is a usefile that uses the File command to define a dataset: file d-inventory;key=product-no;5 {key and limit} q You may use the List, Modify, or Delete q commands to modify inventory records. You q are restricted to at most five inventory q records per product number. Use the file inside Dbedit: >base store >edit {enter Dbedit} #useq dinvent.use {specify commands from the usefile} You may use the List, Modify, or Delete commands to modify inventory records. You are restricted to at most five inventory records per product number. # {Dbedit prompts for commands} Quiet Execution By default, Dbedit displays the commands in the usefile as they are executed. Dbedit can execute commands quietly using the Useq command: #useq store.use {no commands are listed} Notes Usefiles cannot be nested in Dbedit. The usefile may be an EDITOR /KEEP file,UNN or a Qedit workfile, but no more than 256 characters per record will be processed. For compatibility with Qedit, Useq can be abbreviated to UQ. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Dbedit Commands • 337 Verify Command [V] Displays the current status of Dbedit conditions. VERIFY [ ALL | @ ] [ BASE ] [ DSET ] [ SET ] [ CIUPDATE ] (Default: BASE, DSET, CIUPDATE, changed SET values) Only one item can be verified at a time. The format of the Verify output is organized into columns. Verify with no parameters prints the database, the current dataset, and whether critical-item update is enabled or disabled. It also prints those Set options which are not currently at their default setting. Examples #verify dset #verify all 338 • Dbedit Commands {current dataset} {print the status of everything} Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Welcome to Suprlink Welcome to Suprlink Welcome to Suprlink for HP-UX Version 5.6. Suprlink is a program that works with Suprtool to add "multifile" capability to Suprtool. Rather than take the regular path to multiple datasets -- random retrieval via IMAGE keys -- with its well-known performance problems, we have chosen to follow a different path: fast serial extracts plus a very efficient merge. Summary of the Suprlink commands: Before Input Redo Xeq Do Join Reset =expression Exit Link Set :OS Command Form LISTREDO Use Help Output Verify The minimum abbreviation of each command is shown in capital letters. Terminology and HP-UX Many of the terms and examples in this manual use terminology specific to MPE and IMAGE/SQL databases. We have edited the Suprlink/UX manual to be more generic in this regard, however, some references remain for clarity. Notation The Suprlink documentation uses a common notation in describing all commands. Here is a sample command definition: Link filename [OPTIONAL] [BY link-keys [FROM input-keys]] UPPERCASE LETTERS are required elements in the command, and must be typed exactly as they appear. Example: BY Highlighted lowercase letters, underlined or italic, are "variables" to be filled in by the user. In the help file, Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Welcome to Suprlink • 339 underlining and italics are not available and variables will appear simply in lowercase. Example: filename. [] - Brackets enclose optional fields. Example: [FROM input keys] {} - Braces enclose comments in examples. Braces are allowed for comments in actual Suprlink commands. Example: +output repts temp {produces job-temporary Output} | - Up lines separate alternatives from which you will select. Sometimes, the alternatives are shown listed on several lines. Example: [TEMP | ERASE] In examples, there is an implied carriage return at the end of each line. Installing Suprlink Suprlink is installed as part of the Suprtool installation process. See the "Installing Suprtool" chapter of the Suprtool User Manual for more details of how to install both Suprtool and Suprlink. Hardcoded File Names and ROBELLE Variable Some file names are hardcoded into Suprlink. This section describes the hardcoded file names that Suprlink/UX may need. Suprlink will normally look for files in the /opt/robelle directory unless you set the ROBELLE variable. ROBELLE Variable Normally Suprlink looks files in the /opt/robelle directory. If you move Suprlink you must set the ROBELLE variable. For example, if you move Suprlink to the /users/robelle directory you must set ROBELLE variable in the following manner: export ROBELLE="/users/robelle" 340 • Welcome to Suprlink Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Accessing Suprlink How To Run Suprlink To access Suprlink, type the following command: /opt/robelle/bin/suprlink SUPRLINK/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1988-2010 (Version 5.6) + After a short pause, Suprlink will take over your terminal and print out some identifying information. You will notice that your command prompt has changed to "+", telling you that you have made it into Suprlink. Suprlink expects you to type command lines, ending each one with Return. How to Xeq a Suprlink Task Normally, you enter a series of commands. These commands specify the Input file, the Output file, and the Link file name(s). Finally, you enter an Xeq or an Exit command. This begins the actual Suprlink linkage task. If you entered the Exit command, Suprlink will finish the current task, then return you to the Operating system. +EXIT $ If you entered the Xeq command, Suprlink will finish the current task, then prompt you for another task. This continues until you enter the Exit command. If you wish to terminate Suprlink immediately (perhaps you are confused), enter Exit Abort. This will terminate the Suprlink program immediately, without attempting any task. Suprtool Link Command This command is not currently available in the HP-UX version. Exit with Verify This feature is not yet available in the HP-UX version. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Accessing Suprlink • 341 Using Suprlink in Batch You normally run Suprlink as an on-line session. You type Suprlink commands on your terminal and Suprlink prints responses on your terminal. If you redirect stdin or stdlist, Suprlink assumes that it is in batch. Suprlink in batch is almost identical to Suprlink on-line, except for answering questions. When Suprlink asks a question in batch, no one is there to answer it. Therefore, Suprlink does not expect an answer from stdin. Suprlink assumes that you want your batch task to complete, so it always selects the option that will complete the command successfully. This is normally a "YES" answer, as in "yes, purge the file". Suprlink prints the question on stdlist, as well as the answer that it has selected for you. Command Line Options Suprlink currently allows certain features to be invoked when run from the command line. Default Outcount File Name: -oc If you want to know how many records SuprLink has processed, use the -oc option. This option sets the file name for outcount to ".sloutcount". After a successful task, SuprLink writes the number of output records to the .sloutcount file. You can then use this file in shell scripts to check for specific record counts. For example, suppose that you want to check for at least ten records from a Suprlink join. You would write a shell script in the following manner: &#!/bin/sh &# suprlink -oc << !EOD +in orders +join ordhist +out ordcomb exit !EOD if [ `cat .sloutcount` -ge 10 ]; then echo "More than 10 records found" fi Variable Substitution -v A second command line option allows you to turn on variable substitution. Due to how environment variables and processes on HP-UX interact, the variable must be set prior to running Suprlink. suprlink -v << !EOD +in $myvariable +join ordhist +out ordcomb exit !EOD 342 • Accessing Suprlink Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Introduction to Suprlink How Report Programs Work The best way to understand Suprlink is to examine the process of writing a report. Your report program will be written in COBOL, RPG, PowerHouse, or some other language. Imagine that instead of hunting all over the database to collect your data, you just read a sorted disc file with a big record containing all the data on a given entity. For example, a sales report might read a disc file whose records consist of sales transactions plus customer information. This file has been sorted by customer number and date. If there are several sales for the same customer, the customer information is just repeated in each record. The report program reads the records, checks for level breaks, and formats and prints the records. Suprlink fits into this model of report programs. Working from the database to the final flat file, how do we use Suprtool and Suprlink to produce the desired result? Obviously, Suprtool can extract the desired fields from the desired records from the customer table and put them in a disc file. And Suprtool can extract the desired fields from the customer master dataset and write them to a second disc file. What does Suprlink do? If Suprtool sorts both files by customer, Suprlink can "link" them together, producing a third file whose composite record consists of the related fields from both files. This file is just what we need to feed into the report program. Input Files Only one file can have repeated records that pass through to the final file. This file is called the primary Input file. If any of the Link files contain duplicate records, Suprlink will select one of them to link to the primary record(s). The Suprlink Output file will have no more records than the Input file. The Input file and Link files are created with the Output xxx,Link option in Suprtool. These files must be sorted by the same key field in ascending order. Link Files You can have up to seven Link files that are combined with the Input file. Suprlink merges the Input file and Link files by comparing the key fields of both files (you can optionally specify a secondary-key). The default is for Suprlink to exclude any Input records that do not have a matching record in all Link files. Specifying the Optional keyword on the Link command will force Suprlink to fill the Output record Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Introduction to Suprlink • 343 with default values (spaces and zeros) when it doesn't find a match in a specific Link file. If you want to link the sales transaction to both the customer master and the salesman master, it's probably faster to use traditional methods. Output Files The Output file will be a self-describing file, containing data extracted from the Input file and the Link files. Suprlink combines the Input and Link records together in a fixed way, dropping the duplicated key fields and appending the remaining fields of each file in the order specified. You control which fields occur by using the Extract command in Suprtool, but you have no control over their order. Use the Form command to print out the final record format so that you can prepare COBOL COPYLIB or PowerHouse QSCHEMA definitions. Sort Keys The Input file and Link files must be sorted by the same key field. Their names do not have to be identical, but they must be the same type and have the same length. Suprlink does not support real- or long-type keys. Selection Logic Selection logic can be tricky, since it is distributed over independent Suprtool extract tasks, the Suprlink merge phase, and the final report program. Suprtool Selection. You can use the If command to select which records you want from each SQL table. What you cannot do in Suprtool is check a field in a related SQL table. You do have the option to select key values from one dataset, then load them into a Table and use $lookup to select related entries in another dataset. It makes sense to use If on every SQL table, since you have another selection possibility when the files are linked. For example, you might select all customers in California and all invoices with an amount greater than $2000. Suprlink Selection. The Input file limits the scope of the Output file for Link operations. You cannot have more Output records than you do Input records, but you can have fewer. When you do a Link to another file, you have an implied selection criterion. That is, if Suprlink cannot find a record in the Link file with matching key value(s), the Input record is dropped from the Output file. If you have seven Link files, the Input record must match all seven or be dropped. This is the default selection logic. You can override this for any specific Link file by specifying the OPTIONAL keyword on the Link command. Only do this is you don't care whether that data exists or not, since Suprlink will supply default values for those Link fields. A Link Example You want to produce a report of all invoices over $2,000.00 for customers in California. The customer information is in the m_customer table, and the invoice information is in the d_invoice table. Here are the steps to produce this report: Select and sort the California customers into the file customer. Select and sort invoices over $2,000 into the file invoice. 344 • Introduction to Suprlink Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Because there will often be more than one invoice per customer, specify the invoice file as input to Suprlink. Link in the customer file. Produce your report from the combined records in the output file. >open oracle demo reader >select * from m_customer >if state = "CA" >sort custnum >output customer,link >xeq {sales database} {select all customers...} {...in California} {sort and link key} {Link output option} We now have a self-describing file with all the customers from California sorted by the customer number. Next we select all invoices over $2,000.00 and sort them into customer number sequence: >select * from d_invoice >if amount>200000 >sort custnum >output invoices,link >exit {select all invoices...} {...over $2,000.00} {sort and link key again} {remember the link option} If we specify the cust file as input, the Output file will only contain one invoice per customer. Because we want to produce a report of all the selected invoices, we specify it as the input file: +input invoices +link customer +output invcust +exit {driving input file, custnum is the key} {combined with customers} {produces the file we want} Each record of the invcust file will have both the invoice information and the customer information for each invoice of the Input file (i.e., one record per invoice). What happens if there is no customer record for a specific invoice? In this case, the invoice record does not appear in the Output file. To force Suprlink to include these records, use the optional keyword on the Link command: +input invoices +link customer optional +output invcust +exit {sorted by custnum} {don't exclude invoices if...} {the customer information...} {...is missing} A Join Example Suprlink can join files together that have multiple key records in each file, what has been come to be know as a many-to-many link. Suprlink has traditionally been able to link an Input file with many records with the same key to a Link file that has a single record with the same key value. The Join command, will link two files with many key records in both the input file and the "Linking" file. The syntax of the Join command is exactly the same as the Link command so a sample task would look as follows: +input ordhist +join orders +output custord +xeq The above task will link multiple records of the file ordhist, to the multiple records of the file in orders. This assumes that the files are sorted by a common key. In SQL Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Introduction to Suprlink • 345 terms this is known as an Inner Join. An Outer Join, one where the keys do not necessarily have a match can be achieved by adding the optional keyword to the Join command: +input ordhist +join orders optional +output joined +xeq In SQL parlance, once again you can achieve both a Left Outer Join and Right Outer Join by reversing the order of the files, between the input and the join commands. To give you an example of how the Join operation would work consider the following data. First we have an inventory file with multiple records for the same product-no. This data is stored in the file dinv: 50512001 50512001 50512003 {Rest of data} {Rest of data} {Rest of data} The next file will have sales records, once again with multiple key values, this data is stored in the file dsales: 50512001 50512001 {Rest of data} {Rest of data} If you did the following task assuming both files are sorted by the product-no: +in dinv +join dsales +out invsales +xeq The resulting file would have four records, with the multiple matching dinv and dsales records. The record layout would have the dinv information first followed by the dsales information. If you add the optional keyword on the join command the resulting file would have 5 records. The matching 4 records from dinv and dsales as well as the dinv record that did not match with the numeric fields set to zero and the byte fields set to spaces. Only one Join operation is allowed per task. By default, Suprlink will join files base on the primary sorted key in the selfdescribing file. You can specify a secondary key for the files to be joined on in a similar manner to how the Link command did: +in orders +join dsales by order-no product-no +out ordsales +xeq Performance Considerations Select only the records you need, unless the time to load a table of desired key values, plus the time needed to do $lookup for each record, is longer than the time to extract and sort the entire dataset. Use the Sorted and Hold options of the Table command when loading a table. Because of the time needed to search a large table, it is often faster to extract all of the records and let Suprlink skip over the ones it doesn't need. This method does a lot of sorts. Sorting time can vary depending on system load and available memory, but it increases dramatically for large records and large datasets. 346 • Introduction to Suprlink Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual You should try to use Suprtool's Extract command to reduce the record size, and consider using Suprtool's If command to reduce the number of records. Suprlink needs enough disc space to invert a significant subset of your database, then link it into an Output file. Although all of the Suprlink files can be job temporary, you still need enough disc space for the original database, the final Output file, the primary Input file, and each of the Link files. One of the tradeoffs with this method is more disc space for faster elapsed time. Another Example From the sales records, retrieve all of the sales for October, 2000 and append the customer name, salesman code, and year-to-date sales total to the sales record (these fields are located in the customer records). $/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool >open oracle demo reader >sel * from sales_detail >extract custnum,saledate,saleamt,... >if saledate >= 20001001 and & > saledate <= 20001031 >sort custnum >sort saledate >output sales,link >xeq {creates SD file} >sel * from customer >extract custnum,name >extract salesman,ytdsales >sort customernum >output custs,link >exit $/opt/robelle/bin/suprlink +input sales +link custs +output repts +xeq +form repts +exit $myprog $rm sales $rm custs $rm repts {link sales...} {...to custs...} {...producing REPTS!} {...run the task} {fields in repts} {run program} {these files...} {...no longer needed} Illegal Digits Whenever Suprlink is processing files with packed- or zoned-decimal keys, errors can occur because of invalid digits in the keys. Suprlink reports the input and link record numbers with illegal digits and processing stops. You can use Suprtool to examine input and link records, by using record selection with Suprtool's input command. A packed-decimal number consists of nibbles (there are two nibbles in each byte). The last nibble is the sign of the number. The remaining nibbles must each contain a number in the range 0-9. A zoned-decimal number must have a valid digit in each byte and end in "0"-"9", "A"-"R", "{", or "}". To remove or edit numbers to be valid display values please look at Suprtool's $number function. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Introduction to Suprlink • 347 Selecting Non-Matches Consider a common problem easily solved with Quiz from Cognos: finding all records in a file which have no corresponding records in a related file. For example, to find all records in an invoice lines file with no corresponding invoice master record, the following Quiz code could be written. >access lines link to header optional >select if not record header exists >report invoiceno of lines >go This small amount of code, however, can take a long time to execute, depending on the size of the Lines and Header files. A Quiz program will usually take longer as new links are added, causing the size of the record complex to grow. Suprlink can provide the same information, possibly in a fraction of the time. The technique as applied to the same problem requires four steps: Sort the Lines file by Invoiceno. Add a new constant field, Linkflag, to the Header file and fill it with "Y". Sort by Invoiceno. Link the two files with Suprlink using the Optional parameter. Select the record complexes where linkflag does not contain a "Y". $/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool >open oracle demo reader >sel * from lines >sort invoiceno >output file1,link >xeq >sel header >define linkflag,1,1 >extract invoiceno,linkflag="Y" >sort invoiceno >output file2,link >exit $/opt/robelle/bin/suprlink +input file1 +link file2 optional +output file3 +exit $/opt/robelle/bin/suprtool >input file3 >if linkflag <> "Y" >extract invoiceno >list standard >exit Any invoice line with a corresponding record in the invoice Header file will have a "Y" in the linkflag field. Records failing the match will contain the default space. Suprlink with Quiz/QTP Quiz and QTP are part of PowerHouse, a popular fourth generation language sold by Cognos. You can use Suprtool and Suprlink to improve the performance of PowerHouse applications. For a complete discussion of how to use Suprtool and Quiz together, refer to the "Suprtool with Quiz/QTP" section of the Suprtool User Manual. 348 • Introduction to Suprlink Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink can write to PowerHouse subfiles that have been created with Quiz or QTP. Subfiles are "self documenting" files that contain a complete description of the file's record structure. This information is stored in user labels in the file, and is known as a "mini-dictionary." When you access the subfile in Quiz, its description is read from the mini-dictionary. You must ensure that the PowerHouse subfile description exactly matches the record layout of Suprlink's output file. Remember that Suprlink will drop the common "key" fields from the link files. Step 1: Create the Subfile with QTP Before running Suprlink, you create an empty subfile with QTP: $rm invcust $qtp >access d_invoice link custnum to & > custnum of m_customer >subfile invcust keep size numrecs include & > custnum, invdate, amount, invnum, & > name, address >set input limit 0 >go The subfile must contain all of the fields that Suprlink will produce in the output file, with the same attributes (data-type and length) and in the same order. Use the Include option of QTP's Subfile command to define each of the fields in the correct order. The numrecs parameter must be replaced with the number of records that will be created by the Suprlink run. The default numrecs is 1023 when the input limit is set to 0. Step 2: Output Erase in Suprlink Once you have created the PowerHouse subfile, use the Erase option of Suprlink's Output command to load the file. This will overwrite any data in the subfile, but it will not touch the PowerHouse mini-dictionary in the user labels: +input invoices +link customer +output invcust erase +exit {created by Suprtool} {sorted by custnum} {created by QTP} Step 3: Report with Quiz The INVCUST file contains the sorted records for the Quiz report. Quiz knows the structure of this file because of the initial QTP commands that we used to create the file. Now use Quiz to generate the report: quiz >access *invcust >report ... >go Notes on Subfiles One of the advantages that Suprlink has over the link function in PowerHouse is that Suprlink does not require the "key" field in the link files to be a database key. Because Suprlink uses a serial-merge approach, its files only need to have a common field with the same data-type and length. If you do use Suprlink to link files that do not share a common database key, you need some extra steps to create the PowerHouse subfile. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Introduction to Suprlink • 349 Since Suprlink cannot currently write to NM Ksam files you cannot directly write to PowerHouse indexed subfiles. You can use Suprtool to load file to the Indexed KSAM file. Defining Fields in QTP In our example above, "custnum" can be used to link the d_invoice and m_customer tables in QTP because custnum is an index in the m_customer table. If custnum was not an index, you could try declaring the record structure for the subfile with the QTP Define command: $rm invcust $qtp >access d_invoice >define name character size 20 = " " >define address character size 20 = " " >subfile invcust keep size numrecs include & > custnum, invdate, amount, invnum, & > name, address >set input limit 0 >go You must be careful to ensure that the data definitions of the Defined fields are correct. Note that you cannot assign default display specifications (such as Heading or Picture specifications) for Defined fields in QTP. Linking Subfiles by Record Number Another approach, which guarantees that the subfile will contain the correct data definitions and default display characteristics, is to create temporary subfiles with QTP for each dataset, then link them together by record number: $rm invcust $qtp >access d_invoice >subfile invtemp size 1 include & > custnum, invdate, amount, invnum >set input limit 0 >go >access m_customer >subfile custtemp size 1 include & > name, address >set input limit 0 >go >access *invtemp link to record 0 of *custtemp >subfile invcust keep size numrecs include & > custnum, invdate, amount, invnum, & > name, address >set input limit 0 >go 350 • Introduction to Suprlink Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands General Notes When you run Suprlink, it prompts for commands on stdlist with a "+" character and reads command lines from stdin. Suprlink commands contain a command name followed by one or more parameters, and are patterned after the same commands in Suprtool. In this chapter, we describe the Suprlink commands in alphabetic order. Following each command name in brackets is the minimal abbreviation for the command. For example: [I] for Input and [L] for Link. Abbreviating You may shorten the command name to the first letter of the command name. +v +x {verify} {xeq} Uppercase or Lowercase You may enter the letters in either uppercase or lowercase, because Suprlink upshifts everything in the command line except literal strings within quotes ("abc"). These two commands are identical: +EXIT +exit Continuation The maximum physical command line is 256 characters. You may enter commands on multiple input lines by putting an "&" continuation character at the end of the line. The maximum total command length is 256 characters. The most common reason for continuing commands is to specify a lengthy Link command with secondary keys. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 351 +input students +link majors by ssn cmaj from & ssn curmajor +output outfile +exit Comments on Command Lines Comments may appear at the end of any command line, when they are surrounded by braces. Many of the examples in this manual show comments at the end of each command line. You can enter a comment as the only item in a Suprlink command line. When continuing command lines, the comment can appear before or after the continuation character. + +input invoices +link customer +output invcust +exit {link customer records to invoices. } {sorted by custnum} {combined with customers} {produces the file we want} HP-UX Commands Suprlink also accepts HP-UX commands, with or without an exclamation mark or colon. +!ls +ls For commands that are the same in both Suprlink and HP-UX, Suprlink only executes the HP-UX command if you type the exclamation mark (or colon). For example: +set +!set {you get Suprlink Set command} {you get HP-UX Set command (ksh)} Suprlink/UX executes and HP-UX command (e.g., ls) or script file. File Names Suprlink's Input, Link and Output commands accept any valid HP-UX file name. File names are currently limited to a maximum of 240 characters. Calculator Any command line beginning with an equal sign (=) is treated as a calculator expression. This feature can be used to compute blocking factors and do other calculations without the need of an electronic calculator. You can obtain a short description of the calculator by entering the following: =? {? gives help} {prints a summary of = functions} For a detailed description of the calculator and its options, see the Suprtool manual. Control-Y You can interrupt a Suprlink task with the Control-Y key (hold down Control while striking Y). Suprlink responds by telling you how far it has gotten (IN=, OUT=, 352 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual etc.), and asking if you wish to stop. Hit the Return key to continue or type YES to stop the task. If Control-Y has no effect, then try Control-C which is the default interrupt setting for HP-UX. See the section on "Control Characters and stty" in the "Running Suprtool Under HP-UX" chapter for notes on how change this default. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 353 Before Command [B] Repeat any combination of the previous 1000 command lines, with or without editing. BEFORE [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: redo previous line) (BQ=redo without change) The Before command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them. If you don't need to change them, use BQ or Do. The Before command uses Qedit-style Control characters for modifying the commands. The default mode is to replace characters. To delete use Control-D, and to insert use Control-B. If you prefer HP-style modify (D, R, I, and U), use the Redo command instead of Before. Examples +ll *.fd *.fd not found +Before ll *.fd s ll *.sd +listredo -10/ +before 5 +bef 8/10 +b ls +b ls * +b @* +before -2 +before -5/-2 {".fd" is a typo} {redo most recent command} {last command is printed} {you enter changes to it} {the edited command is shown} {you press Return} {redo 5th command in stack} {redo 8th through 10th} {redo last ls command} {redo "ls *" command} {redo last containing "*"} {redo command before previous} {redo by relative lines} Modify Operators If you wish to change any characters within the line, the modify operators are the regular Control Codes used in Qedit: Any printing characters replace the ones above. Assuming that you have changed the HP-UX default of your EOF key, Control-D plus spaces deletes columns above. Control-B puts you into "insert before" mode. Control-A starts appending characters at the end of line. Control-A, Control-D, plus spaces, deletes from the end. Control-T ends Insert Mode, allowing movement to a new column. Control-G recovers the original line. Control-O specifies "overwrite" mode (needed for spaces). 354 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Persistent Redo Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 355 Do Command [DO] The Do command will repeat (without changes) any of the previous 1000 commands. DO [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: repeat the previous command) Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 of them are retained. Use the :Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can repeat a single command (do 5), a range of commands (do 5/10) or the most recent command whose name matches a string (do list). If you want to modify the commands before executing them, use Redo or Before. Examples +listredo +do +do 39 +do 5/8 +do link +do grep +do grep job +do @job +do -2 +do -7/-5 +do 5/ {do previous command again} {do command line 39 again} {do command lines 5 to 8 again} {do most recent Link command} {do last starting with "grep"} {do last "grep job" command} {do last containing "job"} {do command before previous} {do by relative line number} {do command lines 5 to last} Notes The Do command cannot be abbreviated. Persistent Redo Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details. 356 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Exit Command [E] Exit Suprlink in one of three ways. By default, perform the current linkage task, if any, then leave Suprlink. Users are often frustrated when they exit Suprlink after specifying part of a task and Suprlink starts processing the task. Use the Abort or Suspend options to exit Suprlink conveniently without executing the current task. EXIT [ ABORT | SUSPEND | XEQ ] (Default: XEQ) Typing Exit with no parameters means Exit Xeq. Suprlink recognizes special command names which specify both the Exit command and an exit option (e.g., ES means Exit Suspend). Exit Abort [EA] Cancels the current operation and terminates Suprlink. The Exit command without parameters always attempts to perform the task currently specified, while Exit Abort cancels the task and terminates immediately. Examples +:comment. You began to specify a linkage, stopped for +:comment. coffee, and decided to cancel the task +:comment. upon your return. +input invoices ... coffee break ... +exit abort {cancel linkage and terminate} Exit Suspend [ES] This feature is not currently available in Suprlink/UX. Exit Xeq [EX] To perform the current linkage task, you can either use Xeq (which leaves you inside Suprlink, ready to define another task) or Exit Xeq (which leaves Suprlink when done with the task). Exit Xeq is the default option (i.e., specifying exit starts execution of the current task). Examples /opt/robelle/bin/suprlink +exit End Of Program /opt/robelle/bin/suprlink +input invoices +link customer +output invcust +exit Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual {no input was specified} {link and stop} Suprlink Commands • 357 Form Command [F] Display the fields in a self-describing file. FORM [filename] If no file name is specified, the fields in the input file are displayed. The display shows the field type and field length in IMAGE notation. An I1-field is a single integer. Packed-fields show the number of nibbles (subtract one to obtain the number of digits). Byte and zoned-decimal fields show the byte length. When showing the form of a self-describing file, Suprlink shows the byte offset of each field after the subcount, type, and sublength. The first field always appears at offset one. There are two types of self-describing files. One type is produced with Suprtool's Query output option. You produce the other type with the Link output option. The Form command shows the internal self-describing version number, enabling you to tell the difference. A.00.00 - Query Output Option Compound fields have a question mark for the type, and the length is the number of bytes in the field. Sort information about the file is missing. Here is an example form listing: +form custfile File: custfile Entry: CHARACTER ZONED INTEGER DOUBLE PACKED QUAD REPEATINT LOGICAL DBLLOG Entry Length: 44 (SD Version A.00.00) Offset X5 1 Z5 6 I1 11 I2 13 P6 17 I4 20 ?6 28 K1 34 K2 36 Blocking: 1 Has linefeeds {length is five bytes} {room for five digits} {single integer} {double integer} {room for five digits} {eight-byte integer} {compound field} {single logical} {double logical} B.00.00 - Link Output Option These self-describing files contain information about how the file is sorted. Compound fields are handled correctly, so the Form command shows compound fields just as you would see them in IMAGE. The Item command in Suprtool identifies the date format of an item. The Link output option saves the date format and any decimals as part of the field description: 358 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual +form datafile File: datafile (SD Version B.00.00) Has Linefeeds Entry: Offset CHARACTER X5 1 <> REPEATINT 3I1 6 {compound field} DATE J2 12 <> DOLLAR P6 16 << .2 >> Entry Length: 16 Blocking: 1 Notes If you do an ll datafile* it should show another file with a ".sd" extension. This file contains a description of its own record structure; this allows you to refer to the field names and Suprlink can compute where they occur in the record. Formout File The Form command writes all output to the file Formout. This file defaults to $stdlist. +form custfile Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual {writes to line printer} Suprlink Commands • 359 Help Command [H] Show what commands and options are available in Suprlink. HELP [ command | keyword [ ,option ] ] (Default: browse through the entire help file) Command Help If you specify any parameters, Help first assumes that you want help on a specific Suprlink command. If you know the structure of the help file, you can specify one of the keywords under the command name. +help link +help link,notes {help on the Link command} {notes section of the Link command} Keyword Help If we cannot find any help in the "Commands" section of the help file, we assume that you specified one of the outer-level keywords in the help file. To see this list of keywords, type help with no parameters. You will see a short introduction to Suprlink and then a list of keywords. You can specify any of these keywords on the Help command. You can also specify a subkeyword. +help before,example {example section of Before command} Quick Help - HQ HQ asks Suprlink to look under the keyword QUICK in the help file. QUICK contains the text from the Suprlink Quick Reference Guide, offering the experienced user a quick review of the syntax of any command. +hq input +hq commands {quick description of Input} {quick list of command names} Notes If no parameters are specified, Help allows you to browse through the help file, /opt/robelle/help/suprlink. The Help command uses the Qhelp subsystem from the QLIB. For "help in help", type "?" when you see the Qhelp prompt character ("?"). The help file is organized into levels. To go back to the previous level, press Return. Press F8 to exit the Qhelp subsystem and return to Suprlink. 360 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Input Command [I] Specifies the primary input source and the name of the key field by which it is sorted. INPUT filename [ BY key-field ] There can be only one Input file per linkage task, but up to seven Link files. The Input file should be created by Suprtool using the Output-Link option and must be sorted by key-field. The key field can be any type, except for Real or Long. The primary Input file may have more than one record per key value, and each record may appear in the Output file. It is best to have Suprtool Extract only the fields you will actually need, since if any of the Suprtool extracts result in enormous Output files, the time to do the sort may be prohibitive. The BY-clause is only necessary when the Input file has been created using the Suprtool Output-Query option instead of the Output-Link option. Output-Link adds the sort field information to the self-describing file, so that you do not have to specify it in a BY clause. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 361 Join Command [J] Join the Input file to another Join file, this links files with multiple key values in both the input file and the Join file. JOIN filename [BY join-keys [FROM input-keys]] [OPTIONAL | REQUIRED] (Default: REQUIRED) File Name The Join file should be created by Suprtool with the Output,Link option; it should only contain the fields that you actually need in the final report, plus any sort fields. If you do an ll file* of the file, it should show another file with a ".sd" extension. This file contains a description of its own record structure; this allows you to refer to the field names and Suprlink can compute where they occur in the record. For example: +input sales +join custfile +output custsale +exit {Sales is sorted by custno} {key is custno} {Join two files...} {...into custsale} Join Keys Suprlink allows files to be linked by up to two keys, a primary and a secondary key field. By default, Suprlink assumes that the key field to the Join file is the same key field specified for the Input file. If the Join key field is different from the Input key field, use the BY-clause to specify the correct key field: +input customer +join sales by custno {key-name is custnum} {new name for the same field} You would also use the BY-clause if the Link file was created using the Suprtool Output,Query option instead of Output,Link. Secondary Keys Suprlink has an option that allows you to select which join record you want by matching a second key field in the master. JOIN filename BY primary-key secondary-key This option forces Suprlink to compare both the primary-key and the secondary-key when comparing an input record to a join record. For example, +input ordhist +join orders by cust prod {key-name is cust} {Orders contains prod} This example says that the file Orders is sorted by both cust and prod fields. The join will occur on those records that match both keys. Secondary Input Key It is possible that the second key field has a different name in the input file and the Join file. The FROM-clause lets you handle this case: 362 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual +input students {key-name is ssn} +join orders by ord prod from orders products Note that you must specify the Input file key field as part of the FROM-clause. This example is identical to the previous secondary key example, but in this case the current major field is called "products" in the ordhist file and "prod" in the orders file. Optional Join If there are no join records for a given key value of the input file, that input record is dropped from the output file (this is the default option, REQUIRED). To make the join optional, specify the OPTIONAL keyword. When you use OPTIONAL, and Suprlink does not find a matching join record in the file, Suprlink fills in the linked fields with default values. The default for byte-type fields is spaces, for zoned-type the default is ASCII zeros "0", and for all other types the default is binary zeros. For example, +input custfile +join addrfile optional +output custaddr +exit Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual {key-name is custno} {don't drop customers...} {...if there is no address} Suprlink Commands • 363 Link Command [L] Link the Input file to another Link file, maximum of seven input files. LINK filename [BY link-keys [FROM input-keys]] [OPTIONAL | REQUIRED] (Default: REQUIRED) File Name The Link file should be created by Suprtool with the Output,Link option; it should only contain the fields that you actually need in the final report, plus any sort fields. If you do an ll file* of the file, it should show another file with a ".sd" extension. This file contains a description of its own record structure; this allows you to refer to the field names and Suprlink can compute where they occur in the record. For example: +input sales +link custfile +link addrfile +output custsale +exit {Sales is sorted by custno} {key is custno} {link three files...} {...into custsale} Link Keys Suprlink allows files to be linked by up to two keys, a primary and a secondary key field. By default, Suprlink assumes that the key field to the Link file is the same key field specified for the Input file. If the Link key field is different from the Input key field, use the BY-clause to specify the correct key field: +input customer +link sales by custno {key-name is custnum} {new name for the same field} You would also use the BY-clause if the Link file was created using the Suprtool Output,Query option instead of Output,Link. Secondary Keys Suppose that you are linking a master to a detail and the detail can have several entries for each master. Suprlink has an option that allows you to select which link record you want by matching a second key field in the master. LINK filename BY primary-key secondary-key This option forces Suprlink to compare both the primary-key and the secondary-key when comparing an input record to a link record. For example, +input students +link majors by ssn cmaj {key-name is ssn} {Students contains cmaj} This example says that the file Majors is sorted by ssn and may contain more than one record per student. To select the desired record for each student, Suprlink matches the students' cmaj against the cmaj in the link record. 364 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Secondary Input Key It is possible that the second key field has a different name in the input file and the Link file. The FROM-clause lets you handle this case: +input students {key-name is ssn} +link majors by ssn cmaj from ssn curmajor Note that you must specify the Input file key field as part of the FROM-clause. This example is identical to the previous secondary key example, but in this case the current major field is called "curmajor" in the students file and "cmaj" in the majors file. Optional Linkage If there is more than one link record with the same key value, Suprlink will select the first one it finds. You can sort by another value such as date-time to force a certain record to be first. Please note that this is unlike Quiz, which does a hierarchical expansion to include every record accessed. If there are no link records for a given key value of the input file, that input record is dropped from the output file (this is the default option, REQUIRED). To make the linkage optional, specify the OPTIONAL keyword. When you use OPTIONAL, and Suprlink does not find a matching link record in the file, Suprlink fills in the linked fields with default values. The default for byte-type fields is spaces, for zoned-type the default is ASCII zeros "0", and for all other types the default is binary zeros. For example, +input custfile +link addrfile optional +output custaddr +exit Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual {key-name is custno} {don't drop customers...} {...if there is no address} Suprlink Commands • 365 Listredo Command [LISTREDO] The Listredo command will display any of the previous 1000 commands. LISTREDO [ start [ / stop ] ] [;ABS] [;OUT=file] [ string ] [;REL] [ ALL | @ ] [;UNN] (Default: display previous 20 commands) (BJ and ,, are short for LISTREDO) Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 are retained. You can display a single command, a range of commands, all 1000, or all the commands whose name matches the string. You can print the commands with ABSolute line numbers (the default), RELative line numbers (-5/-4), or UNNumbered. You can write the commands to your terminal or OUT to a temporary file. If you want to redo any of these commands, see Do, Redo, and Before. Examples +listredo +listredo +listredo +listredo +listredo +listredo +listredo +listredo +listredo 5 5/10 help -10 ALL rm rm xx @rm @;rel {print all Help commands} {print last ten commands} {print entire redo stack} {print all remove commands} {print all "rm xx" commands} {print all with "rm" anywhere} {print ALL, relative numbers} Saving to a File Saving the Listredo commands to a file is not currently available in Suprlink/UX. Notes The Listredo command cannot be abbreviated, but BJ is accepted as a short form. Persistent Redo Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details. 366 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Output Command [O] Specify the name of the output file. OUTPUT filename [ERASE] [DATA] [LINK] By default, the name of the output file is Output. The output file is a self-describing file, containing data extracted from the input file and the Link files. Use the Data option to make the output file a standard disc file without a corresponding .sd file. There are two different types of self-describing files. The first type is created with Suprtool's Output Query option. A superior form of self-describing file is produced with Suprtool's Output Link option. Suprlink creates the output self-describing file in the same format as the input file. We recommend that you use the same type of selfdescribing file for all input and link files. Output Record Format The record structure is determined by Suprlink, but is relatively easy to anticipate. Suprlink starts with all of the fields of the input file, in order. For each Link file, it appends the fields of the Link-file to the Output record, in order. Suprlink drops the key fields from the Link records, since they always contain duplicated data. If a field name (other than one of the two explicit keys) is duplicated in several datasets, it will end up duplicated in the final output file. An example would be a Timestamp field that occurs in every SQL table. Workaround: use the Extract command from Suprtool to take out only the fields you want, or to rename duplicate fields. You can verify the format of the Output-file using the Form command. It shows the field names, length, and structure, in order. From this display, you can generate an appropriate COPYLIB or QSCHEMA definition. Quiz Subfiles The Erase option is provided for Quiz users who create an empty subfile using QTP or Quiz before running Suprtool and Suprlink. See the Suprlink with Quiz/QTP section for details. Since Suprlink cannot currently write to NM Ksam files you cannot directly write to PowerHouse indexed subfiles. You can use Suprtool to load file to the Indexed KSAM file. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 367 Redo Command [REDO] Enables you to modify and repeat any of the previous 1000 command lines. REDO [ start [ / stop ] ] [ string ] [ ALL | @ ] (Default: redo the previous command) The Redo command allows you to modify the commands before it executes them. If you don't need to change them, use the Do command. Commands are numbered sequentially from 1 as entered and the last 1000 are retained. Use the :Listredo command to display the previous commands. You can redo a single command, a range of commands, or the most recent command whose name matches a string. The Redo command uses MPE-style editing logic (D, I, R, U and >). The default mode is to replace characters. To delete, type DDDD under the characters to be removed. To insert, type I under the insertion spot, then the new characters. To undo your changes, type U. To append to the end of the line, use >xxx. To delete from the end of the line, use >DD. To replace at the end of the line, use >Rxxx. And to erase the rest of the line, use D>. If you prefer Qedit-style editing (Control-D, etc.), use the Before command instead of the Redo command. Examples +ll *.fd *.fd not found +redo ll *.fd s ll *.sd +listredo all +redo 5 +redo +redo -2 +redo 8/10 +redo -10/ +redo rm +redo rm temp +redo @temp {".fd" is not spelled right} {redo most recent command} {last command is printed} {you enter changes to it} {the edited command is shown} {you press Return} {redo 5th command in stack} {redo previous command} {redo command before previous} {redo 8th through 10th} {redo -10 through last} {redo last rm command} {redo last "rm temp"} {redo last containing "temp"} Persistent Redo Redo commands can be saved in a permanent file and can therefore be used from another session. You can use the Set redo command to specify a filename to save your redo commands. Please see the Set Redo command for details. 368 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Reset Command [R] Cancel the current linkage task. RESET Reset closes the current Input-file and any Link files, then resets the output file name to Output. This is actually a Reset All command; you cannot reset particular commands as you can do in Suprtool. If you try to reset an individual command, Suprlink prints a warning. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 369 Set Command [S] Enables or disables certain operating options within Suprlink. These options are not reset by Xeq or Reset commands. SET [MAPPED ON|OFF] [REDO filename] [STATISTICS ON|OFF] [VARSUB ON|OFF] [VARSUBCOMPAT ON|OFF] [VARSUBDEBUG ON|OFF] Mapped SET MAPPED ON | OFF MAPPED has no effect within Suprlink/UX. Redo SET REDO filename (Initially: unnamed temporary file) Commands entered at the Suprlink prompt are saved in something called the redo stack. You can recall commands from the redo stack by using other commands such as Before, Do and Redo. By default, the redo stack is stored in a temporary file and discarded as soon as you exit. This temporary stack is not preserved across Suprlink invocations. The new Set Redo command assigns a permanent file as the redo stack, allowing the stack to become available for future Suprlink invocations. For example, to assign the Myredo file as a persistent redo stack, enter +set redo myredo If the file does not exist, Suprlink creates it. Otherwise, Suprlink uses the existing file. All subsequent commands are written to the persistent redo stack. The setting is valid for the duration of the Suprlink session. As soon as you exit Suprlink, the setting is discarded. Next time you run Suprlink, you will get the temporary stack. If the file name is not qualified, the redo stack is created in the current working directory. This may be desirable if you want to have separate stacks. If you want to always use the same persistent stacks, you should qualify the name. The Verify command shows which stack is currently in use. If it shows , it means Suprlink is using the default stack. Anything else is the name of the file used on the Set Redo command. Concurrency When Suprlink uses the default temporary stack, it is only accessible to that particular instance of Suprlink. You can run as many Suprlink instances as you need and each one gets its own redo stack. With temporary stacks, you will never get into concurrency problems. 370 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual If you start using a persistent redo stack, however, you might start running into concurrency problems. A persistent redo stack can only be used by one Qedit instance at a time. If you try to use a persistent redo stack that is already in use, you will get the following message: +set redo myredo The redo file is already in use. Unable to open file for REDO stack In this situation, Suprlink continues to use the redo stack active at the time and lets you continue working as normal. Qedit can also have permanent redo stacks. To prevent products from writing to each other's stack, it is advisable to have separate stacks for each product by giving them different file names. For example, if you use set redo myredo you will have a redo stack called Myredo for your Suprlink commands. If you exit Suprlink, then run Qedit and supply the same Set Redo command, your Qedit commands will be written to the same file that was used for your Suprlink commands. Statistics SET STATISTICS ON | OFF (Initially: OFF) STATISTICS causes Suprlink to print statistics at the end of each task. Varsub SET VARSUB ON | OFF (Initially: OFF) Setting Variable Substitution causes Suprlink to resolve any environment variables in a command before processing. VarsubCompat Set VarsubCompat On | Off (Initially: OFF) The Set VarsubCompat flag has been added to Suprtool for HP-UX to have variable substitution be more flexible. On MPE variable substitution would pass the name of the variable thru to be parsed even if the variable was not set. On HP-UX the default behaviour was to return spaces if the environment variable was not set. This is still the default behaviour, however if you set varsubcompat on, Suprtool will return the environment variable name similar to how MPE works with unresolved variables. You can also invoke this from the command line by running with –cv. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 371 VarsubDebug SET VARSUBDEBUG ON | OFF (Initially: OFF) Suprtool, now has a setting called Set VarsubDebug on which will print out the line after the variable substitution has occurred. This setting only works if Set Varsub is on and Set VarsubDebug is on. export outfile & :"/GREEN/SUPRTEST/filename901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123 45678901" /opt/robelle/bin/suprtool SUPRTOOL/UX/Copyright Robelle Solutions Technology Inc. 1981-2007. (Version 5.6 Internal) TUE, OCT 30, 2007, 2:58 PM Type H for he >set varsub on >set varsubdebug on >in file1sd.suprtest vd:in file1sd.suprtest >output !outfile,link,temp vd:output /GREEN/SUPRTEST/filename90123456789012345678901234567890123 vd:2345678901,link,temp The output is formatted into 74 byte chunks and printed with a preceding “vd:” so the “substituted” line is clear. The above example shows Suprtool, however the same commands apply in STExport and Suprlink. 372 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Use Command [U] Specifies a file of commands to be executed as a group. USE[Q] filename Examples A usefile makes your task easier by allowing common commands to be specified once in an external file. For example, the following usefile contains all the commands for creating the invcust file: +use usecust input invoices link customer output invcust exit {sorted by custnum} {combined with customers} {produces the file we want} Suprlink prints the lines in the usefile, including the comment lines. This allows you to include instructions and reminders in the usefile. In the example above, there were no commands for the user to enter. Notes Usefiles cannot be nested in Suprlink. The usefile may be any unnumbered text file or a Qedit workfile, but no more than 256 characters per record will be processed. By default, Suprlink displays the commands in a usefile as they are executed. Suprlink can execute commands quietly using the Useq command. For compatibility with Qedit, Useq can be abbreviated to UQ. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 373 Verify Command [V] Print the definition of the current linkage task. VERIFY Verify prints the current Input, Link, and Output files; in other words, it is a Verify All command. 374 • Suprlink Commands Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Xeq Command [X] Perform the current linkage task. XEQ Xeq checks that you have specified an input file and at least one Link file. Then it performs the linkage and creates the output file. Finally, it closes the files and resets, ready for you to specify another linkage task or Exit. If you also wish to leave Suprlink after completing the linkage task, use Exit instead of Xeq. Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Suprlink Commands • 375 Example Suprlink Output Example The Form command displays the fields in a self-describing file. This information is stored in a file with an extension of ".sd" and is not accessible with other tools. Use the Form command to obtain the record layout of Suprlink output files. The following example shows the Form command listing for an input file, a Link file, and the resulting output file. We start with an input file of invoices. +form invoices File: invoices (SD Version B.00.00) Has Linefeeds Entry: Offset CUSTNUM X8 1 <> DELIVERED I2 9 PRODUCTNUM Z8 13 PRICE I2 21 PURCHASED I2 25 QTY I1 29 TAX I2 31 TOTAL I2 35 Entry Length: 38 Blocking: 1 Suprtool produced both the invoice and the customer file by using the Select, Extract, and Sort commands. The invoice file was produced with Suprtool's Output Link option. If you had used Suprtool's Output Query option, the Form command would not have printed any information about the key fields. The next listing is the customer file. +form cust File:cust (SD Version B.00.00) Has Linefeeds Entry: Offset CITY X12 1 RATING I2 13 CUSTNUM X8 17 <> STATUS X2 25 FIRSTNAME X10 27 LASTNAME X16 37 STATE X2 53 ADDRESS 2X25 55 ZIPCODE X6 105 Entry Length: 110 Blocking: 1 The street address is a compound-field. If you had used Suprtool's Output Query option, the field would have appeared with a question mark for the data-type. In that case, you cannot use the field as a key-field in Suprlink, but the actual data in the field will be processed and linked correctly. Your final report should be able to read this data just as if it came from the database. We use Suprlink to combine the invoice and cust files into one Output-file: Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Example Suprlink Output • 377 /opt/robelle/bin/suprlink +i invoices by custnum +l cust +o invcust +e The final Form command shows the record layout of the Output-file. You would use this file as input to your report program. +form invcust File: invcust (SD Version B.00.00) Has Linefeeds Entry: Offset CUSTNUM X8 1 <> DELIVERED I2 9 PRODUCTNUM Z8 13 PRICE I2 21 PURCHASED I2 25 QTY I1 29 TAX I2 31 TOTAL I2 35 CITY X12 39 RATING I2 51 STATUS X2 55 FIRSTNAME X10 57 LASTNAME X16 67 STATE X2 83 ADDRESS 2X25 85 ZIPCODE X6 135 Entry Length: 140 Blocking: 1 378 • Example Suprlink Output Suprtool 5.6 for HP-UX User Manual Limits Within Suprlink Maximums The various limitations of Suprlink are described here. In general you need to reduce the number or sizes of fields if you encounter any of these limits. Input File - Maximum Record Size - 2048 Words We recommend that you use Suprtool's Extract command to minimize the input record size. Input File - Maximum Block Size - 4096 Words By default, Suprtool restricts the maximum block size to 2,048 words. You can use the Set Blocksize command to increase this size up to 8192 words. If you increase the maximum block size, it is likely that Suprtool will produce an output file that Suprlink cannot read. Input File - Maximum Fields - 300 Suprlink restricts the number of fields per file to be 300. If you must have more fields, use Suprtool's Define and Extract commands to extract several fields as one contiguous series of bytes. Link File - Maximum Record Size - 2048 Words As with the input file, you should use Suprtool's Extract command to minimize the link record size. Link File - Maximum Block Size - 2048 Words See the description of the maximum input block size. Link File - Maximum Fields - 300 See the description of the maximum number of input fields. Link File - Maximum Number - Seven Suprlink will link one input file with up to seven Link files. Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Limits Within Suprlink • 379 Output File - Maximum Record Size - 4096 Words When linking many files together, it is easy to produce large output records. Once again, using the Extract command to minimize the size of the input and link records will avoid large output records. Output File - Maximum Fields - 1023 Internal Suprlink tables that keep track of the output fields are restricted to 1023 entries. 380 • Limits Within Suprlink Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Welcome to Calling Suprtool Calling Suprtool Suprtool, including its Suprlink and Dbedit components, is a utility program. You run it, either interactively or in a batch job, and feed it commands to define a task to be done. How would a user application program invoke Suprtool to perform a desired task? Unfortunately, the user program would have little control over when the batch job started or finished. To solve this problem, Robelle provides an interface routine that will run Suprtool for a user program, and pass commands from the program to Suprtool (the same commands you would type into Suprtool). This routine (procedure, subroutine, intrinsic) allows user programs to "call" Suprtool. A typical use of this interface would be for a COBOL program to ask Suprtool to extract a selected subset from a large IMAGE dataset and write it to a disc file, which the COBOL program would then read and format into a report. Suprtool2 Routine The interface routine is called Suprtool2 (not Suprtool). User programs written in nearly any language can call Suprtool2 and ask Suprtool to do any of the normal Suprtool tasks such as copy, extract, or sort. The routine creates Suprtool as a son process. The user program instructs Suprtool by calling the Suprtool2 routine repeatedly with Suprtool command lines. When the first Suprtool command is sent, the interface builds temporary files which will be used for input and output to Suprtool. When the user program sends an Exit command in a separate call to the interface, the interface creates Suprtool as a son process. Finally, the interface prints the $stdlist message file, if so directed by the user program. Importance of the Exit Command The interface will not invoke Suprtool until your program passes Exit to it as a command line. The Exit command must be alone and leftjustified in the command line. You may use Xeq to separate multiple tasks, but none of the tasks will be executed until you pass Exit to the interface. If you forget the final Exit or put it in the same command line Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Welcome to Calling Suprtool • 381 with another command such as Xeq, your Suprtool tasks will be ignored. Environment Variables There are two environment variables that help drive the Suprtool2 process. ROBELLE The Robelle variable where the Robelle directory is. Normally this variable is set in the following manner: export ROBELLE=/opt/robelle ROBSUPR The ROBSUPR variable tells the Suprtool2 process the name of the program file that it can launch. If this variable is not set then by default Suprtool2 will launch the program file as being $ROBELLE/bin/suprtool. You can change the name of the Suprtool program file, (or even launch other programs), by doing a: export ROBSUPR=bin/supramxw You can even run Suprlink or STExport setting the environment variable to the appropriate name: export ROBSUPR=/bin/suprlink Control Record The user program must pass a special control record to the interface on each call.The most common error in using the Suprtool2 interface is typing the control record incorrectly. The definition of the control record, with the proper initializing values, are as follows. 382 • Welcome to Calling Suprtool Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Cobol 01 supr-control. 05 supr-version pic s9(4) comp value 4. 05 supr-status pic s9(4) comp. 88 supr-ok value zeros. 88 supr-bad-msgfiles value 1. 88 supr-aborted value 2. 88 supr-create-error value 3. 88 supr-bad-total-type value 4. 05 supr-command-line pic x(256) value spaces. 05 supr-flags. 10 supr-priority pic x(2) value spaces. 88 supr-priority-cs value "CS". 88 supr-priority-ds value "DS". 88 supr-priority-es value "ES". 10 supr-maxdata pic s9(9) comp value 0. 10 supr-print-state pic x(2) value "ER". 88 supr-print-on-error value "ER". 88 supr-print-always value "AL". 88 supr-print-never value "NE". 10 supr-total-type pic x(2) value "CO". 88 supr-total-cobol value "CO". 88 supr-total-ascii value "AS". 10 supr-other-flags pic x(18) value spaces. 05 supr-totals pic s9(17) sign is trailing separate character occurs 15 times. 05 supr-out-count pic s9(9) comp. 05 supr-workspace pic x(20) value spaces. C typedef struct SuprControl SuprControl; struct SuprControl { short version; short status; char command[256]; char priority[2]; char maxdata[4]; char print_state[2]; char total_type[2]; char other_flags[18]; short totals[15][9]; int out_count; char workspace[20]; }; Status The supr-status field returns a 0 if the command line was sent to Suprtool without incident or one of the error numbers shown as 88 levels. Command Line The supr-command-line can contain any Suprtool command. Use the same format that you use in typing commands into Suprtool. You don't need to enter commands as a single string of 256 characters in a single call to the interface. You may use ";" to send several commands in one string, or you may use the "&" mechanism to continue commands. The final call must have Exit as the command, alone and left-justified in the command line. The final Exit command can be in uppercase or lowercase, but cannot be abbreviated. OS commands can be passed into the interface and Suprtool will execute them. Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Welcome to Calling Suprtool • 383 Priority This setting has no effect on HP-UX and is included solely for compatibility reasons. Maxdata This setting has no effect on HP-UX and is included solely for compatibility reasons. Print State If the supr-print-state contains "AL", the output from Suprtool will always be printed on $stdlist. If the state is "NE", the output will never be printed. If the state is "ER" or blank, the output will be printed only if Suprtool aborts due to an error. Total Type The supr-total-type determines the format of the supr-totals array. If you call Suprtool2 from COBOL, you should use "CO". The COBOL format is display (with leading zeros) and a trailing sign. If the type is "AS", each total is returned left-justified in the total field with a leading sign. Totals If you specify the Total command as part of an extract task, Suprtool2 returns the totals in the supr-totals array. Totals are returned in exactly the same order in which they were specified. If you are calling Suprtool2 from COBOL, never specify the decimal-precision portion of the Total command. If your total includes an implied decimal point, you will have to modify the supr-totals declaration to include an implied decimal point (e.g., pic s9(15)v99 ...). If you specify "AS" as the supr-total-type, each total is formatted as an 18-byte string. In this case, you should specify the correct decimalprecision in the Total command. The exponent portion of real totals is truncated by the Suprtool2 interface. Out Count After a successful call to the Suprtool2 interface, the supr-out-count is set to the number of Suprtool output records. The supr-out-count is only returned after the Suprtool2 call with the Exit commandWorkspace The supr-workspace part of the record MUST contain spaces before the first call to the Suprtool2 procedure. 384 • Welcome to Calling Suprtool Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Examples of Calling Suprtool Copying the Examples This chapter contains some examples of source code that calls Suprtool2. You can copy the examples from the manual, but typing them from scratch would be tedious and error-prone. COBOL Example Below is a sample COBOL program named TOOL2COB. It calls the Suprtool2 interface procedure. The purpose of TOOL2COB is to print selected item master entries from an inventory database, sorted by item number. The program uses Suprtool to create a disc file named SELITEM, filled with the selected item numbers and their descriptions. Then it reads the disc file and prints a report on the line printer. The listing for the COBOL program is: Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Examples of Calling Suprtool • 385 Here's a control definition: 01 SUPR-CONTROL. 05 SUPR-VERSION PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 4. 05 SUPR-STATUS PIC S9(4) BINARY VALUE 0. 88 SUPR-OK VALUE ZEROS. 88 SUPR-BAD-MSGFILES VALUE 1. 88 SUPR-ABORTED VALUE 2. 88 SUPR-CREATE-ERROR VALUE 3. 88 SUPR-BAD-TOTAL-TYPE VALUE 4. 05 SUPR-COMMAND-LINE PIC X(256) VALUE SPACES. 05 SUPR-FLAGS. 10 SUPR-PRIORITY PIC X(002) VALUE SPACES. 88 SUPR-PRIORITY-CS VALUE "CS". 88 SUPR-PRIORITY-DS VALUE "DS". 88 SUPR-PRIORITY-ES VALUE "ES". 10 SUPR-MAXDATA PIC S9(9) BINARY VALUE 0. 10 SUPR-PRINT-STATE PIC X(002) VALUE "AL". 88 SUPR-PRINT-ON-ERROR VALUE "ER". 88 SUPR-PRINT-ALWAYS VALUE "AL". 88 SUPR-PRINT-NEVER VALUE "NE". 10 SUPR-TOTAL-TYPE PIC X(002) VALUE "CO". 88 SUPR-TOTAL-COBOL VALUE "CO". 88 SUPR-TOTAL-ASCII VALUE "AS". 10 SUPR-OTHER-FLAGS PIC X(018) VALUE SPACES. 05 SUPR-TOTALS PIC S9(17) SIGN IS TRAILING SEPARATE CHARACTER OCCURS 15 TIMES. 05 SUPR-OUT-COUNT PIC S9(9) BINARY. 05 SUPR-WORKSPACE PIC X(020) VALUE SPACES. Here's the command definition: 01 SUPRTOOL-COMMANDS. 05 SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE 07 FILLER OCCURS 30 TIMES. PIC X(72) VALUE SPACES. Here's some sample code that moves the suprtool commands to the command array: 2100-SUPRTOOL-COMMANDS. MOVE 1 TO X. MOVE 12 TO Y. MOVE "USE $DIR_PUB/dbopen" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X). ADD 1 TO X. MOVE "SELECT * FROM V_MEMBER_SPAN" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X). MOVE "IF $READ" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). ADD 1 TO Y. IF DI-OPTRDP-TRANSCODE = "TM" STRING "(YMDEFF <= '", DI-OPTRDP-YMDEFF "' AND YMDEND >= '", DI-OPTRDP-YMDEND, "')" DELIMITED BY SIZE INTO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y) ELSE STRING "((YMDEFF >= '",DI-OPTRDP-YMDEFF "' AND YMDEFF <= '", DI-OPTRDP-YMDEND, "') OR " DELIMITED BY SIZE INTO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y) ADD 1 TO Y STRING "(YMDEND >= '", DI-OPTRDP-YMDEFF "' AND YMDEND <= '", DI-OPTRDP-YMDEND, "'))" DELIMITED BY SIZE INTO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). ADD 1 TO Y. MOVE "AND VOID = ' 386 • Examples of Calling Suprtool '" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX IF USE-PROGRAM OPEN OUTPUT PROG-FILE CONTINUE; ADD 1 TO X, Y MOVE "TABLE B,PROG_NBR,FILE,$DIR_TEMPDATA/mep833pg.dat" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X) MOVE "AND $LOOKUP(B,PROG_NBR)" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y) END-IF. IF USE-CARRIER OPEN OUTPUT CARRIER-FILE CONTINUE; ADD 1 TO X, Y MOVE "TABLE C,CARRIER,FILE,$DIR_TEMPDATA/mep833ca.dat" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X) MOVE "AND $LOOKUP(C,CARRIER)" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y) END-IF. IF USE-REGION OPEN OUTPUT REGION-FILE CONTINUE; ADD 1 TO X, Y MOVE "TABLE D,REGION,FILE,$DIR_TEMPDATA/mep833rg.dat" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X) MOVE "AND $LOOKUP(D,REGION)" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y) END-IF. ADD 1 TO Y. MOVE "//" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). ADD 1 TO Y. MOVE "SORT MEMBER_nbr" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). ADD 1 TO Y. MOVE "SORT YMDEND DESC" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). ADD 1 TO Y. MOVE "OUT $DIR_TEMPDATA/mep0833i.dat,ERASE" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). ADD 1 TO Y. MOVE "EXIT" TO SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(Y). 2100-EXIT. EXIT. Here's the code to call suprtool2: ****************************************************************** * Execute Speed Demon commands from memory table. ****************************************************************** 3000-CALL-SUPRTOOL. PERFORM WITH TEST AFTER VARYING X FROM 1 BY 1 UNTIL X = 30 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Examples of Calling Suprtool • 387 IF SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X) > SPACES MOVE SUPRTOOL-COMMAND-LINE(X) TO SUPR-COMMAND-LINE DISPLAY SUPR-COMMAND-LINE MOVE 0 TO SUPR-STATUS CALL "suprtool2" USING SUPR-CONTROL ; IF NOT SUPR-OK DISPLAY "Error: Unable to call suprtool2" DISPLAY " " DISPLAY "Suprtool interface error number: " SUPR-STATUS DISPLAY SUPR-COMMAND-LINE GOBACK; END-IF END-PERFORM. 3000-EXIT. EXIT. C Sample Below is a C program to invoke Suprtool through the interface routine. 388 • Examples of Calling Suprtool Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX #include #include #include #include #include "/users/robdev/ux/include/defines.h" #define cmd_max_len 256 #define filename_len 36; typedef struct SuprControl SuprControl; struct SuprControl { short version; short status; char command[256]; char priority[2]; char maxdata[4]; char print_state[2]; char total_type[2]; char other_flags[18]; short totals[15][9]; int out_count; char workspace[20]; }; /*----------------------------------------------------------------*/ /* Everything below this line is for testing */ /* */ /*----------------------------------------------------------------*/ void init_st2( SuprControl *MyControl) { int i; MyControl->version = 4; MyControl->status = 0; MyControl->priority[0] = 'C'; MyControl->priority[1] = 'S'; MyControl->maxdata[0] = '0'; MyControl->print_state[0] ='E'; MyControl->print_state[1] ='R'; MyControl->total_type[0] = 'A'; MyControl->total_type[1] = 'S'; i=0; for (i = 0;i < 20;i++) MyControl->workspace[i]=' '; i=0; for (i=0;i<256;i++) MyControl->command[i]=' '; } void call_suprtool2(SuprControl *MyControl) { suprtool2(MyControl); if (MyControl->status!=0) { printf("Call to Suprtool2 has failed with a status of: %d \n",MyControl->status); exit(99); } } void assign_cmd( char *cmd, SuprControl *MyControl ) { int i; for (i=0;i< cmd_max_len;i++) MyControl->command[i]=' '; Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Examples of Calling Suprtool • 389 i=0; for (i=0;i< cmd_max_len;i++) MyControl->command[i]=cmd[i]; } void main() { char cmd[256]; struct SuprControl MyControl; init_st2(&MyControl); assign_cmd( "set varsub on",&MyControl); call_suprtool2(&MyControl); assign_cmd( "in infile",&MyControl); call_suprtool2(&MyControl); assign_cmd( "out outfile",&MyControl); call_suprtool2(&MyControl); assign_cmd( "set varsub on",&MyControl); call_suprtool2(&MyControl); assign_cmd( "set varsub on",&MyControl); call_suprtool2(&MyControl); assign_cmd( "exit",&MyControl); call_suprtool2(&MyControl); } Installing the Suprtool2 Interface Installing There is no need to Install anything for the Suprtool2 Interface on HPUX. We provide two files for PA_RISC machines. Suprcall.o and Suprcall.sl, a simple object file an a shared library. The PA_RISC files can be found in the lib directory whereever you have installed the Robelle software, typically /opt/robelle/lib. The same files for Itanium are found under lib/itanium. We provide three files named suprcall.o, suprcall.sl and suprcall.so. Either can be used depending on your linking and or naming preferences and conventions. Just link it in with your Cobol or C program. 390 • Installing the Suprtool2 Interface Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX AMXW The AMXW version has the same names and conventions, however, it works using typical MPE intrinsics and in a manner such that AMXW can be aware of what it is doing. Externally, Suprtool2 for AMXW operates in the same manner as Suprtool2 for HP-UX with the same control record and calling conventions and rules. Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual Installing the Suprtool2 Interface • 391 Suprtool2 Error Messages Error Numbers Suprtool2 returns error numbers in the status parameter of the workspace. For most errors, a message is also displayed on $stdlist. The following summarizes the form of Suprtool2 error messages and the error numbers returned. Messages On $Stdlist Most Suprtool2 errors result in a message being displayed on $stdlist 392 • Suprtool2 Error Messages Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX 1 - Error: Version of the control buffer is incorrect 2 - Error: Priority value in the control buffer is incorrect. 3 - Error: Value of print state in the control buffer is incorrect. 4 - Error: Could not open STDIN file 5 - Error: Could not close STDIN file 6 - Error: Could not successfully call System Call 7 - Error: Invalid total type was specified 8 – Error: Failure to fwrite to stdin file. 9 - Error: Unable to get ROBELLE environment variable. 10 - Error: Unable to get ROBSUPR environment variable 11 - Error: Suprtool errors encountered. Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual Glossary of Terms • 393 Glossary of Terms Commonly-used Terms Batch Suprtool operates in session mode or batch mode. In batch, any error message causes Suprtool to quit. Warning messages do not cause an abort. If an error occurs, Suprtool returns a non-zero value as its result. In batch mode, Suprtool does not prompt for missing information as it does in session mode. For example, if the output file is a duplicate file name, Suprtool automatically answers "yes" to the question asking you to purge the existing file. Pseudo-Batch Tasks During a canned on-line task, such as passing usefiles to Suprtool, you can "fool" Suprtool into responding YES to operational questions. For example, if one of the canned tasks requires Suprtool to output myfile,erase, then Suprtool asks the question ERASE all records from this OUTPUT file [no]? You can avoid typing "yes" in response to this question by invoking Suprtool with: $suprtool < filename Blocksize The block size of a file is the record length multiplied by the blocking factor. MPE permits block sizes up to 32,000 words, but Suprtool restricts the total block size. When copying an MPE file, the maximum block size of either the input or output file is 14,336 words. If Suprtool detects an input or output file with a block size larger than 14,336 words, it prints one of the following error message: The input blocksize is greater than 14336 words The output blocksize is greater than 14336 words Calculator Suprtool, Suprlink and Stexport and Dbedit treat any line that begins with an equal sign ("=") as an expression to be evaluated. To add two numbers together: 394 • Glossary of Terms Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX >=125+512 Result= 637.0 An expression consists of numbers and operators. The operators can be addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), or exponentiation (**). The value of the expression is printed immediately. Any number can be followed by a percent sign (%). The calculator assumes that you want to qualify the number as a percentage. For example, >=125*5% Result= 6.25 A complete description of the Suprtool calculator is given after the description of the Xeq command. Control Character You create a control character by holding down the Control key while you strike another key. "Y" plus Control generates Control-Y. These are normally nonprinting characters, but they may do things to your terminal. For example, Control-G rings the bell. For notes on how to change the HP-UX defaults, see the section on Control Characters and stty in the "Running Suprtool Under HP-UX" chapter. Suprtool uses control characters for a number of purposes: In the Before command, control characters specify the edit functions: Control-D for delete, Control-B for before, etc. Control-Y stops execution of the current Suprtool task. Suprtool prints a status report and asks if you would like to stop the operation. Control-H causes the cursor to backspace one position in the current line. Control-X cancels the current input line. Control-S pauses a listing that is printing too fast for you to read. Control-Q resumes a listing that you have paused with Control-S. Database A database in Suprtool/UX is an Eloquence database or an SQL database. A database is specified in the Base or Open command. Several commands (e.g., Get, Chain, or Select) do not work until a database has been specified. Some commands only work with Eloquence databases and other commands only work with SQL databases. An Eloquence database consists of datasets (files) which in turn consist of fields. An SQL database consists of tables or views, and each table or view consists of columns. In Suprtool, a column name can be used anywhere that a field-name is used. The advantage of using a database is that information about the database is automatically available to Suprtool. The Form command shows the database structure. Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual Glossary of Terms • 395 Errors Errors are messages printed by Suprtool indicating a fatal problem in the task which prevents it from completing. Error messages are further described in Appendix A. Field A field is a portion of a record. When you access an Eloquence dataset, this makes Suprtool aware of the Eloquence fields in the dataset. When you access an SQL database with the Select command, Suprtool is aware of each column name (fields and columns are synonymous in Suprtool). The Define command allows you to define new fields or redefine existing fields to have new sizes or data-types. Use Define to get at bytes of interest within existing fields and to give them an appropriate name. Then you can refer to the defined field in other commands (e.g., Extract, If, etc.). The following commands all contain a field: >if balance>10000 >sort account >extract a,b Filename A filename is any valid filename and is used in Suprtool commands to identify the input source, specify the output destination, or to specify an external file to be accessed in the Table or Use command. File names may be enclosed in quotes. The following commands all contain file names: >input xyz >output *out >use supruse >input "872xyz" Strings Suprtool expects all strings to be surrounded by a pair of single or double quotes (' or "). When Suprtool knows the length of a field, it pads strings with trailing spaces. For example, >define long,1,125 {125 character field} >extract long="abcef" >if long="abcde" {Suprtool adds 120 spaces} {Suprtool checks for trailing spaces} Suprtool accepts the null string. Suprtool pads it with spaces, so this is an easy way to see if a field is blank: >if name = "" {if name is blank} One problem with any tool that accepts strings is how to include a quote mark inside the string. Suprtool offers two solutions: 1. Use the opposite quote mark (e.g., "don't"). 396 • Glossary of Terms Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX 2. Whenever two quote marks appear in a string, they are treated as a single quote (e.g., 'don''t'). Subscript A subscript is used to specify one-of-many fields in a repeated item. Within Eloquence it is possible to specify repeated fields. For example: costs, 5J2; The item COSTS consists of five double integers. You select one element of a compound field by specifying a subscript in parentheses (the first element is 1, not 0). For example, if you wanted to select the input records where the second cost was greater than 10000, you would use: >if costs(2) > 10000 The (2) portion of the command is the subscript. The default subscript is the first sub-item for Total, Define, Sort, and If, but the entire compound item for Extract. Table does not allow subscripts -- it always uses (1). The If command has another syntax, using up to three subscripts, allowing you to refer to subfields without Define (see the If command for details). Tables Tables are created with the Table command and they are used for testing in the If and Chain commands. Tables are used by the $lookup function of the If command. Use tables when you wish to check a data field for many different test values. You may also use tables to specify the records to search for with the Chain command. Table can also mean a table from an SQL database. Warnings Warnings are messages produced by Suprtool to let you know about nonfatal conditions that might affect your task. Some common warning messages and their meanings are described in Appendix A. Yes or No When Suprtool asks a question that requires a YES or NO answer, "Y", "OUI", "JA", and "SI" are accepted as "YES", and any other answer is considered "NO". Special Characters Special Characters Certain non-alpha and non-numeric characters like > and : have special meaning within Suprtool. See the descriptions that follow. As well, the term "special" designates a class of characters in the If command. Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual Glossary of Terms • 397 * Means $Stdinx / $Stdlist * in the Input command means to read input from $stdinx (MPE only). * in the Output command means to write the output to $stdlist. >input * {MPE only} >output * = Means "Equals" or Calculate = in the If command means "EQUALS": >if customer = "40832" = in commands means calculate something: =10+25 Result= 35.0 = in the Output command means to write the sorted input file back into itself. >input myfile; key 1,10 >output=input {MPE only} < Means "Less Than" < in the If command means is one field "less than" another field or constant value: >if balance < 10000 By combining < and =, you get "less than or equals": >if balance <= 10000 > Means "Greater Than" or "Enter A Command" > is used for two purposes in Suprtool: As the Suprtool prompt character (e.g., >Input actrec) To mean greater than in an If command (e.g., if balance>10000). Combining > and =, gives >= for "greater than or equal to". <> Means "Not Equals" In the If command, use the two characters <> to mean "not equals": >if status <> "01" == Means "Matches Pattern" In the If command, use the two characters == when you want to check a field for a pattern of characters. For example, to select records where the customer name contains the word "THOMPSON" somewhere, use: >if name == "@THOMPSON@" 398 • Glossary of Terms Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX >< Means "Mismatches Pattern" In the If command, use the two characters >< when you want to select records that fail to match a pattern of characters: >if address >< "@CANADA@" @ Means "Match Anything" in a Pattern The At-Sign character (@) is used in patterns to indicate that Suprtool should accept anything in that position. For example: >if name == "@ROBERT@" The @ matches ("ROBERT" is a valid match); it matches one character ("ROBERTA" is a valid match); it matches multiple characters ("ROBERT M. GREEN" and "The ROBERT E. LEE" are valid matches). # Means Number (in Patterns) or Prompt Character for the Edit Command # is used in patterns to match a single numeric character: >if type=="REC##" {look for "REC" followed by 2 digits} # is used by the Edit command on MPE to prompt for commands: >edit {MPE only} #list d-inventory # is used in the Get and Input commands to read every n-th record ? Means Alphanumeric (in Patterns) ? is used in patterns to match a single alphabetic or numeric character: >if type=="BASE??"{look for "BASE" plus 2 alphanumerics} & Means Escape (in Patterns) or Continue Command Line & is used in patterns to match one of the special pattern characters. For example, the #-character matches a single numeric character. If you need to look for the #-character itself, you would specify &# in the pattern: >if type=="REC&#" {look for "REC" followed by "#"} & is used to continue a command line. You may enter commands on multiple input lines by putting an "&" continuation character at the end of the line: >if status="20" and & state="AZ","CA","OR" Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual {continue the If command} {select several states} Glossary of Terms • 399 : Means O/S Commands or Bit Selection Colon (:) at the start of a command line indicates an operating system command: >:listf >:ls Colon (:) is used in the If command for bit selections: >define bitfield,1,2,logical >if bitfield.(4:2)=3 ! Means O/S Commands ! at the start of a command line indicates an operating system command. This only works on Suprtool/UX. >!du >!ls ; Means Multiple Commands Semicolon (;) is used to string several Suprtool commands together on a single line: >input a;output b;xeq {complete "task" is in one line} , Means a List Comma (,) in Suprtool commands is used to separate parameters: >base actrec.data,3 {open the database exclusively} >key 1,4,double {specify a double-integer key} >if acct=764523,456732,98765 Commas are optional in some Suprtool commands (e.g., Output), but are required in others (e.g., Extract). , is the abbreviation for the Redo command. ,. is the abbreviation for the Do command. ,, is the abbreviation for the Listredo command. " or ' Means String Quotes (" or ') are the string delimiters in Suprtool (IF NAME="BOB"). Strings that start with " must end with ". >if name='BOB' {' is the string delimiter here} ( Means Start Parameter Left parenthesis "(" is used to specify a subscript (see subscript below) or to select a specific range of input record numbers. Left parenthesis always comes with a right parenthesis. 400 • Glossary of Terms Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX >input actrec.data(10/20) {choose records 10 through 20} >total budget(2) {total second repeated field} ) Means End Parameter Right parenthesis ")" is used to complete a subscript or a selected range of record numbers. Right parenthesis always comes with left parenthesis. % Means Percentage In the Numrecs command, use % to indicate the number of output records as a percentage of the input file size. >numrecs 10% / Means Range of Records Slash (/) in the Input and Get commands means a range of record numbers. >input cat.dog.mouse(1000/2000) \ Means Range of Fields Backslash (\) in the Extract command means a range of fields. >extract account \ rating Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual Glossary of Terms • 401 Index ,   (   , means a list ............................................................ 380 ( means start parameter ........................................... 380 :   )   : for O/S commands................................................. 380 : for shell commands ................................................. 46 ) means end parameter............................................. 381 !   {   { start command line comment ............... 239, 295, 332 ! for HP-UX commands .......................................... 380 ! for O/S commands ................................................ 380 }   ?   } end command line comment ................ 239, 295, 332 ? (prompt for database password) ............................. 85 ? means alphanumeric (pattern) .............................. 379 @   .   @ matches anything ................................................ 379 .sxoutcount, STExport ............................................. 236 *   '   * means $stdinx / $stdlist / file command ............... 378 *, file name ................................................................ 49 ' means string ........................................................... 380 /   "   / means range of records.......................... 137, 158, 381 " means string .......................................................... 380 "closed" tables ......................................................... 216 \   \ means range of fields ............................................ 114 402 • Index Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX &   & continuation character ......................... 294, 331, 379 & means escape (pattern) ........................................ 379 #   # as the Dbedit prompt character..................... 294, 379 # changing the prompt character ............................. 315 # matches number.................................................... 379 # means every n-th record ....................... 138, 159, 379 %   % means percentage ................................................ 381 ^   ^ means character constant .............................. 112, 144 <   < means less than .................................................... 378 <> means not equal to ............................................. 378 $etoa, Extract function ............................................ 132 $file, Total command .............................................. 220 $-functions, if command ......................................... 157 $invalid .............................................................. 73, 152 $lookup data, If command ....................................... 142 $lookup function ..................................................... 142 $lookup, Extract command ..................................... 123 $lookup, performance.............................................. 143 $lower .............................................................. 120, 150 $ltrim ............................................................... 120, 149 $null file .................................................................. 184 $null, SQL ............................................................... 143 $number function ............................................ 195, 197 $Number, Extract Function ..................................... 125 $number, old bug..................................................... 205 $read function .......................................................... 156 $rtrim ............................................................... 120, 149 $signed function ...................................................... 124 $Split Function, Extract command .......................... 120 $stddate............................................................ 113, 152 $stdinx file ............................................................... 378 $stdlist file ....................................................... 179, 378 $SubTotal Function, extract command ................... 117 $today function ................................................ 112, 151 $today, how it works ................................................. 72 $Total Function, Extract command ......................... 118 $trim ................................................................ 120, 149 $truncate function ............................................ 117, 147 $upper .............................................................. 120, 150 4   =   = means calculator........................................... 295, 378 = means equal to...................................................... 378 = set name parameter ...................................... 132, 378 == means matches pattern ....................................... 378 >   > changing the prompt character ............................. 209 > is the prompt character ......................................... 378 > means greater than ............................................... 378 >< means doesn't match pattern .............................. 379 $   $abs function ................................................... 117, 146 $atoe, Extract function ............................................ 132 $Clean function ....................................................... 149 $Clean Function, Extract command ........................ 121 $Counter Function, Extract command .................... 118 $date function .................................................. 112, 150 $date, how it works ................................................... 72 $days........................................................................ 153 $days function ......................................................... 113 $Edit function .......................................................... 126 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual 4GLs .......................................................................... 67 A   A4-size paper........................................................... 171 aammdd date format .......................................... 73, 162 abbreviating commands..................... 80, 239, 294, 331 Abort option on Exit................................ 107, 251, 337 absolute field definition ............................................. 93 absolute value function.................................... 117, 146 accuracy in numeric expressions ............................. 146 Add command ................................................... 83, 301 Add command, locking ........................................... 292 Add Dates ................................................................ 114 adding records to a dataset ...................................... 185 All option, Dbedit.................................................... 297 Allbase applications .................................................. 59 Allbase database ...................................................... 178 Allbase data-types ..................................................... 59 Allbase date types...................................................... 60 Allbase time-types ..................................................... 60 alphanumeric string test .......................................... 148 alternate values ................................................ 142, 216 alternatives to the If command ................................ 140 AMXW Externalsd, Set............................................. 56 AMXW Perfwrite, Set ............................................... 56 AMXW, Numrecs command..................................... 55 Index • 403 analyzing performance data ...................................... 79 AND operator .......................................................... 141 appending to a file ............................................... 55, 57 appending to file ........................................................ 23 appending, Hpmodify .............................................. 188 APS, date format ..................................................... 162 arithmetic expressions ..................................... 116, 146 arithmetic trap ......................................................... 231 Arithmetic, Set option ............................................. 194 ascending order ............................................... 166, 214 ASCII option ..................................................... 37, 181 ASK MANMAN date selection .............................. 162 ASK option .............................................................. 181 asterisk ................................................................... see * at sign (@) in patterns ............................................. 379 attached printer ........................................................ 174 B   backslash ................................................................. 381 Base command .......................................................... 85 Base command, default mode ................................. 206 base name parameter ......................................... 85, 185 batch ................................................................ 236, 374 batch passwords......................................................... 85 batch vs online ........................................................... 45 batch, Suprlink ........................................................ 322 Before command ............................... 87, 241, 302, 334 bit extracts ............................................................... 145 block size ................................................................. 374 Blocksize, Set option ............................................... 194 BOT and BACKSPACE error ................................. 201 Bourne shell............................................................... 41 braces ....................................................... 239, 295, 332 Buffer, Set option .................................................... 194 BY-part of the Join command ................................. 342 BY-part of the Link command ................................ 344 byte fields, comparing ............................................. 147 Byte to Numeric Conversion ................................... 125 bytelen parameter .............................................. 93, 166 byteposition parameter ...................................... 93, 166 C   -c cmdstring option.................................................... 45 C invocation of Suprtool ......................................... 368 C shell ........................................................................ 41 Calculator ................................ 228, 240, 295, 332, 374 Calendar intrinsic, date format ................................ 162 Calling Suprtool ...................................................... 361 Century and $date.................................................... 154 CGI script ................................................................ 264 Chain command......................................................... 89 chained access ........................................................... 89 Change command .................................................... 303 Change command, locking ...................................... 292 character constants .......................................... 112, 144 Chronos ................................................................... 163 CI variables ..................................... 212, 274, 351, 352 404 • Index CIUPDATE, see critical-item update ...................... 293 Clean........................................................................ 195 Clean Command ................................................ 91, 272 Clean command, STExport ..................................... 243 CleanChar ................................................................ 195 CleanChar, Set ......................................................... 272 Cleaning data Suprtool ............................................ 121 COBOL invocation of Suprtool .............................. 365 Cobol, edit-masks .................................................... 127 code overflow error ................................................. 156 Cognos, date fields .................................................. 162 colon .......................................... 82, 239, 295, 332, 380 column headings, List command ............................... 38 Columns command .................................................. 244 combining commands on same line .......................... 81 comma ............................................................. 294, 380 Command Line .......................................... 45, 294, 331 command line options ............................................. 322 command line, STExport......................................... 236 commands................................................ 238, 290, 294 commands, formatting ............................................. 238 commands, multiple .................................................. 81 comments ................................................ 239, 295, 332 Comparing against Key and Data............................ 142 comparing strings as numbers ................................... 26 Complex criteria ........................................................ 26 compound items .............................................. 110, 214 configuring Suprtool ................................................. 44 constants .......................................................... 110, 143 constants in arithmetic expressions ................. 116, 119 constants in the output file ...................................... 110 continuing commands ..................................... 294, 331 control break ............................................................ 221 control characters .................................................... 375 control record for Suprtool2 .................................... 362 Control-D in modify .................................................. 44 Control-Y .......................................... 82, 240, 295, 332 conventions........................................................ 16, 319 convert from binary to ASCII ................................... 33 Converting dates ........................................................ 73 copying files .............................................................. 23 copying to another database .................................... 185 count .......................................................................... 34 count duplicate records............................................ 102 count parameter ............................................... 138, 159 count qualifying records .......................................... 184 Count, output restrictions ........................................ 104 critical fields, changing ........................................... 299 critical-item update .................. 293, 299, 303, 312, 318 D   data conversion ........................................................ 124 Data option .............................................. 180, 268, 347 Data option, Table ................................................... 218 data overflow error .................................................. 156 database editing ....................................................... 106 database parameter .................................................. 375 database, open mode ............................................... 206 database, opening ...................................................... 85 database, output ....................................................... 185 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX database, password ............................................ 85, 185 dataset, end-of-file ................................................... 198 dataset, highwater mark........................................... 198 dataset, input...................................................... 89, 137 dataset, output.......................................................... 185 data-types .......................................................... 94, 237 Data-types, Allbase ................................................... 59 data-types, Oracle ...................................................... 60 Date command......................................................... 245 Date command, invalid dates .................................. 246 Date command, separator character ........................ 245 date constants .......................................................... 150 date format in List ........................................... 171, 202 date format, Date command .................................... 245 date function of Extract ........................................... 112 date function of If .................................................... 150 date limits ................................................ 114, 154, 161 Date option .............................................................. 200 date selection ........................................................... 150 date selection with ASK MANMAN ...................... 162 Date, Set List ........................................................... 202 Date, Set option ............................................... 195, 196 dates in the output file ............................................. 112 dates, defining ......................................................... 160 dates, relative ........................................................... 151 days function ................................................... 113, 153 DBCONTROL intrinsic .......................................... 197 Dbedit, decimal points............................................. 292 ddd dates .................................................................. 163 ddd, date format....................................................... 163 Decimal command................................................... 247 decimal places ................................................... 33, 163 decimal places, Chain command ............................... 89 decimal places, constant values ............................... 164 decimal places, Dbedit ............................................ 292 decimal places, defining .......................................... 160 decimal places, Extract command ........................... 111 decimal places, If command .................................... 145 decimal places, List command ................................ 169 decimal places, Table command ............................. 217 default field filling in Suprlink ........................ 343, 345 default processing .................................................... 108 Defer, Set option ..................................................... 197 deferred output in IMAGE ...................................... 197 Define command ............................................... 93, 223 Defining fields ........................................................... 23 definition parameter .................................................. 93 delete all records warning ......................................... 98 Delete command ........................................ 98, 204, 304 Delete command, locking ........................................ 292 deleting duplicate records........................................ 103 deleting entries .......................................................... 98 deleting entries, recovery .......................................... 98 delimited output files ......................................... 66, 182 Delimiter command ................................................. 248 Delimiter, maximum length .................................... 289 Desc parameter ................................................ 166, 214 descending order ............................................. 166, 214 differences, MPE vs. HP-UX .................................... 48 disc space................................................................... 57 disc space, reduced ............................................ 55, 177 display constants ..................................................... 111 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual display fields, maintaining the sign ......................... 124 Display option ......................................................... 181 Do command ................................... 100, 249, 305, 336 documentation ........................................................... 16 double quotes........................................................... 269 double-sided printing............................................... 171 downshifting strings ................................................ 120 Dumponerror, Set option ......................................... 198 Duplicate and non-SD files ..................................... 103 Duplicate command................................................. 101 duplicate field names ............................................... 347 duplicate keys, order of sort ...................................... 66 duplicate output file ................................................... 48 Duplicate records....................................... 30, 101, 185 duplicates, removing ............................................... 101 duplicates, saving .................................................... 101 dynamic dataset expansion .............................. 134, 135 dynamic Web pages ................................................ 260 E   EBCDIC conversions .............................................. 132 Edit command ......................................................... 106 Edit masks ............................................................... 126 editing databases ..................................................... 106 EditStoperror, Set option ......................................... 198 EDSdate ................................................................... 162 Eloquence .................................................................. 78 Eloquence loading ..................................................... 42 Eloquence, Ciupdate option .................................... 293 Else clause of the IF command ............................... 140 Else option ............................................................... 180 end-of-file, IMAGE ................................................. 198 endrecord parameter ........................................ 137, 158 Environment variables, Suprtool2 ........................... 362 Eofread, Set option .................................................. 198 equal to sign .................................................... 374, 378 Erase option of Output .................................... 329, 347 erasing files ............................................................. 179 error block size ........................................................ 374 error messages in Suprtool .............................. 231, 376 error messages, Suprtool2 ....................................... 372 error, code overflow ................................................ 156 error, data overflow ................................................. 156 escape character....................................................... 144 Escape Command .................................................... 250 Euro currency symbol ............................................. 112 example of Suprlink ................................................ 324 exclamation ............................................................. 239 exclamation mark .................................................... 332 Exit command ......................... 107, 227, 251, 280, 306 Exit command, importance of ................................. 361 Exit command, Suprlink .................................. 337, 355 exit with verify .................................................. 46, 321 exiting from batch jobs ............................................ 107 Export command ..................................................... 109 Extract command............................................... 36, 110 Extract command, decimal places ........................... 111 Extract from a table ................................................. 123 Extract functions and Sort ............................... 104, 215 extracting a range .................................................... 114 Index • 405 extracting bits .......................................................... 132 extracting dates ........................................................ 112 extracting records .................................................... 140 HP-UX vs. MPE ........................................................ 48 HTML command ..................................................... 258 HTML files, maximum size .................................... 258 F   I   Fastread, Set option ................................................. 198 field list .................................................................... 291 field parameter................................... 93, 110, 220, 376 field type .................................................................. 166 Fieldname, Heading command ................................ 255 File command .......................................................... 307 file name parameter ......................................... 158, 179 file names, hardcoded ................................ 47, 235, 320 File option in List .................................................... 204 file parameter, Dbedit .............................................. 296 file system error ....................................................... 231 Filecode, Set option ........................................... 56, 199 filename parameter .................................................. 376 filling unmatched join fields ................................... 343 filling unmatched link fields ................................... 345 finding invalid dates ................................................ 152 Firstrec, Set option .................................................. 199 fixed columns .......................................................... 269 fixed-length, output file ........................................... 244 Floating command ................................................... 253 floating point, classic................................................. 48 floating sign ............................................................. 276 floating-point numbers ............................................ 253 Form Command .............................. 134, 254, 308, 338 Form command, default .......................................... 136 Form command, keywords .............................. 136, 308 formatting commands .............................................. 238 FormFeed, Set List .................................................. 204 Formout file ............................................................. 339 four-digit years .......................................................... 69 FROM-part of Join command ................................. 342 FROM-part of Link command ................................ 345 IEEE numbers ......................................................... 253 If $lookup ................................................................ 142 If command ............................................................. 140 If command too long, use $read .............................. 155 If command too long, use Table .............................. 216 If command, combining with Chain .......................... 89 If command, decimal places .................................... 145 If command, prompting for values .......................... 156 Ifcheck, Set option........................................... 199, 200 Ignore, Set option .................................................... 200 illegal digits (packed or zoned) ............................... 327 IMAGE, end-of-file ................................................. 198 initial command line .................................................. 45 initializing a field .................................................... 110 input choices .............................................................. 58 Input command ........................................ 158, 266, 341 input file .................................................................. 237 input file, maximum block size ............................... 359 input file, maximum fields .............................. 289, 359 input file, maximum record length .................. 289, 359 input files ................................................................. 323 input key fields ................................................ 266, 341 input, from Stdlist ...................................................... 49 input, line feeds ......................................................... 48 installation, AMXW .................................................. 20 installation, HPUX .................................................... 20 installing STExport ................................................. 233 installing Suprlink ................................................... 320 Interactive, Set ......................................................... 201 interrupt ........................................................... 240, 332 Introduction ............................................................... 15 introduction to Dbedit ............................................. 290 introduction to STExport ......................................... 237 introduction to Suprlink .......................................... 323 invalid dates............................................... 73, 152, 246 ISO-8859-1 characters, HTML output .................... 259 Itanium Loading ........................................................ 44 Item command ......................................... 160, 200, 223 G   Get command .......................................................... 137 greater than (>) ........................................................ 378 H   Heading command................................................... 255 heading, HTML option ............................................ 258 heading, maximum length ....................................... 289 Help command ........................................ 139, 257, 309 Help command, Suprlink......................................... 340 highwater mark, reading to...................................... 198 holding tables for re-use .......................................... 217 How to run ................................................................. 22 HPCalendar, date ..................................................... 163 HPCalendar,date format .......................................... 162 Hpmodify editing, examples ................................... 188 HP-UX commands .................................... 82, 239, 332 406 • Index J   Join command ......................................................... 342 Join command, example .......................................... 325 join key fields .......................................................... 342 Julian dates .............................................................. 163 Julian day number ................................................... 113 JulianDay data format ............................................. 162 K   Key command ......................................................... 166 key fields, input file ......................................... 266, 341 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX key fields, join file ................................................... 342 key fields, link file ................................................... 344 Key option ............................................................... 180 Key option, Dbedit .................................................. 298 Korn shell .................................................................. 41 KSAM files ............................................................. 158 KSAM, order of sort.................................................. 66 L   labelled tapes ........................................................... 201 landscape output ...................................................... 203 Large files, HP-UX ................................................... 59 LaserJet............................................................ 170, 203 leading sign ............................................................. 276 less than (<) ............................................................. 378 Libary Loading .......................................................... 42 Libraries have not been loaded.................................. 42 Limit option, Dbedit ................................................ 298 limits within Suprlink .............................................. 359 Limits, Set ............................................................... 202 line feeds ................................................... 48, 183, 268 Link command......................................... 168, 321, 344 Link file, maximum block size ................................ 359 Link file, maximum fields ....................................... 359 Link file, maximum number of ............................... 359 Link file, maximum record length........................... 359 link key fields .......................................................... 344 Link option .............................................................. 180 linking files .............................................................. 323 list clears screen ...................................................... 170 List command .................................................. 169, 310 list device................................................................. 173 List File ................................................................... 173 List, Char option ...................................................... 169 List, Column Headings ............................................ 173 List, Date default ..................................................... 202 List, Date option ...................................................... 171 List, Decimal option ................................................ 169 List, Duplex option .................................................. 171 List, FormFeed default ............................................ 204 List, Heading option ................................................ 173 List, Hex option ....................................................... 169 List, Leftjustnum option .......................................... 170 List, Noname option ................................................ 170 List, Norec option .................................................... 169 List, Noskip option .................................................. 170 List, Octal option ..................................................... 169 List, Oneperline option ............................................ 170 List, Record option .................................................. 174 List, Rightjustnum option ........................................ 170 List, Standard option ............................................... 172 List, Time default .................................................... 204 List, Time option ..................................................... 172 List, Title option ...................................................... 171 listing ......................................................................... 36 listing formats .......................................................... 169 listing one per line ................................................... 170 listing with subheadings .......................................... 173 listing without field names ...................................... 170 listing, producing simple reports ............................. 172 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual listing, suppressing blank lines................................ 170 Listredo...................................................................... 24 Listredo command ........................... 176, 267, 311, 346 literals in the output file .......................................... 110 loader warnings ......................................................... 46 Loader Warnings, print option .................................. 44 Lock, Set option ...................................................... 204 locking, IMAGE .............................................. 204, 292 long expressions ...................................................... 155 Long Fieldnames ..................................................... 211 Lotus 1-2-3 .............................................................. 182 low values ................................................................ 144 lower-case........................................................ 120, 150 LP device ................................................................. 174 lp, program replacement .......................................... 175 LP, Set option .......................................................... 315 M   Machine types, PA_RISC or Itanium ........................ 43 MACS, date format ................................................. 162 mailing labels ............................................................ 38 MakeAbsent, Set option .......................................... 205 Mapped, Set option ................................................. 350 master dataset expansion ......................................... 135 match pattern ........................................................... 378 maximum block size in Suprtool ............................. 374 maximum delimiter length ...................................... 289 maximum heading length ........................................ 289 maximum input block size ...................................... 359 maximum input record length ......................... 289, 359 maximum link block size ........................................ 359 maximum link fields................................................ 359 maximum link files.................................................. 359 maximum link record length ................................... 359 maximum output fields............................................ 360 maximum output record length ....................... 289, 360 maximum size, HTML files .................................... 258 MDX ....................................................................... 135 means range of fields............................................... 381 missing comma, error ...................................... 116, 119 mixed case comparisons .......................................... 150 mode parameter ................................................. 85, 185 Modify command .................................................... 312 Modify command, locking ...................................... 292 modulo operator .............................................. 116, 146 MPE commands, disabling access .......................... 202 MPE vs. HP-UX ........................................................ 48 MPE, restricting ...................................................... 202 multidataset access .................................................... 16 multiple commands per line ...................... 81, 294, 380 multiple search values ............................................. 216 N   native language support ........................................... 205 negative value .......................................................... 124 NLS option, Set command ...................................... 205 no quotes ................................................................. 269 Index • 407 NOLF ...................................................................... 183 Non-Collating Date Types ...................................... 155 nonprinting characters ............................................. 144 non-SD Files and duplicate ..................................... 103 not equal to (<>) ...................................................... 378 NOT operator .......................................................... 141 null values ............................................................... 144 Num option .............................................................. 180 Num,Data option ..................................................... 180 Num,Key option ...................................................... 180 Num,Query option ................................................... 181 number sign (#) in patterns...................................... 379 Numbug ................................................................... 205 numeric bytes, Suprtool........................................... 145 numeric constants .................................................... 143 numeric conversion ................................................. 146 numeric expressions ........................................ 116, 145 numeric justification ................................................ 170 numeric string test ................................................... 148 Numeric to Byte conversion .................................... 126 numeric truncation................................................... 146 Numeric-value option, Dbedit ................................. 297 Numrecs command .................................................. 177 O   O/S commands .......................................................... 82 -oc option................................................................... 45 offset parameter ......................................................... 93 Open command ....................................................... 178 option parameter, Dbedit ......................................... 297 optional command name ......................................... 167 optional Join option ................................................. 343 optional Link option ................................................ 345 OR operator ............................................................. 141 Oracle applications .................................................... 60 Oracle database ....................................................... 178 Oracle data-types ....................................................... 60 Oracle date format ................................................... 163 Oracle dates ............................................................. 245 Oracle Integer, Set ................................................... 206 Oracle Loading .......................................................... 42 Oracle Number Conversion ....................................... 61 Oracle OpenFix, Set ................................................ 207 Oracle PassShift, Set ............................................... 207 Oracle Rows, Set ..................................................... 206 Oracle ZeroNull, Set ............................................... 207 Oracle, performance .................................................. 78 OS commands ......................................................... 295 out of disc space ................................................ 55, 177 Outcount File Name ................................................ 236 outcount, default file name ........................................ 45 outcount, Set Filename .............................................. 47 output choices ............................................................ 58 Output command ..................................... 179, 268, 347 output file format ..................................................... 244 output file name duplicated ..................................... 374 output file, maximum fields .................................... 360 output file, maximum record length ................ 289, 360 output file, Suprlink ................................................ 324 output filecode ................................................... 56, 199 408 • Index output format ........................................................... 285 output limits with Count and Total ......................... 104 output record format ................................................ 357 Output, Append option ............................................ 179 Output, ASCII option ........................................ 37, 181 Output, ASK option ................................................ 181 Output, Data option ................................. 180, 268, 347 Output, Display option ............................................ 181 output, duplicate file .................................................. 48 Output, Else option .................................................. 180 Output, Erase option ................................................ 179 Output, Key option .................................................. 180 Output, Link option ................................................. 180 Output, Num option ................................................ 180 Output, Num,Data option ........................................ 180 Output, Num,Key option ......................................... 180 Output, Num,Query option...................................... 181 Output, PRN option ................................................. 182 Output, Query option............................................... 180 overpunches, not used ............................................. 143 overview of Dbedit .................................................. 290 P   PA_RISC and Itanium ............................................... 43 PA_RISC Loading .................................................... 43 packed constants ...................................................... 111 packed fields, maintaining the sign ......................... 124 packed-decimal fields ................................................ 95 packed-decimal, illegal digits .................................. 327 page headings in List ............................................... 171 parameters, Dbedit commands ................................ 296 parentheses ...................................................... 141, 380 Parm=64 in Suprlink ............................................... 321 password in batch ...................................................... 85 password parameter ........................................... 85, 185 password upshifted .................................................... 85 path, default for Suprtool .......................................... 42 paths, IMAGE detail datasets .................................... 89 pattern matching .............................. 148, 208, 378, 379 pausing for user ....................................................... 225 PC files .............................................................. 66, 182 PCL option, Set List ........................................ 170, 203 percent sign ..................................................... 375, 381 Performance .............................................................. 78 Performance considerations, Suprlink..................... 326 Performance Eloquence........................................... 198 performance of Dbedit ............................................ 291 performance of STExport ........................................ 238 Perl script................................................................. 263 Permanent redo ........................................ 210, 272, 350 Persistent redo ......................................... 210, 272, 350 personal computers .................................................... 66 PHdate option, Item command ................................ 162 positive value........................................................... 124 PowerHouse .............................................................. 67 PowerHouse applications .......................................... 67 PowerHouse dates ................................................... 162 PowerHouse subfiles ................................. 68, 328, 347 Prefetch.................................................................... 205 preformatted, HTML option .................................... 258 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX Printer Command Language.................................... 203 printer, attached to terminal .................................... 174 printing reports .......................................................... 37 PRN option ........................................................ 66, 182 processing selections ................................................. 58 Program files, PA_RISC or Itanium ......................... 43 progress messages ................................................... 208 prompt character ...................................................... 378 Prompt, Set option ........................................... 209, 315 prompting using Quiz ................................................ 69 pseudo-batch tasks................................................... 374 Put command ................................................... 185, 204 Q   Q command ..................................................... 186, 313 Qedit program ..................................... 66, 87, 241, 302 Qedit program and Suprlink ............................ 334, 337 Qhelp ............................................... 139, 257, 309, 340 QTP for subfile .......................................................... 68 QTP, Cognos ........................................................... 329 QUERY "numbers" format ..................................... 181 Query option ............................................................ 180 question mark, database password ............................ 85 question, delete all records ........................................ 98 Quick help ....................................... 139, 257, 309, 340 Quiet, Set option ...................................................... 315 Quiz report writer .............................. 67, 328, 345, 347 quote characters ....................................................... 143 Quote command ...................................................... 269 quotes, double.......................................................... 269 quotes, none ............................................................. 269 quotes, single ........................................................... 269 R   random sampling ............................................. 138, 159 range of fields .......................................................... 114 range, extracting ...................................................... 114 read only mode ........................................................ 202 reals, classic ............................................................... 48 record format, output ................................................. 36 record length .............................................................. 48 Record Mode, List option........................................ 174 record number ......................................................... 158 record number selection .................................. 137, 158 record number, IMAGE .......................................... 137 record number, Output ............................................ 180 record number, XSORT .......................................... 199 records, number of qualifying ................................. 184 Redo command ................................ 187, 270, 314, 348 Redo, number of commands.................................... 187 Redo, Set ................................................. 210, 272, 350 reduced output ......................................................... 203 Reflection .................................................................. 66 Related option, Dbedit............................................. 298 relative dates ............................................................ 151 relative field definitions ............................................ 93 Remote Oracle Database ......................................... 178 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual removing spaces .............................................. 120, 149 repeated fields ......................................................... 144 reports ........................................................................ 37 Reset command ....................................... 190, 271, 349 Reset, Set option ...................................................... 315 Resolving Variables ................................ 212, 274, 352 Resolving Variables like MPE ........................ 274, 351 restrictions in Dbedit ............................................... 290 ROBELLE variable ................................... 47, 235, 320 ROBELLE_LP variable .......................................... 175 Roman-8 characters, HTML output ........................ 259 Roman-8 vs. ASCII ................................................. 171 running out of disc space in sort.............................. 215 running STExport .................................................... 235 running Suprlink ...................................................... 321 running Suprtool ........................................................ 41 running, supramxw .................................................... 51 S   scientific format....................................................... 253 SD files .............................. 23, see self-describing files SD files, date formats ................................................ 65 SD files, decimal places ............................................ 65 SD files, extended names .......................................... 65 SD files, Input ........................................................... 65 SD files, listing .......................................................... 65 SD files, restrictions .................................................. 66 SDExtname, Set ........................................................ 65 SDEXtname, Set Command .................................... 211 SDUnix ...................................................................... 62 search criteria .......................................................... 296 Select by list of values ............................................... 28 Select command ...................................................... 191 Select command, Allbase rows ............................... 194 Select performance .................................................. 191 Select, Long commands .......................................... 191 Selecting by date ....................................................... 26 selecting multiple values ......................................... 142 Selecting non-matches,Suprlink .............................. 328 Selecting records ............................................... 25, 140 selection by date ...................................................... 150 selection logic .......................................................... 324 selection using arithmetic ........................................ 146 self describing files, field name limit ........................ 64 self-describing file format ............................... 285, 357 self-describing files ..................... 62, 64, 103, 180, 324 semicolon ................................................................ 294 semicolon means multiple commands..................... 380 separator, dates ........................................................ 245 serial vs. chained read ............................................... 89 session ....................................................................... 66 session mode ........................................................... 374 Set Allbase............................................................... 194 Set Arithmetic ......................................................... 194 Set Blocksize ........................................................... 194 Set Buffer ................................................................ 194 Set command, Dbedit .............................................. 315 Set command, STExport ......................................... 272 Set command, Suprlink ........................................... 350 Set command, Suprtool ........................................... 192 Index • 409 Set CurrencySymbol ............................................... 195 Set Date ........................................................... 196, 197 Set Date Cutoff ............................................ 69, 70, 195 Set Date Forcecentury ....................................... 70, 196 Set DecimalSymbol ................................................. 197 Set Defer .................................................................. 197 Set Dumponerror ..................................................... 198 Set EditStoperror ..................................................... 198 Set Eofread .............................................................. 198 Set Fastread ............................................................. 198 Set Filecode ....................................................... 56, 199 Set Firstrec............................................................... 199 Set Hints .................................................................. 199 Set Ifcheck ....................................................... 199, 200 Set Ignore ................................................ 185, 200, 231 Set Itemabbreviatedate ............................................ 200 Set Labelledtaperewind ........................................... 201 Set Limits ................................................................ 202 Set List PCL .................................................... 170, 203 Set Lock................................................................... 204 Set LP, Dbedit ......................................................... 315 Set Mapped .............................................................. 350 set name parameter .................................... 89, 137, 185 Set NLS ................................................................... 205 Set Openmode ......................................................... 206 Set Progress ............................................................. 208 Set Prompt, Dbedit .................................................. 315 Set Prompt, Suprtool ............................................... 209 Set Quiet, Dbedit ..................................................... 315 Set Reset, Dbedit ..................................................... 315 Set Sortfast ...................................................... 211, 212 Set Squeeze ............................................................... 57 Set Statistics, STExport ........................................... 273 Set Statistics, Suprlink ............................................ 351 Set Statistics, Suprtool ............................................ 211 Set ThousandSymbol .............................................. 211 Set Underline, Dbedit .............................................. 316 Set VarSub............................................................... 212 Set Varsub, STExport ...................................... 274, 351 Set VarSubCompat .................................. 212, 274, 351 Set VarSubDebug .................................... 212, 274, 352 Set Verify, Dbedit ................................................... 316 Set ZonedFix, STExport .......................................... 275 shell commands ......................................................... 46 shell script ............................................................... 261 Sign command ......................................................... 276 signed function ........................................................ 124 Simple selection ........................................................ 26 single quotes ............................................................ 269 slash, range of records ............................................. 381 Software Research Northwest ................................. 163 son process .............................................. 107, 251, 337 sort break ................................................................... 34 sort break totals ....................................................... 221 Sort command ......................................................... 214 sort information not retained ................................... 103 sort keys................................................................... 324 Sortfast, Set option .......................................... 211, 212 sorting files ........................................................ 66, 166 Sorting records .......................................................... 29 Spaces command ..................................................... 277 spaces, removing ............................................. 120, 149 410 • Index special characters..................................................... 377 Special Characters ................................................... 149 special string test ..................................................... 148 specifying input ......................... 89, 137, 158, 266, 341 spool file errors........................................................ 231 SQL database, Allbase rows.................................... 194 SQL database, inserting records ................................ 83 SQL database, Select command .............................. 191 SQL database, specifying ........................................ 178 SQL database, structure........................................... 135 Squeeze, Set option ................................................... 57 SRN, Chronos date .................................................. 163 startrecord parameter ....................................... 137, 158 Statistics, Set option ................................ 211, 273, 351 stddate function ............................................... 113, 152 Stddate, Set date cutoff.............................................. 70 Stdlist, input from ...................................................... 49 STExport ................................................... 15, 109, 182 string constants ................................................ 143, 380 string conversion ..................................................... 119 string expressions .................................................... 147 string of digits ........................................................... 26 string replacement, Hpmodify ................................. 188 string truncation....................................................... 120 string, as a delimiter ................................................ 248 string, heading command ........................................ 255 strings ...................................................................... 376 stty, terminal settings................................................. 44 sub totaling ................................................................ 35 subcommands, Dbedit ............................................. 299 subfile script .............................................................. 68 subfiles, PowerHouse ........................................ 68, 328 subscript parameter ................................. 110, 220, 377 subscript parameter, character ................................. 144 subscript parameter, Define....................................... 93 subscript parameter, numeric .................................. 144 substrings ................................................................. 144 subtotals ............................................................. 34, 102 Subtract Days .......................................................... 114 sum of field values .................................................. 220 summary of STExport ............................................. 237 summary of Suprlink ............................................... 323 Super Cartridge ....................................................... 171 Supramxw differences ............................................... 52 Suprhint.Help.Robelle ............................................. 199 Suprlink ..................................................... 16, 180, 319 Suprlink commands ................................................. 331 Suprlink, using from Suprtool ................................. 321 Suprlist file .............................................................. 315 Suprmgr files ....................................................... 44, 47 Suprtool dynamic loading ......................................... 42 Suprtool for AMXW ................................................. 51 Suprtool in Suprlink ................................ 324, 342, 344 Suprtool package ....................................................... 15 Suprtool Road Map ................................................... 21 Suprtool2 error messages ........................................ 372 Suprtool2 routine ..................................................... 361 Suprtool2, Installation ............................................. 370 SuprtoolOutCount JCW .......................................... 364 Suspend option on Exit ................................... 251, 337 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX T   Userpause command ............................................... 225 Table command ....................................................... 216 Table command, decimal places ............................. 217 Table, $lookup ........................................................... 28 table, HTML option................................................. 258 tables........................................................................ 377 tables in Chain command .......................................... 89 tables, holding between Xeqs .................................. 217 tables, maximum size .............................................. 202 tape files .................................................................. 158 tape files of large size ................................................ 55 Target field, Extract command ................................ 116 task, what is a task ............................................... 22, 58 terminology ............................................................. 319 third-party indexing ......................................... 136, 232 ThousandSymbol, Set option .................................. 211 time format in List ........................................... 172, 204 Time, Set List .......................................................... 204 title, HTML option .................................................. 258 TMPDIR .................................................................... 78 TMPDIR variable .................................................... 215 today function of Extract ......................................... 112 today function of If .................................................. 151 Total command ........................................................ 220 Total, output restrictions ......................................... 104 totaling by field ......................................................... 35 totaling duplicate records ........................................ 102 totals to a file ........................................................... 220 totals,running ............................................................. 35 trailing sign .............................................................. 276 trimming spaces............................................... 120, 149 truncate function .............................................. 117, 147 truncation, numeric.................................................. 146 truncation, strings .................................................... 120 two-digit years ........................................................... 71 type parameter ............................................. 93, 94, 166 V   U   Y   Under option, Dbedit ............................................... 299 Underline, Set option............................................... 316 Undo edit, Hpmodify............................................... 188 Un-printable characters ........................................... 121 unsigned value ......................................................... 124 Update command............................................. 204, 222 Updatekey option, Dbedit ....................................... 299 upper-case........................................................ 120, 150 upshifting strings ..................................................... 120 Use command .................................. 223, 278, 317, 353 Use command with If $read .................................... 156 user specified heading ............................................. 255 Year 2000 ........................................................ 196, 197 Year 2000 testing ...................................................... 77 yes answer to questions ................................... 231, 377 yes response in pseudo-batch .................................. 374 yyymmdd date format ............................................. 162 Suprtool 5.7 for HP-UX User Manual -v option .................................................................... 46 value tests ................................................................ 141 variable length strings ..................................... 119, 147 Variable substitution ................................................. 79 Variable Substitution, Set option ............................ 212 Variable Substitution, STExport ............................. 236 variable-length, output file ...................................... 244 Varsub, Set option ................................................... 351 Verify command ...................... 215, 226, 279, 318, 354 Verify, Set option .................................................... 316 W   warning messages ............................................ 232, 377 warning, delete all records ........................................ 98 Warnings, Set .......................................................... 274 Web server............................................................... 260 Web, html ................................................................ 258 What is AMXW ........................................................ 51 X   Xeq command, STExport ................................ 251, 280 Xeq command, Suprlink .................................. 337, 355 Xeq command, Suprtool .................................. 107, 227 Xeq option on Exit .................................. 107, 251, 337 XML command ....................................................... 281 Xmltagchar, Set ....................................................... 275 XSORT .................................................................... 199 Z   Zero command......................................................... 284 zoned constants ....................................................... 111 zoned-decimal, illegal digits ................................... 327 Index • 411

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