Note: The source code for this article is available for download

Your QF command works great when you want to see the raw data, but sometimes you need only some of the columns, or need to join files to get usable data rather than codes. Many of our customers don’t have interactive SQL installed on their systems, so I created this utility and sent it to all our customers for those times a one-off report is needed quickly.

I can enter an SQL Select statement and a printer ID, and the utility will create a Query Management Query and run

Working with IFS files, especially those we get from other systems, greatly increases my appreciation of physical files. Opening a stream file is like opening a Christmas present–we never know what we’ll get. Anyway, one source typically sends us stream files that often have blank lines in them, which messes up our process. Is there any way to delete those blank lines?

–Ray

Well, Ray, I don’t know of a way to delete them, but if you’re willing to copy the stream file to another stream file and omit the blank lines in the process, you can take advantage of

Many people don’t realize that they can use the Change Physical File command to alter the field and key definitions of a physical file without having to recompile that file or to save and restore their data. This command can enlarge or shrink existing file fields, add new fields, delete old fields, or change file keys. This week, I’ll explore this hidden feature of CHGPF, and discuss its advantages and its disadvantages.

Why We CHGPF

The Change Physical File (CHGPF) command’s life purpose is to change the attributes of a physical file and all its members. The Change Physical File