Haven't tested your scenario, but I would hazzard a guess. LISTF maybe only
displaying the file directory entry. This entry is not updated until the
file is closed by the program. If you have a file with exclusive access and
the program is dumping info into the EOF does not change until the program
closes it. If you have a share access file, the same thing happens, yet when
you go to print the file, it has records. After printing it then the EOF is
updated to the # of records present at the time of closing, even though the
original program is still dumping records into the file.
So to draw conclusion, LISTF may not be opening the file, thus not changing
it, whereas ls may open the file someway and after displaying the
information closes it, thus updating it. Returning to LISTF, it too has the
same information.

James

> -----Original Message-----
> From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
> Behalf Of Chris Schofield
> Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 11:41 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Message file and listf
>
>
> Hi Everyone
>
> I have a message file defined as follows
>
> FILE: CTRIN.CTR.DKA
>
> FILE CODE : 0                   FOPTIONS: ASCII,VARIABLE,NOCCTL,MSG
> BLK FACTOR: 1                   CREATOR : **
> REC SIZE: 300(BYTES)            LOCKWORD: **
> BLK SIZE: 310(BYTES)            SECURITY--READ    : ANY
> EXT SIZE: 258(SECT)                       WRITE   : ANY
> NUM REC: 0                                APPEND  : ANY
> NUM SEC: 1264                             LOCK    : ANY
> NUM EXT: 5                                EXECUTE : ANY
> MAX REC: 1031                           **SECURITY IS ON
>                                 FLAGS   : NO ACCESSORS
> NUM LABELS: 0                   CREATED : THU, FEB 17, 2000, 11:14 AM
> MAX LABELS: 0                   MODIFIED: MON, MAR 13, 2000,  2:34 PM
> DISC DEV #: 1                   ACCESSED: MON, MAR 13, 2000,  2:35 PM
> SEC OFFSET: 0                   LABEL ADDR: **
> VOLCLASS  : MPEXL_SYSTEM_VOLUME_SET:DISC
>
> I have a C (posix) program waiting on a FREAD on this file.
>
> LISTF,2 reports a non zero EOF when I know it is empty.
>
> If I run SH.HPBIN.SYS and examine the file using ls then the size is zero
> bytes (correct !)
>
> Then (bizarrely) if exit SH and redo LISTF,2 the EOF is 0 (correct !)
>
> I am running MPE 5.5.
>
> Any Ideas ?
>
>
> Chris
>