Wirt has revealed another "gem".
We use this simple command file a lot, when trying to decipher strange
file layouts received from non ASCII sources.

/:help hex
USER DEFINED COMMAND FILE:  HEX.CMD.SYS

parm F1="" START=0 END=999999
fcopy from=!f1;to=;hex;char;subset=(!start:!end)
/

As in :hex xln 2 2

Just remember that FCOPY thinks the file starts at record 0 :)

Regards

Neil Harvey


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wirt Atmar [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Sunday, November 23, 1997 8:26 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: How to view flat files with binary/comp data?
>
> John Park writes:
>
> > Or you could view them in a HEX editor, if you want to see the
> binary
> stuff.
> >  (Packed decimal is very easy to read in HEX)
>
> >  -----Original Message-----
> >  From: Wirt Atmar <[log in to unmask]>
> >  To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> >  Date: Saturday, November 22, 1997 7:20 PM
> >  Subject: Re: How to view flat files with binary/comp data?
> >
> >
> >  >Nobody ([log in to unmask]) writes:
> >  >
> >  >>I've downloaded some MPE flatfiles to my PC. Besides Notepad,
> what's the
> >  >best
> >  >>way to view them so that all the columns stay aligned when some
> of the
> >  >>fields are binary or computational fields? Even better, how can I
> view
> >  those
> >  >fields,
> >  >>too? Thanks in advance...
>
> What John says is absolutely true. However, the easiest way to do such
> a
> thing is NOT to download the flat files to a PC, but rather to use
> FCOPY on
> the HP3000. If you type the following at an MPE command prompt:
>
>      :FCOPY FROM=filename;TO=;CHAR;HEX
>
> you will get both a hex display of the file, allowing you to read the
> packed
> decimal fields (and with a bit of work, the binary fields), as well as
> a
> display of the ASCII text fields. The display won't be lined up as one
> long
> record, but you will have the advantage of seeing all of your data.
>
> Once you become familiar using FCOPY in this way, you'll find it an
> invaluable tool for seeing what data really exists in your flat files.
>
> Wirt Atmar