Jeff Vance <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>I have made a change to the Express II release of 5.0 (this is the
>1st express release after the final 5.0 push and is planned to be
>available in April):  command files will have to be ASCII to be
>executed.  Today a binary command file can be executed.  The other
>conditions still apply: eof >0 and file code in [0..1023].
>
>Will the ASCII requirement break any applications, jobs, scripts, etc.??
>
>Thank you,
>Jeff Vance, MPE Lab
>
>p.s. I made this change in response to some complaints that the CI
>     tries to execute binary files as command files, when "it
>     should know better".  Note that program files and any file
>     with a file code > 1023 is not (today) executed as a command file
>     and my change only applies to the file type (ascii vs. binary).
 
Jeff,
 
It seems that any attempt to solve this "problem" will cause at least some-
one problems.  This solution maybe what is the best for all, however, I
believe there will be several who will find command files failing because
they are binary.
 
I have an additionally suggestion.  What if HP selected a filecode that
would define command files?  If the file is ASCII it would still work, and
if the file is binary, the code could be checked.
 
The primary reason for the suggestion is that I've always thought that
command files and UDCs should have filecodes.  It makes it very easy to
look at files with listf or MPEX and "see" if they are UDCs or command
files.
 
As time continues, products like Qedit can "set Lang UDC/CommFile" and
automatically set the filecode.  In the end, better file management will
be available for the system managers.
 
Thanks,
 
Larry Boyd              [log in to unmask]