We have a third-party product that requires manual entry of dataset mapping,
using an on-line program (no VPLUS interface). It's very tedious, and easily
subject to error. Besides, since this project is in the development stage, we
face the prospect of clearing everything out and doing it again [and again...].

OK, I thought, I'll create a disk file with all of the input and use CIOR.

So:

RUN prog<file. I also tried RUN prog;STDIN=file. Tombstones is all I get.

In a session, I have FSERR 42:

OPERATION INCONSISTENT WITH DEVICE TYPE (FSERR 42):

If I try this in a job with the necessary responses in the job stream itself, I
have FSERR 85:

OPERATION INCONSISTENT WITH SPOOLING  (FSERR 85)

There does seem to be some common thread between these two errors.

I spoke to one of the technical people at the vendor's office and was told that
this program cannot handle input from a file.

I found this very strange as I have written numerous programs that would accept
redirected input whether by "STDIN=file", "<" or with the input in a job stream.
I've never done anything special to accommodate redirected input. So I assume
that there is something in the program to block redirected input.

Could someone explain this phenomenon? Could someone suggest a means of getting
around this apparent restriction?

By the way, the program has no problem of redirecting its output by means of
">".

Thanks.
===================
Leonard S. Berkowitz
Perot Health Care Systems
(Harvard Pilgrim Health Care account)
voice: 617-509-1212
fax:   617-509-3737
pager: 781-226-2431