In article <[log in to unmask]>,
M Gopalakrishnan  <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>   On MPE/iX, the PRINT command prints truncated records when an UNNUMbered
>   file  contains  the  trailing  eight  characters  as digits.  The :PRINT
>   command is not  displaying the trailing  eight  characters as it assumes
>   those digits are line numbers.
>
>   Based on the customer requests, the new option RAW for the PRINT command
>   will be added.  With this new option, the contents of the file will be
>   displayed  as it is,  without  assuming  the trailing 8  characters as
>   line numbers. Also RAW causes non-printable characters to appear as '.'.
>
>[deleted]
 
Before you take this step, *PLEASE* consider that most of the source
code entrusted to MPE is COBOL, which keeps line numbers in the leading
6 characters of the line.  If the filecode is 1052, treat the file as
EDTCT with leading line #s, otherwise proceed as in your proposal.
You might wish to look at EDIT/3000, TDP, and HPEDIT as to how they decide
that a file is numbered.
 
(I realize that SPL is essentially a dead language, but algorithms are
separate from the language, so the fact that they're expressed in SPL
doesn't relieve the implementor from reading SPL to figure out
the approach.)
 
>  Lab welcomes your suggestions for an OPTION name opposite to RAW, and
>  solicits feedback on this proposal. We expect that this enhancement will
>  be available on 5.0 and 5.5 patches.
 
Why invent a keyword for the default behavior?  RAW commands :PRINT to
do one thing.  Leaving RAW out requests the other, *default* thing.
By now, most people will know what to expect as :PRINT's usual behavior.
 
--Jim