Additional information available:

ADDDELETEEXITHELPINVOKEMODIFYQUIT
SETVIEW

AbstractOperation

 The main goal of the FDL Editor is to help you create, maintain and
 tune large, complicated RMS files, particularly indexed files.  The
 FDL editor allows you either to add, modify or delete file attributes
 explicitly or to invoke scripts that ask questions which the FDL
 editor uses to decide on file attributes for you.

 The output from the FDL editor is an "FDL file", which describes in
 plain ASCII text the file you wish to create.  An FDL file can be
 created with either the FDL editor or a VAX/VMS text editor, although
 the FDL editor is preferable since it avoids errors by enforcing the
 syntax of FDL.

 An FDL file is divided into logical sections, each of which is labeled
 with a "primary attribute" such as SYSTEM, FILE, DATE, KEY, etc.  Most
 primary attributes have one or more secondary attributes, each of
 which has a value.  Each secondary attribute specifies an attribute
 that the resultant RMS file will receive when created.

 For example, if the ALLOCATION secondary attribute has the value 20000
 under the AREA 3 primary attribute, then the third area of the file
 will have 20,000 disk blocks when the file is created.  This would be
 specified as follows:

             AREA 3
                     ALLOCATION     20000

 Once you have created an FDL file, you can create the RMS file
 described by the FDL file using the DCL commands "CREATE/FDL" and
 "CONVERT/FDL", or the library routine "FDL$CREATE" which may be called
 from VAX/VMS languages.

 Complete information about the FDL Editor (DCL EDIT/FDL command) and
 the DCL CREATE/FDL command can be found in the FDL section of the
 VAX/VMS Utilities Reference Volume.  The DCL CONVERT command is
 documented in the same volume.  The FDL$CREATE library routine can be
 found in the VAX/VMS Utility Routines Reference Volume.

                Press Control/Z to exit from Help.

 Your interaction with the FDL Editor involves answering questions that
 you are asked.  Some of these answers control the execution of the
 editor, and others determine the values of variables.  These variables
 may be used in calculating various file parameters or indirectly
 setting FDL attribute values.  All your answers are terminated by
 pressing the RETURN key.  Additionally, there are a number of special
 characters which are significant to EDIT/FDL.

Additional information available:

FilesPrompt-levelQuestion-formatSpecial-characters

 The FDL Editor normally produces a new version of the input FDL file
 as its output file.  You can specify a different output file
 explicitly with the /OUTPUT=file-spec qualifier on the EDIT/FDL
 command.  Unlike the input FDL file, which may or may not be found,
 any Analysis file which is specified (with the /ANALYSIS=file-spec
 qualifier) must be found or the FDL Editor will not continue.

 The content of the output FDL file is determined by the current FDL
 Definition in the FDL Editor (as shown by the View function).  The
 external characteristics of the output FDL file itself are normally
 those of a standard sequential file with the current process defaults
 for Protection, Extension, etc.  These external file characteristics
 (of the FDL file, Not of the data file) can be set when EDIT/FDL
 creates its output file by defining the logical name EDF$MAKE_FDL to
 be the file-spec of an FDL file that defines the desired
 characteristics.

 The prompt-level of the FDL Editor depends upon whether a
 VMS-supported video terminal is being used or not.  If your terminal
 is, in fact, a terminal which is supported by VMS, then make sure the
 terminal driver knows what kind it is (verify that SHOW TERMINAL
 output is correct).  The DCL command SET TERMINAL/INQUIRE facilitates
 this.

 On foreign, slow baud rate, or hardcopy terminals, the default mode of
 the FDL Editor is BRIEF.  On terminals running at a speed of 2400 baud
 or greater which are classified as "Video" by the SHOW TERMINAL DCL
 command, the default mode is FULL.

 Refer to the VAX/VMS DIGITAL Command Language Dictionary for complete
 information about SHOW TERMINAL and SET TERMINAL.

 The special character "?" can be used to retrieve more information (or
 possibly display a Menu) about any particular question.

 The prompt-level of an editing session can be set with the /PROMPT
 qualifier on the DCL EDIT/FDL command.  (i.e.  EDIT/FDL/PROMPT=FULL
 file-spec)

 Every question that EDIT/FDL asks has the same structure.  (The
 exception to this rule is the Help-topic prompt you are now using
 while in the Help Function.) The structure is:

  Question-text         (answer-range)[default-answer]    : your-answer

 Some questions require you to choose among several keyword options.
 These options are listed either in the accompanying menu (if present)
 or in an option list, which is enclosed by parentheses, such as below:

  (Option1 Option2 Option3 ...)
  Question-text         (Keyword)[default-answer]         : your-answer

 The ":" may be placed on the next line to allow for long string
 answers.  A "1Giga" in an (answer-range) stands for the number:  1
 Billion minus 1 (999,999,999).  An "Abs" in an (answer-range) means
 "Absolute value".  A [default-answer] of "[-]" means that there is no
 default.

 Control/Z (press "Z" while holding down the CTRL key) may be used to
 exit the FDL Editor if you are currently at the "Main Editor Function"
 level.  At lower levels, control/Z is used to return to the main
 level.

 You can use control/C to Quit the FDL Editor at any time.  Avoid using
 control/Y to abort the FDL Editor because then it is possible to leave
 the scrolling region of a DEC_CRT terminal in undetermined state.  If
 this happens, the DCL EXIT command can be used to restore the terminal
 to its original state.  This is unnecessary if the next DCL command
 issued invokes a new image.

 To get more information about any particular question, type "?" and
 press RETURN.  When an invalid response is made to one of the FDL
 Editor's questions, the action taken is equivalent to the ?  command.