Looking for SORT Specification Guru

[Robert Atkinson]

Ignore me - the definition for the 'date' field also included the time, so it couldn't sub-sort on the report name!

Understand what you're saying about PERL. I've been trying to learn bits of it, but it's a struggle.

What I really need is a mentor who knows Perl::VMS to stop me tripping up over things. Wanna volunteer?

Rob.

[Robert Atkinson]

BTW - This application is designed to deliver PDF reports to the end recipient via a web interface. I've uploaded a screenshot of what it currently looks like.

The RMS report masterfile is made up of REPORTNAME, PDFFILE, GROUP, DATE, etc.

The reason I'm using SORT/MERGE is because it's the fastest way I've found (so far) to select a bunch of records using simple selection criteria.

I also use a set of modules written in-house called DCF. Any application, i.e. Perl, would need to interface with these modules, as the field definitions are dynamic and held in metafiles, not hardcoded.

Rob.

[Hein van den Heuvel]

Good one on the time coming before the report!

If you are doing a web interface, and are concerned with speed, then you may want to consider the Calleable interface to Sort. Specially it has this 'record mode' where the records do not have to 'touch the ground'. You can just feed records from one side (as you select based on groups) and take the sorted records out on the other side feeding them into the next processing/formatting fase.
- You'd still need a specification file (pass in SOR$SPEC_FILE).

Hein.

[Robert Atkinson]

Ah...that's where the problem starts!

I don't have access to any compiled languages that could use API's or system services.

Almost all of the utilities here are written in DCL, so I've had to come up with clever ways to make it act like a real language or speed things up, hence the use of sort/merge for this particular application.

For the time being, Perl is probably the closest I'm going to get to anything fast.

Rob.

[Martin P.J. Zinser]

Hello Robert,

not having access to any compiled languages is not true ;-) You do have at least the Macro compiler on your system as part of the standard VMS installation. Additionally Bliss is available on the Freeware CD. You can certainly call system services from both of these languages.

If you do have a license also DTR might be a suitabale candidate for the sort of work you try to do (No, I don't mind the Pun ;-)

Greetings, Martin