TNSNAMES File.

[Hein van den Heuvel]

It all depends on the editor you use.
Most OpenVMS editor will create a variable length record file, which will fail unless the output file is re-converted

VIM works, and can be handy in the parenthesis matching.

Also if you used say 'perl' to script an edit, that would work.

Hein.

[The Brit]

Hein,
Does this mean that I am ok if I edit with "$ edit/tpu", i.e. use EVE editor. Or do you recomment converting after every edit anyway.

Dave.

[Steven Schweda]

> you would need to be careful every time.

I'm not, and I have very little trouble
(except with new files).

> Try editing a stream_lf version of a file
> [...]

Yes. Let's do that. (Did you?)

1. Create a file using an editor:

alp $ edit /tpu orig.txt
[...]

2. Notice that it's not Stream_LF:

alp $ write sys$output f$file_attributes( "orig.txt", "rfm")
VAR

3. Convert it to Stream_LF (under a different
name):

alp $ write sys$output f$file_attributes( "orig.txt", "rfm")
VAR
alp $ convert orig.txt stmlf.txt /fdl = sys$input:
RECORD
FORMAT stream_lf
Exit <--- Ctrl/Z

4. Verify the format of the converted file:

alp $ write sys$output f$file_attributes( "stmlf.txt", "rfm")
STMLF

5. Edit the Stream-LF file, and save it under
yet another name (so it can't inherit any
attributes from a previous version):

alp $ edit /tpu stmlf.txt /output = stmlf_2.txt
[...]

6. See what happened:

alp $ write sys$output f$file_attributes( "stmlf_2.txt", "rfm")
STMLF

7. Act amazed.


That's on VMS V7.3-2 (Alpha), but find me a
system where it fails.


> Or do you recomment converting after every
> edit anyway.

I recommend running a quick test, and then
relaxing. DIRE /FULL is a quick (if noisy)
way to check a file's record format, too.

[Duncan Morris]

Dave,

EDIT/TPU should be fine.

I created a dummy file using an FDL to set the STREAM_LF format.

Record format: Stream_LF, maximum 0 bytes, longest 0 bytes
Record attributes: Carriage return carriage control

Then I used edit/tpu to modify the file, and checked the file attributes with DIR/FULL

Record format: Stream_LF, maximum 0 bytes, longest 37 bytes
Record attributes: Carriage return carriage control

After you do any work on your TNSNAMES.ORA file, just make sure that you check that the file still has the correct record format.

Duncan

[The Brit]

Thanks to you all for your help and comments on this problem.

Dave.