Use the
RECFM attribute to specify the record format.
The records in a file using the record model have one of the following
formats:
- Fixed-length (F)
- Variable-length (V)
- Undefined-length (U)
Note: z/OS® XL C/C++ does not support Format-D files.
These formats support the following additional options for
RECFM.
The record formats and the options associated with them are discussed
in the following sections.
- A
- Specifies that the file contains ASA control characters.
- B
- Specifies that a file is blocked. A blocked file can have more
than one record in each block.
- M
- Specifies that the file contains machine control characters.
- S
- Specifies that a file is either in standard format (if it is
fixed) or spanned (if it is variable). In a standard file, every block
must be full before another one starts. In a spanned file, a record
can be longer than a block. If it is, the record is divided into segments
and stored in consecutive blocks.
Not all the I/O categories (listed in Table 1) support
all of these attributes. Depending on what category you are using, z/OS XL C/C++ ignores
or simulates attributes that do not apply. For more information on
the record formats and the options supported for each I/O category,
see Opening files.