HELPLIB.HLB  —  SET  FILE  Qualifiers

1    /ATTRIBUTE

       /ATTRIBUTE=(file-attribute[,...])

    Sets the attributes associated with a file. The following table
    lists possible keywords and the relationship to both ACP-QIO and
    OpenVMS RMS File attributes:

                                                OpenVMS RMS File
    Keyword     ACP-QIO File Attribute          Attribute

    ATTDATE=dateFAT$C_ATTDATE                   XAB$Q_ATT
    ACCDATE=dateFAT$C_ACCDATE                   XAB$Q_ACC
    BAKDATE=dateFAT$C_BAKDATE                   XAB$Q_BDT
    BKS:value   FAT$B_BKTSIZE=byte              FAB$B_BKS=byte
    CREDATE=dateFAT$C_CREDATE                   XAB$Q_CDT
    DEQ:value   FAT$W_DEFEXT=word               FAB$W_DEQ=word
    EBK:value   FAT$L_EFBLK=longword            XAB$L_EBK=longword
    EXPDATE=dateFAT$C_EXPDATE                   XAB$Q_EDT
    FFB:value   FAT$W_FFBYTE=word               XAB$W_FFB=word
    FSZ:value   FAT$B_VFCSIZE=byte              FAB$B_FSZ=byte
    GBC:value   FAT$W_GBC=word                  FAB$W_GBC=word
    HBK:value   FAT$L_HIBLK=longword            XAB$L_HBK=longword
    LRL:value   FAT$W_RSIZE=word                XAB$W_LRL=word
    MODDATE=dateFAT$C_MODDATE                   XAB$Q_MOD
    MRS:value   FAT$W_MAXREC=word               FAB$W_MRS=word
    ORG:IDX     FAT$V_FILEORG=FAT$C_INDEXED     FAB$B_ORG=FAB$C_IDX
    ORG:REL     FAT$V_FILEORG=FAT$C_RELATIVE    FAB$B_ORG=FAB$C_REL
    ORG:SEQ     FAT$V_FILEORG=FAT$C_SEQUENTIAL  FAB$B_ORG=FAB$C_SEQ
    RAT:BLK     FAT$B_RATTRIB=FAT$M_NOSPAN      FAB$B_RAT=FAB$M_BLK
    RAT:CR      FAT$B_RATTRIB=FAT$M_IMPLIEDCC   FAB$B_RAT=FAB$M_CR
    RAT:FTN     FAT$B_RATTRIB=FAT$M_FORTRANCC   FAB$B_RAT=FAB$M_FTN
    RAT:MSB     FAT$B_RATTRIB=FAT$M_MSBVAR      FAB$B_RAT=FAB$M_MSB
    RAT:NONE    FAT$B_RATTRIB=0                 FAB$B_RAT=0
    RAT:PRN     FAT$B_RATTRIB=FAT$M_PRINTCC     FAB$B_RAT=FAB$M_PRN
    REVDATE=dateFAT$C_REVDATE                   XAB$Q_RDT
    RFM:FIX     FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_FIXED         FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_FIX
    RFM:STM     FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_STREAM        FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_STM
    RFM:STMCR   FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_STREAMCR      FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_STMCR
    RFM:STMLF   FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_STREAMLF      FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_STMLF
    RFM:UDF     FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_UNDEFINED     FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_UDF
    RFM:VAR     FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_VARIABLE      FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_VAR
    RFM:VFC     FAT$V_RTYPE=FAT$C_VFC           FAB$B_RFM=FAB$C_VFC
    VRS:value   FAT$W_VERSIONS=word             XAB$W_VERLIMIT=word

2    /BACKUP

       /BACKUP
       /NOBACKUP

    Specifies that the Backup utility (BACKUP) records the contents
    of the file. The /NOBACKUP qualifier causes BACKUP to record the
    attributes of the file but not its contents. This qualifier is
    valid only for Files-11 Structure On-Disk Level 2 and 5 files.

    The /NOBACKUP qualifier is useful for saving files that contain
    unimportant data, such as SWAPFILES.

3    /BEFORE

       /BEFORE[=time]

    Selects only those files dated prior to the specified time.
    You can specify time as absolute time, as a combination of
    absolute and delta times, or as one of the following keywords:
    BOOT, LOGIN, TODAY (default), TOMORROW, or YESTERDAY. Specify
    the /CREATED or the /MODIFIED qualifier to indicate the time
    attribute to be used as the basis for selection. The /CREATED
    qualifier is the default.

    For complete information on specifying time values, see the
    OpenVMS User's Manual or the online help topic Date.

4    /BY_OWNER

       /BY_OWNER[=uic]

    Selects only those files whose owner user identification code
    (UIC) matches the specified owner UIC. The default UIC is that of
    the current process.

    Specify the UIC by using standard UIC format as described in the
    VSI OpenVMS Guide to System Security.

5    /CACHING_ATTRIBUTE

       /CACHING_ATTRIBUTE=keyword

    Use this qualifier to control which files are cached by the
    Extended File Cache. It sets the caching attribute for a file
    or directory in a Files-11 ODS-2 or ODS-5 volume.

    The caching attribute of a file is the default caching option
    that is used by the Extended File Cache when an application
    accesses the file without specifying which caching option it
    wants to use.

    The keyword can be either WRITETHROUGH or NO_CACHING. Use
    WRITETHROUGH for files that you want to be cached. Use NO_CACHING
    for files that you don't want to be cached.

    The Extended File Cache does not cache directories. The caching
    attribute of a directory controls only how the caching attribute
    is inherited by new files and subdirectories created in the
    directory:

    o  When you create a new directory or file, it inherits its
       caching attribute from its parent directory.

    o  When you create a new version of an existing file, the new
       file inherits its caching attribute from the highest version
       of the existing file.

    When you use the INITIALIZE command to create a new Files-
    11 volume, the caching attribute of its root directory
    (000000.DIR;1) is set to write-through. This means that by
    default, all the files and directories you create in the volume
    will inherit a caching attribute of write-through unless you use
    SET FILE /CACHING_ATTRIBUTE.

    When you change the caching attribute of a directory, it does
    not affect the caching attribute of any existing files and
    subdirectories in the directory.

    When you change the caching attribute of a file, it does not
    affect the type of caching being used by any applications that
    are currently accessing the file.

6    /CONFIRM

       /CONFIRM
       /NOCONFIRM (default)

    Controls whether a request is issued before each SET FILE
    operation to confirm that the operation should be performed on
    that file. The following responses are valid:

    YES      NO       QUIT
    TRUE     FALSE    Ctrl/Z
    1        0        ALL
             <Return>

    You can use any combination of uppercase and lowercase letters
    for word responses. Word responses can be abbreviated to one or
    more letters (for example, T, TR, or TRU for TRUE), but these
    abbreviations must be unique. Affirmative answers are YES, TRUE,
    and 1. Negative answers include: NO, FALSE, 0, and pressing
    Return. Entering QUIT or pressing Ctrl/Z indicates that you want
    to stop processing the command at that point. When you respond by
    entering ALL, the command continues to process, but no further
    prompts are given. If you type a response other than one of
    those in the list, DCL issues an error message and redisplays
    the prompt.

7    /CREATED

       /CREATED (default)

    Modifies the time value specified with the /BEFORE or the /SINCE
    qualifier. The /CREATED qualifier selects files based on their
    dates of creation. This qualifier is incompatible with the
    /MODIFIED qualifier, which also allows you to select files
    according to time attributes. The /CREATED qualifier is the
    default qualifier.

8    /DATA_CHECK

       /DATA_CHECK[=([NO]READ,[NO]WRITE)]

    Specifies whether a read data check (rereading each record), a
    write data check (reading each record after it is written), or a
    combination of the two is performed on the file during transfers.
    By default, a write data check is performed.

9    /END_OF_FILE

    Resets the end-of-file (EOF) mark to the highest block allocated.

10    /ENTER

       /ENTER=new-filespec

    The new-filespec parameter is used to create either an alias or
    a hard link for the file specified in the SET FILE command. For
    detailed information about using hard links and aliases, see the
    VSI OpenVMS System Manager's Manual.

    Normally you would use /ENTER to create an alias or a hard link
    in a directory different from the one where the original filename
    resides. If the names are not in different directories, you or
    another user could subsequently lose data during a delete or
    purge operation. The DELETE and PURGE commands and the file
    version limit feature can behave unpredictably if the original
    name and the new name are in the same directory.

    To remove an alias or hard link, use the SET FILE /REMOVE
    command. Exercise caution when using the DELETE and SET FILE
    /REMOVE commands, or you could end up with either an inaccessible
    file that has no name or a name that does not refer to a file.
    Follow these guidelines to avoid such problems:

    o  Use SET FILE /REMOVE to remove an alias; do not use the DELETE
       command to remove an alias.

    o  Do not use SET FILE /REMOVE to remove the original file name.

    If you do not follow these guidelines and encounter problems, use
    ANALYZE /DISK /REPAIR to move inaccessible files to the SYSLOST
    directory and remove names that no longer refer to files.

11    /ERASE_ON_DELETE

    Specifies that the specified files are erased from the disk (not
    just written over) when the DELETE or PURGE command is issued for
    the files. See the DELETE/ERASE command for more information.

12    /EXCLUDE

       /EXCLUDE=(filespec[,...])

    Excludes the specified file from the SET FILE operation. You
    can include a directory name but not a device name in the file
    specifications. The asterisk (*)  and the percent sign (%)
    wildcard characters are allowed in the file specification;
    however, you cannot use relative version numbers to exclude a
    specific version. If you specify only one file, you can omit the
    parentheses.

13    /EXPIRATION_DATE

       /EXPIRATION_DATE=date
       /NOEXPIRATION_DATE

    Requires read (R), write (W), and control access. Being the owner
    of the file is one way to get control access.

    Controls whether an expiration date is assigned to the specified
    files.

    Specify the date according to the rules described in the OpenVMS
    User's Manual or the online help topic Date. Absolute date
    keywords are allowed. If you specify zero as the date, today's
    date is used.

14    /EXTENSION

       /EXTENSION[=n]

    Sets the extend quantity default for the file. The value of
    the parameter n can range from 0 to 65,535. If you omit the
    value specification or specify a value of 0, OpenVMS Record
    Management Services (OpenVMS RMS) calculates its own value for
    the /EXTENSION qualifier.

    See the SET RMS_DEFAULT command for a description of the /EXTEND_
    QUANTITY qualifier.

15    /GLOBAL_BUFFER

       /GLOBAL_BUFFER[=keyword[=n]]
       /NOGLOBAL_BUFFER

    For OpenVMS versions prior to Version 8.3, sets the OpenVMS
    Record Management Services (OpenVMS RMS) global buffer count (the
    number of buffers that can be shared by processes accessing the
    file) for the specified files. The value n must be an integer in
    the range from 0 to 32,767. A value of 0 disables buffer sharing.

    The /SHARE qualifier can be used to enable or disable global
    buffers on a file currently being accessed; however, any new
    global buffer settings will only be applied to new accessors of
    the file. If a file is already open with global buffers, any new
    number of global buffers will not take effect until the file is
    closed by all accessors of the file.

    For OpenVMS V8.3 and later, sets the OpenVMS RMS global buffer
    count for the specified files. Note, you can specify only one
    type of global buffer qualifier in the same command string.

    The keyword can be:

    o  COUNT=n-The value n sets the longword count of the number of
       global buffers.

    o  PERCENT=p-The value p expresses the size of the global cache
       as a percent of the total number of used blocks currently used
       in the file.

    o  DEFAULT-Requests RMS at runtime to recalculate the global
       cache size based on an algorithm that makes use of two global
       buffer SYSGEN parameters, GB_CACHEALLMAX and GB_DEFPERCENT.

    The following qualifiers can also be used with the /SHARE
    qualifier:

    o  /GLOBAL_BUFFER=n

    o  /GLOBAL_BUFFER=COUNT=n

    o  /GLOBAL_BUFFER=PERCENT=n

    o  /GLOBAL_BUFFER=DEFAULT

    o  /NOGLOBAL_BUFFER

    o  /[NO]STATISTICS

16    /LOG

       /LOG
       /NOLOG (default)

    Displays the file specification of each file modified as the
    command executes.

17    /MODIFIED

       /MODIFIED

    Modifies the time value specified with the /BEFORE or the /SINCE
    qualifier. The /MODIFIED qualifier selects files according to
    the dates on which they were last modified. This qualifier is
    incompatible with the /CREATED qualifier, which also allows
    you to select files according to time attributes. If you do not
    specify the /MODIFIED qualifier, the default is the /CREATED
    qualifier.

18    /MOVE

       /MOVE
       /NOMOVE

    Controls whether movefile operations are enabled on the specified
    file.

    When you create a file, movefile operations are enabled on that
    file. You should disable movefile operations on specialized
    files that are accessed other than through the XQP (such as files
    accessed through logical I/O to a disk).

    Note that movefile operations are automatically disabled on
    critical system files. Do not enable movefile operations on these
    files.

19    /NODIRECTORY

    Use with extreme caution. Requires SYSPRV (system privilege).

    Removes the directory attributes of a file and allows you to
    delete the corrupted directory file even if other files are
    contained in the directory. When you delete a corrupted directory
    file, the files contained within it are lost.

    Use ANALYZE/DISK_STRUCTURE/REPAIR to place the lost files in
    [SYSLOST]. You can then copy the lost files to a new directory.
    This qualifier is valid only for Files-11 On-Disk Structure Level
    2 files. For more information about the Verify utility, see the
    VSI OpenVMS System Management Utilities Reference Manual.

20    /OWNER_UIC

       /OWNER_UIC[=uic]

    This qualifier has been superseded by the SET SECURITY/OWNER
    command.

21    /PROTECTION

       /PROTECTION[=(ownership[:access][,...])]

    This command has been superseded by the SET SECURITY/PROTECTION
    command.

22    /REMOVE

    Use with caution.

    Enables you to remove one of the names of a file that has more
    than one name, without deleting the file. If you have created an
    additional name for a file with the /ENTER qualifier of SET FILE,
    you can use the /REMOVE qualifier to remove either the original
    name or the alias. The file still exists and can be accessed by
    whatever name or names remain in effect.

    However, if you accidentally remove the name of a file that
    has only one name, you cannot access that file with most DCL
    commands; use the ANALYZE/DISK_STRUCTURE utility to retrieve the
    file.

23    /SEMANTICS

       /SEMANTICS=semantics-tag
       /NOSEMANTICS

    Use the /SEMANTICS qualifier to create or change a semantics
    tag. Use the /NOSEMANTICS qualifier to remove a semantics tag
    from a file. For more information, see the Guide to OpenVMS File
    Applications.

24    /SHARE

    Allows you to enable or disable global buffers or statistics on a
    file currently being accessed by other users.

    Requires SYSPRV privilege.

    Only new accessors of the file acquire the new settings. For
    example, if a file is opened with no global buffers specified and
    the SET FILE/GLOBAL=n/SHARE command is issued, only new accessors
    of the file will use global buffers. If /STATISTICS is enabled on
    an active file, only operations performed by new accessors of the
    file are measured.

    If a file is already open with global buffers, any new number of
    global buffers will not take effect until the file is closed by
    all accessors of the file.

    The /SHARE qualifier is valid only with the following qualifiers:

    o  /[NO]GLOBAL_BUFFER=n

    o  /[NO]STATISTICS

25    /SHELVABLE

       /SHELVABLE
       /NOSHELVABLE

    Controls whether the file is shelvable.

26    /SINCE

       /SINCE[=time]

    Selects only those files dated on or after the specified time.
    You can specify time as absolute time, as a combination of
    absolute and delta times, or as one of the following keywords:
    BOOT, JOB_LOGIN, LOGIN, TODAY (default), TOMORROW, or YESTERDAY.
    Specify the /CREATED or the /MODIFIED qualifier to indicate
    the time attribute to be used as the basis for selection. The
    /CREATED qualifier is the default.

    For complete information on specifying time values, see the
    OpenVMS User's Manual or the online help topic Date.

27    /STATISTICS

       /STATISTICS
       /NOSTATISTICS (default)

    Enables the gathering of RMS statistics on the specified file.
    These statistics can then be viewed by using the Monitor
    utility, which is invoked with the DCL command MONITOR. The
    SET FILE/STATISTICS command applies an application ACE to the
    specified file. The ACE does not affect access control and is
    only meaningful to the application assigning it.

    The /SHARE qualifier can be used to enable or disable statistics
    on a file currently being accessed. However, only statistics of
    new accessors of the file will be measured.

28    /STYLE

       /STYLE=keyword

    Specifies the file name format for display purposes.

    The valid keywords for this qualifier are CONDENSED and EXPANDED.
    Descriptions are as follows:

    Keyword     Explanation

    CONDENSED   Displays the file name representation of what is
    (default)   generated to fit into a 255-length character string.
                This file name may contain a DID or FID abbreviation
                in the file specification.
    EXPANDED    Displays the file name representation of what is
                stored on disk. This file name does not contain any
                DID or FID abbreviations.

    The keywords CONDENSED and EXPANDED are mutually exclusive. This
    qualifier specifies which file name format is displayed in the
    output message, along with the confirmation if requested.

    File errors are displayed with the CONDENSED file specification
    unless the EXPANDED keyword is specified.

    See the OpenVMS User's Manual for more information.

29    /SYMLINK

       /SYMLINK=keyword
       /NOSYMLINK (default)

    If an input file is a symbolic link, the file referred to by the
    symbolic link is the file that is set.

    The /SYMLINK qualifier indicates that the symbolic link itself is
    set.

    The valid keywords for this qualifier are [NO]WILDCARD,
    [NO]ELLIPSIS, and [NO]TARGET. Descriptions are as follows:

    Keyword     Explanation

    NOWILDCARD  Indicates that symlinks are disabled during directory
                wildcard searches.
    WILDCARD    Indicates that symlinks are enabled during wildcard
                searches.
    NOELLIPSIS  Indicates that symlinks are matched for all wildcard
                fields except for ellipsis.
    ELLIPSIS    Equivalent to WILDCARD (included for command
                symmetry).
    TARGET      Indicates that if the target file of the file
                specification is a symlink, then the target file
                is followed.
    NOTARGET    Indicates that the command operates on the target
                file even if it is a symlink.

    If the file named in the SET FILE command is a symlink, the
    command by default operates on the symlink target.

30    /TRUNCATE

    Truncates the file at the end of the block containing the end-of-
    file (EOF) marker, that is, the qualifier releases allocated but
    unused blocks of the file.

31    /UNLOCK

    Clears a file marked as deaccess locked. Deaccess locking is
    required by and used by those few applications that maintain
    their own locking and consistency, typically without the use
    of the OpenVMS distributed lock manager, and potentially also
    without the use of RMS. When an application using deaccess
    locking does not correctly deaccess the file (often due to an
    application or system failure), the file is marked as locked, and
    is thus inaccessible until the integrity of the contents of the
    file are verified and the SET FILE/UNLOCK command is used.

    This command does not affect the state of files that are locked
    using RMS or the distributed lock manager.

    For details on file deaccess locking, see the VSI OpenVMS I/O
    User's Reference Manual, the ACP-QIO interface documentation, and
    specifically the FIB$V_DLOCK option available on the IO$_CREATE
    and IO$_ACCESS functions.

    The SET FILE/UNLOCK command can clear the cause of the following
    error message:

    %SYSTEM-W-FILELOCKED, file is deaccess locked

    However, this command cannot resolve the cause of the error
    message:

    %RMS-W-FLK, file currently locked by another user

32    /VERSION_LIMIT

       /VERSION_LIMIT[=n]

    Specifies the maximum number of versions for the specified file.
    If you do not specify a version limit, a value of 0 is used,
    indicating that the number of versions of a file is limited only
    to the Files-11 architectural limit of 32,767. When you exceed
    that limit, the earliest version of the file is deleted from
    the directory without notification to the user. For example, if
    you set the version limit to three when there are already five
    versions of that file in your directory, there will continue to
    be five versions of the file unless you specifically delete some
    or purge the directory. Once the number of versions is equal
    to or less than the current version limit, the version limit is
    maintained.
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