Library /sys$common/syshlp/HELPLIB.HLB  —  Ext File Specs, Programming  Upgrading Support, Upgrading to Full Support
    Some OpenVMS applications, such as system or disk management
    utilities, may require full support for Extended File
    Specifications. Typically these are utilities that must be able
    to view and manipulate all file specifications without DID or
    FID abbreviation. To upgrade an application so that it fully
    supports all the features of Extended File Specifications, do the
    following:

    1. Convert all uses of the RMS NAM block to the new NAML block.

    2. Expand the input and output file name buffers used by RMS.
       To do this, use the NAML long_expanded and long_resultant
       buffer pointers (NAML$L_LONG_EXPAND and NAML$L_LONG_RESULT)
       rather than the short buffer pointers (NAML$L_ESA and NAML$L_
       RSA), and increase the buffer sizes from NAM$C_MAXRSS to
       NAML$C_MAXRSS.

    3. If long file names (greater than 255 bytes) are specified in
       the FAB file name buffer field (FAB$L_FNA), use the NAML long_
       filename buffer field (NAML$L_LONG_FILENAME) instead. If long
       file names are specified in the default FAB name buffer field
       (FAB$L_DNA), use the default NAML name buffer field (NAML$L_
       LONG_DEFNAME) instead.

    4. If you use the LIB$FIND_FILE, LIB$RENAME or LIB$DELETE
       routines, set LIB$M_FIL_LONG_NAMES in the flags argument
       (flags is a new argument to the LIB$DELETE routine). Note
       that you can use the NAML block in place of the NAM block to
       pass information to LIB$FILE_SCAN without additional changes.

    5. If you use the LIB$FID_TO_NAME routine, the descriptor for
       the returned file specification may need to be changed to
       take advantage of the increased maximum allowed of 4095
       (NAML$C_MAXRSS) bytes.

    6. If you use the FDL$CREATE, FDL$GENERATE, FDL$PARSE, or
       FDL$RELEASE routine, you must set FDL$M_LONG_NAMES in the
       flags argument.

    7. Examine the source code for any additional assumptions made
       internally that a file specification is no longer than 255
       8-bit bytes.
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