External File
Although you can only edit the workfile that is currently Open, Qedit accesses files for other purposes than editing. Qedit accepts commands and lines of text from $stdinx. Qedit prints lines and messages on $stdlist. The List and Verify commands allow output to be directed to an external file named LP that defaults to the LP device: List LP ALL; Verify LP.
Qedit reads external files in the Add, Hold, List, Merge, Text and Use commands:
/add 100.1=tfile {adds lines from “tfile” at line 100.1}
/list tfile {lists the contents of “tfile”}
/text tfile {makes a copy of “tfile”}
/use tfile {executes Qedit commands from “tfile”}
/merge tfile {merge in contents of “tfile”}
/hold sample 1/5 {write lines 1/5 of sample to Hold file}
Qedit recognizes three types of external files:
Other Qedit workfiles.
NUMBERED text files. Each record contains a line number field. The lines are sorted by the line number. This is the file created by a Keep command. If the record length is not 80 bytes (or 74 for COBOL), the LANGUAGE is always TEXT.
UNNUMBERED text files. Records with no line number field. These are created by a KQ command or by Keep file,UNN. If the record size is not standard, the language is set to TEXT (record <= 256) or DATA (record > 256).