Created On:  22 December 2011

Problem:

When workeing with Indexed Files in RM COBOL we use the following syntax:

          START TEST-FILE KEY FIRST KEY-1
          
          or
         
          START TEST-FILE KEY LAST KEY-1

But it doesn't work with Visual COBOLl. How can the first or last record of a particular key be read in Visual COBOL?

Resolution:

This syntax is not supported in Visual COBOL.  To get the same functionality you would need to do something like the following:

MOVE LOW-VALUES TO KEY-1
START TEST-FILE KEY >= KEY-1
READ TEST-FILE NEXT RECORD

MOVE HIGH-VALUES TO KEY-1
START TEST-FILE KEY <= KEY-1
READ TEST-FILE PREVIOUS RECORD