There are two basic methods for creating a new data layout file:
- You can start from scratch, defining your FD, SELECT, and other file information in a blank data layout.
- You can create COPY files from you existing FD and SELECT statements and use these as the basis for creating a new data layout
file. There are two tools that you can use to accomplish this: one for creating a single DLT, one for automating the process
of creating multiple DLTs.
If you are starting from existing code but do not already have .fd and .sl COPY files, they are easily created by extracting the code from your program and placing the file description and SELECT
statement code in separate files. The primary advantages of doing this are:
- You can use the File Designer to maintain the file description and SELECT statement.
- You can designate the .fd and .sl files as a data set for the program (via the Data Set Designer), which enhances the functionality of the Screen Designer
and Report Composer interfaces and causes standard file handling code to be generated. For more information, see Using the Data Set Designer.