This configuration variable sets the Vision file format on a file-by-file basis. The filename is replaced by the base name of the file (the filename minus directory and extension). The meaning of the variable is the same as for V_VERSION. This variable is useful if you want to have all your Vision files in one format, with a few exceptions. For example, you might want to maintain most of your files in Vision Version 3 format to conserve file handles, but have a few files in Version 6 format to take advantage of the larger file size. Note that this variable only affects the file format when it is created. You can always rebuild the file in another format later.
This variable (and the V_VERSION configuration variable) is most helpful when you are using transaction management. The transaction system does not record the format of the created file if an OPEN OUTPUT is done during a transaction, because the transaction system is not tied to any particular file system. If you need to recover a transaction, the system will recreate the OPEN OUTPUT files using the settings of the VERSION variables.
The behavior of this variable is affected by the settings of the configuration variables V_STRIP_DOT_EXTENSION and V_BASENAME_TRANSLATION.