This configuration variable allows you to hold a pipe open when you close the named file with the CLOSE WITH NO REWIND verb. This enables you to gather multiple reports into a single job for the print spooler. See File Name Interpretation in the ACUCOBOL-GT User's Guide for more information about pipes and file name interpretation.
The value given to the SPOOL_FILE variable must be the ASSIGN name of a sequential file that has been attached to a pipe. The pipe must be attached to the ASSIGN name in the COBOL configuration file via the -P option. For example, suppose you have a file defined as follows:
SELECT PRINT_FILE ASSIGN TO PRINT "PRINTER"
and that you have the following pipe defined in the COBOL configuration file:
PRINTER -P lp -s
Then, to specify that you want to keep the pipe open when the file is closed WITH NO REWIND, you would add the following line to the COBOL configuration file:
SPOOL_FILE PRINTER
The name specified for SPOOL_FILE is processed in the same way as the external file name specified in the file's ASSIGN clause.
When the corresponding file is closed with a NO REWIND option, the pipe is not closed. Instead, if the file is later opened again, the same pipe is used. The pipe is not closed until a CLOSE verb without the NO REWIND option is executed on that file, or until the run unit finishes. Only one pipe can be held open in this manner.