unable to access files (SOLVED: blank spaced Dir name)

I'm using Visual Studio 2019 Visual Cobol and I have problems accessing sequential files. When I try in the program to open a  Sequential/line sequential files, with variable record length, the data accessed is not from the opened file but of another file created in previous runs. They are like ghost files. So there is no way I can access existing sequential files. Also, I created sequential files under VS, using internal data and it works fine, but then these files cannot be accessed (file not found) by another external program.

Jan 26, 2021: PROBLEM SOLVED thanks to the help of this Community's users.

 Origin: Use of Spaced Directory names(Windows platform).

 Two solutions:

1- Do not use blank spaced Directory names,  e.g:   NO:   "D:\\File1  part1\\......\\filename".  (blank spaced)

                                                                                                       YES: "D:\\File1part1\\......\\filename". (No blank spaced)

 2- USE blank spaced Directory names, but add extra single quotes:

                             YES: ' "D:\\File1  part1\\......\\filename" '. (blank spaced Dir and  extra single

                                                                                                                            quotes)

I'm using Visual Studio 2019 Visual Cobol and I have problems accessing sequential files. When I try in the program to open a  Sequential/line sequential files, with variable record length, the data accessed is not from the opened file but of another file created in previous runs. They are like ghost files. So there is no way I can access existing sequential files. Also, I created sequential files under VS, using internal data and it works fine, but then these files cannot be accessed (file not found) by another external program.

Jan 26, 2021: PROBLEM SOLVED thanks to the help of this Community's users.

 Origin: Use of Spaced Directory names(Windows platform).

 Two solutions:

1- Do not use blank spaced Directory names,  e.g:   NO:   "D:\\File1  part1\\......\\filename".  (blank spaced)

                                                                                                       YES: "D:\\File1part1\\......\\filename". (No blank spaced)

 2- USE blank spaced Directory names, but add extra single quotes:

                             YES: ' "D:\\File1  part1\\......\\filename" '. (blank spaced Dir and  extra single

                                                                                                                            quotes)

How you define the file depends on what type of file you are opening. If the file is created with a text editor and has line terminator characters like X"0A" or X"0D0A" then you need to define it as line sequential in the select statement.

select line-seq-file assign to "filename.txt"
                                       organization is line sequential.

fd line-seq-file.
01 line-seq-record   pic x(??).

     open input line-seq-file
     perform until exit
           read line-seq-file 
                 at end
                       exit perform
                  not at end
                       perform 100-process-file
            end-read
      end-perform

Is this how your file is defined?

SELECT TEST-FILE3 ASSIGN TO TESTFILE-DSNAME
ORGANIZATION LINE SEQUENTIAL
ACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL
FILE STATUS IS FILE1-STATUS.

FD TEST-FILE3 RECORD varying from 1 to 200 depending on WS-CURRENT-RECL.

01 TEST-FILE-REC.
02 TERM-REC1 PIC X(100).
02 TERM-REC2 PIC  X(100).

********************************

OPEN INPUT TEST-FILE3.
PERFORM 40 times
READ TEST-FILE3

            AT END DISPLAY "****.END OF TESTFILE1"  GOBACK
          NOT AT END
         DISPLAY   TEST-FILE-REC.(1:WS-CURRENT-RECL)
END-READ
END-PERFORM.

******

That is my code, but the problem is that the content of the file displayed is not that of the opened  file, but of  another file I previously  created with the VS COBOL program using some test data. I changed the

Input file to another file, with the same result. No matter what input file I use, the displayed data is the same!!  Additionally,  I created with another program a Seq,, Var Rec. file and used it as Input File and the result is the same: same data content displayed.   I am using:  W10,  VS COBOL, Visual studio 2019, the input file is a file created using Notepad (line seq., var record). The very same code runs perfectly under OpenCobolIDE. Really I do no understand it all.  Regards.

SELECT TEST-FILE3 ASSIGN TO TESTFILE-DSNAME
ORGANIZATION LINE SEQUENTIAL
ACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL
FILE STATUS IS FILE1-STATUS.

FD TEST-FILE3 RECORD varying from 1 to 200 depending on WS-CURRENT-RECL.

01 TEST-FILE-REC.
02 TERM-REC1 PIC X(100).
02 TERM-REC2 PIC  X(100).

********************************

OPEN INPUT TEST-FILE3.
PERFORM 40 times
READ TEST-FILE3

            AT END DISPLAY "****.END OF TESTFILE1"  GOBACK
          NOT AT END
         DISPLAY   TEST-FILE-REC.(1:WS-CURRENT-RECL)
END-READ
END-PERFORM.

******

That is my code, but the problem is that the content of the file displayed is not that of the opened  file, but of  another file I previously  created with the VS COBOL program using some test data. I changed the

Input file to another file, with the same result. No matter what input file I use, the displayed data is the same!!  Additionally,  I created with another program a Seq,, Var Rec. file and used it as Input File and the result is the same: same data content displayed.   I am using:  W10,  VS COBOL, Visual studio 2019, the input file is a file created using Notepad (line seq., var record). The very same code runs perfectly under OpenCobolIDE. Really I do no understand it all.  Regards.

Is TESTFILE-DSNAME a variable that you have in your program?

The physical file name will be whatever this variable contains at the time the file is opened.

Is TESTFILE-DSNAME a variable that you have in your program?

The physical file name will be whatever this variable contains at the time the file is opened.

Open Input —> for read

open output —> for create

open i-0 —> for read , Write, delete

open extend —> for attach at end new data

See my recent reply. Regards.

From the screenshot Notepad appears to be open a file without the .txt extension and the program is opening a file with the .txt extension.

Do you perhaps have 2 versions of this file in your folder?

From the screenshot Notepad appears to be open a file without the .txt extension and the program is opening a file with the .txt extension.

Do you perhaps have 2 versions of this file in your folder?

Yes, TESTFILE-DSNAMEis a variablble with the full path address of the file, which is:

"D:\\PROJCOBOL\\WORKAREA\\NEW PROJ 2020\\TESTDATAJAN2021\\
- "TERMNOTEPADHAND.TXT".

Today I made another test:

 1- Created a new Solution (Cobol, native)

 2- I copied into the new program the code for testing

 3- Result: File Status ok, File's path(Dsname) ok, but the displayed data is still the "ghost one"; not

from the Input file.

As I am new at this Forum, can I attach photos of my program and results?

Sorry was behind in the post.  So in looking at the full program, that program did not produce the output you attached.  The program you attached does a stop 666 after each read and then does a goback so at most it will read and display one record.  Perhaps upload the actual COBOL code to and the actual datafile to this thread.  

The other things, if at all possible can you move the datafile to a directory structure without spaces in the name. change your code and see if that helps.

Last question, was the input file created by another program or did you manually create it?

99% sure It's the spaces in the directory name that are killing you.  See if there isn't a file called NEW in the directory D:\\PROJCOBOL\\WORKAREA\\ and if it doesn't match the displays

SteveW2:

As I mention in my last Post, you were right regarding spaced Dir names:  the problem was fixed not using multi-word Dir names. Here attach copy of my Cobol test program, the file used for testing, and the  images of the output displays with blank-spaced and non-blank spaced Dir names. Still Unresolved the origin of the Ghost file data. I used Comment line to switch file's path.

                          REGARDS

-------

IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. FILETEST1.
ENVIRONMENT DIVISION.
INPUT-OUTPUT SECTION.
FILE-CONTROL.
SELECT TEST-FILE3 ASSIGN TO TESTFILE-DSNAME
ORGANIZATION LINE SEQUENTIAL  ACCESS MODE IS SEQUENTIAL
FILE STATUS IS FILE1-STATUS.

DATA DIVISION.
FILE SECTION.
FD TEST-FILE3 RECORD VARYING FROM 1 TO 500
DEPENDING ON WS-CURRENT-RECL.

01 ZAP005D1-REC.
02 TERM1-REC PIC X(458).
02 TERM2-REC PIC 9(2).

WORKING-STORAGE SECTION.
77 WS-CURRENT-RECL PIC 9(4) COMP VALUE 0.
01 FILE1-STATUS.
05 FILE1A-STATUS PIC X.
05 FILE1B-STATUS PIC X.

**** FILE' FULL PATH *********************************

01 TESTFILE-DSNAME PIC X(80) VALUE

***** "D:\\PROJCOBOL\\WORKAREA\\NEW PROJ 2020\\TERMNOTEPADHAND.TXT". *>FAIL
"D:\\PROJCOBOL\\WORKAREA\\NEWPROJ2020\\TERMNOTEPADHAND.TXT".  *> OK

PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY " "
DISPLAY "***INPUT FILE FULL PATH.->" TESTFILE-DSNAME
OPEN INPUT TEST-FILE3
DISPLAY "OPENING.FILE STATUS->" FILE1A-STATUS  "/"  FILE1B-STATUS

IF FILE1-STATUS NOT = ZERO
     DISPLAY "..ERROR OPENING.FILE STATUS->" FILE1-STATUS
    GOBACK
END-IF
****

PERFORM 5 TIMES
READ TEST-FILE3

         AT END DISPLAY "..END OF TESTFILE1"
                STOP 999
             GOBACK
        NOT AT END
                 DISPLAY  "/RECORD->"  ZAP005D1-REC(1:WS-CURRENT-RECL)
                "/RECL->" WS-CURRENT-RECL  "/FS AFTER READ->"   FILE1-STATUS
 END-READ

END-PERFORM

CLOSE TEST-FILE3

STOP 888
GOBACK.

END PROGRAM FILETEST1.

How was the input file originally created? Was they a program that wrote it out?  In this directory D:\\PROJCOBOL\\WORKAREA, is there a file called NEW?  If so when you edit it, does it match the ghost data?  I'm guessing it does.

SteveW2:

Yes, I found the Workarea/NEW file and it corresponds to the "ghost" data; fine, we finally know its origin. I think it's a file (of Var len) I created from a Cob program where I didn't append the file type. Well now remains: what's the link to my program? Anyway, it's a good help of yours, One comment: How to close the case with the finding?

It is possible to use spacey file-names. You just need to enclose the entire file-name within quotes itself.

Example: