Returns information about specified properties of a file or of a
logical unit on which a file might be opened. The unit need not
exist, nor need it be connected to a file. If the unit is
connected to a file, the inquiry encompasses both the connection
and the file. Statement format:
Inquiring by File:
INQUIRE (FILE=fi [,ERR=lbl][,IOSTAT=ivar][,DEFAULTFILE=def], flist)
Inquiring by Unit:
INQUIRE ([UNIT=]u [,ERR=lbl][,IOSTAT=ivar], flist)
Inquiring by Output List:
INQUIRE (IOLENGTH=len) olist
fi Is a scalar default character expression
specifying the name of the file for inquiry.
lbl Is the label of the branch target statement
that receives control if an error occurs.
var Is a scalar integer variable that is defined
as a positive integer if an error occurs and
zero if no error occurs.
def Is a scalar default character expression specifying
a default file pathname (or file specification) string.
flist Is one or more inquiry specifiers. Each specifier
can appear only once. Information about the
individual specifiers is available under the
subtopic headings listed at the end of this Help
topic.
u Is an integer variable or constant specifying the
logical unit number of the file, optionally prefaced
by UNIT=. UNIT= is required if unit is not the
first I/O specifier. The unit does not have to
exist, nor does it need to be connected to a file.
If the unit is connected to a file, the inquiry
encompasses both the connection and the file.
len Is a scalar integer variable indicating
the number of bytes of data that would result from
using "olist" in an unformatted output statement.
olist Is a list of one or more output items.
FILE=fi, UNIT=u, ERR=lbl, and IOSTAT=var can appear anywhere within
the parentheses following INQUIRE. However, if the UNIT keyword is
omitted, the unit specifier ("u") must be the first parameter in
the list.
An INQUIRE statement may be executed before, during, or after the
connection of a file to a unit. The values assigned by the
statement are those that are current when the INQUIRE statement
executes.
To get file characteristics, specify the INQUIRE statement after
opening the file. (File characteristics are stored in the file
header.)
Additional Information:
explode
extract