Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!decwrl!apple!amdahl!key!sjc From: sjc@key.COM (Steve Correll) Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran Subject: Re: record length for direct access files Message-ID: <2146@key.COM> Date: 25 Sep 90 18:10:44 GMT References: Organization: Key Computer Labs, Fremont, CA Lines: 33 In article , mccalpin@perelandra.cms.udel.edu (John D. McCalpin) writes: | Silicon Graphics revised the behavior of their Fortran compiler for | direct access files in release 3.2 of their O/S to define the record | length (RECL=NNN) in words rather than bytes. In explanation, the | release notes state: | | "The ANSI standard states that the specified record lengths | for unformatted direct access files must imply the number of | words." | | Since I have observed a variety of behaviors for this particular | issue, I decided to look it up in the new standard. | | From the Fortran-90 draft S8, version 112, section 9.3.4.5, discussing | the RECL= parameter to the OPEN statment: | | "If the file is being connected for unformatted input/output, | the length is measured in processor-dependent units." | | AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH! | | Is this in the current draft? The S8.115 (June 90) draft section 9.3.4.5 page 9-8 says "processor-dependent units". But so does the X3.9-1978 (Fortran 77) standard page 12-26. The folks at SGI should read more carefully. If the committee prefers not to define a construct which Fortran 77 left explicitly undefined, perhaps they could add a new RECSIZE= clause which is defined to use the same units as a new SIZEOF intrinsic, and put RECL= in their small typeface. They could still let the processor decide what those units are. -- sjc@key.com or ...{sun,pyramid}!pacbell!key!sjc Steve Correll