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From: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: Appending to files. (pc-dos, ms-dos)
Message-ID: <908@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Dec-85 11:02:17 EST
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.908
Posted: Fri Dec 13 11:02:17 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Dec-85 00:25:39 EST
References: <900@ecsvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: dgary@ecsvax.UUCP (D Gary Grady)
Distribution: net
Organization: Duke U Comp Ctr
Lines: 28
Keywords: EOF
Summary: Dealing with ^Z in the middle of a file

In article <900@ecsvax.UUCP> hes@ecsvax.UUCP (Henry Schaffer) writes:
>
>   type test >  test2
>   type test >> test2
>
>test2 ends up the correct size (in the dir listing), but type test2
>only gives *one* copy of test.  A quick list using debug shows that
>appending leaves the end-of-file-marker (^Z, hex 1A) in place and
>appends after it.  So "type" stops at the first EOF and doesn't ever
>show the second copy of "test".

The practice of marking end-of-file with a ^Z is a #$%^& "feature" of
DOS that comes from CP/M, where no directory information was kept on
the true length of a file in bytes.  Since DOS *does* keep the actual
length, it serves no useful purpose to use ^Z.  In fact, almost all
programs and DOS commands (including TYPE) are quite happy working with
files that lack a terminating ^Z.  So I blame Henry's problem not on >>
but on TYPE (for not ignoring ^Z) and mainly on his text editor, for
creating a ^Z to begin with.

I'd suggest he consider (1) checking his editor to see if the ^Z can be
turned off (as it can with PC-Write, for example), (2) modifying the
editor's object code to the same effect, or (3) using a better editor.
-- 
D Gary Grady
Duke U Comp Center, Durham, NC  27706
(919) 684-3695
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