File Definition Item

A file definition item, located in an account's MD, defines the location and characteristics of a file. It points to the file dictionary, giving system information in attribute 2, which specifies the location of the file in the host system, and file creation parameters in attribute 3. It also defines retrieval and update lock codes in attributes 5 and 6, and English formatting characteristics in attributes 7 to 10.

Item Format

Item-id	Filename
001	D {L\|\|R} {C} {T} {X\|Y} where: D Marks a Definition Item. L Specifies that the file is to be logged by Transaction Logging. This is the default setting when a file is created. R Specifies that the file is not logged by Transaction Logging, but that its data will be recovered during the automatic recovery of a database configured for Rapid Recovery. C Specifies that the dictionary or file contains or has contained compiled DataBasic programs. Added when you compile a program. T Specifies that the file does not take part in transactions. As a result, if a transaction is aborted, the changes will not be rolled back. It is recommended that this code is used for application log files. X Specifies that the file will be excluded from logical saves. Y Specifies that the SAVE command will save only D-pointers (data level descriptors). When restored the file will be empty. Notes: For more information on the logging status of files, refer to the description of the TL-SET-LOG-STATUS command. The O option to the SAVE command overrides the X and Y codes. If X and Y are both specified, the file will always be excluded from logical saves; this cannot be overridden.
002	On a Partition Database: `start`, `modulo`, `id` where: `start` is the logical block number of the start of file dictionary. `modulo` is the modulo of the file dictionary. `id` is the reuse identifier. OR, on a Filestore Database: The UNIX path name of the file dictionary. OR, for a file on a Foreign Database: `n`;`TableName` where: `n` is a number indicating which version of the access method created the file. `TableName` is the name of the SQL table on the foreign database created to hold this Reality file.
003	For a file on the Local Database: File creation parameters - `Filetype` (B2) `modulo`, 1 (for example, `B2 7,1`). OR, for a file on a Foreign Database: F`n DSN`, {`Userid`}, {`Passwd`} where: F indicates the foreign database access method. `n` is a number indicating the level of the file in the Reality file system: 2 for a dictionary. `DSN` is the ODBC Data Source Name for the foreign database. The Data Source Name may itself include a user-id and password. For information on how to set up Data Source Names, refer to the documentation for the ODBC installation on your system. `Userid` is the user-id for connecting to the foreign database. `Passwd` is the password associated with `Userid` (encrypted).
004	File trigger information. This is a subvalued list of trigger subroutine names in the order PRE-WRITE, POST-WRITE, PRE-DELETE, POST-DELETE.
005	Optional. Retrieval lock code(s).
006	Optional. Update lock code(s).
007	Optional. Conversion codes for English to display item-ids.
008	Optional V (sublist) code for English.
009	Mandatory. Contains a code specifying the type of alignment to be used by English. Must be one of the following: L Left aligned. R Right aligned. T Text aligned. Text wraps at word boundaries. U Unlimited. Note: For more details, refer to the topic Data Definition Item.
010	Maximum width of item-id column. Defaults to 10 when the file dictionary is created.
011	Not used and reserved.
012	Null.
013	Optional. Reallocation parameters. At the next restore from a FILE-SAVE, the file dictionary is allocated the new modulo and separation parameters specified here. The format of this specification is (`modulo`,`separation`), where `modulo` is the new modulo expressed as a decimal integer (`separation` is always 1 on the current version of Reality).
014 - 020	Reserved.