The compiler needs to give a name to each XFD file that is built. It attempts to build the name from your COBOL code, although there are some instances where the name in the code is nonspecific, and you must provide a name.
Each XFD name is built from a starting name that is derived (if possible) from the SELECT statement in your COBOL code. The following table explains how that occurs.
| ASSIGN name is a variable | If the SELECT for the XFD file has a variable ASSIGN name (ASSIGN TO filename), you must specify a starting name for the .xfd file via a FILE XFD directive in your code. This process is described in the chapter Using XFD Directives |
| ASSIGN name is a constant | If the SELECT for the XFD file has a constant ASSIGN name (such as ASSIGN TO COMPFILE), that name is used as the starting name for the .xfd file name |
| ASSIGN name is generic | If the ASSIGN phrase refers to a generic device (such as ASSIGN TO DISK), the compiler uses the SELECT name as the starting name for the XFD |