Micro Focus Visual COBOL 3.0 for Eclipse (Windows) > Programming > Data Access > Data Files > Data File Tools > Data File Editor > Using the Classic Record Layout Editor

Using the Classic Record Layout Editor

Restriction: The Classic Record Layout Editor is only available on Windows platforms. If you only require a default layout, on a UNIX platform, you can use the DFSTRCL command line utility to produce a structure file; alternatively, if you require a structure file with conditional layouts, you must create it using the Classic Record Layout Editor on Windows.

The Record Layout Editor within Classic Data File Tools is the editor that enables you to create structure files (.str files) for use within Data File Editor.

Structure files contain one or more record layouts. When you specify a structure file when opening a data file, you can use the record layouts to view and edit records in a structured way, which makes them easier to view and edit. A structure file is not mandatory; if a structure file is not applied, records are displayed unformatted, as long continuous strings of text.

Record layouts are derived from the Data Division (level-01 fields and below in the File Section and Working Storage Section) of a COBOL program that uses the data file, and are created using the .idy file from the compiled program.

There are two types of record layout that you can create:

Default record layout: You can define one default record layout for each structure file. When you open a data file with the structure file, each record is displayed using the default record layout unless the structure file also contains a conditional record layout and the record in question satisfies the criteria within the conditional record layout.
Conditional record layout: As well as a default record layout, you can create one or more conditional record layouts.; Conditional layouts contain conditions that you can attach to any non-group field within the layout. A condition is a true or false statement queried against the value of the field. If all conditions in the layout are true for a particular record, the record is displayed using that layout.

If the current structure file does not contain a default layout and a record does not satisfy any of the conditional layouts, it is displayed unformatted. If you edit the record so that it satisfies the conditions check of a conditional layout, the record is updated to display using the layout. Conversely, if you edit a record so that it no longer satisfies the conditions check, the record reverts to either using the default layout (if there is one) or is displayed unformatted.