Invokes the National Character Set (NCS) utility to provide a
convenient method of implementing alternative (non-ASCII) string
collating sequences, typically using subsets of the Multinational
Character Set (MCS). NCS also facilitates the implementation of
string conversion functions.
Format:
NCS input-file-spec[,...]
1 – Parameter
input-file-spec[,...] Specifies an NCS file in the NCS library. Typically, the file contains the appropriate definitions for implementing a collating sequence or conversion function. The default file extension is NCS.
2 – Command Qualifiers
2.1 /BEFORE
/BEFORE[=time] By default, all definitions in the NCS library are listed when you use the /LIST qualifier. However, you can used the /BEFORE qualifier to list only definitions created before the specified time. You may specify an absolute time or a combination of absolute and delta time. If you use the /BEFORE qualifier without specifying the time, the output list will include all definitions in the library created before today.
2.2 /COMPRESS
/COMPRESS[=(option[,...])] Effectively recovers disk space previously occupied by definitions that have been deleted from the library by creating a new compressed version of the library. If you do not explicitly specify an input library file using the /LIBRARY qualifier, NCS compresses the current version of SYS$LIBRARY:NCS$LIBRARY.NLB. If you do not explicitly specify an output library file using the /OUTPUT qualifier, NCS writes the compressed library to SYS$LIBRARY:NCS$LIBRARY.NLB. Options include BLOCKS:n, HISTORY:n, KEEP, KEYSIZE:n, MODULES:n.
2.3 /CREATE
/CREATE[=(file-spec[,...])]
2.4 /CREATE
/CREATE[=(option[,...])] Use this qualifer to create a NCS library. If you do not use the /LIBRARY qualifier to specify the new library, NCS creates a new version of SYS$LIBRARY:NCS$LIBRARY.NLB. If you want to populate the new file from an existing definitions file, enter the specifications for source definitions files as the command parameter. For example: $ NCS/CREATE/LIBRARY=DISK1:[JONES]MY_LIB.NLB MY_DEFS.NCS This command will create MY_LIB.NLB in the user-specified directory and will populate it with definitions from MY_DEFS.NCS in the users default directory. Options include BLOCKS:n, HISTORY:n, KEYSIZE:n and MODULES:n.
2.5 /DATA
/DATA=option This qualifier gives you additional capabilities for obtaining disk space efficiency. Note that you must specify an option with this qualifier, either the REDUCE option or the EXPAND option. Note too, that NCS does an implicit compression (recovers unused space from previously deleted files) on the library, whether you are converting the library to reduced form or to expanded form. If your NCS library is in standard (non-reduced) form, use this qualifier with the REDUCE option to create a new reduced version of the library. If you do not use the /LIBRARY qualifier to specify a library, NCS creates a new reduced version of NCS$LIBRARY.NLB in SYS$LIBRARY. Note that access to libraries in reduced format is generally slower. If your NCS library is in reduced form, use this qualifier with the EXPAND option to create a new expanded (standard) version of the library. If you do not use the /LIBRARY qualifier to specify a library, NCS creates a new, expanded version of NCS$LIBRARY.NLB in SYS$LIBRARY. Note that access to libraries in expanded (standard) format is generally faster. NCS provides no default values for this qualifier. You must select one of the two options.
2.6 /DELETE
/DELETE=collating-sequence-name[,...] /DELETE=conversion-function-name[,...] Use this qualifier to delete the specified definition file from the NCS library. If you specify several definitions, separate the definition names with commas, and enclose the list in parentheses.
2.7 /EXTRACT
/EXTRACT=collating-sequence-name[,...] /EXTRACT=conversion-function-name[,...] Use this qualifier in conjunction with the /MACRO qualifier and/or the /OUTPUT qualifier to retrieve one or more definitions from an NCS library and to specify the definition destination. If you specify several definitions, separate the definition names with commas, and enclose the list in parentheses. You may use wildcard characters to specify definition modules.
2.8 /FORMAT
/FORMAT=option When you specify a MACRO output file with the /MACRO qualifier, use this qualifier to specify the appropriate Macro-32 file format. You may select one of two format options, either NCS (the default) or 256. If you select NCS, NCS formats the collating sequence and/or string conversion tables for use by the NCS routines. If you select 256, NCS formats the the collating sequence and/or string conversion tables as 256-byte tables that can be used by the run-time library routine LIB$MOVTC.
2.9 /FULL
/FULL Use this qualifier with the /LIST qualifier to get a listing that includes the date and time that each module was inserted into the specified NCS library.
2.10 /HISTORY
/HISTORY
Use this qualifier with the /LIST qualifier to list the update
history record headers for the NCS library in the following format:
username operation n modules on dd-mmm-yyy hh:mm:ss
The operation may be a replacement, insertion, or deletion of
definition modules. For example, a history record header might
state:
JONES deleted 6 modules on 23-JAN-1987 16:00:00
If you include the /FULL qualifier together with the /HISTORY and
/LIST qualifiers, NCS lists the history record headers for each
update.
2.11 /INSERT
/INSERT Use this qualifier to add one or more definition modules to an NCS library. If the input file(s) contains more than one definition, NCS creates a separate entry in the library for each. Before NCS inserts a definition into an existing NCS library, it verifies that the library does not already contain a definition module having the same name. If NCS finds a definition module with the same name, it does not add the new definition module to the library but it does issue an appropriate error message.
2.12 /LIBRARY
/LIBRARY[=file-spec] By default, NCS assumes all library operations are directed at SYS$LIBRARY:NCS$LIBRARY.NLB; that is, NCS assumes a default file type of NLB and a default directory of SYS$LIBRARY. However, you can use the /LIBRARY qualifier to override the default when you want to work in a different NCS library.
2.13 /LIST
/LIST[=file-spec] /NOLIST (default) By default, you do not get a listing of the definition modules in an NCS library. However, you may use this qualifier to explicitly specify whether or not you want a list of the NCS library contents, and where you want the list written. If you use the /LIST qualifier but omit the file specification, NCS writes the listing to SYS$OUTPUT. If you include a file specification, but omit the file type, NCS assigns a file type of LIS and then writes the listing to the specified file. You are not permitted to use wild card characters in specifying the destination file. Note that when you use the /LIST qualifier in conjunction with qualifiers that change the library contents, such as /DELETE, the listing is written after the changes are made. Therefore, if you delete definition FOO and simultaneously request a listing, the listing will not include the FOO definition.
2.14 /LOG
/LOG
/NOLOG
Use this qualifier to have NCS verify a library operation. For
example, if you specify the /LOG qualifier when you delete the
definition module FOO, NCS displays a message like this:
%NCS-S-DELETED, module FOO deleted
2.15 /MACRO
/MACRO=file-spec Use this qualifier with the /EXTRACT qualifier to retrieve a definition file module from the NCS library and copy it to the specified VAX MACRO file which may then be assembled and linked with an application program. Note that each definition bears a global label that reflects the name of the collating sequence or conversion function, and that you can use to pass the address of the definition to a NCS action routine. You are not permitted to used wild card characters in specifying the destination file.
2.16 /ONLY
/ONLY=(definition-module-name[,...]) Use this qualifier with the /LIST qualifier to specify which definition modules in the NCS library are to be listed. If you specify more than one definition module, separate the definition module names with commas, and enclose the list in parentheses. You may use wild card characters to specify the definition modules.
2.17 /OUTPUT
/OUTPUT[=output-file-spec] This qualifier may be used with either the /EXTRACT qualifier or with the /COMPRESS qualifier to specify the output destination. Use /OUTPUT with the /EXTRACT qualifier to specify a destination file for the source definitions extracted from an NCS library. If you omit the file type when you use the /OUTPUT qualifier with the /EXTRACT qualifier, NCS assigns the destination file a NCS extension. Note that the new source file is not the same as the source file used to originally create the definition. The NCS utility does not store the original source file, only the resultant definition. Use /OUTPUT with /COMPRESS qualifier to specify a destination library file for the compressed library. If you do not use the /OUTPUT qualifier with the /COMPRESS qualifier, NCS puts the compressed library in a new version of the default NCS library. If you omit the file type when you use the /OUTPUT qualifier with the /COMPRESS qualifier, NCS assigns the destination file a NLB extension.
2.18 /REPLACE
/REPLACE This is the default library operation if you do not explicitly specify a qualifier. Use this qualifier to have NCS replace one or more library modules with definitions from the source input file. If a replacement module in the source input file does not have a corresponding module in the library, the LIBRARY command inserts, rather than replaces, the new module in the library.
2.19 /SINCE
/SINCE[=time] Use this qualifier with the /LIST qualifier to list only modules inserted into the library after the specified time. You can specify an absolute time or a combination of absolute and delta times. For details on specifying times, see the DCL Dictionary. If you omit the /SINCE qualifier, NCS lists all the modules in the library. regardless of date. If you specify /SINCE without a date or time, NCS lists only those modules inserted today.
3 – Examples
1. $ NCS/CREATE /LIBRARY=TESTLIB ERRMSG,STARTUP
The NCS command creates an NCS library named TESTLIB.NLB and
places the definitions from ERRMSG.NCS and STARTUP.NCS in the NCS
library.
2. $ NCS/INSERT /LIBRARY=TESTLIB SCANLINE
The NCS command adds the definitions from SCANLINE.NCS to the NCS
library TESTLIB.NLB.
3. $ NCS/EXTRACT=(ALLOCATE,APPEND)/OUTPUT=MYHELP -
$_SYS$HELP:HELPLIB.NCS
The NCS command specifies that the definitions ALLOCATE and APPEND
be extracted from the NCS library HELPLIB.NLB and output to the
file MYHELP.NCS.