CHAPTER 6: Manual Pages

Closes all tables and de-allocate all existing mf-related variables. This procedure is intended for use on terminating a program due to an error condition or at rapped interrupt.

subroutine mfacls

call mfacls

Indiscriminate use of this procedure defeats all the built-in error checking mechanisms of the mf routines.

Inserts a record into a given table. The record should have been constructed using mfptvs, mfptvi and mfput.

logical function		mfadd(table)

character*(*)			table

flag = mfadd (table)

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE.if unsuccessful.

The table must be opened in deferred or update mode or the add will fail.

Executes a Query Language command for the named database from a Fortran program.

integer*4 function	mfcall (database,command)

character(*)*   database,command

code = mfcall (database, command)

The exit status of the command; 0 indicates the command was successful and any other value indicates failure.

Checks whether a particular attribute is in an opened table.

logical function		mfchka(attribute)

character*(*)			attribute

flag = mfchka (attribute)

.TRUE. if the attribute exists;.FALSE. if it does not.

Cleans up after mf routines.

subroutine mfcln

call mfcln

None.

Closes a table after all operations have been performed on it.

subroutine			mfclos (table)

character*(*)		table

call mfclos (table)

None.

Finds whether a constant is equal to, less than, or greater than an attribute value.

integer*4 function mfcomp (attribute, value)
character*(*)   attribute, value

result = mfcomp (attribute, value)

0 if the constant is equal to the attribute value, 1 if the attribute value is greater than the constant, and -1 if the attribute value is less than the constant.

Copies the internal representation of an attribute value to a variable.

logical function mfcpi (attribute, variable)

character*(*) attribute

ANYTYPE    variable

flag = mfcpi (attribute, variable)

.TRUE. if value is not NULL, .FALSE. otherwise.

Using this routine results in non-portable code.

Deletes a record from a table.

logical function mfdel (table)

character*(*)  table

flag = mfdel (table)

.TRUE. if successful, .FALSE. if unsuccessful.

The record to be deleted must first have been specified in a call to mfgetb and then retrieved by a successful call to mfget.

Prevents the normal failures from terminating the calling program.

subroutine mferrt (value)

integer*4  value

call mferrt (value)

The msfer.h header file must be used instead of msf.h.

Retrieves the next record from a table. Successive calls attempt to retrieve different records.

integer*4 function mfget

flag = mfget

mfgetb must be called once before any calls to mfget are made. mfgete must be called after one or more calls to mfget to do cleaning up.

Initializes a retrieval from one or more tables.

logical function mfgetb (table_1, [ ...table_n], '\0')

character*(*)  table_1,... table_n

flag = mfgetb (table_1, table_2, ... table_n, '\0')

.TRUE. if successful, .FALSE. if unsuccessful.

Nested calls to mfgetb must be set up carefully. Possible problems are explained fully in Chapter 4.

Cleans up after retrieving records from a table.

subroutine  mfgete

call mfgete

None.

Failure to call mfgete after retrieving records may affect future record retrievals. Possible problems are explained fully in Chapter 4.

Retrieves the value (external representation) of an attribute from a record into a variable.

integer*4 function mfgetv (variable, length, attribute)

integer*4    length

character*(*)   variable, attribute

vlen = mfgetv (variable, length, attribute)

It will be necessary to call mfgetv again with a longer variable to retrieve the full value.

Retrieves the value of an attribute from a record as an integer.

integer*4 function mfgtvi (attribute)

character*(*)   variable, attribute

value = mfgtvi (attribute)

The calling program will be terminated if the attribute value cannot be converted to an integer.

Finds the name of an attribute given its number in a table.

integer*4 function mfigta (variable, length, table, number)

integer*4    length, number

character*(*)   variable, table

vlen = mfigta (variable ,length, table, number)

The length of the attribute name (0 if there is no attribute of that number in the table).

If vlen is greater than length, only part of the attribute name will have been retrieved. It will be necessary to call mfigta again with a longer variable to retrieve the full name.

Initializes for mf routines.

subroutine mfinit

call mfinit

None.

Opens and locks a table for use with the Empress Database Manipulation Language Interface (mf routines).

logical function mfopen (directory, table, mode)

character*(*)  directory, table, mode

flag = mfopen (directory, table, mode)

.TRUE. if successful, .FALSE.if unsuccessful.

If mfopen is unsuccessful, the program calling is terminated.

It is not recommended to specify the current directory when calling mfopen (i.e., run applications in the database directory), due to the danger of damaging the files in the database when new files are created.

If read mode is specified and the user has no read permission on the table, or if update mode is specified and the user has no read and write permission on the table, mfopen will fail.

Find the error code set by failure of one of the other mf routines.

integer*4 function mfoper

code = mfoper

Integer Error Codes

Retrieves the previous record from a table. Successive calls attempt to retrieve different records.

integer*4 function mfprev

flag = mfprev

mfgetb must be called once before any calls to mfprev are made. mfgete must be called after one or more calls to mfprev to do cleaning up.

Print an error message depending on a previous error;
terminate the calling program.

subroutine  mfprte

call mfprte

Assigns an integer value to a given attribute in a record.

logical function mfptvi (attribute, value)

character*(*) attribute

integer*4 value

flag = mfptvi (attribute, value)

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if unable to assign the value to the attribute.

Assigns an external format value to a given attribute in a record.

logical function mfptvs (attribute, value)

character*(*)  attribute, value

flag = mfptvs (attribute, value)

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if unable to assign the value to the attribute.

Updates a record.

logical function mfput (table)

character*(*)  table

flag = mfput (table)

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if unsuccessful.

The record to be replaced must be first obtained by calls to mfgetb and mfget, otherwise mfput will fail.

Assigns a value (internal representation) to a given attribute in a record.

logical function mfputi (attribute, variable)

character*(*)  attribute

anytype    variable

flag = mfputi (attribute, variable)

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if unable to assign the value to the attribute.

The use of this routine results in non-portable code. The variable type must be compatible with the Empress internal representation of the attribute in question, or a conversion error will result.

Performs an AND operation on the top two values of the stack holding qualifications created by calls to the mfq routines.

subroutine  mfqand

call mfqand

There must be at least two qualifications on the stack, or mfqand will fail.

Compares an attribute value to another attribute value and stores result on a stack.

logical function mfqatr (operator, attribute_1, attribute_2)

character*(*)  attribute_1, attribute_2

character*(*)  operator

flag = mfqatr (operator, attribute_1, attribute_2)

The two attributes compared must be compatible.

Compares an attribute value to a constant and stores the result on a stack.

logical function mfqc (operator, attribute, value)

character*(*)  attribute, value

character*(*)  operator

flag = mfqc (operator, attribute, value)

A "Conversion Error" message will be printed if the attribute and value are not compatible.

Compares an attribute value to a constant in internal representation and stores the result on a stack.

logical function mfqci (operator, attribute, variable)

character*(*)  attribute, operator

ANYTYPE    variable

flag = mfqci (operator, attribute, variable)

Using this routine results in non-portable code. A "Conversion Error" message will be printed if the attribute and value are not compatible.

Compares an attribute value to an integer using an "equals" operator and stores the result on a stack.

subroutine   mfqieq ( attribute, variable)

character*(*)  attribute

integer*4   variable

call mfqieq (attribute, variable)

If the attribute and value are not compatible, the calling program is terminated and a "Conversion Error" message printed.

Compares an attribute value to a pattern, and stores the result on a stack.

logical function mfqmch (operator, attribute, pattern)

character*(*)  operator, attribute, pattern

flag = mfqmch ( operator, attribute, pattern)

Reverses the sense of (negate) the top qualification on the stack holding qualifications created by the mfq routines.

subroutine  mfqnot

call mfqnot

There must be at least one qualification on the stack or mfnot will fail.

Compares an attribute value to NULL, and store the result on a stack.

logical function mfqnul (operator, attribute)

character*(*)  operator, attribute

flag = mfqnul (operator, attribute)

Performs an OR operation on the top two elements of the stack holding qualifications created by the mfq routines.

subroutine   mfqor

call mfqor

There must be at least two qualifications on the stack or mfqor will fail.

Compares an attribute value to a given range of values.

logical function mfqrg (attribute, lower_value,
           indicator upper_value, indicator)

character*(*)  attribute, lower_value, upper_value

character*(*)  indicator

flag = mfqrg (attribute, lower, indicator, upper, indicator)

Compares an attribute value to a given range of values.

logical function mfqrgi (attribute, lower, indicator,
            upper, indicator)

character*(*)  attribute, indicator

ANYTYPE   upper, lower

flag = mfqrgi (attribute, lower, indicator, upper, indicator)

Using this routine results in non-portable code.

Compares an attribute value to a character string using an "equals" operator.

subroutine   mfqseq (attribute, value)

character*(*)attribute, value

call mfqseq (attribute, string)

If the string and the attribute are incompatible, the calling program is terminated and a "Conversion Error" message printed.

Attempts to retrieve the next record from a table. Successive calls attempt to retrieve the same record.

integer*4 function  mfrget

flag = mfrget

1 if successful; 0 on end of file; and -1 if the record is locked.

mfgetb must be called once before any calls to mfrget are made. mfgete must be called after one or more calls to mfrget (or mfget) to do cleaning up.

Attempts to retrieve the previous record from a table. Successive calls attempt to retrieve the same record.

integer*4 function  mfrprv

flag = mfrprv

1 if successful; 0 on end of file; and -1 if the record is locked.

mfgetb must be called once before any calls to mfrprv are made. mfgete must be called after one or more calls to mfrprv (or mfprev) to do cleaning up.

Assigns a NULL value to all attributes in a record.

subroutine  mfsetn (table)

character*(*)  table

call mfsetn (table)

None.

Associates a given qualification with one or more records, and indicates how retrieved values should be sorted.

logical function mfsrtb (indicator, table_1,
     [... table_n], '\0', attribute, type,
     [attribute, type, ...] '\0')

character*(*)  indicator, table_1, ... table_n, type,
     attribute

flag = mfsrtb (table_1, table_2, ... table_n, '\0',
       attribute_1, type, attribute_2, type,..., '\0')

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if not all appropriate records could be accessed.

Nested calls to mfsrtb must be set up carefully.Possible problems are explained fully in Chapter 4.

Cleans up after mf routines and stops the program.

subroutine  mfstop

call mfstop

None.

Commits a transaction; returns the database to its pre-transaction state.

logical function mftrcm

flag = mftrcm

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if not.

Cancels a transaction; returns the database to its pre-transaction state.

logical function mftrcn

flag = mftrcn

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE.if not.

Starts a transaction.

logical function mftrst

flag = mftrst

.TRUE. if successful; .FALSE. if not. Failure usually means a transaction is already in progress.