The PON command sends subsequent data output that appears in the DCL window to the specified file. Output continues to go into the file until you do a POFF
, which terminates the PON and closes the output file.
Options:
A -Append output to existing file rather than overstore
F -Close and reOpen the output file with each line written
X -Suppress the command response
Y -Do not alter the command answer cells
Notes:
The filename can be a full path filename. If the filename does not already exist, it is created automatically. If the file did already exist, and you do not employ the A option, then the former content of the file is written over by the new output.
Once the PON has occurred, then all subsequent output that goes into the DCL window also goes into the named file. This process continues until you issue a POFF
to stop it and close the output file.
An output file is not available to be used (such as sending it to a printer, or loading it into a data base, or any other thing) until after it has been closed.
See the description of the CAT
command for one example of how PON might be used. See the description of the LIST
command for another. Also see the PAGESPEC
command description.
The purpose for the F option is as follows: Suppose you have a procedure that is blowing up (such that when the error happens Thunderbolt aborts and control goes back to the desktop). So you would like to turn on the trace (either with MODE TRACE ON or selecting "Trace" under the Options Menu),
do a PON, run the procedure, and then after the blowup, print the resulting file to see where you were when it blew. The problem is this won't work because it never went through the POFF so the file was never closed. By using the F option you cause the file to close after each line of output so that the file is there and available to you after the blowup. You would only want to use the F option (PON/F) for this extreme case (tracking a blowup) as closing and reopening a file with each line of output is terribly inefficient.
