A free-format device keyword - DISK, PRINTER or WORKSTN - may carry a
parameter, and there are exactly two things it can be:
| Written | Meaning |
|---|---|
DISK(*EXT) |
Externally described. Identical to writing DISK alone, or omitting the device keyword entirely. |
DISK(80) |
Program described, with that record length. |
**FREE
dcl-f CUSTMAST disk(*EXT); // the default, stated explicitly
dcl-f FLATFILE disk(80) usage(*input); // program described, 80-byte records
dcl-f QPRINT printer(132); // program described print line
dcl-f MYSCREEN workstn(*EXT);
A record length must be from 1 to 32766; outside that range it is rejected as
TRN2152. Any other
parameter - a *-word that is not *EXT, for instance - is rejected as
TRN2151.
A fixed-format F-spec has no equivalent spelling: it states the same two facts in the format column (22) and the record-length columns (23 - 27). The 1 - 32766 range applies there too.