Easytrieve Statements by Functional Category

How to Navigate Categories

1. Identify your task phase—define data, read records, branch, format report, online screen.
2. Open the matching category table below.
3. Click statement name for deep tutorial when published.
4. Verify statement placement in Environment Library or Activity per program structure rules.
5. Cross-check terminator grammar on statement-specific page.

Environment and Program Control

Definition and Library

Definition statements describe shape of data before runtime logic executes. They belong in Library section—not inside IF blocks. FILE names the logical file and record layout prefix. DEFINE declares fields with type and offset. TABLE builds in-memory lookup structures. MACRO defines compile-time text substitution when your release supports it.

File I/O and Record Processing

I/O statements move records between datasets and program fields. OPEN prepares file. READ GET sequential or keyed access. WRITE PUT output. CLOSE releases. SELECT filters during report or sort. ACCESS opens database or extended file types on Plus installations. Job driver JOB INPUT ties loop to primary file.

Data Movement and Arithmetic

MOVE assigns field values. ADD increments accumulators—ADD A TO B distinct from assignment A = A + B style. PARSE splits delimited strings. DISPLAY writes diagnostics to SYSPRINT. Arithmetic also appears in assignment expressions with operators—see operators section for + - * / ** MOD.

Control Flow

Control flow steers which statements run. IF ELSE END-IF conditional blocks. DO END-DO and WHILE loops. CASE multi-way branch. GOTO LABEL transfer—use sparingly. END closes various blocks per preceding keyword context.

Reporting and Layout

Declarative report statements define output appearance. REPORT starts subactivity. TITLE heading lines. LINE detail columns. CONTROL break field. SUM totals. PRINT in JOB selects records for named report. TOTAL may appear in report grammar per release.

Report Event PROCs

Report events are not always standalone top-level statements—they are PROC modules with reserved names the report writer invokes. AFTER-BREAK runs after control break processing. BEFORE-LINE runs before each detail line. See procedures tutorial for full event list and placement immediately after REPORT subactivity.

Modular Procedures and Calls

Sort and Screen Categories

SORT activity statements reorder files—see sort tutorials. SCREEN activity defines terminal layouts. BEFORE-SCREEN and AFTER-SCREEN event PROCs bracket display and input—mirror report event pattern for online transactions.

Category Versus Section Placement

Category tells what the statement does. Program section tells where it may appear. FILE is definition category but Library section only. PRINT is I/O and reporting category but Activity procedural logic. REPORT is reporting category but declarative block at JOB end. Compile errors often mean right category wrong section—move statement rather than rename it.

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* Definition (Library) → Activity (procedural) → Report (declarative)
FILE PAYROLL ...
DEFINE fields...
 
JOB INPUT PAYROLL
  IF GROSS GT 0
     ADD GROSS TO WS-TOTAL
     PRINT PAY-RPT
  END-IF
 
REPORT PAY-RPT
  TITLE 'PAYROLL'
  LINE EMP-NO GROSS

Explain It Like I'm Five

Categories are drawers in a tool chest. Hammer drawer has tools for hitting—ADD and MOVE. Ruler drawer has tools for measuring layout—LINE and TITLE. Door drawer has tools for going different ways—IF and GOTO. Alphabetical list is every tool sorted by name. Category list is tools sorted by what job they help you do.

Exercises

1. Classify FILE IF PRINT into category names from this page.
2. Name three report event PROCs and when each runs.
3. Explain difference between category view and section placement.
4. Pick control flow category and list four statements.
5. Sketch minimal program naming one statement from definition activity and report categories.