Easytrieve AFTER-LINE

Detail Line Lifecycle

PRINT selects record. REPORT-INPUT may reject or modify. BEFORE-LINE adjusts fields or skips via SELECT inside PROC per grammar. LINE formats columns to report stream. AFTER-LINE executes post-print row logic. Control break events may interrupt sequence when CONTROL field changes—AFTER-LINE still per detail row within group. TERMINATION PROC once at report end.

AFTER-LINE PROC Example

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REPORT PAY-RPT
  TITLE 'PAYROLL DETAIL'
  LINE EMP-NO GROSS DEPT
 
AFTER-LINE. PROC
   ADD 1 TO DETAIL-SEQ
   IF WARN-FLAG EQ Y
      LINE WARN-MSG
   END-IF
END-PROC

DETAIL-SEQ increments every printed row—useful for audit FILE PUT mirroring sequence. WARN-MSG second LINE prints only when flag set—conditional supplemental row after main detail.

When to Use AFTER-LINE

• Row sequence counters for audit trail files.
• Conditional extra LINE rows trailing main detail.
• Reset per-row working flags before next record.
• Development DISPLAY replaced by comment before production.
• Accumulate statistics not handled by SUM on same field.

When Not to Use AFTER-LINE

• Filter records—use IF in JOB before PRINT or REPORT-INPUT PROC.
• Department subtotals—use CONTROL and SUM.
• Page titles—use TITLE statement.
• Heavy calculations on raw file data—use JOB before PRINT.

BEFORE-LINE and AFTER-LINE Pairing

BEFORE-LINE masks sensitive field before print—SSN partial hide. AFTER-LINE logs sequence after visible line printed. Order guarantees BEFORE runs before formatter sees data; AFTER runs when line already committed to spool—plan audit accordingly.

Interaction With LINE and LINESIZE

Extra LINE inside AFTER-LINE consumes vertical space toward page break—may trigger ENDPAGE sooner than static layout expects. LINESIZE width still applies—long WARN-MSG wraps. Count supplemental lines when estimating lines per page for ops printer setup.

Side Effects and Field Mutation

Changing fields in AFTER-LINE affects next record if not reset—clear WARN-FLAG each iteration in JOB or start of REPORT-INPUT. Mutating GROSS in AFTER-LINE does not change line already printed but may corrupt SUM if writer reads field again—avoid unless documented behavior understood.

Common AFTER-LINE Mistakes

• Filtering in AFTER-LINE instead of before PRINT.
• PERFORM AFTER-LINE manually from JOB.
• Missing END-PROC closing module.
• Report PROC placed after wrong REPORT in multi-report program.
• Unbounded extra LINE rows bloating spool volume.
• File GET inside PROC violating report context restrictions.

Explain It Like I'm Five

Each detail line is one row in your report table. AFTER-LINE is what you do right after finishing one row—like putting a check mark in your notebook counting how many rows you drew. BEFORE-LINE is what you do before drawing the row—like picking the right color crayon.

Exercises

1. Write AFTER-LINE PROC incrementing DETAIL-SEQ.
2. Explain why record filtering belongs before PRINT not AFTER-LINE.
3. Pair BEFORE-LINE mask with AFTER-LINE counter in pseudocode.
4. Describe placement relative to REPORT subactivity.
5. Contrast AFTER-LINE frequency with AFTER-BREAK frequency.