Easytrieve PRINT Statement

Statement Format

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PRINT [report-name]

The syntax is deliberately tiny. PRINT takes one optional operand, report-name, which must match the name given on a REPORT statement. That simplicity is intentional: all the formatting complexity lives in the REPORT declaration, so PRINT only has to say which report to feed.

The Optional report-name

Whether you must name the report depends on how many reports your JOB activity defines. The rules are straightforward once you see them in a table.

A report-name follows Easytrieve naming rules: it can be up to 128 characters, must begin with a letter, digit, or national character (#, @, $), cannot be all numeric, and must be unique within the JOB activity. At least one report-name must appear on a PRINT statement so the report is actually requested.

A Minimal Report Program

The smallest useful example reads a file and prints one report. PRINT names the report, and the REPORT declaration below it supplies the title and the columns for each detail line.

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FILE PERSNL FB(150 1800)
  %PERSNL
JOB INPUT PERSNL NAME PRINT-RPT
  PRINT REPORT1
REPORT REPORT1
  TITLE 'PERSONNEL REPORT'
  LINE EMP# SSN EMPNAME

For every record read from PERSNL, the PRINT REPORT1 statement schedules a detail line. The report writer then produces a titled report where each line shows the employee number, social security number, and name. You never wrote any page-break, heading, or spacing code - the REPORT declaration and PRINT handled all of it.

How PRINT Produces Output (Deferred Formatting)

PRINT does not push characters to the printer the moment it runs. Report output is scheduled for deferred formatting and writing to the report's printer file, possibly after resequencing through an intermediate file. When a report needs a work file, executing PRINT outputs fixed-format records (spool records) containing every field the report requires - Easytrieve determines that layout automatically. After the JOB finishes reading records, the report subactivity sorts the work file if a SEQUENCE was requested, formats each line, inserts titles and headings, computes control-break totals, and writes the finished pages. Understanding this two-phase model explains why totals and sorted order appear correctly even though your logic processed records one at a time.

PRINT and Control Breaks

Reports become powerful when combined with a CONTROL statement, which lists the fields that drive subtotals. A control break occurs whenever a CONTROL field value changes or at end-of-report, and at each break the report writer prints accumulated totals for quantitative fields. Your PRINT statements simply feed records in; the break logic is automatic as long as the data is sequenced by the control fields.

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JOB INPUT FILE1 NAME MYPROG
  PRINT REPORT1
REPORT REPORT1 LINESIZE 65
  SEQUENCE STATE ZIP LAST-NAME
  CONTROL  STATE ZIP
  TITLE 'SALES BY STATE'
  LINE 01 LAST-NAME STATE ZIP PAY-NET

Here SEQUENCE orders the spool records by STATE, then ZIP, then LAST-NAME, and CONTROL declares STATE and ZIP as break levels. When STATE changes, the report prints a total for the previous state; ZIP works the same at a finer level. Options such as NEWPAGE, RENUM, and NOPRINT on CONTROL further tune how each break is presented.

Multiple Reports From One PRINT Pass

A single JOB activity can feed several reports. You code more than one REPORT declaration and issue a PRINT for each one you want the current record to contribute to. Because the first report may be unnamed but the rest must be named, giving every report an explicit name is the clearest habit. This lets one pass over the input produce, say, a detail report and a summary report simultaneously.

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JOB INPUT SALES NAME MULTI
  PRINT DETAIL-RPT
  IF REGION = 'WEST'
     PRINT WEST-RPT
  END-IF
REPORT DETAIL-RPT
  TITLE 'ALL SALES'
  LINE CUST SALES-AMT
REPORT WEST-RPT
  TITLE 'WEST REGION SALES'
  LINE CUST SALES-AMT

Every record goes to DETAIL-RPT, but only western records also go to WEST-RPT. Conditional PRINT statements are the normal way to route records to the reports they belong in.

PRINT Versus DISPLAY

Both statements produce printed output, but they serve opposite purposes. PRINT is for the formatted report and defers writing so the report writer can do its work. DISPLAY is for a single raw line written immediately, with no report definition involved. If you want titles, columns, page numbers, and totals, use PRINT with a REPORT. If you want a quick operator message, a running total during processing, or a debugging trace, use DISPLAY.

Common PRINT Mistakes

• Expecting output the instant PRINT runs - formatting is deferred until the report subactivity.
• Omitting report-name when the JOB has multiple reports, so the wrong report receives the record.
• Forgetting SEQUENCE, so CONTROL breaks fire on unsorted data and totals split incorrectly.
• Using PRINT for a quick message that really belongs in a DISPLAY.
• Defining a REPORT but never issuing a PRINT for it, producing an empty report.
• Assuming S-type working storage fields appear on the work file - they do not.

Explain It Like I'm Five

PRINT is like dropping a filled-in form into a special box. You do not see the report yet - the box just collects one form each time you drop one in. At the end of the day a helper (the report writer) takes all the forms, puts them in order, adds a nice title at the top, numbers the pages, adds up the totals, and hands you a neat booklet. DISPLAY is different: DISPLAY is like writing a sticky note and slapping it on the wall right away. Use the box (PRINT) for the neat booklet, and the sticky note (DISPLAY) for a quick reminder.

Exercises

1. Write a JOB that reads a file and issues PRINT for a single named report with a title and one LINE.
2. Add a SEQUENCE and CONTROL so the report totals by a field of your choice.
3. Route records conditionally to two reports using two PRINT statements.
4. Explain in one sentence why PRINT output is deferred rather than immediate.
5. Decide whether a running record count during processing should use PRINT or DISPLAY, and say why.