Table File Access

In order to create a new table four steps have to be carried out:

1.

The table  has to be initialized  (i.e. allocated) as a disk file;

2.

Each table column has to be defined by specifying its type, format, unit and associated label;

3.

The data can then be written into the corresponding columns and rows;

4.

The table has to be closed.

As for the creation of a new table, access to an existing table also involves four steps:

1.

The table has to be opened;

2.

The table column numbers corresponding to the given labels have to be found;

3.

The data can be read or written;

4.

Finally, the table has to be closed.