9.5.18 RECL Specifier

The RECL specifier asks the maximum record length for a file. It takes the following form:

RECL = rcl

rcl

Is an integer scalar memory reference whose value depends on the following conditions:

• If the file or unit is open, rcl is the maximum record length allowed in the file.

• If the file is not open, rcl is the maximum record length allowed in the file. However, if the maximum record length is zero, rcl is the length of the longest record in the file.

  For more information about files that have no maximum record size, see Section 9.6.22.

• If the file is segmented, rcl is the longest segment length in the file.

• If a specified file does not exist, rcl is zero.

The rcl value is expressed in longwords if a file is (or has been) opened for unformatted I/O, and in bytes in all other circumstances.