Conference orarep::nomahs::repository

Do they have CDD$TOP defined as a logical?  If so, what is its definition?
It certainly looks suspicious that the failures go away when CDD$TOP is not
used.

    
    I talked to the customer again.  He saind that they do not have a
    cdd$top logical.  Also he was experimenting and found that the 
    following worked:
    
       He redefined cdd$default to be
    
          $ define/sys/exec cdd$default _cdd$top.records
    
    instead of just "cdd$top.records" and then changed his copies that used 
    
          "cdd$top.records..."
    
    to be
        
          "cdd$compatibility.records..."
    
    then both the
    
           copy ... from dictionary
    
    and the
    
           copy cdd$compatibility.records...
    
    worked fine and the application compiles.  Does this sound like some
    strangeness with VMS 7.1?  This is the same repository and the
    same VMS logical definitions that he has on the VMS 6.2 system
    where everything works.
    
    --Gary

Here is a detailed explaination of the problem.  The bug # 462131 
references this note.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The applicaion uses DECforms and Rdb and CDD.

The applicaion works on these two systems:

   VAX:  OpenVMS 6.1, DECForms 2.0-5, CDD 5.3, RDB 6.1

   AXP:  OpenVMS 6.2, DECForms 2.1B, CDD 5.3, Rdb 6.1-0

It fails on this system:

   AXP:  OpenVMS 7.1, DECForms 2.1B, CDD 7.0, Rdb 6.1-1

      - it also failed on this system with CDD 5.3.

The DECForms code copies the forms from CDD using both:

         copy ... from dictionary

and also

         copy cdd$top.record. ...


On the system that fails, what happens is it successfully finds
the first form from CDD using the "copy ... from dictionary"
but fails to fine the rest of the forms giving this error:

       %FORMS-E-CDDEXTRACT, error extracting record ... from CDD/Plus

If he switches the order of the copies so that it copies what was
his second form first, then it copies this new first form and gets
the above error on the subsequent copies.  

He had 30+ copy statments using "copy ... from dictionary" so the
compile exceeded the error count and aborted before trying the
"copy cdd$top.record..."  copies, so he does not know if these
would have worked.

When this was failing, he had this definition:

    define/sys/exec cdd$default cdd$top.record

When he changed this to be

    define/sys/exec cdd$default sys$common:[cddpus]record

then all of the "copy ... from dictionary" succeeded on the compile.
And the first "copy cdd$top.record..." succeeded.  But the 
rest of the "copy cdd$top.record..." failed with this
%FORMS-E-CDDEXTRACT... error.

The system does not have a CDD$TOP logical defined.  Also, the repository
is a duplicate of the one on the Alpha VMS 6.2 system, which works.    

Here is a workaround that the customer has found:    

    He redefined cdd$default to be
    
          $ define/sys/exec cdd$default _cdd$top.records
    
    instead of just "cdd$top.records" and then changed his copies that used 
    
          "cdd$top.records..."
    
    to be
        
          "cdd$compatibility.records..."
    
    then both the
    
           copy ... from dictionary
    
    and the
    
           copy cdd$compatibility.records...
    
    worked fine and the application compiles.  

The application has many forms so that this workaround would be a major
effort to implement.  

Here is more information sent in by the customer:


   Problem report translating DECForms using CDD running on ALPHA VMS V7.1

Can't compile ACTION.IFDL using ALPHA VMS V7.1
                                FORMS V2.1B
                                CDD V7.0 or V5.3
                                RDB V6.1-1

Build procedure defines CDD$DEFAULT to be CDD$TOP.RECORDS
CDD$COMPATIBILITY SYS$COMMON:[CDDPLUS]
CDD$DICTIONARY SYS$COMMON:[SYSEXE]      ! this is where the CDD.DIC file is 
                                        ! old cdd way of storing records


Trying to compile the form below the will produce an error on the
second copy of COPY CGSA_CODES_REC FROM DICTIONARY

    6          END COPY
%FORMS-E-CDDEXTRACT, error extracting record CGSA_CODES_REC from CDD/Plus.


If you reverse the records then the error is on the 
COPY AGENT_CODES_REC FROM DICTIONARY

We have no problems compiling on the a VAX VMS V6.1
                                       FORMS V2.0-5
                                       CDD  V5.3
                                       RDB V6.0-15

Also I have tried to compile this on another ALPHA system VMS V6.2
with no problems.                                         FORMS 2.1B or V1.4-?
                                                          CDD v5.3
                                                          RDB V6.1


TEST.IFDL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form TEST
Form Data       /* rms/cdd record definitions */
    COPY AGENT_CODES_REC FROM DICTIONARY
    END COPY
    COPY CGSA_CODES_REC FROM DICTIONARY
    END COPY
End Data

    Layout VT_LAYOUT
        Device
            Terminal
                Type %VT100
        End Device
        Size 24 Lines by 80 Columns

        Viewport TEMP
            Lines 1 Through 24
            Columns 1 Through 80
        End Viewport
        Panel NEW_ONE
            Viewport TEMP
        End Panel
    End Layout
End Form
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hi Gary,
    
    Why were they copying from CDD$TOP? Was it DMU objects ? 
    
    Anyway, reading the bug it appears that the problem occurred when
    DATATRIEVE was installed without CDD. Reinstalling DATATRIEVE with CDD
    fixed the problem.
    
    Patrick