Copyright (c) Digital Equipment Corporation 1994.  All rights reserved.

PRODUCT:  DEC PL/I Version 4.0-5

OP/SYS:   OpenVMS AXP Version 6.1

SOURCE:   Digital Equipment Corporation


SYMPTOM:

The PL/I COLUMN(n) output control format item should position to column
n on the output line.  Open OpenVMS AXP, it incorrectly positions n
columns relative to the current position.


DIGITAL RESPONSE:

This problem has been reported to Engineering.


ANALYSIS:

In an small example CALL DISPLAY shows that the COLUMN_NUMBER of
SYSPRINT is always zero, no matter what column the output is currently
on.  So in trying to position to column n the run-time library actually
positions n columns past the current position.

The following test program can be used to reproduce the problem.

$ pli test
$ link test

test: proc options(main);

%include pli_file_display;
declare fileptr pointer;
declare ncol fixed binary(15);

allocate pli_file_display set (fileptr);

put skip;
put edit('Column numbers:')(a);
put skip;
put edit('0        1         2         3         4         5         6')(a);
put skip;
put edit('123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890')(a);
put skip;

put edit('..........')(column(6),a);
put edit('This should start in column 30.')(column(30),a);
put skip;

put edit('..........')(column(6),a);
put edit('This should start in column 30.')(column(30),a);
put skip;

put skip;
put skip;
put edit('..........')(column(6),a);
call display(sysprint, fileptr->pli_file_display);
ncol = fileptr->column_number;
put edit('This should start in column 30.')(column(30),a);
put skip;

put skip edit('After the last .......... the column number of SYSPRINT was:',
   ncol)(a,f(12));
put skip;

end test;


OUTPUT from program:

$ run test ! OpenVMS AXP V6.1, DEC PL/I V4.0-5

Column numbers:
0        1         2         3         4         5         6
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
     ..........                             This should start in column 30.
     ..........                             This should start in column 30.


     ..........This should start in column 30.

After the last .......... the column number of SYSPRINT was:           0

$ run test ! OpenVMS VAX V6.1, VAX PL/I V3.5-124

Column numbers:
0        1         2         3         4         5         6
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890
     ..........              This should start in column 30.
     ..........              This should start in column 30.


     ..........              This should start in column 30.

 After the last .......... the column number of SYSPRINT was:          15

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