Converting a file from VB to FB.

DFSORT can be used to do VB to FB conversion, when sorting, copying or merging. The VTOF or CONVERT and OUTREC operands of OUTFIL can be used to change variable-length (e.g. VB) input records to fixed-length (e.g. FB) output records. VTOF or CONVERT indicates that conversion is to be performed and OUTREC defines the reformatted records. All output data sets for which VTOF or CONVERT is used must have or will be given fixed-length record formats.

An example of OUTFIL conversion:

//VTOF EXEC PGM=SORT
//SYSPRINT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSOUT DD SYSOUT=*
//SYSDUMP DD SYSOUT=*
//SORTIN DD DSN=M145.TEMP.SORT.IN,DISP=SHR
//SORTOUT DD DSN=M145.TEMP.SORT.OUT,
// DISP=(NEW,CATLG,DELETE),UNIT=DASD,
// SPACE=(TRK,(500,500),RLSE),
// DCB=(RECFM=FB,LRECL=80)
//SYSIN DD *
            SORT FIELDS=COPY
            OUTFIL FNAMES=SORTOUT,VTOF,OUTREC=(5,80),VLFILL=C'*'
//*

The above step will copy the records from SORTIN to SORTOUT. If the input records are shorter than 80 bytes, the output is padded with ‘*’ (Specified by VLFILL).

If VLFILL option is not specified, by default the records are padded with spaces.

VLFILL=C’x’ => pad with the character x.
VLFILL=X’yy’ => pad with hexadecimal character X’yy’.