International Business Machines Corporation

Eugene G Huff

Gary D Archer

Akio Yoshii

Miguel T Madrid, Jr

A method and means for extending the collation functions of a sorting program (SORT) enable the program to permute, combine, or filter input records having collating characteristics that are not recognized by the SORT program. The extension includes provision of an extended function support program (EFS) that can be invoked by and concurrently executed with the sorting program. The EFS program is provided with a modality for modifying control statements received by the SORT program but executable only against records having the non-recognized collating characteristics. The EFS program modifies such control statements to a form executable by the SORT program. The EFS program also is provided with the capability of modifying the collating characteristic fields of records which are to be processed by the SORT program, the modification resulting in the provision of the records of counterpart collating characteristics recognized by the SORT program. The SORT program is thereby enabled to SORT/MERGE input strings of records with non-recognized collating characteristics into output strings including such records. The EFS program is also invoked by the sorting program to perform conditional filtration of input records having non-recognized collating characteristics, which enables the SORT program to assemble an output list of filtered records with non-recognized characteristics. This permits the SORT program to perform INCLUDE/OMIT functions on records with non-recognized collating characteristics.

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Raleigh, NC, United States of America

Eugene G Huff