Max length direct access files

[timmermans%nrb.be@Warbucks.AI.SRI.COM]

Date: Mon, 24 Jun 91 11:00+0100
From: Marie-Christine Timmermans <MC@MILOU.nrb.be>
Subject: Max length direct access files 
To: SLUG@AI.SRI.COM
cc: "UUCP%\"SLUG@ai.sri.com\""@NRBV01
In-Reply-To: <19910620175901.4.BARMAR@occam.think.com>
Message-ID: <19910624100008.1.MC@MILOU.nrb.be>
          
          
          Does anyone know if there is a length set in advance for direct
          access files ?
          If so, how can we change this maximum length ?
          
          Your problem isn't the maximum length, it's the current length.  Here's
          the relevant section of the manual
          
All right, call it the current length but tell me how you can change
this current length.
	
	Direct Access Output File Streams
	
	You create direct access output to output and bidirectional direct ac-
	cess file streams by sending a :SET-POINTER message to the stream,
	and beginning to write bytes using standard messages, such as :TYO,
	:STRING-OUT, and so forth. The bytes are written to the file starting
	at the location requested, at successive file positions. Although you
	can extend the file in this manner, you cannot do a :SET-POINTER to
	beyond the current end of the file.
 
	Note the last sentence.  1136 isn't the maximum length of a file (that
	would be a really short maximum length, don't you think?), it's the size
	of a single LMFS record in words.
 
That is exactly how I feel ... :-)
But as I previously asked, how can I change the current end of the
file? 
 
MCT