Invent-8

Summary

INVENT-8 is a collection of general-purpose data manipulation and file-handling subroutines designed for use with FORTRAN on OS/8 systems. These subroutines allow FORTRAN programs to create, read, modify, and delete records within "core image" files.

Key components of the system include:

• ISAM.RL: The primary, intelligent subroutine for managing existing core image files, supporting the addition, deletion, and modification of records, as well as forward/backward navigation.
• ROISAM.RL & WOISAM.RL: Subroutines for reading from or writing to files on any file-structured OS/8 device.
• DUMP.RL: A memory-conservative alternative to ISAM for reading and writing data, specifically intended for use with the 'ZERO' formatting routine.
• MULTI.RL: A driver for handling large data files across multiple DECtapes.
• SORT: A generator program that creates custom sorting programs based on user-defined parameters for output files created by WOISAM.
• Utility Subroutines: Includes GTDATE (to retrieve the date from the monitor), NCOMP (for alphanumeric field comparison), and MOVE (for efficient data movement).

The documentation provides technical details on file structure (chained core image files), memory usage, specific calling sequences for each subroutine, and troubleshooting guidance for error messages. It also includes example code illustrating how to integrate these routines into FORTRAN programs.