UNIX for Advanced & Expert Users

Dear All,

I am receiving Fixed blocked file from AS/400 system to my unix box. Could you please advise us how to convert this fix blocked file to variable blocked file. Do we have any command in Unixt or program.

I am new to this Unix system

Thanks & Regards,
Colam

Fixed block means no line feeds or other record separatorsn, just N bytes. It may have binary data, too. Variable comes in many forms. New-line is not the only record separator, and field separators vary too: comma, tab, pipe, ??? never mind XML with its hierarchy of container/leaf elements and their attributes. Fields in fixed block are also usually by length (they can be delimited and then padded, but that is sort of a mix of flavors), in which case you need to know the layout. The file is easily handled as an array of C/C++ struct that you can mmap() and then everything is field delimited by length and record count. You might need a union for the layout of headers and trailers, and any variant record types in the file.

Look it over in a tool that is not too line feed oriented, like pg, more, od.