Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Progress 4GL Reference

LIBRARY function

Parses a character string in the form path-name<<member-name>>, where path-name is the pathname of a Progress r-code library and member-name is the name of a file within the library, and returns the pathname of the library. The double angle brackets indicate that member-name is a file in a library. If the string is not in this form, the LIBRARY function returns the Unknown value (?).

Typically, you use the LIBRARY function with the SEARCH function to retrieve the name of a library. The SEARCH function returns character strings of the form path-name<<member-name>> if it finds a file in a library.

Syntax

LIBRARY ( string )

string

A character expression whose value is the pathname of a file in a library.

Example

This procedure searches for a file that you specify. It displays a message indicating whether the file is not found in your path, is found in a library within your path, or is found in your path but not in a library.

r-rlib.p

DEFINE VARIABLE what-lib AS CHARACTER. DEFINE VARIABLE location AS CHARACTER. DEFINE VARIABLE myfile AS CHARACTER FORMAT "x(16)" LABEL "R-code File". SET myfile. location = SEARCH(myfile). IF location = ? THEN DO: MESSAGE "Can’t find" myfile. LEAVE. END. what-lib = LIBRARY(location). IF what-lib <> ? THEN MESSAGE myfile "can be found in library" what-lib. ELSE MESSAGE myfile "is not in a library but is in" location.

Note

You can improve the performance of an application by using the SEARCH and LIBRARY functions to build absolute or relative pathnames for the files you want to execute several times with the RUN statement. Passing full or relative pathnames to the RUN statement avoids the need to search the PROPATH each time.

See also

MEMBER function, SEARCH function