Setting up the Dafault Structure Node

When using VMS it is normal practice to set the default directory required before proceeding with detailed file manipulation. The analogous process in HDF is to assign the symbolic name HDS_NODE to the required structure.

qcl>HDS_NODE='my_data.sdf%node1

Subsequent QCL commands which require a HDS object to be specified will use this assignment. If the object required is the top level in the container file then the %nodename portion of the assignment is not required. Because this assignment is just like any other in QCL it is not lost when you exit from QCL, or indeed when you log-off (see the QCL manual for details of the use of the prefix HDE_ to access HDS data elements).