BS2000 file types

In the BS2000 Explorer view BS2000 files are decorated with the following icons:

	File, further decorated as follows:
		File with access method SAM
		File with access method ISAM
		File with access method PAM or UPAM
		Shareable file (also used to decorate shareable PLAM libraries and file generation groups)
		Read-only file (also used to decorate read-only PLAM libraries and their elements, as well as read-only file generation groups and their file generations)
	File generation group
	PLAM Library
	Just a catalog entry

SAM files

Files with access method SAM are usually treated as text files (see BS2000 file and library element content types). They can be edited with text editors or, in case of program source files, with programming language specific editors. They can be copied by drag and drop or by copy and paste.

ISAM files

Files with access method ISAM are usually treated as read-only text files (see BS2000 file and library element content types). Standard ISAM files (KEY-LENGTH = 8, KEY-POSITION = 5) can be viewed (but not edited) with text editors, where lines are prefixed with their keys. Best you open such files with the BS2000 ISAM File Viewer (via context menu Open With > Other... under Internal editors).

PAM files

Files with access method PAM and UPAM are usually treated as binary files (see BS2000 file and library element content types). They can be viewed (but not edited) with the BS2000 PAM File Viewer (to be opened via context menu Open With > Other... under Internal editors). PAM files can be moved or copied within BS2000 systems by drag and drop or by copy and paste. Copying or moving PAM files from BS2000 to an open System does not make much sense, except for multi-media files (i.e. PAM files with multi-media extensions like .jpg).

File generation groups

File generations in a file generation group fgg are enumerated and displayed as children of

fgg. The n-th element is displayed as fgg(*n), where n is always displayed as 4 digits number with leading zeroes. For now, file generations can only be read in an editor. Drag and drop or copy and paste of file generations is not yet supported.

PLAM Libraries