LOAD supports the transfer of prepared statements from external files: the LOAD command NEXT calls the following statement of an open command file into the input area. The editor command GET copies the contents of any file into the input form.
Often the opposite applies: LOAD is invoked by a user who, using interactive testing and supported by the HELP function, wants to become acquainted with the possibilities offered by this component before constructing command files.
The statements in command files are separated from each other by comment lines so that the individual statements can be transferred to the screen one after the other. In interactive mode, however, execution will only be successful if a single statement is entered in the edit form.
Example of how to enter a DATALOAD statement:
The statements can be entered in free format; i.e., with any number of blanks, line feeds, and empty lines. Keywords, names, and comparison values, however, must not contain embedded blanks or line feeds.
Interactive testing is simplified by simultaneously constructing a LOAD command file. This is done with the editor command PUT. Add a comment line to the end of a statement executed successfully and then store the contents of the edit form in a file using PUT (together with the option APPEND).