[comp.sys.mips] How to read escape sequences in input using f77

smw@maxwell.concordia.ca ( Steven Winikoff ) (02/21/90)

A user on our M/120 would like to read a file using f77, but he's having
a problem with backslashes in the input.

It seems that MIPS f77 accepts C-style escapes (eg \n, \t, etc., 
especially including \\); moreover, it interprets these in the input
stream!  The result, of course, is that this user is losing part of his
data.

Since the data in question is the serials holdings database for all of 
our university libraries, this is more than just a minor nuisance!
(We're in the process of moving our library support from a CDC Cyber
system to the MIPS.   Until now, it was going well :-(

I've R'ed TFM, and I can't find anything.  Is there any way to turn off
escape sequences?  Or is our user doomed to convert the files, changing
all occurrences of \ to \\?  (We're speaking of hundreds of thousands of
records here!)

Tune in tomorrow.  Same bat time...  :-)

Seriously, any help, advice or kind words would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks,
   - Steven

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steven Winikoff                                 smw@maxwell.concordia.ca
Software Analyst
Dept. of Computing services
Concordia University                            voice: (514) 848-7619
Montreal, Quebec, Canada                               (10:00-18:00 EST)