In the unix shell, >file is all that is required to truncate a
file/create an empty one.  Any embellishment displays ignorance.

On 10 August 2011 16:54, Paul Gilmartin <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Aug 10, 2011, at 08:39, Glenn Knickerbocker wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:31:56 -0500, you wrote:
>>> Is there a (PIPE) way to create an empty file in SFS?
>>
>> Yep, >SFS has an ALLOWEMPTY operand.
>>
> Whatever the answer, it should apply likewise to byte stream
> files and TSO pipelines.
>
> TSO EXECIO requires a special construct:
>
>    EXECIO 0 ddname (FINIS OPEN  /* OPEN is like ALLOWEMPTY.  */
>
> In UNIX, most constructs that write nothing still create the
> file.  E.g.:
>
>    cat /dev/null >fileID   # creates the file
>
>    PIPE HOLE | > fn ft fm  /* doesn't (I surmise from the question).  */
>
> Sometimes the programmer wants the file created; sometimes not.
>
> -- gil
>

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