As stated earlier, you cannot copy File Definition items from a dictionary. The system discourages the creation of duplicate D-pointers. Instead, Q-pointers, or File Synonym items, are used to reference a file under a different name in the same account or to access files in other accounts.
The Q-pointer is a symbolic reference to the original file. The system follows this reference to the File Definition item in the Master Dictionary of the specified account to determine the location of the file. Most file management operations can be performed on a file regardless of whether it is accessed by a D-pointer or a Q-pointer. This is also true of all INFO/ACCESS operations. However, the DELETE-FILE processor is an exception, preventing you from using a Q-pointer to delete the original file.
While the DELETE-FILE processor deletes the original file and its D-pointer, it does not check for existing Q-pointers in the Master Dictionary. You should be careful to delete any Q-pointers if you delete the file that they reference.
The following topics are presented in this section:
See Also