You can create a group of commands in a procedure by using the Group command. Commands within groups are executed in the same manner as individual commands. However, because groups are executed with only one pass of the table, you can significantly reduce processing time.
Using groups, you can create applications that perform complex operations on a file, remember information from previous records or perform calculations spanning a number of records.
You can use groups to your advantage when processing multiple-record-type files in which each type of record may require a different form of processing.
Groups also provide a method of processing complex variable-length files in which information from elsewhere in the file is obtained to establish the correct record length.
There are three types of groups:
| • | Simple groups, which start with a Group command followed by a series of commands and terminating with an End command |
| • | Conditional groups, which process commands based on whether a condition is true or false |
| • | Nested groups, which contain other groups nested within each other |
For information on creating groups using the Group command, see Group.