BUG: An OPEN Status= Option Like String Converted to Uppercase

• Microsoft Fortran PowerStation for Windows 95 and Windows NT, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Compiling a source file that contains a character string that is the same as an OPEN statement status= option (that is: new, old, scratch, unknown) is inadvertenly converted to uppercase. This problem occurs when an OPEN statement is in the same source file and uses the same status= character string.

RESOLUTION

Assign the status= option string to a temporary variable, and then use the temporary variable as the OPEN statement's status= option.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

Compiling the following source code causes the print statement's 'unknown' string to be converted to uppercase. Note the OPEN statement must be in the same source file and has to use the same status= string for this to occur.

Sample Code

! Compile options needed: none

! uncomment the following line for work-around ! character*7 :: openstatus = 'unknown'

      print *, 'the following should be lowercase: ', 'unknown'

      open(unit=20, file='test.out', status='unknown')

      end

Output

the following should be lowercase: UNKNOWN