HP DDL D40 Reference Manual page 278

DDL Compiler Commands
able to use the purge option; otherwise, DDL does not execute the DICT!
command.)
If there is no dictionary in the specified subvolume, DDL ignores the exclamation
point.
NODICT
directs the DDL compiler to close the currently open dictionary. NODICT is the
default setting.
DICT Command Guidelines
The following points are guidelines for using the DICT command:
The DDL dictionary consists of 14 files with predefined file names. For this reason,
any given subvolume can contain only one dictionary.
If the specified subvolume does not exist, DDL creates and opens the dictionary on
the new subvolume. If the subvolume exists, but does not contain a dictionary, DDL
creates and opens a dictionary on the specified subvolume.
If a dictionary already exists on the specified subvolume, DDL opens the dictionary
for update access. More than one user can open the dictionary for concurrent
update access.
If a dictionary already exists, you can do either of the following:
Purge the dictionary and re-create it by specifying an exclamation point after
the subvolume name.
Add new DDL objects to the existing dictionary by omitting the exclamation
point.
Note that for a Pathmaker dictionary, DICT! deletes only DDL objects, not
Pathmaker objects (services, servers, requesters, and screens); Pathmaker
objects can be modified or deleted only within the Pathmaker environment. If the
Pathmaker dictionary is an earlier version than your DDL dictionary, DDL does not
delete any Pathmaker objects.
The file security of the dictionary files is the default file security of whoever
compiles the DDL source that creates the dictionary.
Only one dictionary can be open at a time. If you use the DICT command when
you already have a dictionary open, DDL closes the current dictionary before
opening the specified dictionary.
After a DICT or DICTN command creates a dictionary, using DICT or DICTN to
open the dictionary has no effect on whether the dictionary is audited or not. Either
command can open the dictionary, but the audited state of the dictionary does not
change.
Data Definition Language (DDL) Reference Manual—426798-002
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DICT Command