× The internal search function is temporarily non-functional. The current search engine is no longer viable and we are researching alternatives.
As a stop gap measure, we are using Google's custom search engine service.
If you know of an easy to use, open source, search engine ... please contact support@midrange.com.


  • Subject: RE: RPG - conversion vs re-write
  • From: Bob Cozzi <BobCozzi@xxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 00:10:18 -0500

John,

Yeah, this is a good idea. I've done that. I have the old 0001/01/01 or 
similar as a named constant, and I also insert the DFT(0001/01/01) keyword 
in the DDS for new applications so that today's date isn't the default. 
(Too bad RPG IV doesn't import this default values, heh John? <g>)

Then you could do
D NULL_DATE        C                          Const(D'0001/01/01')
C            IF    myDate = NULL_DATE
C            /* do my null-date routine here */
C            endif

Caveat, what is it we still can't do /* */ for comments in RPG IV, Hans?


Bob Cozzi
Bob@RPGIV.COM
www.rpgiv.com
AS/400 Books:  http://www.rpgiv.com/as400Books.html


On Wednesday, September 10, 1997 5:43 PM, John Carr 
[SMTP:74711.77@compuserve.com] wrote:
>
>
> RE:   Re: RPG - conversion vs re-write
>
> <snip>
>
> >And John, you still haven't said what inaccurate date we should use to
> >signify a date field that is unfilled yet.
> <snip>
>
> Do the dates the same way you're doing them now.   00/00/00 means 
something
> unique in your code, right?   Like  ( XXXDATE  IFEQ  0 ) or something 
like
> that.   Have a "Default" date in your D-Spec initialized to 0001-01-01 
and
> heck call it ZERO_DATE if you want to.  Then change the code to say
> (XXXDATE IFEQ   ZERO_DATE)  It means the same to your logic.
>
> Unless you use the CHANGE keyword in DDS (which still might have 
problems)
> in your code right now you don't know if the user keyed in a zero date
> on the display file entry field or she/he just left it blank(Zero - means
> a real null response?).
>
> The real problem is,  what does zero (00/00/00) mean to your 
applications?
> Is it an un-initialized field?  How does it get into the data base file
> to begin with?  Display file entry screen?  If that is the case just
> transmutate it from screen to data base file.   If the user enters a
> 00/00/00 convert that to a 0001-01-01 in your data base file.
>
> It will be just as easy to sort, select/omit, extract, etc.
>
> Check where you really use the 00/00/00 and see what your REALLY trying
> to mean/denote in that instance.
>
> Sometimes when we first write out a record we may not know all the
> information.  In alot of Customer Order files if you don't know the
> expected ship date, or actual ship date, or expected completion date,
> or actual completion date, or , or , or.  What do you put in those fields
> now and why?   Zero's aren't really correct are they?  Neither are
> 99/99/99 what does that suppose to mean?   Maybe Nulls for the
> "Actual" dates but for the "Expected" dates?
>
> Come to an agreement with your users the same way you did when the
> system started and say;
>
> "Hey everybody, when you see a 00/00/00 in actual ship date, it means we
>  don't know. Now you will see a 0001-01-01, it means we still don't know.
>
> A rose is a rose.
>
> Find the meaning of the "Figurative Constant" 00/00/00 or 99/99/99
> and make a new representation for that meaning to your users.
> (Like 0001-01-01 or 9999-12-31)
>
>
> John Carr  CDP
> EdgeTech
> +---
> | This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
> | To submit a new message, send your mail to "MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com".
> | To unsubscribe from this list send email to MAJORDOMO@midrange.com
> |    and specify 'unsubscribe MIDRANGE-L' in the body of your message.
> | Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: 
david@midrange.com
> +---
> umidr
+---
| This is the Midrange System Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to "MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com".
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to MAJORDOMO@midrange.com
|    and specify 'unsubscribe MIDRANGE-L' in the body of your message.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---


As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

This thread ...


Follow On AppleNews
Return to Archive home page | Return to MIDRANGE.COM home page

This mailing list archive is Copyright 1997-2024 by midrange.com and David Gibbs as a compilation work. Use of the archive is restricted to research of a business or technical nature. Any other uses are prohibited. Full details are available on our policy page. If you have questions about this, please contact [javascript protected email address].

Operating expenses for this site are earned using the Amazon Associate program and Google Adsense.