Re: Fwd: Request for CL, DDS, SQL RPG enhancements

With COMMON being last week, I've been buried.

See my in-line comments below.

Al

Al Barsa, Jr.
Barsa Consulting Group, LLC

400>390

914-251-1234
914-251-9406 fax

http://www.barsaconsulting.com
http://www.taatool.com






>To all Midrangers,
>
>  I have an opportunity, in about 1.5 weeks, to participate in a
conference
>call with some IBM product managers and software engineering managers in
>Rochester.  The topic:  What is missing from CLP, DDS and embedded SQL in
RPG.
>
>  What I am requesting is your favorite enhancements you'd like to see,
pet
>peeves, how things could work better, etc.  If a code snippet would make
>your position clearer, by all means include it (especially for the
embedded
>SQL stuff.)  If possible or applicable, please include business or
>programming reasons for the request.
>
>  Some items to get things started:
>
>-  Are you upset w/ the direction IBM has taken regarding DDS vs. SQL?

Absolutely.  You need to be able to define anything in DDS that can
otherwise be done only in SQL.  Although DDS is proprietary to the 400, it
provides a place to store your source, and permits the extremely powerful
field reference file capability, missing from SQL.

>-  Do you need more than one file defined in CLP?

You won't get this one, because this would break existing code.  To be able
to have more than one file defined in a CLP, your RCVF would have to
reference which file.  I can live calling a subprogram, and if you did it
in bound modules, the overhead for the call would be low.

>-  Do you need to be able to update files within CLP?

I would find this useful, I'm unsure if you will get it.

>-  Are you fighting w/ embedded SQL, due to precompiler restrictions?

No, I never use SQL.
>
>  I don't know if it will lead to any major changes, but at least IBM is
>listening!
>
>  Please send them to me directly mlazarus@ttec.com, not to the list.
>
>  Thank you!
>
>  -mark
Other things that I need in CL:

1).  Variables longer than 9999.
2).  More than 300 elements in a list.  (This is a hardcoded thing, and
will require program retranslation when we get it.)
3).  Subroutines
4).  Real loops