Re: Would it be a reasonable to ask IBM's programmers to write a %sortsfl(sfl: column)

[Joe Pluta <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bruce Vining wrote:
> And the more that gets
> bundled into the DDS function the less likely for the "ordinary RPG
> programmer" to use it...
>   
Yeah, this is really the issue.  DDS doesn't lend itself to the sort of 
parameterization required for this to be implemented.  Just take a look 
at the complexity of the various window keywords.  The combination of 
required values and asterisk keywords and program variables makes it 
unwieldy or at least counter-intuitive for seasoned programmers.  As 
Bruce notes, things like CCSID and weighting immediately come into play 
and to try and get those capabilities into a "simple" DDS keyword is a 
feat I certainly wouldn't want to tackle.

Besides, a good programmatic approach is the better solution.  A 
combination of INDARA and judicious use of procedures can make it very 
easy to write a basic skeleton that you can use over and over.  I'd 
recommend that over DDS keywords any day.

Joe