Re: What bugs you about KLISTs in RPG IV?

DAsmussen@AOL.COM wrote:

> You are probably right.  It's just that most non-RPG people's aversion to the
> language seems to stem from:  A) the cycle (a moot but nonetheless
> oft-mentioned excuse), and B) the fixed format.  No other language has the
> latter although frankly, at least it forces conventions upon those that would
> prefer to enter an entire program as a single sentence ;-).
>

Dean,

You know, upon reflection, I kind of like having a template program where I can
do a scan/rpl on fixed positions to clone.

Otherwise I would have to scan/rpl the entire name. We use two letter prefixes
for field/subroutine/DS names and doing three scan/rpl (factor 1, factor 2,
result) works pretty good in a highly standardized suite of applications. Did I
stress highly standardized?

The verb/topic portion (positions 3 on) are the same. I.E. CMGET is Customer
Master chain routine with record lock, CMGETN is Customer Master chain routine
nolock, not to mention CMSET,. CMREAD, CMINZ, etc. IMGET/IMGETN/etc. does the
same for Item Master, VMGET/VMGETN/etc. does the same for Vendor Master, and so
on.  Fields xxKEY, xxSTDT, xxENDT, xxPHON, xxNAME, xxSTS, xxZIP, xxZIP4,ad
nausium in a freeform each become separate scan/rpl functions.

If I take the Customer History set of programs and try to clone them to Vendor
History by doing a blanket scan/rpl of "CH" to "VH" unless I can count on names
in a particular place, the compiler squawks about VHAIN as an opcode.  Go figure
:-)

Would I use freeform code? Sure. In a controlled situation. Like performing
algebraic math functions where a parenthetical equation, for the initiated, 
makes
more sense than x lines of single functions.

I shudder at the thought of turning RPG into the unreadable mess that CL can
become by a programmer without a sense of order and readability.

James W. Kilgore
qappdsn@ibm.net

P.S. Does this thread still qualify for a KLIST subject?


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