Re: external *PRTF (was: RE: 'ILE RPG' or 'RPG IV' . What's the diffe rence!!!)

 >> Jon, please indicate why you think "it is just better and safer to describe
these things externally."

I could just as easily ask why you don't describe your display files internally.
Or your database files for that matter.

RPG programs are way too big and lumpy anyway.  Printer files allow me to keep
the physical definition separate from the logical definition.  That makes it
simpler to customize the output to the users needs (that is who we are coding
for right?) without having to keep messing around in the source.  Every time I
touch the source there is a chance I will screw up something else.  If I need to
modify a print file to split one line into two I can often do so with no change
at all to the program.  I can move fields around, modify spacing/skipping, etc.
etc.

I have never understood why the same programmers who so eagerly embraced the
S/38's external database and display definitions were so determined to continue
doing their print programs the hard way.  When I first discovered the S/38 I was
so delighted to get all that $#%@ out of my programs that I wouldn't ever want
to have to go back to doing it the old fashioned way.

Now that I have Code Designer to do the print layout it is even simpler 'cos I
can drag and drop, stretch fields, move groups of them, etc.  I used to use SDA
and hand convert the final product 'cos I couldn't stand RLU and SDA was what In
used for the job on the S/38 anyway!


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