Re: Naming /copy prototype members.

Hi Rob!

First of all:

Have you already downloaded the redbook "Who knew you could do that with RPG?"
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg245402.html
It's worth (almost) any online fee and also worth registering. Don't forget 
to download the "additional material" with a save file with all the 
examples in it.

- - -

>Ok, so I decide I want to create prototypes for external programs.

Great!

>I want to use /copy.

Great!

>   I thought of having a separate member for each programs
>prototype.  If I do this what should the member name be?  Or is this
>something better handled by Conditional Compilation?

When you really use a prototype per program, then i'd call the member the 
same as the program is called. That should make life a bit easier. (You 
need to hold the prototypes in another source file then, like QPTSRC or 
QCOPYSRC or whatever you like.)
But it's also possible to hold all prototypes in a single source member. 
The compiler just picks those he needs; this reduces no overhead.

- - -

>For example, let's say we have the program XYZ123.  And this program had:
>C     *ENTRY        PLIST
>C                   PARM                    PHONE            15
>C                   PARM                    FAX#             30
>
>Now I change this to:
>D XYZ123          PR
>D  PhoneNbr                     15A
>D  Faxing#                      30A
>  * Replaces *ENTRY PLIST
>D XYZ123          PI
>D  Phone                        15A
>D  Fax#                         30A

There's something wrong with your prototype; i think you mixed up some 
things. A procedure (or a function) can only have a single return value, 
which is the procedure interface. I assume you wanted to tell the compiler 
/ your coworkers that both parameters could be changed by XYZ123.

The prototype should just look like this:

D XYZ123   PR
D PhoneNbr                      15A
D Faxing#                         30A

That would be fine for a procedure. As you told us that XYZ123 is an 
external program, you have to use EXTPGM.

D XYZ123   PR                                        EXTPGM('XYZ123')
D PhoneNbr                      15A
D Faxing#                         30A

This leads to a dynamic call at run time, just as if it was a CALL.

- -

The other thing is the PI thing.

You need this when you write your own procedures, not for calling external 
programs.

Let's assume XYZ124 is a procedure.

Then i'd have the prototype

D XYZ124   PR
D PhoneNbr                      15A
D Faxing#                         30A

in a copy. In the source, where you code the procedure, you'll have

P XYZ124          B
D                 PI
D PhoneNbr                      15A
D Faxing#                         30A

C* processing

P                      E

Mind the P in column 6! The two lines tell us where the procedure "B"egins 
and where it "E"nds.
- - -

>Or is it better to leave the PR in XYZ123 and use conditional compilation
>to just pull in the prototype?  If so, how?
>
>I try to put the comment * Replaces *ENTRY PLIST, in there for the people
>who scan for this.

But they won't see it; unless they scan the spooled file. And then it's in 
the wrong place. When you call, say, seven external programs this way, 
you'll have seven comments like that - and one usually has only one *ENTRY 
PLIST in a program. That would And there it makes more sense to scan for 
the program's name...

Do keep the prototypes in copies; otherwise the advantage of easier 
parameter change is gone. For your purpose you do not need conditional 
compiling.

- - -

>==================
>Remember the Cole!

Just curious: what does that mean?



Mit freundlichen Grüssen / best regards

Anton Gombkötö

Avenum Technologie GmbH
Wien - Mattsee - Stuttgart
e-mail Office   :       mailto:Anton.Gombkoetoe@avenum.com
Homepage        :       http://www.avenum.com

Lest das Redbook / read the redbook "Who knew you could do that with RPG?":
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg245402.html

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