RE: Using *blank in a CL program

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No, I don't believe this has been tagged as an error for a loooooong
time, if ever.  I remember getting burned by this several times.  I have
to read my code out loud with a colleague watching over my shoulder.  As
I read it, and pronounce "star blanks", then I stop, slap myself upside
the head, and thank my colleague for assisting.

Dan Bale
IT - AS/400
Handleman Company
248-362-4400  Ext. 4952
D.Bale@Handleman.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Cozzi (RPGIV) [SMTP:cozzi@rpgiv.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 2:59 PM
> To:   rpg400-l@midrange.com
> Subject:      RE: Using *blank in a CL program
>
> This isn't an RPG question, but, CL relaxed it's syntax checking to
> accept anything with * in front of it several releases ago. I'm sure
> the
> compiler should have caught this by SEU probably didn't.
>
> Bob Cozzi
> cozzi@rpgiv.com
> Visit the new on-line iSeries Forums at: http://www.rpgiv.com/forum
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rpg400-l-admin@midrange.com
> [mailto:rpg400-l-admin@midrange.com]
> On
> > Behalf Of Jim_Hawkins@tsss.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2001 1:40 PM
> > To: rpg400-l@midrange.com
> > Subject: Using *blank in a CL program
> >
> >
> > We have a young programmer.  He was writing a CL program and wanted
> to
> test
> > and determine if a field was blanks.  He wrote  If (&testfld =
> *blank)
> ....
> > We found that program compiled this way but did not accurately test
> for a
> > blank field.  We changed the program to test for '  ' and the
> program
> > worked.
> > We found no reference to *blank in the CL manuals and are surprised
> that
> > program compiled with this value entered.  Does anyone have a
> thought
> on
> > this?
> >
> > Jim Hawkins
> > Pgmr/Analyst
> > Triple S Plastics, Inc.