RE: IFS in RPG

-----Original Message-----
From: Buck Calabro [mailto:Buck.Calabro@commsoft.net]

> Presume that the compiler can dynamically open any stream file we have.

Would be nice.

> Presume that the compiler can use OPEN/CLOSE/READ/WRITE and even UPDATE to
> change the pseudo-records size. (why not, it's my fantasy!)

Again, Nice.

> Presume that the runtime has decoders for all the popular formats, and even
> allows me to register a decoder for formats that aren't (yet) included with
> OS/400.

No way!  I would not expect the native RPG IFS calls to be able to parse a 
file, just let me read, write, update it.  Any parsing that needs to be done 
should be done by the programmer.

It would be nice to be able to read a line at a time (text files) but I would 
be happy if they just let us read all IFS as binary files.

It would take them *years* to be able to add parsing of various file formats to 
RPG and the OS/400 and I don't think that's something we can reasonably ask the 
compiler creators to do.

I don't know if you've ever attempted to write a parser for an other program's 
data files, but it's a pain in the neck.  Which is why I'm sure you're asking 
it to be in RPG, so you don't have to do it <g>.

Regards,

Jim Langston
Programmer/Analyst
NT Administrator
Cels Enterprises, Inc.
(310) 838-2103 x604