Re: Free-format RPG

I wonder how much time I've spent over the last 20 years typing...

C..lean on spacebar....code...<enter>
C..lean on spacebar....code...<enter>
C..lean on spacebar....code...<enter>   etc.?!!??

I've grown old, grey, and just a little portly (working on that one since it
is the only one of these three I can do anything about without resorting to
unnatural chemicals...) whilst doing that.

For an old RPG hack like me, /free means liberation.

"E Doc" <doc6502@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:20030425181515.28781.qmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Free-format?  I've *never* expressed an opinion on that before... <vbg>
>
> I'd say go to it, for a few reasons:
>
> 1.  /Free is easier to read and modify.
>
> 2.  /Free has improved my coding because I've had to shift to a more
modern
> coding style.
>
> 3.  I'm working in a shop where there's still a lot of OPM code.  However,
> standards here dictate that when a program is touched, for any reason, it
must
> be converted to ILE format.  In many cases, the programmers have been
using
> free-format to make their modifications.
>
> I've been helping them with the /Free learning curve, and have found that
once
> seasoned RPG programmers is overcome the initial "What the...?" the
readability
> of their code increases.  In most cases, they code faster and have better
> accuracy.
>
> 4.  /Free is good bait for inexperienced RPG programmers who have a strong
> background in languages that do support free-format coding.  Trying to get
a C
> programmer to look at RPG code is... difficult.
>
> 5.  Stylistically, I've found /Free lends itself much better to the notion
of
> subprocedures, modules, etc. than fixed-format.
>
> On the down side...
>
> 6.  SQL statements in /Free format, in a word, suck.  I cannot abide:
>
>  /Free
>   doMonkeyCount(inMonkey: outBanana );
>
>   if outBanana > squidgyNumber;
>
>  /End-Free
>
> C/Exec SQL
>  + INSERT INTO monkeyeat
>  +   VALUES(:outBanana)
> C/End-Exec
>
>  /Free
>
>     // Check SQL return code
>     if SQLSTTS = c_MYBAD;
>       handleSQLErr();
>     endif;
>
>     return outBanana;
>
>   endif;
>
>  /End-Free
>
> I'm sorry but that is ugly ugly ugly.  And having to do that each time you
want
> to do SQL is just ridiculous.
>
> I've ended up stuffing my SQL into subprocedures and coding the
subprocedures
> in fixed format because I just hate to look at the stuff.  Couldn't the
SQL
> precompiler allow free-format SQL, rather than having to have a C-spec?,
so
> you'd have:
>
>  /Free
>   doMonkeyCount(inMonkey: outBanana );
>
>   if outBanana > squidgyNumber;
>
>  /Exec SQL
>     INSERT INTO monkeyeat
>       VALUES(:outBanana)
>  /End-Exec
>
>     // Check SQL return code
>     if SQLSTTS = c_MYBAD;
>       handleSQLErr();
>     endif;
>
>     return outBanana;
>
>   endif;
>
>  /End-Free
>
>
> 5.  Everyone hates the semi-colons.  Hans, you gotta lose those.  ;)
>
> Just my two penneth.
>
> Thanks
>
> -Doc
>
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