RE: Varying length field issue

Jeff,

I can't say that I remember seeing this myself.  But it seems to make sense.

When you say
Eval PrintInfo = *BLANKS

Just what do you what PrintInfo to have in it?  How many blanks: 0,1,2,5,10,
100...?  I'd guess it is getting the MAX length number of blanks.

Instead what you want is to set the field empty.  Try the following:
Eval %len(PrintInfo) = 0

HTH,
Charles


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff Crosby [mailto:jlcrosby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2004 10:49 AM
> To: 'RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries'
> Subject: Varying length field issue
> 
> 
> I've got a program where I build part of the print line in a 
> field called
> PrintInfo.  I decided to make this a Varying field (which I have used
> before) to avoid a lot of %Trim.  PrintInfo could be blank on 
> the printout,
> or it could have any number of different possibilities in it.
> 
> The output wasn't coming out right.  What I found is, if a 
> Varying length
> field is blank (because I cleared it first), appending to it 
> with an Eval
> does not work:
> 
> C                   Eval      PrintInfo = *Blanks 
>  * If there was a PO number, add that verbeage                  
> C                   If        MQCSPO <> *Blanks                 
> C                   Eval      PrintInfo = PrintInfo + ' PO#=' + 
> C                                         %Trim(MQCSPO)         
> C                   Endif                                       
> 
> Even though the second Eval statement is executed, PrintInfo 
> is still blanks
> afterward.  I temporarily put an "Eval PrintInfo = '.'" spec 
> in there so the
> field wasn't empty and then it works fine.
> 
> Can someone confirm the same behavior on another iSeries, namely that
> appending data to an empty Varying length field fails?  If this is the
> expected behavior, I'll have to try some other ways to do it. 
>  It doesn't
> make common sense for me to check every time whether the 
> field is blank
> before appending.
> 
> -- 
> Jeff Crosby
> Dilgard Frozen Foods, Inc.
> P.O. Box 13369
> Ft. Wayne, IN 46868-3369
> 260-422-7531
> 
> The opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the 
> opinion of my
> company.  Unless I say so.
> 
> 
> 
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