RE: Open/Close of Files

You might be able to create procedures for each file and use a pointer to the 
procedures to mimic what you want.  I'm not sure that would be any better from 
a complexity point of view though.  Especially if you aren't experienced with 
pointers.

Rick

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Kurt Anderson
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 1:05 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Open/Close of Files


On the topic of file usage, is there a way to open/close a file by way
of a pointer?

(Had a hard time writing this next paragraph, but I hope it conveys what
I'm doing and why I'm doing it).
A while back I wrote a srvpgm wherein there were a bunch of
subprocedures.  Due to multiple entry points (multiple exported
procedures), they used a variety of different files, but wherein certain
subprocedures used files that may or may not be used by other
procedures.  I didn't want to open all the files, only the ones I'll be
using, so I devised an OpenFile procedure and a CloseFile procedure for
the open/close of files.

 // Procedure Interface                   
D OpenFile        PI              N       
D  FileName                     10A   Const

The procedure would then have multiple When statements like the one
below (all w/in the same Select).

//  Customer Special Terms file
Select;
When FileName = 'FILEA';    
  If Not %Open( FileA );    
     Open FileA;            
     FileOpened = *On;        
  Else;                       
     FileOpened = *Off;       
  EndIf;
EndSl;

Return FileOpened;

Based on the returned indicator (local to the calling procedure) the
procedure would then know if it needed to call the CloseFile procedure.


This would work so much better if I didn't have to hardcode the file
into this OpenFile (or CloseFile) procedure, hence my question of using
a pointer (or some other means).  The way it is now, whenever I added a
new file to the module I'd need to add code to the OpenFile and
CloseFile subprocs.  Side note: I'm not very knowledgeable on the use of
pointers yet.

Kurt Anderson


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