Re: Why RPG IV Sucks -- RPG400-L

Raul,

Your comments do not disagree with Bob's at all, in fact in another comment of his while responding to another, Bob agreed with this point.

The comments he made point to the way nulls were implemented inside RPG, something he can obviously handle very well, but that there are probably better ways to handle it.

In fact we owe him for some of the designs of new functions in RPG over the years that make our life easier, due to his advocacy with the IBM compiler team (and one or two that he now regrets himself :-) ).

And the " = *on" is certainly redundant, but it was probably used for emphasis in his point.

As to the implementation, it must have been difficult to think about, because in SQL (which foisted "nulls" on us in the first place), there is a three-way logic matrix used to calculate logical variables, and sometimes it seems to me like a square peg in a round hole. I've read that some "respected" computer science voices have even objected to the whole idea. However, we can handle it, we are of the initiated elite RPG fraternity, to paraphrase Booth!

-- Alan


Raul Jager wrote:

I disagree with you comment, any serious programmer does understand the call to a funtion, and the manual explains clearly what the function does. I find the " = *on " redundant.

NULL values are a relatively basic feature in data bases, even if our S/36 baground didn't have it.

I don't care if a beginner programmer finds something new for him. Keep up to date with manuals. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bob Cozzi wrote:
If %NULLIND(Date) = *ON
 // Your date is meaningless!
/endif
One issue with this approach is that nobody understands it, it isn't well known, and it is virtually never used. Also even if the null indicator for the DATE field is *ON, you can still use that field without restriction. That is no notification is sent if you now move or multiply that null date with another field. Why? Because the null indicatory is separate from the data. Not a good solution at all in my view. -Bob

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