Re: Member Changed Date 92-112 -- RPG400-L


On 23/03/2006, at 5:18 AM, Captain Jerry wrote:

I've got a QRPGLESRC file that someone, in their infinite wisdom,created ata record length of 92. I've been tasked with converting (copying?)this
into a standard 112 long source file.

A standard source file *IS* 92 bytes. It is only RPG IV that uses anon-standard 112 byte record length--and even it doesn't *REQUIRE* it.Other languages will also often tolerate a larger record length but formost it makes no sense. RPG IV will work quite happily in 92 bytes sowhy are you doing this silly task?

In fact I would suggest that using 92-byte source records for RPG IV isbetter than 112 because it stops the right-hand comment section frombeing used. This is a good thing! because I've rarely seen right-handcomments do anything more than reiterate what the code does. Forexample:


        C                                               ADD  1                  
        X                       Increment X

Well, Duh! I knew that. What I need to know is WHY and explaining whywill take more than 20 bytes so provide proper block comments for eachcode block and forget the right-hand comment section exists.

Even IBMs CVTRPGSRC command will allow you to convert into a 92 bytesource record. It will issue a warning but quite happily truncate thenearly useless comment section.

The only time a wider record length makes sense is with a free-formlanguage and even RPG IV has a stupid restriction on the width of aline in free-form. The RPG parser stops reading at byte 92 and ignoresanything following. As far as I know that defect still hasn't beencorrected.

Easy task, but the problem is that the Member Last Changed Date isbeingupdated to the current date. Is there any way to accomplish thisconversion,
yet retain the original changed date?

I would have expected the job-date trick suggested by Cozzi to haveworked but since you say it doesn't ...

You can 'fix' the date using SST if you have access to it. You can alsofix it with a system-state program (or could the last time I tried). IfI recall correctly there is an example of either this very task orsomething similar in the MI list archives or in the iSeries Networksite.


Regards,
Simon Coulter.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
   FlyByNight Software         AS/400 Technical Specialists

   http://www.flybynight.com.au/
   Phone: +61 3 9419 0175   Mobile: +61 0411 091 400        /"\
   Fax:   +61 3 9419 0175                                   \ /
                                                             X
                 ASCII Ribbon campaign against HTML E-Mail  / \
--------------------------------------------------------------------