RE: Recommendations for Modular Coding HOWTO

Well, Top Down Structured Programming (or modular)  sure made sense in
the 70's, when programs could produce a horrible tangle of code.  It
makes sense today, given the way RPG is evolving with /Free, etc.  I
teach it to my upcoming RPG programmers. 

 Interesting, some of the prominent presentors at COMMON, etc. still
hand out examples that say:

Exsr Read_record

Exsr Update_record

Huh? 

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces+wesr=scc-inc.com@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces+wesr=scc-inc.com@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Alan Shore
Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 4:59 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Recommendations for Modular Coding HOWTO


"Actually, modular (or structured) programming was how they taught us to
write COBOL back in the 1970's.  Interesting to see it resurfacing."

That's the same for me. I learnt/was taught COBOL back in the 1970's,
and then introduced to modular (or structured) programming once I
(supposedly) understood COBOL. Another name given to modular programming
was GOTO-less programming.
The way modular programming was explained to me was to split the coding
into little blocks (sections or paragraphs etc. in COBOL, subroutines
etc in RPG). These little blocks of coding had one single purpose in
life. For example, that purpose was to:- 1. Print the headings on a new
page OR 2. Write a record to a file. (This may also include the
increment of a counter, as well as the initialization of fields in that
record, prior to returning back to the mainline code.
OR
3. Calculating the check digit to an account number A good way of
modularizing, was that each little block would correspond to a block in
our flow-chart. (I haven't seen one of those in decades).
There are no real hard and fast rules to this. Somebody is going to read
what I have written and proclaim, "What a load of !@#$%^&.
Modularization is such and such a thing", and from their perspective,
they would be correct.
A question you have to ask is, does this little block of code (Section,
paragraph, subroutine etc.) do one thing?
If need be, can this little block of code (Section, paragraph,
subroutine
etc.) be used in multiple different places and obtain the same
end-result, with no change.


Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx


 

             "Wilt, Charles"

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             midrange.com
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Subject 
             04/25/2006 03:00          RE: Recommendations for Modular

             PM                        Coding HOWTO

 

 

             Please respond to

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Wes,

The "Who Knew..." Redbook is on my list.

It's useful, but limited in the amount of examples it provides with
respect to modular coding.


Thanks,

Charles Wilt
--
iSeries Systems Administrator / Developer Mitsubishi Electric Automotive
America
ph: 513-573-4343
fax: 513-398-1121


> -----Original Message-----
> From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Wes Reinhold
> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 1:48 PM
> To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
> Subject: RE: Recommendations for Modular Coding HOWTO
>
> The RedBook, "Who knew you do that with RPG IV, etc. etc.", at least 
> the older version, has a good chapter on this.
> Actually, modular (or structured) programming was how they taught us 
> to write COBOL back in the 1970's.  Interesting to see it resurfacing.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Wilt, Charles
> Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 1:18 PM
> To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
> Subject: Recommendations for Modular Coding HOWTO
>
> All,
>
> I'm trying to locate some reference materials to help my RPG III 
> programmers get a better picture of how to code in a more modular 
> fashion.
>
> Materials with RPG IV examples would be great, but it seems most RPG 
> IV reference material is geared toward syntax instead of application 
> design.
>
> Anybody have any favorites or know of training that focuses on the 
> usage of RPG IV instead of the syntax.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Charles Wilt
> --
> iSeries Systems Administrator / Developer Mitsubishi Electric 
> Automotive America
> ph: 513-573-4343
> fax: 513-398-1121
>
>
> --
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