RE: Parameter prototype question

David,

There is no such thing as an output parameter. There are input-only
parameters (CONST and VALUE), input/output parameters and one return
value. The return value is used for the boolean (success / found, I
presume), so you can only use an input/output parameter for the display
field. The way you have coded it, you are passing a 7-byte field
(DisplayField_myDossier) to a procedure that is going to put 9 bytes
there. Think of it as buying wine:

D GetWine PR LIKE ( Ref_BottleOfWine)
D money LIKE ( Ref_Money ) CONST

In this case you give the money (input parameter) to the merchant and he
returns a bottle of wine (return value).

D GetWine PR N
D money LIKE ( Ref_Money ) CONST
D bottle LIKE ( Ref_Bottle)

In this case you give the money (input parameter) and an empty bottle
(input/output parameter) to the merchant and he tells you 'Yes, I have
wine' or 'No, I am sold out' and if Yes, he fills your bottle with wine.
If your bottle is to small, it will overflow.

Joep Beckeringh

David FOXWELL

One more post before I drop this thread!

Here I want to populate a display field before showing the screen :

IF NOT GetMyDossier ( inputParm : DisplayField_myDossier );

D GetMyDossier PR N
D inputParm LIKE ( Ref_InPutParm ) CONST
D myDossier LIKE ( Ref_myDossier )

DisplayField_myDossier is 7A and Ref_myDossier is 9A so it won't
compile like that. Ref_myDossier has been prolonged to 9A in our
data dictionary, but the actual length of dossiers is 7A. So, I
<want> the parameter that is returned to be truncated. I put VALUE
on it so that it will compile. I hope I've done right as I've not
used this before.

Still, I find it baffling that the compiler protects me from
truncating the output parameter but I not the input parameter that
although I have indicated <don't change this parameter> by the use of

CONST.