Frank,
if your question was simply "How do C programmers cope with compiler error messages?"
Then an answer will be "Mostly well".
From my experience there is only one class of errors that sometimes cause trouble.
That is missing parenthesis - either one of these "()" or "{}".
In this case you normally get an error message pointing to a row in you programm well below the place where actual error was.
This is obvious for all "free-form" languages where a statement can take more than 1 row and there can be more than one statement in one row.
Such syntax errors did not happen in Fortran or PL/I in the time of punched cards.
Then, of course that are troubles that do not cause syntax errors.
That is mostly statements like
if (a = b)
.....
Sometimes I have to call someone else to look at my code, because I just do not see that there is only one "equal" sign instead of two. And as a result you get an unexplainable program behaviour.
If you have some particular question - you cannot understand what this or that error message mean in this particular situation - I personally will be happy to help you - as much as I can.
But as far as you place a general question, you get a discussion instead of an answer...
Jevgeni
-----Original Message-----
From: c400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:c400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of frank kolmann
Sent: Sunday, February 16, 2014 2:45 AM
To: c400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [C400-L] C coding and Syntax errors
Hello Buck
As ever it is a pleasure to hear from you.
The APIs were an esoteric world to me until I found ( I think it was from Scott) how to translate C to equivalent RPG. From there I learnt how to use pointers long before I ever tried C.
@Jevgeni.
My original question was how do C programmers cope with the issue of C Syntax Errors. I did not get much help even on this list.
If I asked the question of the RPG list I would be told go to C list.
Let me say I never set up to disparage C. I think C is enormous.
Your comment makes me feel like the little boy who mentioned the 'Emperors new clothes'.
PS (it was mentioned use Python then convert Python to C, nuff said)
Frank Kolmann
date: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 13:48:04 -0500
from: Buck Calabro <kc2hiz@xxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: [C400-L] C coding
On 2/14/2014 9:09 AM, Jevgeni Astanovski wrote:
Learning C is indeed not like breathing, but as soon as you know how
to
master it, writing is as easy as breathing.
RPG programmers almost never think about the bare metal. C programmers
almost all do. I think that this is the source of much pain for an RPG
programmer trying to learn C.
IBM APIs are documented quite well - for a C programmer. It's the
simplest thing in the world to go from the docs to a struct, assign a
pointer and walk down the tree. In C. This is a foreign concept to
RPG programmers; just looking at the docs scares many off.
Over on the RPG list we field a fair number of C-ish questions relating
to IBM APIs. Such threads often spawn 'try a different language'
posts, which sometimes degenerate into 'my language is better than yours'.
--buck
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