Additional RPGLE Enhancement Requests

[cmassoglia@xxxxxxxxxxx (Charlie Massoglia)]

>Mark Lazarus wrote:
>> In that case, can we request he put in XOR?  :-)
>
>Suggestion noted and logged!
>
>Cheers!  Hans
>
If you are logging suggestions, how about taking care of the following, most
admittedly minor, irritants:

1.  CVTRPG should drop the CONST keyword when converting a named
    constant.  It's worthless.  (This should be trivial - please
    fix it.)

2.  PERRCD should ALWAYS default to 1, not just when CTDATA is
    specified.  (This should be trivial - please fix it.)

3.  DIM keyword should be optional when using ALT.  It should default
    to the DIM specified on the primary table or array.  (This should
    be trivial - please fix it.)

4.  Permit arithmetic in the %SUBST function in D-specs, e.g.

    D  Combined     30A
    D   Field1         %SUBST(Combined:1:%SIZE:Field1)
    D   Field2         %SUBST(Combined:%SIZE(Field1+1):%SIZE(Field2)
    D   Field3         %SUBST(Combined:%SIZE(Field1+Field2+1):%SIZE(Field3)

    Where Field1, Field2, and Field3 are fields from an externally
    defined file defined the F-specs.

    Or better yet, permit concatenated definitions

    D   Combined       %CONCAT(Field1 + Field2 + Field3)

    This is more than a minor irritant.  It is not possible currently.
    It is, however, one of the few database dependencies which still
    exists in RPG IV.

5.  Permit INDIVIDUAL fields to be externally defined without having
    to define an externally defined data stucture.

    D   Temp2   S      like(field2:filename1:optrecfmt1)
    D           DS
    D   Temp4          like(field4:filename2:optrecfmt4) 
    D   Temp3          like(field3:filename1:optrecfmt1)

    where filename1 and filename2 are not used at all in the program.

6.  Permit the name of an externally defined file to optionally show
    up in DSPPFMREF output.

     D dsname   E DS    EXTNAME(filename)  LOG(*YES)

     where filename is NOT defined in F-specs.

     Or just make it always show up.  It is understood this may be
     non-trivial and may require Rochester cooperation.

7.   Permit a file to be read sequentially by key WITHOUT requiring
     the file to be defined in the F-specs to be keyed.  If you want
     to use OPNQRYF on the DSPOBJD outfile QADSPOBJ (or any other
     outfile), you must define a dummy logical file to compile the
     program.  This does not make sense.  It is understood that you
     would probably not permit random access, SETLL, SETGT, or any
     operation which requires a key list to be used on this file.

8.   You finally gave us $SCAN in addition to the SCAN operation.
     We have both CHECK and CHECKR.  What about SCANR and %SCANR?

9.   When are we going to be able to code ANY CRTBNDRPG or CRTRPGMOD
     parameter in the H-spec?

10.  PREFIX(M2:2) is wonderful.  I can't tell you how may people asked
     for a suffix capability in the RPG IV seminars I have done.  Most
     people name every field in a file using the same characters, e.g.
     MBNAME, MBCITY, MBDATE, etc.  I had no idea how many people use
     the standard NAMEMB, CITYMB, DATEMB, etc.  How about the following:

     PREFIX(M2:2:*SUFFIX) to replace the last 2 non-blank characters

     or PREFIX(M2:0:*SUFFIX) to add the suffix after the last non-blank
     character.  

11.  You support multiple overlaying arrays.  That is an absolutely
     wonderful and extermely powerful function.  I can't tell you
     how many people asked in the RPG IV seminars I have done whether
     we can now specify more than one alternate table or array.

12.  You added the ALLOC and DEALLOC operation codes to replace the
     calls to the dynamic storage allocation APIs.  These APIs and
     the new op codes are used by VERY FEW people.  EVERYONE who
     begins coding RPG IV in a true ILE environment has to call
     the end API to delete an activation group.  How about finally
     giving us the STOP operation code?  (This should be trivial -
     please fix it.)

13.  We have ITER and LEAVE to exit a do loop.  How do we exit a
     subroutine without doing a GOTO.  What above an operation code
     to GOTO *ENDSR just like ITER does a GOTO ENDO and LEAVE does
     a GOTO ENDO+1.  I have no idea what to call the op code.  I
     just know we desparately need it.  (This should be trivial -
     please fix it.)

14.  Since ALLOC and DEALLOC can be used to extend an array at
     execution time, what about simply defining an array as
     extendable, e.g.

     D  Array      S       10P 2    DIM(50) EXTEND(50)

     with EXTEND defaulting to EXTEND(%ELEM(Array))

15.  Ditto multiple occurance data structures.

     D  MultDS      DS              OCCURS(50) EXTEND(50)

These are just a few suggestions which immediately come to mind.

Thanks in advance.


Charlie Massoglia, Massoglia Technical Consulting, Inc.
PO Box 1065, Okemos, MI 48854, USA
517-676-9700  Fax: 517-676-1006  EMAIL: cmassoglia@voyager.net


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