RE: what is unclear about 01 02 03 -Reply -Reply

[Scott Cornell <CORNELLS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>> "Walden Leverich"  05/04/98 06:11pm >>>
>Scott Cornell wrote:
> <snip>
> & "0" = No, False, Off.  When 01 is placed in columns 9-10,
> 12-13, or 14-15 (not being a geezer, I probably have the actual
> columns wrong :)) of RPG III source code, it says "Only execute
> this line of
> <snip>

> Now Scott, you must be a geezer if you know the column numbers.
> The only way I could possibly use the l-hand indicators would be to
> prompt for them in SEU.

Hey, hey hey - don't even go there.  My 6 year old kid had a friend
over the other day when I came home.  This darling child walked up
to me, examined my 34 years young head closly and said "Hey, what's
with all the white hair!"  My wife must've put him up to it - she's takes
great delight in the 3 or 4 silvery stands she finds on occasion :) 
Really, I'm not a geezer...I'm just a comparative neophyte who, like
someone else in this thread, has to maintain legacy code...VERY
legacy code :(

> Sorry to say, but l-hand indicators can be _easier_ to understand
> than "structured" code. Compare
>
>       key     chain   rcd             90
> 90            leave
>
> with
>
>       key     chain   rcd             90
>       *in90   move            rcdnf
>       rcdnf   ifeq    *on
>               leave
>               endif

The example is a bit of a "loaded dice" scenario, since, unless I missed
something in RPGIV, RPG still *requires* indicator use on file I/O to
trap exceptions like EOF or (as in your example) record not found
(geezers and/or whippersnappers are invited to correct me on the
point at their leisure :)) The point of the thread is "Don't use 'em
unless they're absolutely necessary," but your example is one of the
(thankfully dwindling number of) times when one MUST use 90 or 73
or 22 instead of Rec_Not_Found.  

'Course, maintaining legacy code means maintaining code written when
indicators were the ONLY way to condition execution, so I guess we've
got no real reason to B&$^#...it's the best the old geezers had
back then, to go along with their bearskins and stone knives! :)

Scott Cornell
Mercy Information Systems
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