RE: *DATE on DSPF program -- MIDRANGE-L

One thing I didn't mention (but which may be obvious) is that if I
change the CA03 to CF03, the DDS field validation forces me to correct
the date before exiting the program - consequently I don't receive the
RNX0112 program error.  If I can't get this problem resolved, I've
pretty much decided that that's the route I'll go.

Dave

> ----------
> From:         Pete Hall[SMTP:peteh@inwave.com]
> Reply To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Sent:         Wednesday, September 16, 1998 10:01 PM
> To:   MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject:      Re: *DATE on DSPF program
> 
> At 13:09 09/16/1998 , DAvid Leland wrote:
> >1)  Create a simple display file with 1 input/output date field on
> it.
> >Place command key CA03 on it as well.
> >2)  Create a simple RPG program which does the following:
> >     Declares the display file
> >     moves *DATE to the date data type on the display
> >     does an EXFMT to the record format on the display
> >     does a RETURN
> >3)  Run the program.  When the screen displays, today's date should
> be
> >in the date field.
> >4)  Enter an invalid date and press enter.  The internal error
> checker
> >will tell you it's an invalid date and require you to press the reset
> >key.
> >5)  Now, press the F3 key to exit the program.  You will receive
> RNX0112
> >(Date, Time or Timestamp value is not valid.).
> >
> >What do you think, should the program receive this error?  When you
> >answer the error with a "D", the dump doesn't have the invalid date
> in
> >it, but the original.
> 
> Well, the reason you don't have the invalid data in your program, is
> that it never received the invalid data, so at least that far, it
> makes sense. Probably the most common reason for using CA03 is to
> allow the user to exit without validating fields. This new "feature"
> essentially renders the old CA03 useless. The fact that your program
> never receives the invalid data means that there is little that you
> can do to correct the situation. The only thing that I could suggest
> is maybe an error indicator on the EXFMT, or possibly an error
> subroutine to handle the RNX0112. Perhaps the developer needs to be
> enlightened by the folks who are trying to present the AS/400 as a
> world class computer without equal. This is reminiscent of the days
> when the user had to key an A/C/D because we didn't have enough memory
> to burn a little on the code to remember if we had retrieved a record
> or not. At our LUG meeting last week, John Erickson said that IBM
> would be trying to push us toward the clie!
> nt server paradigm. I thought at the time that "push" was a strange
> term to use, but enough "pushes" like this could certainly reduce
> usability to the point where a person would leave. Personally, I
> consider it a failure when a user gets the program message display
> while running one of my programs. I don't like this a bit. At least in
> conjunction with DDS field validation, I'd consider it a fatal flaw in
> the implementation of display dates.
> 
> Pete
> 
> 
> 
> Pete Hall
> peteh@inwave.com 
> http://www.inwave.com/~peteh/
> 
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