Re: Pros & Cons

Hello Darlene,

If programming in RPG then I am of the view that separate fields are better 
(and not just in the DSPF) for 
many of the reasons outlined by other appenders (all of which can be summed up 
by the phrase 'data 
isolation') even though I'd prefer a single name for each data entity.  
However, I would like to point out 
that this is really only an issue with RPG.  Most other HLLs use separate 
structures for the various fields 
in the files and the programmer needs to qualify the field references.  RPG 
allows only one instance of a 
given name and that is what causes the problem of overlayed data.

Note that all field REFerences should be to a single data entity within the 
field reference file -- never 
reference the actual PF or LF (or PRTF or DSPF for that matter -- unless by 
*SRC).

If you always code RTNDTA in the display file DDS you can use the same entity 
name but it does add extra code 
(1 line) that is only required because of RPG and doesn't help when the same 
entity name appears in multiple 
PF, LF, or PRTF files.  I'd rather change the name of the field in the DDS (see 
an earlier append of mine 
regarding field reference files).

Now if only RPG supported a MOVE CORRESPONDING construct and qualified field 
names this issue would go away.

Regards,
Simon Coulter.

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//--- forwarded letter -------------------------------------------------------
> X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01C-KIT  (Win16; U)
> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 98 16:42:02 -0800
> From: "Tim-Bar" <timbar@blazenet.net>
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Reply-To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: Pros & Cons

> 
> Here's one to toss around -
> 
> When creating a display file for a file maintenance program, is it
> better to reference the physical file fields or create fields with
> different names? If you use different screen field names you have to
> move the file fields into those fields to display on the screen and then
> move the screen fields back into the file fields before updating the
> record format. This seems like a lot of extra work. Is there any reason
> to do it this way? 
> 
> TIA
> 
> Darlene Brengle
> Norsoft, Inc.

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