RE: Numeric from Alpha

While you still have to do a bit of work the TESTN opcode in RPG does a pretty simple and straight forward test to see if an alpha field can be directly converted into a numeric field using a MOVE opcode

Im sure there are more complex ways of doing this and testing for decimals points and negative signs and the like, but for a 'quick' check TESTN may be old fashioned but works just fine.

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From:   MacWheel99@aol.com[SMTP:MacWheel99@aol.com]
Reply To:       MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Sent:   Tuesday, June 13, 2000 1:36 PM
To:     MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject:        Numeric from Alpha

We have Alpha numeric fields in which our users sometimes insert pure numbers
then ask for some reports based on their numbers input ... excluding records
with valid alpha, whose numeric manipulations would cause a decimal data
error.  There is no coding substructure that would tell me when some alpha
field is supposed to be purely numeric.

My current scenario is BPCS item master in which a string of numbers with
certain leading digits are being used for a particular purpose & the users
what to see where there are gaps in the numbers assigned so far.

I have a plan for how to tackle this & what I am looking for is if my idea is
good enough, or if there is a better or simpler algorithm in RPG/400 and/or
embedded SQL that won't do excessive machine cycles to identify data in an
alpha field that really is all numeric in certain portions of the field &
disregard the rest.

My plan is data structure overlay field with an array
test each element of the alpha field
Yes/No can I find it in a look up match vs. digits zero to nine array
any miss & that record is ignored

Al Macintyre  ©¿©
http://www.cen-elec.com MIS Manager Programmer & Computer Janitor
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