Re: V5R2: Source now allowed in the IFS

[qsrvbas@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Tom Liotta)]

James:

--inline

midrange-l-request@midrange.com wrote:

>   9. Re: V5R2:  Source now allowed in the IFS (James Rich)
>
>Ah, but what about compiled languages?  This is probably what you are
>talking about.  It is common to compile things like this:
>
>cc -o program program.c
>
>This indicates that the source file program.c should be compiled to
>produce the executable program.  The name of the resulting compiled code
>is specified in the compile command.  But wait!  The AS/400 does the same
>thing:
>
>CRTBNDRPG PGM(MYLIB/TESTPGM) SRCFILE(MYLIB/QRPGLESRC) SRCMBR(TESTPGMSRC)
>
>The command defaults to give the resulting compiled code the same name as
>the source, but it certainly doesn't have to be this way - it is just a
>naming convention.

But that isn't the major point for me. A "make" utility isn't a real difficult 
tool to... ummm... 'make' on the iSeries. I've built a few. But where the 
iSeries goes beyond that is in letting me look at a compiled object and know 
what it was compiled from.

I'm currently running tests on a project I've been working on. One component 
cannot be fully tested until some integration work is done with another 
project. I've created a temporary program that returns dummy info so my 
components will run until the other work is done. That is, one of my programs 
is calling PGM_ABC though the real PGM_ABC hasn't been written yet. This isn't 
uncommon.

But anyone can look at my current PGM_ABC *PGM object and know it's a fake. 
They can tell it wasn't compiled from production source because the full name 
of the source is included along with date/time information from the source 
member. ("Hey, this was compiled from James' library! What's it doing in 
Accounts Payable?")

You seem to be saying that a make utility somehow provides a backwards link 
from the compiled object to all the various sources. What if someone deletes 
the input to make (makefile)? or modifies it? Is there something else that 
tells you how to recreate it? I have no expertise under Unix, so those are 
serious questions.


>"Crude utilities like "make" rely on the file date/time stamps, using the
>file system as a primitive database, to determine what changed, and hence,
>what objects need to be recreated from "corresponding" (by name only)
>source files."
>
>Well, every filesystem on earth is a primitive database, so nothing new
>there.  But look what make does: it "determine(s) what changed, and hence,
>what objects need to be recreated" - brilliant!  That's just what it is
>supposed to do.  The relationships required to understand how something is
>built are defined in a file (justly called Makefile).  I don't see how
>this is crude.  It seems rather advanced to me.  I would love it if the
>iSeries would notice that I've changed the source to a file and issue the
>appropriate CRTPF command for me when I run CRTBNDRPG.

The tools I use _will_ issue CRTPFs as needed, pretty much just as you 
described. And they require no script (makefile or whatever) to guide them. All 
they need is the object that's being recreated. That is, there is no precisely 
similar need for a makefile on the iSeries because the various object 
references all are part of the object, and each referenced object has 
references to the appropriate source, including the useful change date/time.

Note that files similar to a makefile _ARE_ extremely useful however, 
particularly to create the application in the first place or for recreation 
under numerous circumstances.


>(and be cautious about calling people weenies - perhaps someday "all your
>servers are belong to us"  BUWAHAHAHA!! :^) )

Sure... now if you'll please "make us up the bomb", we'll be on our way.

:-)

Tom

--
Tom Liotta
The PowerTech Group, Inc.
19426 68th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
Phone  253-872-7788 x313
Fax    253-872-7904
http://www.powertechgroup.com


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