Re: RFE for your perusal

Real quick: what does this do?

%subst(string: 1: %min(10: %len(string)))

now, what does this do?

%subst(string: 1: 10)

I would actually prefer %left(string: 10), but that is not an option.

You prefer the first? I don't. I also don't see the second as sloppy. If
string is a varchar, there is no telling how long it is. %subst() tests
the second and third parameters based on the actual length, not the max
length which requires the first syntax, and even that might fail if it
encounters an empty string, so you have to test for that as well. I see
that as wasted effort. What are you going to do if the values are out of
bounds? If the second parameter is beyond the end of the string (the actual
end), If I have to test it, I am just going to use an empty string 999
times out of 1000, maybe even more. If that is not the case, then I can
test it, but why explicitly test every time? If you want to be very
explicit about everything, and don't care about readability, then you could
just program in MI. But the point of a compiler is to have it do things for
you so that you don't have to code all the crap you have to code in MI. To
make your code readable and maintainable.

On Tue, Jul 30, 2019 at 11:23 AM <dlclark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"MIDRANGE-L" <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 07/30/2019
11:16:35 AM:

Have you ever gotten an RNX0100 as a result of a %subst(string: start:
length) pointing beyond the end of a string? This shouldn't happen. Even

at

run-time. Instead %subst() should return an empty string, or whatever it
can if either start or length fall beyond the end of the string. Instead

if

either start or length fall beyond the end of the string, you get an
RNX0100 at run time.

Personally, I am against having a built-in function NOT tell you
that your parameters are out of range and simply return what it can. Just
my opinion, obviously, but I feel this encourages sloppy programming.


Sincerely,

Dave Clark
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