CEETSTA - Wipes out variables.

[David Morris <dmorris@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We have over 100 programs RPGIV programs that use the CEETSTA API.  In two of 
those 
programs CEETSTA wipes out unrelated variables.  In this latest case we call a 
subprocedure 
that is in a service program and a global variable is set to zero when the 
procedure calls CEETSTA 
to see if a parameter was omitted.  Because the parameter specifies CONST we 
cannot test the 
address to see if it is null (this makes no sense).  Removing the CONST and 
testing the address 
fixes the problem.  Who knows what other variables are corrupted in our other 
100 programs.  If this 
is happening at least 2% of the time it must be fairly prevalent.

We have also had some problems using the CEEDOD API.  On occasion it says 
operational descriptors 
were not passed when OPDESC was specified on a prototype.

Has anyone else reported a problems with these APIs?

It is a real pain to report problems like this because if it has been reported 
we get billed.  If it hasn't they 
usually ask us to reduce our code to the bare minimum that can duplicate the 
error.  In this case that could 
easily take a day.  Several years back we implemented a reporting system that 
used SQL extensively.  We 
reported 5 or 6 problems that required APARs to be opened.  We spent over 100 
hours documenting and 
reporting these errors.  Then we had to agree to test the fixes.  It seems like 
IBM should offer a reward to the customer to compensate for the time that goes 
into reporting these types of errors.  Netscape does.

David Morris
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                                
                                                                               
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