Re: Re[2]: New Opcodes - %SETCELL

        >The only real problem
        >I have with APIs is the documentation. There must be a special
college
        >course that you take so that you can write impossible to understand
text.
        >At least the documentation for BIFs is understandable.

        So what you're saying is even if 90% of the programmers use BIF's
        less than (say) 10%  will understand/use  API's ?   
        (Of the programming public at large not as represented by this list)

        I would agree with that.   If Toronto has time to do other things,
I 
        think that Native support for IFS affinity should be a priority.

        IMHO
        John Carr

        Joe Teff


        From:   Joe Teff@jteff19 on 09/07/99 09:20 AM
        To:     RPG400-L@RPG400-L@midrange.com@SMTP@EXCHCONNECT
        cc:      

        Subject:        Re: Re[2]: New Opcodes - %SETCELL

        >     Strikes me as the sort of thing that belongs in a library
function
        >     (which could be implemented as a service program):
        >
        >       eval  mycell = GetCell("/test.xls":"r1c1")
        >
        >     IMHO, a BIF should reflect a need that a *large* proportion of
RPG
        >     programmers will have.  BIFs for every conceivabe esoteric
application
        >     don't seem workable to me.

        This is a "catch-22". If updating spreadsheets were easier then it
would
        be a common occurrence and if it was a common occurrence then the
        process to do it would become easier. I really don't have a problem
with
        an API in a service program rather than a BIF. In fact, the first
thing I do
        when I encounter an API I need to use, is to create an external
procedure
        (in a service program) only passing the parms that are neccessary.
Once
        that is done, I can then use my procedure like a BIF. The only real
problem
        I have with APIs is the documentation. There must be a special
college
        course that you take so that you can write impossible to understand
text.
        At least the documentation for BIFs is understandable.

        Joe Teff


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