Re[4]: New Opcodes - %SETCELL

[pcunnane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

     Of course you get requests like this.  Of course RPG should be able to 
     integrate with the IFS.  But should there be BIFs for every 
     conceivable interaction between RPG and a specifically-formatted IFS 
     file?
     
     You suggest %setcell.  Is that BIF exclusive to Excel, or will it work 
     with Lotus 123?  If it is non-discriminate, how can it tell which type 
     of document it is using?  Can I have %setcolor and %setfont?  What 
     happens when a new version of Excel is released while we are waiting 
     for the next build of the RPG compiler?  What about Word or Powerpoint 
     BIFs?
     
     I don't disagree that RPG should be able to access the IFS, and do so 
     with ease.  I do feel that class libraries are a much more appropriate 
     and manageable way to approach this issue.
     
     ____________
     Paul Cunnane
     The Learing Company


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Re[2]: New Opcodes - %SETCELL
Author:  John P Carr <jpcarr@tredegar.com> at InterNet
Date:    07-09-99 7:25 am


     
>> 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.
     
        If you don't think the IFS affects very many people,  and the need
to cross 
        communicate from DB2/400 to (say something like)  Lotus Notes,  or
Excel 
        isn't wide spread ,  IMHO you're wrong.    and getting wronger.  :-)
     
        How many of you out there have users who have said something like;
     
        "Can you just drop that into Excel for me ? "      or 
        "Now If I could just get that into Excel"
     
        or a notes person asking you to
         "Evoke a Agent"  or populate a "Fixed Length Text File"
     
        IMHO
        John Carr
     
     
     
        From:   pcunnane@pcunnane on 09/07/99 08:54 AM
        To:     RPG400-L@RPG400-L@midrange.com@SMTP@EXCHCONNECT 
        cc:      
     
        Subject:        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.
     
        Just my EUR 0.02.
     
        ____________
        Paul Cunnane
        The Learning Company
     
     
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