Re: RPG IV program - comments requested

Can someone please explain why the repetition between the prototype and
procedure interface? The ILE RPG manual has the following definitions:

"A prototype is a definition of the call interface."

"A procedure interface definition is a repeat of the prototype information
within the definition of a procedure."

Why all the repetition? Assuming there's a reason, then I suppose IBM's
recommendation for using COPY's is a good one, although I have not used
those for years because they tended to make it difficult to find a statement
number in source code from the one given in an error message, a problem
which cropped again when I started using ILE RPG. In most cases now it is
necessary to use STRDBG to find the actual statement in the source code
given a statement# in an error message.


Also, aren't external definitions preferable? As in:

D*  First the prototype
Dprogramname      pr
DTrailer                                              LIKE(BSXTRL)
DSCACCode                                    LIKE(SCACCode)
D* Now the procedure interface
Dprogramname      pi
DTrailer                                              LIKE(BSXTRL)
DSCACCode                                    LIKE(SCACCode)

Regards,
 Peter

----- Original Message -----
From: Joel Fritz <JFritz@sharperimage.com>
To: <RPG400-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Friday, September 24, 1999 10:28 AM
Subject: RE: RPG IV program - comments requested


> Only one suggestion and it's what I would think of as a style issue:
>
> You might want to use a prototype and procedure interface in place of the
> *entry plist.  This will allow type checking of the parameters at compile
> time if you're calling it with callp() from another RPG program.  It's
also
> the thin edge of the wedge for learning procedures and service programs.
> Here's an example:
> D*  First the prototype
> Dprogramname      pr
> DTrailer                        10A
> DSCACCode                        4A
> D* Now the procedure interface
> Dprogramname      pi
> DTrailer                        10A
> DSCACCode                        4A
>
> Put them at the beginning of the D specs and eliminate the stand alone
> definitions of trailer and scaccode. You could leave the variable names
> blank in the prototype since all the compiler cares about is the data type
> and length, but the names matter in the procedure interface because you
are
> defining the variables for your program there.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jim Langston [mailto:jlangston@conexfreight.com]
> > Sent: Friday, September 24, 1999 8:39 AM
> > To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
> > Subject: RPG IV program - comments requested
> >
> >
> > This is a small update utility I just created for one of my
> > users.  All
> > it does is
> > goes through a file and changes one field (BSSCAC) when
> > another filed is
> >
> > equal to an input value (BSXTRL).
> >
> > There are two input parameters, Trailer and SCACCode.  Trailer is the
> > search
> > criteria.
> >
> > I would request critiquing of this program.  That is, I am
> > using D specs
> > to declare
> > my variables, I am using a PLIST to declare my entry
> > parameters and I am
> > using
> > the RPG Cycle to cycle through all my records.
> >
> > Since I am just starting to program in RPGLE I do not want to get any
> > bad habits
> > started now.  I would rather start of on the right foot.
> >
> > So I guess I am asking, if you were to write this same
> > program, is this
> > the way you
> > would code it?
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Jim Langston
> >
> >      FBSSHIPX   UP   E             DISK
> >
> >      DTrailer          S             10A
> >      DSCACCode         S              4A
> >
> >      C                   IF        Trailer = BSXTRL
> >      C                   EVAL      BSSCAC = SCACCode
> >      C                   UPDATE    BSSHIPX1
> >      C                   ENDIF
> >
> >       *******************************
> >       *** Set up Entry Parameters ***
> >       *******************************
> >      C     *INZSR        BEGSR
> >      C
> >      C     *ENTRY        PLIST
> >      C                   PARM                    Trailer
> >      C                   PARM                    SCACCode
> >      C
> >      C                   ENDSR
> >
> >
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