Re: S/36 F-spec allowed dotted names? was: EXTNAME questions...

Chris,

I would agree that, if you _were_ once allowed to use a dot in the filename in
an F-spec in any flavor of RPG, then you should be able to today.

However, if my memory serves correctly (and I'll be the first to admit that it's
not always so), dots were never allowed in the F-spec filename, not in RPG-II,
RPG-III, or RPG-IV.  Got a syntax error from both SEU and the compiler when I
specified a dotted file name in RPG36, RPG, & RPGLE on a V4R2 box.

>From the "System/36-Compatible RPG II User's Guide and Reference" which, in the
V4R2 softcopy, indicates that it has not changed since V3M0R5 (June 1994), the
following rules for the File specification:

   Every file used in a program must have a separate name.  The
   first character must be alphabetic.  The remaining characters
   can be any combination of alphabetic and numeric characters;
   however, special characters are not allowed.  Blanks cannot
   appear between characters in the filename.  The filename can be
   from one to eight characters long and must begin in column 7.

Barbara mentioned the fix for EXTNAME that Brad mentions.  Wierd that Hans &
company would allow a dotted file name for that but not for F-spec filenames.  I
agree that it would make sense to allow any legitimate AS/400 object name to be
used on the F-spec.  But to call it a bug would imply that you once had that
feature.  Hans, Barbara?

- Dan Bale

Chris Bipes wrote:

Actually with a S36 RPG II program you must have the OCL file statement for
all files, even if the object name is the same in the F spec and does not
contain the dot.  And no the S36 will not fail, but all S36 applications I
have ever seen us the dot to separate the system from the file name.  i.e.
AR.CUST is the customer file for Accounts Receivable.  If IBM said today,
You can not put a dot in an object name, all S36 applications, I have ever
seen, would have to have their files renamed and the ocl file statements
update to the new file names.  That is what I meant by the S36 environment
would fail.  I just wish that IBM would be more consistent on object naming
rules.  If the object can have a dot, all applications that reference the
object should be allowed to use it with the dot.  That is what bugs me.





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