RE: Using % type functions/using RPG IV -- RPG400-L

John,

What you're really talking about here is a 36EE to native /400 conversion.  For
all intents and purposes, it doesn't really matter whether your target is RPG IV
or RPG III - it'll be about the same amount of work.  IMHO, the question "Why
aren't people converting from RPG II to RPG IV?" has a radically different set
of answers than the one usually published, which is "Why aren't people
converting from RPG (III) to RPG IV?".  The former can be quite difficult, as
you say, but the latter is pretty easy.

Dave Shaw
Spartan Mills
Spartanburg, SC

-----Original Message-----
From: John Hall [mailto:jhall@hillmgt.com]

I think maybe 3-5 times as long to convert vs keeping old style is more
accurate.

We have many programs in the same situation.

It is not easy to change a s36 report and display program to RPG IV.

The display file will have to be completely redone.

The OCL probably uses ?1R? ?2R?.

The OCL probably uses // pause 'Important Message Here'

There is the obligatory gsort, delete file, rename file sequence. Not
sure but this seems to have been a programming requirement for every OCL
in our shop !!

So to change over this program

1) Create a prompting display file / files
2) write the OPNQRYF or FMTDTA or SQL or create LF
3) re-do inquiry screen
4) Convert RPG & change inquiry screen processing from cycle control
5) Create the CL or CL's to handle all of this

vs

1) copy programs over
2) Make minor changes to RPG II


Add to that the programing change is probably 
1 - very simple (add a column or something) and 
2 - is needed by lunchtime today.  


And you have to bite the bullet and create more old code.  If the RPGII
is not using a display file you can convert it and still use the // LOAD
without too much effort.  Of course it's still S36 so there's a lot of
other work left to do.

John Hall
Home Sales Co.

Jon.Paris@halinfo.it wrote:
> 
> Jim your comment "Time involved converting RPG II to RPG IV 5+" is a little
> unfair since a substantive portion of what you did has nothing to do with RPG
> IV, but rather was a choice you made.  You _could_ have left the cycle code
> intact, you _could_ have left the files as program described, etc.  It seems
to
> me that these account for the vast majority of the work you had to do relates
to
> these optional changes that you chose to make.
> 
> I'd have made the same choices for the benefit of future maintenance, but it
was
> a choice you made not one compelled by RPGIV.
+---
| This is the RPG/400 Mailing List!
| To submit a new message, send your mail to RPG400-L@midrange.com.
| To subscribe to this list send email to RPG400-L-SUB@midrange.com.
| To unsubscribe from this list send email to RPG400-L-UNSUB@midrange.com.
| Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com
+---