RE: SQLRPG error MONMSG possible ?

[István Rudas <Istvan@xxxxxxxxx>]

At 13:01 06.4.2000 -0400, DAN BALE wrote:

>... ... you will avoid the message that's slowing you down.  However, this is
>considered to be a bad programming practice.  (... ... )

Dan Bale: please would you express more precisely, WHY this is 'considered
to be a bad programming practice'?

Since a lot of years I use this error-indicator, making after the
WRITE-statement the error-handling: this could be (not often used) just
writing to an error-protocol file with sendmessage to the operator after
LR, but most likely (=nearly always) I have the so-called Unique key, when
making the databasedesign, always added with an additional (internal)
numeric field as last portion of the whole key: so I add +1 to it when the
error-indicator was *ON until it is *OFF, this means that the program has
never to STOP with the "blue screen of death" /cpyr bill g./, and I can
alarm the operator/user/human at the program end (or other logical
transaction end) with a message if interactive, or a protocol file or a
list if it runs batch, where he has to look for this "duplicate key" in the
sense of the application, but not-duplicate for the machine!  

(Would this be only a theoretical discussion, I would say, yes + guilty, I
am quite never using a UNIQUE key even if I write it in the DDS; as
practical application maker I say, that it is unique until the moment when
something goes wrong and in this moment I leave NOT the responsibility for
answering to a CPF (C G I R?) to a user who is not a programmer - then
something has to be wrong with MY data design and its ME who has to react
with a better design).--- Of course, the question of alarming or not
depends of the nature of the application, as in many cases it could be
nonimportant to allow more "unique" records (as you mention, then look
first for the highest key with Setll and so on), then use an internal
numeric field, see above.

If your comment was, to use the error indicator and then NOT doing some
error handling=doing nothing, then we are meaning the same, this can be
very stupid and is really not professional.

Thank you for answering
István (from Austria)

*note: having written now so much about error handling reminds me to:
SELECT
- for those who read german you find an article written by Anton in our
magazine where he shows how to make nice error-handling (Global Message
Handling in CL), the address is: <www.common.at/info9905.pdf> and there
starting at page 38.
- for those who can't read german, a look at the screen shots could be
informative as CL code is selfexplaining.
- all others: cheers! ENDSELECT
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