RE: external *PRTF (was: RE: 'ILE RPG' or 'RPG IV' . What's the difference!!!)

Jim,

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Langston [mailto:jlangston@conexfreight.com]
> 
> Just thougt I'd jump into the fray.
> 
> Re: Abestos causing cancer in labratory animals.
> 
> Actually, it has been shown that scientists cause cancer in 
> labratory animals. <g>

Ah, so you're a philosopher, eh? <grin>
 
> Re: External reports .vs. Internal Reports (RLU .vs. O Specs)
> 
> When I first started on the AS/400 most of the code was in S/36 RPG.
> Almost all of the programs used O specs.  I came across one 
> program that
> used an external printer file, and I decided to try out RLU 
> and to see what
> it was all about.  I created a quick report program in RPG 
> III and created
> the report, and designed it, and ran it, and worked out all 
> the bugs and though
> it was pretty good.
> 
> Then I came across another program I was trying to debug that had an
> external print file.  Okay, I was going to have to open up 
> the source for
> that one.  I searched for the report file, and couldn't find 
> it.  I then went to
> the OCL and saw that the print file was overridden and was 
> another name.
> I fouind the print file, then went to find the source, I 
> couldn't find it.  After
> at least half an hours search I found  the source in a 
> completely differet
> library, someone had moved the report file, but didn't take the source
> with it.
> 
> So, after 2 to 3 hours I was able to fix the bug that should 
> of taken me
> 10 or 15 minutes at the most.  I have never used RLU since.  
> This is the
> fault of the program designer for overiding the print file 
> and moving the
> print file?  True.  But, we all know, this stuff happens.  It 
> just doesn't
> happen if the O specs are in the RPG source in the first place.
> 
> Re: Internal Screen Design .vs. Screen design in RPG
> 
> If possible, would I design screens in RPG instead of SDA?  Yes and
> No.  There have been some cases when I would have found it very
> helpful and a lot easier to do screen design in RPG.  But, in 
> most cases,
> perhaps 95%, it is much easier and faster to do them in SDA.

Would you reconsider if you had the same problem with losing the source of
the display file that you had with the print file?

Consider that it's much easier to recreate the source of an
externally-defined display or print file than it is to recreate I or O specs
for a program-described version, if the source is lost.  I don't consider
source management issues to be valid reasons for choosing programming
paradigms, since ultimately it's a management and tool issue and can affect
ANY source, regardless of type.  And once again it's that independence of
the source from the object that it creates that's the root cause, anyway.

Dave Shaw
Spartan International, Inc.
Spartanburg, SC
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