Re: page n of x

There is a learning curve for API programming, but the benefits are
tremendous.  I have just started up that curve, and I am amazed at how much
I can do with API's.  You should not dismiss the use of API's just because
you do not understand them..............


----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Guthrie <GaryGuthrie@home.com>
To: <RPG400-L@midrange.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2000 11:30 AM
Subject: Re: page n of x


> Sure it's a simple-to-code solution. Often, weak solutions are. And,
> this is indeed a weak solution.
>
> Two obvious flaws are
>
> 1) There's no guarantee that the data has not changed between runs of
> the report. This means incorrect output.
>
> 2) If the report is created from I/O intensive (or for that matter,
> anything that runs for a LONG time) attributes such as reading a few
> HUGE files, there is a penalty. If the report takes 12 hours to produce
> now, it will take 24 hours to produce with the simple-to-code solution.
>
> The measure of a solution is not in terms of the effort required to code
> the solution, but rather in terms of the robustness of the solution.
>
> Gary Guthrie
> REAL Solutions Technical Support
> NEWS/400 Technical Editor
>
>
> jt wrote:
> >
> > John Hall,
> >
> > I had created a test RPGIV to see how well John Carr's two-pass approach
> > would work.  I also had attempted to use an external indicator to
suppress
> > printing on the first pass (I used QSYSPRT).  But as you said, it didn't
> > work in RPGIV (returned total pages of zero when indicator was off).
> >
> > As far as overriding to NULL device, you can override to an OUTQ that is
not
> > attached to a writer, and then delete the printout from the first pass.
> >
> > I sure don't understand the benefit of using an API, just to get the
total
> > pages to print.  It took me longer to write these posts, than it did to
code
> > the test programs.  And the 2-pass solution _worked the first time_.
Can
> > you say that of the API approach?  Maybe I'm missing something.
> >
> > jt
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com [mailto:owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com]On
> > Behalf Of John Hall
> > Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2000 8:48 AM
> > To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
> > Subject: Re: page n of x
> >
> > You can also use an external indicator on the printer file to suppress
> > output on the first pass.  This will not work in all situations.
> > Results will vary depending on RPG version and printer file type but if
> > you handle page breaks within the program you can call the program with
> > the external indicator off, return the total page count, then call the
> > program with the indicator on.  I think RPGIII will a program described
> > printer file will handle the overflow correctly regardless of the
> > external indicator but I couldn't get RPGIV with an external printer
> > file to update the INFDS with the external indicator off.
> >
> > Another possibility might be to override the file to a NULL device -
> > anybody know how to do this ?
> >
> > John Hall
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