RE: File field names -- RPG400-L

Agreed, and a very good practice, indeed.  If reference fields were used as
intended, consistently, then they could form a mighty useful data
dictionary.  The problem arises when someone references a field simply
because it has the same type/size as the new one, something I run into a lot
with some of the legacy code I see.  In this case, sometimes knowing the
referenced field can actually do more harm than good, providing misleading
information in the worst case, and a false sense of security at best.

I hope you can see that your point is well taken, however.

Steve


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com [mailto:owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com]On
Behalf Of Marco Facchinetti
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 11:43 PM
To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
Subject: RE: File field names


First of all because I think reference is a basic component
in relational database and it's amazing IBM provides a
system (R in DDS) and grant you all the informations about
a filed except the reference field. Check out the api
format (see the original message) and tell me what else is
missing.

But basicly because I always (at least I try) to define a
field only once and attach comments and help on this field.
I put this field in a file and I use it as a dictionary.
When I code PF I add a prefix of two char to unique
identify the field in/from the PF. This is a basic rule
just to help programmers and doesn't apply to all fields.
To insert help in display files and to print a documented
"DSPFFD" I need the referenced fields. Otherwise I have to
duplicate help pannels and txt members (comments to
fields).

--- Steve Brazzell <steve@brazzell.com> wrote:
> That's true, but I didn't think it was part of the
> original question.
>
> Except for building some sort of metadata reference
> information or
> attempting to glean field purposes (risky, this way,
> btw), why would one
> want to know the referenced field names?
>
> This is just a question, not a put-down in any way; I'm
> just curious.
>
> Steve
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com
> [mailto:owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com]On
> Behalf Of Marco Facchinetti
> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2000 7:31 AM
> To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
> Subject: RE: File field names
>
>
> But something is missing, at least in V4R4, the
> referenced
> field.
> --- Steve Brazzell <steve@brazzell.com> wrote:
> > Lance,
> >
> > The purest RPG solution I know of is to use the QUSLRCD
> > API and then read
> > the results from a user space.
> >
> > If you don't care to go this route, though, you can
> > always do a DSPFFD to an
> > outfile and then read the records in the outfile.
> >
> > Steve Brazzell
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com
> > [mailto:owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com]On
> > Behalf Of Gwecnal@aol.com
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 3:27 PM
> > To: rpg400-l@midrange.com
> > Subject: File field names
> >
> >
> > I seem to remember someone, sometime posting some REXX
> > code that would
> > extract the field names from an externally described
> > file. I did not save
> > the
> > message and now I need to be able to get the field
> names
> > out of a file.  Did
> > anyone keep it or does anyone know how?  TIA, Lance
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