Re: Is this the Free-Format that we asked for?

[Jim Langston <jimlangston@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually, compilers look at things called "tokens".  A token
can be a symbol, such as = - / or an expression such as eval.
Tokens can't be broken up by white space.  White space includes
spaces, tabs and carriage returns (new lines).  

You might be able to do:

eval
=
'a'
;

Regards,

Jim Langston

Peter Dow wrote:
> 
> Hi John,
> 
> Yes, I know, beating a dead horse. So can we consider it a hypothetical
> thing? I'm curious -- are you saying that as long as we don't split a token
> we don't need terminators or continuation characters? And that using them
> would allow us to split tokens? Yikes!! Imagine this:
> 
> e
> v
> a
> l
> =
> '
> a
> '
> ;
> 
> Is this what having line terminators will allow us to do?
> 
> Who's going to write the first utility to "prettyify" the free-format code?
> Isn't there something like that for C programs?
> 
> Regards,
> Peter Dow
> Dow Software Services, Inc.
> 909 425-0194 voice
> 909 425-0196 fax
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Taylor" <john.taylor@telusplanet.net>
> To: <RPG400-L@midrange.com>
> Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 2:08 PM
> Subject: Re: Is this the Free-Format that we asked for?
> 
> > Hi Peter,
> >
> > Yes... and No.
> >
> > Your example works because the continuation takes place at the end of a
> > complete token; in this case - the last closing parentheses.
> >
> > If the break took place within a literal, then you would need to add a "-"
> > or a "+". The "+" would cause continuation to start with the first
> non-blank
> > character of the continued field(s), whereas the "-" starts at the first
> > available position and includes the blanks.
> >
> > ie:
> >
> > eval  a = %substr(c:1:5) + 'My
> >          text'
> >
> > would not work, but
> >
> > eval a = %substr(c:1:5) + 'My+
> >          text'
> >
> > would.
> >
> > The rules are different yet again for continuation that involves names.
> You
> > need an ellipsis on the end.
> >
> > ie:
> >
> > Eval              ThisIsAReallyLongFieldNameThat
> >                      DoesNotFitOnOneLine = "Mytext"
> >
> > would not work, but
> >
> > Eval              ThisIsAReallyLongFieldNameThat...
> >                      DoesNotFitOnOneLine = 'Mytext'
> >
> > would.
> >
> > What I would have preferred to see, rather than the semicolon on the end
> of
> > every statement, is a blank space, plus an underscore, for continuation
> > only. For example:
> >
> >
> >  a = _
> >        %substr(c:1:5) _
> >        %substr(d:5:10)
> >
> >  a = %substr(c:1:5) + 'My' _
> >          + 'text'
> >
> > ThisIsAReallyLongFieldNameThat _
> > DoesNotFitOnOneLine = 'Mytext'
> >
> >
> > I wouldn't have any objection to a semicolon being used to separate
> multiple
> > statements per line - should the compiler ever support that. Such as:
> >
> > a = "A"; b = "B"
> >
> >
> > In any event, I consider this discussion a waste of time at his point.
> Hans
> > has made it perfectly clear (on the web forum) that the semicolon is here
> to
> > stay - period. From IBM's perspective, the topic is not open for
> discussion,
> > so why continue beating our heads against the wall.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > John Taylor
> > Canada
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Peter Dow" <pcdow@MailAndNews.com>
> > To: <RPG400-L@midrange.com>
> > Sent: Friday, November 03, 2000 13:01
> > Subject: Re: Is this the Free-Format that we asked for?
> >
> >
> > > Hi John,
> > >
> > > Aren't we already writing multi-line statements with no continuation
> > > character and no termination character?
> > >
> > >     c            eval    a =
> > >     c                        %substr(c:1:5) +
> > >     c                        %substr(d:5:10)
> > >
> > > Note that the + sign is not a continuation character, it's a
> > concatentation
> > > character.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > > Peter Dow
> > > Dow Software Services, Inc.
> > > 909 425-0194 voice
> > > 909 425-0196 fax
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
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