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Guys, I'm really NOT THAT OLD, but I do recall having to modify an RPG (I?) program on a mainframe back in the early- to mid- 80's, just after I started on a S/34, and remember being surprised that the compiler flagged an error on an ADD statement because factor 1 was not specified. Also, I'll have to check to see if I still have the textbooks, but I'm pretty sure factor 1 was not required for the ADD, SUB, MULT, DIV opcodes even in RPG 1.5 on an IBM 1130 (yes, punch cards!) or in RPG-II on a S/3. Dan Bale IT - AS/400 Handleman Company 248-362-4400 Ext. 4952 -------------------------- Original Message -------------------------- Doug, I'm pretty sure Factor 1 was optional in RPGII on the S36, as of '85 or so. I remember coding that way long before ever seeing RPGIII or RPG/400. Then again, I sometimes can't remember what I did yesterday, so my memory on this may be faulty. ED ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: Re: Clever UNIX/C Constructs Author: "Douglas Handy" <SMTP:dhandy1@bellsouth.net> at EXCHANGE Date: 1/2/01 9:31 AM David, >I have always been fond of >ADD 1 CYOORD > >That one has worked since 196x... Actually, it didn't work in the '60s or even the '70s, and that is part of the point. When I first started with RPG II in 1979, factor 1 was not optional, thus you wrote: C CYOORD ADD 1 CYOORD As I recall, it wasn't until after RPG III on the S/38 that factor 1 became optional in RPG II -- it may have the last release or two on the S/34, or more likely one of the S/36 releases. And I always *did* prefer to leave factor 1 blank when it matched the result field. Not so much because it was less typing (not a big deal), but because it was easier to read during maintenance -- you didn't have to examine the field names to make sure they matched. RPG field names (At least then) tended to be somewhat cryptic, and it is/was all too easy to "read over" a single character difference. So to me RESULT += FACTOR2 *is* the equivalent of: C ADD FACTOR2 RESULT whereas RESULT = RESULT + FACTOR2 is the equivalent of the old: C RESULT ADD FACTOR2 RESULT I'd welcome this change, just as I did making factor 1 optional. Not because it saves typing, but because it makes "reading" source easier during maintenance. I suspect this will be less of an issue as more programs have "real" variable names which are longer than 6 characters. But OTOH, that may make one even less prone to pay close attention to when two variables names are extremely similar but not identical. I wouldn't spend lots of my $100 for it, but then it didn't cost much either... Doug +--- | This is the RPG/400 Mailing List! | To submit a new message, send your mail to RPG400-L@midrange.com. | To subscribe to this list send email to RPG400-L-SUB@midrange.com. | To unsubscribe from this list send email to RPG400-L-UNSUB@midrange.com. | Questions should be directed to the list owner/operator: david@midrange.com +---
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