Overloading in RPG.

["Bartell, Aaron L. (TC)" <ALBartell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am wondering if anyone knows if "overloading" is in RPGILE's future.  I am
talking about overloading similar to what Java has.  I just found another
application where this would prove most valuable.

For those who don't know what overloading is it basically allows you the
programmer to have multiple methods(subprocedures) with the same name but
they accept different parm structures.  So in your RPG programs based on the
parameter types you pass it will decide which method(subprocedure) will
actual be called.

here is an example:

I could call #getDate with two or three parms. . .

C              callp      #getDate(parm1:parm2)
C              callp      #getDate(parm1:parm2:parm3)

and based on the data type of each parm and how many are passed it knows
which sub procedure to call.  You could have two #getDate sub procedures
that both receive two parms but have different data types for parm1 and
parm2.

Here is what #getDate would look like.

 *//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*
 * (#getDate) Get Date                                          *
 *//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*
P #getDate          B                   EXPORT                     
 *--------------------------------------------------------------*
D #getDate         PI              *                              
D  parm1                         4                               
D  parm2                         4

 *--------------------------------------------------------------*
C                   //put calcs in here

C                   return    ??                         
 *--------------------------------------------------------------*     
P #getDate        E 

...or...

 *//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*
 * (#getDate) Get Date                                          *
 *//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////*
P #getDate          B                   EXPORT                     
 *--------------------------------------------------------------*
D #getDate         PI              *                              
D  parm1                         4                               
D  parm2                         4                               
D  parm3                         9  0                 
 *--------------------------------------------------------------*
C                   //put calcs in here

C                   return    ??                         
 *--------------------------------------------------------------*     
P #getDate        E                                                

Aaron Bartell              
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