RE: Overloading in RPG.

[jpcarr@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

>The main idea behind overloading is that you can have same named sub
>procedures with _different_ amounts of parms or _different_ parm types
>passed to them.



I know what you mean,  I am just saying that using the "Number of parms
passed" as the method(haha) of telling you that this thing can do more than
one thing,  I feel is dubous.

It obscures what the thing does.

>>EVAL      RC        =  OPEN(%ADDR(FILENAME): OFLAG)<<

Opens the IFS file doing translation,

>>EVAL      RC        =  OPEN(%ADDR(FILENAME): OFLAG: OMODE: CODEPAGE) <<

Opens the IFS file with the right codepage, authority, etc(both depending
on the flags set)

It just seems stupid.    Explaining that "First I Open it with the right
code page, and create, etc,  THEN
OF COURSE I have to close it so that I can Open it again and tell it to do
translation"

I understand it,  It just seems a silly way of telling a function what you
want to do by the NUMBER of parms passed.
I can see the value of the "principle of overloading"   Again I implemented
it in CL 15 years ago with one CL doing 15 functions passing it an
externally defined D/S  with a Function Number being one of the
subfields(ie 1- 15).
Was it C++ or Java?  No, But it still used the "princple" of overloaded
functions.


Just an opinion nothing more Thats all,

John


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