still null capable

["Patrick Conner" <pwconner@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have much respect for your opinion, but I disagree on this
point.

 Jon.Paris@hal.it wrote:
> Yes - but it is not as simple as that or I suspect the
> RPG team would have
> done it.

With all the RPG team is swapped with I wouldn't blame them
for not thinking of a small enhancement such as this on (if
it is simple)

> 
> Problem (in part) lies in the fact that RPG treats one
> name = one piece of
> storage.  In COBOL or C if I have the same field name in
> two different
> files (D/B and Display for example) then that is two
> separate fields - not
> so in RPG.
> 
> Imagine then that I detect that a field is null and want
> to show the
> operator the text "No data supplied" rather than whatever
> garbage is in the
> field.  The minute I move that text into the display
> field the field is now
> non-null - guess what happens if I write it back to the
> database!  This is
> just one example of the little minefields waiting to be
> discovered in this
> area.

We already deal with this scenario with non-null variables.
If I have a blank value in a field and want to display 'No
data supplied' I create a display variable (usually defined
as the D/B var).

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