RE: format of *DATE (was Source code retrieval from opbject of display file)

[bmorris@xxxxxxxxxx]

>From: Buck Calabro <Buck.Calabro@commsoft.net>
>Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 12:12:10 -0500
>
>>Oscar, you must have had a default H spec data area.
>
>But doesn't that only matter when the program is compiled?  I mean if the
>system was restored from backups, wouldn't the object code still be using
>the H-spec it was compiled with?

Right.  The program would work the same if it wasn't recompiled.
Since the format of *DATE isn't dependent on any system or
job values, this problem couldn't happen without a recompile.

Using RPG IV, I would never bother with the H spec data areas.  I
would /copy an H spec into every program that didn't already have
an H spec and forget about the data area.  Partly because of this
problem with new systems and partly because using the data area puts
part of the program source in a very strange non-source-ish place,
but mainly because setting the H spec using the data area
creates a problem when you need to add some module-specific H spec
key word, as soon as you code the H spec in the module, the data area
isn't fetched, and you suddenly don't get all the usual defaults.
With the /copy, you can still add other keywords.  (It's still a bit
of a problem if you need to override a keyword that's in the
standard /copy, but it can be handled by fancying-up the standard
/copy with /if.)

 /if not defined(skip_datfmt)
H   datfmt(*eur)
 /endif
 /if not defined(skip_datedit)
H   datedit(*dmy)
 /endif

Oops, a bit of a tangent there.  Just thinking about the default H
spec data areas always sets me off.

Barbara Morris