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

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: bmorris@ca.ibm.com
>
> Joe, it's not a gem, it's a lump of coal.  A better way, imho, would
> be to have a source file in each library with a different /copy file.
> See my previous rant about why I don't think the data areas should be
> used.  (I think their usefulness ended on the day that RPG got /COPY.)

Actually, after Scott's post, I think I posted my agreement, despite my
personal dislike of /COPY members.  Back in the day, just about anything
that people did with /COPY was as easily done in a separate program, but
nowadays with prototypes I think /COPY is a valuable technique again.

However, I absolutely despise it when people put actual business logic in
/COPY members.  Then I find myself having to skip around from source member
to source member to find out what a program is actually doing.  Especially
today with bound procedures, there's no need for it.

So I guess I'm going to have to at least modify my position on /COPY, and
put it in the realm of SQL - used properly, it's an important tool.