RE: Standards issue - Comments please. -- RPG400-L

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I like PRTF specs for many reasons although I will admit it took a bit to
convince me.

RLU is an awful product, truly awful.  However I've discovered one thing I
like in a big way.  Write the PRTF and compile it.  Then do a 19 on the PDM
line and look at the output.  Then close it and can choose 'Y' for the
prototype report.  That is invaluable especially with pre-printed forms.  I
don't know another easy way to see if the left side of a field fits in its
allotted space.

Do O=specs allow field positioning of +1?  I didn't learn about +1 until
after I stopped using O-Specs.

Also, I find the keywords  UNDERLINE and HIGHLIGHT add a great deal to a
report's attractiveness and they are very easy to use compared to doing the
same thing in the O-Specs.

When you compile a PRTF you also get compile options so that you won't need
OVRPTRF statements.

I also use Figlet to make headings, copy them onto a screen format, save the
screen format, then copy those lines into the PRTF specs and have an ASCII
ART Heading on a report.

DDS is typically a entry-level task in most shops.  It is important work and
teaches a great deal to a new person.  Adding PRTF specs into that group of
entry-level tasks can only be a good thing.


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Booth Martin   http://www.MartinVT.com
Booth@MartinVT.com
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-------Original Message-------

From: rpg400-l@midrange.com
Date: Friday, January 03, 2003 05:03:53 PM
To: 'rpg400-l@midrange.com'
Subject: RE: Standards issue - Comments please.

Dave,

I know this a a dangerous topic <g> but I needed to get more fuel..... Bruce
Vining pointed out the national language support issue, which is just now
becoming a research project for one of our devo teams.

As several others have stated, I'd put myself in the group that prefers
o-specs "just because". But once I began looking at it as a "problem", I
found that I cannot justify "just because" as a valid answer to why we
should use o-specs. So far, the only advantage is outputting array elements,
which seems pretty mild as arguments go..... :)

RPG cycle issues are null and void. Cycle is used ONLY for batch
maintenance programs, not reporting.

RLU? Is this really an argument in favor of Prtf? I freely admit that it's
been a few years since I looked at RLU, but I feel that the main reason most
programmers avoided (past tense) PRTF in the first place was crappy old RLU.
Is it better now? I know that Code Designer (and its successor when it's
developed) are much easier to use, but I see less than ten percent of the
developers here with any interest in the new tools.

Thanks to all.

Eric DeLong
Sally Beauty Company
MIS-Project Manager (BSG)
940-898-7863 or ext. 1863
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