Re: Free Form RPG Opinions Wanted

[Douglas Handy <dhandy1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joe,

>> In free-form you can do those OR a list of values (a:b:c+2), or %KDS().
>
>Yes, but if you extended the various commands to support the extended factor
>2, this argument would evaporate.  

Consider CHAIN again.  Currently factor1 and factor2 are both used, plus the
opcode extnder column and resulting indicators.  So you can really only gain the
result field columns and field definition.

It is factor1 which has been enhanced here in the /free format variety.  How do
you propose the fixed format version of CHAIN syntax should look?

Anyway you slice it, you are restricted by the column allotments.  Perhaps Hans
& Company *could* allow a list or %KDS() in factor1, when it fit, but IMHO the
chances of it doing so very often are not high.

>So, I propose an (x) extender for all supported opcodes (such as CHAIN)
>which would make the extended factor two have the same syntax as "the rest
>of the line" in free format.  

I must be missing something here.  If you do that, than factor 1 would have to
remain blank, and "the rest of the line" would have the opcode syntax of the
/free version.  So now you're back to what you are already against:  learning
the new syntax for the opcode.  Except that now you have even less of the line
to work with, so more statements spill onto the next source line, and you still
don't get the readability of indented source.

Doug