RE: Free Form RPG Opinions Wanted

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Buck Calabro
>
> I can't speak for management at any level because I've see some odd things
> in my day.  But I strongly advise recalcitrant managers to re-visit the
> notion that /free and SQL are equally difficult to switch into and out of.
> I've been doing this stuff since Mother Fletcher's [1] days and have no
> trouble flipping between columnar and /free.  The only thing I had to get
> used to was factor one following the opcode.  It's still RPG, just sans
> columns.

My point is there's no reason to have to.

MYKEY1   CHAIN     MYFILE1
         IF        %FOUND(MYFILE1)
         MOVE      DBFLD1        WKFLD1
         ENDIF
         MOVEL     WKFLD1        OUTFLD

It becomes this:

/free
      chain mykey1 myfile1;
      if %found(myfile1);
/end-free
         MOVE      DBFLD1        WKFLD1
/free
      endif;
/end-free
         MOVEL     DBFLD1        OUTFLD

You think this makes sense.  Me, I'd prefer the following - a tool that
converts fixed format to "extended fixed" format.

*EXTFAC2 CHAIN     MYKEY1 MYFILE1
         IF        %FOUND(MYFILE1)
         MOVE      DBFLD1        WKFLD1
         ENDIF
         MOVEL     WKFLD1        OUTFLD

Then remove the MOVE opcodes and perhaps take advantage of the %KDS BIF
(although the MOVE changes I'd like to see in a conversion program as well):

*EXTFAC2 CHAIN     %KDS(KEYDS1) MYFILE1
         IF        %FOUND(MYFILE1)
         EVAL      WKFLD1 = DBFLD1
         ENDIF
         EVAL      OUTFLD = %MOVEL(WKFLD1:OUTFLD)

And finally, a complete move to free:

/free
      chain mykey1 myfile1;
      if %found(myfile1);
         eval wkfld1 = dbfld1;
      endif;
      eval outfld = %movel(wkfld1:outfld);
/end-free

I think the requirement of a mixed-mode is an unnecessary burden, and I
think a couple of simple additions to the language would get around them and
allow us to be far more productive and give us a lot more control over our
development environment.

And I have REALLY got to get out of this argument, because it's taking way
too much time and I've got work to do.

Have fun, all!

Joe