RE: Flat file, same field, different positions

Having _not_ thought this through, could you use a "common" header data
structure with several based() structures for the differing parts? Rougly
speaking:

     d strucHeader   ds                  
     d  sensType                      3p 0
     d  sensID                        7p 0
     d  roType                        3p 0
     d  roID                          7p 0
     d  DATA                       5000

     d pDATA      S                    INZ(%addr(DATA))

     d struc500   ds                  based(pDATA)
     d  500Field1                      3p 0
     d  500Field2                      7p 0
     d  500Field3                                  3p 0

     d struc360   ds                  based(pDATA)
     d  360Field1                      3A 
     d  360Field2                      9p 0
     d  360Field3                                  1p 0

     d struc700   ds                  based(pDATA)
     d  700Field1                      4A 
     d  700Field2                      8p 0
     d  700Field3                                  2p 0


-Walden

------------
Walden H Leverich III
President
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x11
(208) 692-3308 eFax
WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.TechSoftInc.com 

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Buck Calabro [mailto:Buck.Calabro@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2003 1:21 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Flat file, same field, different positions


I have an EDI-like flat file where I have standard data elements which occur
in different places depending on the record type.  The fields are all
packed.  The existing implementation simply maps them all into one set of I
specs in RPG III, and has IGNDECERR(*YES) set.

Iflatfile  NS  02   22 C                          
I          OR  01                                 
...
I                             P   31   31 0SEA500 
I                             P   40   40 0SEA625 
I                             P   46   46 0SEA364 
I                             P   30   30 0SEAUSF 
...

There are dozens of fields on each record type.  I'm doing maintenance and
want to make this RPG IV so I can use reasonable names, etc.  Unfortunately,
I need to use FIXNBR(*ZONED *INPUTPACKED) in order for it to run as-is.
This generates tens of thousands of messages in the job log as each
'invalid' number is 'fixed'.  Understand that for a 500 record type, the
program only references the 500 fields.

I want something like:
     d struc0001       ds                  
     d  sensType                      3p 0
     d  sensID                        7p 0
     d  roType                        3p 0
     d  roID                          7p 0

     d struc0360       ds                  
     d  sensType                      3p 0
     d  sensID                        7p 0
     d  roType                        3p 0
     d  roID                          7p 0

But that won't compile because the same field is in a different DS.  I could
use qualified, but as far as the calculations go, eval sensType=sensType0001
isn't much different from eval sensType=struc0001.sensType.  I still have to
copy all the fields by hand as it were.

I have two goals:
1) I don't want to use FIXNBR; so I'm separating the fields 
   into separate structures
2) I'd rather use one set of names to describe the same fields;
   not SEA500, SEA625, SEA364, but SEA.

Since the input data is packed, I can't readily use the old standby I specs
because I can't specify the hex codes needed to recognise the packed fields.
I'm stuck, aren't I?  It gets worse when having to support this back to
V4R5.  Just thought I'd post a tale of woe on a rainy Northeast US Friday.
  --buck
_______________________________________________
This is the RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries (RPG400-L) mailing list
To post a message email: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options,
visit: http://lists.midrange.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/rpg400-l
or email: RPG400-L-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives
at http://archive.midrange.com/rpg400-l.