RE: Flat file, same field, different positions

AHHHH, the infamous raw toll file!!!!!

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Buck Calabro
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
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