RE: SEU vs. ? -- RPG400-L

Joe G wrote:

>Outside of a few glitches in syntax checking ... 
>what is all that wrong with using SEU.

I don't think of it as 'SEU is bad/wrong.'  I think of it as 'Code does a
better job overall.'

Scott K wondered:
>What does CODE/400 do that makes you more productive?

My personal list:
1) Undo/redo
2) Regular expression search
3) Macros
4) Block matching/jump (match IF/END, etc.)
5) Source member compare
6) View more source at a time
7) Use one editor for iSeries AND PC
8) Edit/browse multiple members in the same window
9) Bookmarks

The last two deserve a little more mention, because they help me write
better code by helping me THINK better code.  If I'm working in a large
program, it's pretty typical for it to bounce around; mainline to
subroutine, subr calling another subr, etc.  It's Very Convenient to be able
to have all the subrs open and editable at the same time.  Not only can I
follow the code, I can change each bit as I need to.

This helps me think better because I can now start to see the
subroutines/code snippets as functions rather than lines 1853-1902.  As I
begin to think in terms of functions, I begin to isolate my code into
reusable components rather than doing the same old copy source, change field
names, re-compile and test the snot out of it that I did with SEU.

Bookmarks help in the same way.  I can place a named bookmark at each major
decision point and go back to them very quickly.  Again, the point is that
it makes exploring and understanding existing code easier than ploughing
through it with SEU, writing down line numbers on scrap paper.

Can I do that in SEU?  Maybe.  But it's harder for me...  Likewise, writing
new code is easier for me too.  I write the function PIs, pop the bare
function calls in the mainline and open a separate edit window for each
function as needed.  The PC editor has helped me to broaden my thinking in
general.  With all due respect to the Code creators, I had my epiphany years
ago with Brief, and then Paul Conte's Flex/Edit.

Code is not Utopia, but having macros available brings it closer...  The
simple truth is that we are finally getting into the religious discussion on
'which editor is better?'  We're at least 20 years behind the Unix and PC
folks, so perhaps we can learn from their experience: There is no perfect
editor for all programmers.

Finally, macros have helped me broaden my thinking by teaching me that it is
often more effective to write a tool to help automate drudgery than it is to
simply get by, doing the same drudge work every day.  By applying that small
lesson (write an editor macro) to the bigger picture (write a tool to
generate the test cases) I have re-trained myself to think of the larger
picture in general.

Bob C said:
>Also it does not do Cut/Paste for some reason.

I cut/paste a hundred times a day with it.  Perhaps there's some special
scenario you're thinking about?

  --buck