RE: Varying - Inz mandatory?

["Bartell, Aaron L. (TC)" <ALBartell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>If you don't initialize a "varying" field, I think it's length is set to
zero so the error makes since.
Actually it is just blank space - x'40' until I Inz it, then it is x'F0'.

It would be nice if it would initialize to zero for you or have the compiler
notify you that it was not initialized.  For example the Java compiler gives
the following message for the following code:

int count;
for (int i = 0; count > i; i++){
   System.out.println("Hi");
}

Compile error: variable count may not have been initialized.

Aaron Bartell

-----Original Message-----
From: Haas, Matt [mailto:Matt.Haas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2003 9:59 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Varying - Inz mandatory?


Aaron,

If you don't initialize a "varying" field, I think it's length is set to
zero so the error makes since. A better check for empty would probably be
"If %len(error.description) > 0". Other languages that I've dealt with that
have varying length fields (most recently Java) have similar issues. I don't
think they get an out of range error but the test fails since there's a
difference between nothing and a space.

Matt

-----Original Message-----
From: Bartell, Aaron L. (TC) [mailto:ALBartell@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, August 15, 2003 10:39 AM
To: 'RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries'
Subject: Varying - Inz mandatory?


I have a couple VARYING questions.

Question #1.

D error           DS                  Qualified
D  code                         10A
D  description                 256A   Varying
 /Free

  If error.description <> ' ';
    error.code = '0';
  EndIf;
  *InLR = *On;

 /End-Free  

I get a 'Length of varying length variable is out of range.' error message
if I don't Inz the error DS or the description subfield.  This wouldn't be a
problem if in the documentation they said that you needed to Inz
DS's/subfields if they have VARYING fields.  At least I can't seem to find
where it might state that, and I have looked both in the WDSc docs and Info
Center. Do you have to Inz or occupy a field before you can check to see if
it contains a value?  I am on V5R1.  
<snip>

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