Re: Character to Numeric can it be cleaned up

["Carel Teijgeler" <coteijgeler@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hans, 

I know that.

But I think the work was half done, as those BIFs only worked with values known 
at compile time (literals, constants) and not with values from fields in 
database files.

So a statement like "Eval     MyNumber = %DEC(MyCharacterField)" will not 
compile on V5R1 and older OS releases. This can be done at V5R2 (I hope). To 
get a numeric value in a character field into a numeric field you have to use 
MOVE. At V5R1 with /free at my disposal. (Joe Pluta's arguments are still 
standing!)

So, I still consider those BIFs useless at those OS levels. I would have been 
better, if IBM had not introduced them at that time.

Regards,
Carel Teijgeler

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 16-8-03 at 9:37 Hans Boldt wrote:

>> Unfortunately, %DEC is not fully matured on V5R1 and only accept values
>> known at compilte time (read: hard coded values). This BIF is therefore 
>> rather useless at this OS level.
>> 
>> And to think of it: this BIF (and its cousins) were developed to dump MOVE 
>> in /free. (sic!)
>
>Sorry for the nitpicking, but %DEC, %INT, %UNS, etc. were added to the 
>language several releases before /FREE.