RE: Hi New to list. QCMDEXC Question Kind of long. Thanks a lot.

Hehe yeah I'm 29 yrs old now.  Started this when I was 23.  I try to make 
sure that complex code is documented.  Around here, if you don't, they'll 
chop off your fingers which is a nice touch.  I'll usually document about 
30% as much as I code.  If the documentation ends up looking like 
*Chain to file to get record -> I usually leave stuff like that out 
because you can see it in the code.  But if it's more complex like a 
calculation of rates based on steps, I'll usually try to get the point 
across in plain English with a written example as to how the input and 
output should like, just in case someone reads it in the future and tries 
to figure out just what I'm doing.  Usually, I'll write the whole program 
(new stuff) with very little documentation, then once it's all done and 
tested, I'll go back thru the source and start reading each line to see 
whether or not it needs to be documented.  Then we have an on-line 
database that's updated with any changes made to the program.  I also make 
sure that I list each and every indicator used in the program so that you 
don't have to guess if it's used or not.  Whether or not my colleagues 
keep that up to date is another story lol.  I've heard the phrase "just 
compile it and it'll tell you the indicators used" but to me that's a 
couple minutes I could have saved so I could read my RPG List email :) 
<vbg>

Ron Power
Programmer
Information Services
City Of St. John's, NL
P.O. Box 908
St. John's, NL
A1C 5M2
Tel: 709-576-8132
Email: rpower@xxxxxxxxxx
Website: http://www.stjohns.ca/
___________________________________________________________________________
Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm. - 
Sir Winston Churchill




"Dan Bale" <dbale@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
16/08/2004 11:14 AM
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RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>


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RE: Hi New to list. QCMDEXC Question Kind of long. Thanks a lot.






> -----Original Message-----
> From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx / RPower@xxxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Monday, August 16, 2004 9:34 AM
>
> Welcome to the list Matthew.  I too went to a school that specialized in
> using RPG for their programming training.  Mind you that was 5 years 
ago.

You are *so* old, Ron!  <geezer grunt>

> Keyin College here in Newfoundland Canada.  Although I learned a lot 
more
> once out in the workplace.  Including debugging code that was not mine.
> That's really fun (sarcastic note inserted).  One thing in school they
> tell you is to document, document, document.  Must have been a new idea
> when I was there cause not many programs I started working on had
> documentation lol.

So, everything you work on, you document?  Do they let you do this during
your normal working hours?

The mind boggles.

db

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