IBM's RPG Strategy (was: Long Procedure Names)

Hi Paul,

Please don't bring up "Object Rpg", or I'll then have to wade through a
dozen "don't try to make RPG like Java" posts. :)

However, it doesn't look like there's any chance of such a thing happening
to RPG anytime soon. Scott Klement has an article on IBM's RPG strategy
here:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?S48D13CBA

What I like:

- Allow more than 80 columns in source code (YES YES YES!!!)
- Full support for null database fields
- Support for XML parsing
- Procedure overloading



Regards,

John Taylor



> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Morgan

> John,
> 
> It would be nice if we could qualify a procedure name with a 
> module or service program name similar to the way we qualify 
> a field name in a data structure.  Then you could code 
> getLastPeriod() in the CUTLS001 module/service program.  If 
> you had no name conflict between modules you could use 
> getLastPeriod() in the programs without a problem.  But if a 
> name conflict occurred you could qualify, in the RPG program, 
> to the right procedure with CUGLS001.getLastPeriod() to get 
> around the name conflict.
> 
> This doesn't tackle your immediate problem but would be a 
> solution for a future release.  Also, this is getting close 
> to Object RPG.  Instead of qualifying the procedure to a 
> module/service program if you could qualify it to a data 
> structure you'd have an object (like C++ objects are just C 
> structures enhanced with methods and scoping).  For example, 
> you could do CurrentCompany.getLastPeriod();
>