RE: Renaming copy member data structure fields

 Arggh!!!
I second that emotion LOL


Thanks,
Tommy Holden


-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of rob@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 4:09 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Renaming copy member data structure fields

A better set of copybooks would be nice.  Not only are the field names 
rather arcane, but there are other issues.
1 - I like to qualify all data structures.  Granted I could use the IBM 
one as a reference and use likeds for the ones I really use.
2 - Most of IBM's are defined as
D QUSSGH                 65     68B 0 
When they should be defined as 
HdrSize                    10i 0
Because 10i 0, while taking up the same amount of buffer space, and 
formatted the same, actually supports larger numbers, like 9999999999 
versus some obscure 32... kind of number.

So many of us redefine our own.  Granted it would be nice to have a 
universal set, so that when we share code then a common set gets
utilized.
Is there api's out on some open source for i5/os site?

One thing I have discovered is that there are a lot of primma donna's
out 
there coding and we all like our field names just like we want them. 
Several suffer from the "Not Invented Here" syndrome.  In other words,
if 
I didn't write it, I won't use it.  The oddest thing is that those who 
rail the loudest against the "Not Invented Here" syndrome are often
those 
who have eschewed someone else's solution and recommend everyone use 
theirs.

One other thing that frustrates me about a very few api's:  There is a 
small selection of them that use the same format name but formatted all 
differently.  Let me explain.
The List Objects api (QUSLOBJ) uses format OBJL0100.  So does the List 
Object Locks api (QWCLOBJ).  However format OBJL0100 from QUSLOBJ looks 
nothing like OBJL0100 from QWCLOBJ.  Which in turn makes 
/include QAPISRC,OBJL0100
next to impossible.
Granted, I could try
/INCLUDE QAPISRC,QUSLOBJ
but the problem I have with that is picking and choosing which format to

use.
And, I still want my qualified data structure to be the same name as the

format.
And, I have a program that uses both List Objects and then uses List 
Object Locks against the objects in that list.
Arggh!!!
Do I then need to may my datastructure names like
D QwclobjObjl0100 ds            qualified
...
and move my source from the 10 character limitation of source physical 
files, and move it into the IFS so that I can INCLUDE just the right
name?

Rob Berendt