Re: Chalk one up for "The Cycle"

It has already been said on this thread, that The Cycle is there whether you use it or not. You either take a ride on it (with or WITHOUT a primary file), or you suppress it. There aren't any other choices. If you don't do either one or the other, the compiler is going to tell you that the program has no way of ending, and refuse to compile it.

And yes, I do use SQL. In fact, I had to learn how to use it through the CLI, because I use it in a commercial product that generates it on the fly, and that can't expect anything to be present beyond the base operating system. And I've even gone to Rochester for the SQL optimization class. But it's not something I use every day, and it's not something I normally use for anything other than getting data out of a file.

If you write RPG programs that go through a file and at least look at every record, and you suppress The Cycle instead of using it, then you're unnecessarily complicating the program (and your life). If you write interactive RPG programs that respond to AID-key events, it may be to your advantage to use The Cycle as your event-loop.

Do I write Cycle programs, Hell, yes! Do I write non-Cycle RPG programs? Hell, yes! I've never successfully made use of control breaks (and I've only unsuccessfully attempted to do so once), but then again, I've never been in a situation where using them simplified anything, whereas I'm frequently in situations where taking a free ride on The Cycle beats walking through a file.

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JHHL