Re: Subfiles was RE: Chalk one up for "The Cycle" -- RPG400-L

At a software firm, we once encountered the 9999 limit on an expanding subfile (boy, Rick's fingers must have been sore) by accident. Since we had to allow the user an option of either continuing to the next page or rolling back through the previous records, Rick kept track of the number of records loaded so far and, when it approached 9999, he issued the necessary "Continue at your own risk" message and, if I recall correctly, simply cleared the subfile before loading the next page: first page of the new set. Obviously, without restarting the selector there was no way to simply roll back to those (now) "lost" pages.

That being said, obviously there are different requirements / needs in different organizations. I prefer Load All subfiles simply because they're easier to write (IMNSHO). I count the number of records and stop at 9999 with a message to the user ("Hmm, don't you think you out to select a range limit instead of loading the entire bloody history file?!"). That solution is acceptable here; it was not at the software firm. Different requirements, different needs.

* Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i5/iSeries Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
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Alan Shore wrote:

I suppose that's possible, but I find it "better" (my opinion) to re-write
to a page at-a-time subfile

Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx
"If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill

rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 04/27/2007 10:35:13 AM:

Is it possible to 'cap' how many times someone could roll w/out the
program demanding a search word entry?

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alan Shore
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 10:33 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Subfiles was RE: Chalk one up for "The Cycle"

Yep - the subfile had a position to field, but the user "preferred" to
use
page-up/page-down instead.

Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx
"If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill

rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 04/27/2007 10:06:25 AM:

Hard to believe, maybe not. Do you have them enter a Search field this
would start the subfile at a later point.?

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alan Shore
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:45 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RE: Subfiles was RE: Chalk one up for "The Cycle"

Walden wrote
"Assuming the subfile gets 20 lines on a screen the user will have to
hit
page down 500 times (FIVE
HUNDRED) before that blows up"

If the sub-file is a load-all sub-file it will happen BEFORE the first
page
is displayed.
As far as the "growing" sub-file, the problem of loading data into the
screen by hitting the page-up 500 or more times HAS happened a couple

of

times (believe it or not)

Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx
"If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill

rpg400-l-bounces+alanshore=nbty.com@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 04/27/2007
09:28:01 AM:

As this program is in PRODUCTION this
problem needs to be rectified IMMEDIATELY...

Yes, but probably not the way you're implying. Assuming the subfile

gets

20 lines on a screen the user will have to hit page down 500 times

(FIVE

HUNDRED) before that blows up. Assuming a more realistic 10-15

you're

in

750 to 1000 page downs. I have NEVER seen a case where a properly
designed screen/lookup/whatever requires the user to hit pagedown

500

times. The only thing I can see even coming close is a notes-display
screen, and even there, segment the notes somehow, by month? Year?
Century?

-Walden

--
Walden H Leverich III
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x3051
WaldenL@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.TechSoftInc.com

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Alan Shore
Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:22 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: Subfiles was RE: Chalk one up for "The Cycle"

Steve
There ARE subfiles that will NEVER be more than 2 - 3 pages long

(List

of
account types that are defined as
d Accttype s 2 0

however, saying that, I've had to rectify subfile programs that will
NEVER
be more than 2 - 3 pages long and then die when they attempt to

write

the
10,000 record to the sub-file. As this program is in PRODUCTION this
problem needs to be rectified IMMEDIATELY, and believe me I've come
across
quite a few of these. It turns out that the original programmer was
either
NOT thinking, or was just taking the easy way out.
All I'm saying is, when creating a subfile, look at the length of

what

the
major key to that subfile is. If theirs a CHANCE that there are

10,000

or
more combinations within that key, bite the bullet and write a page

at

a

time subfile.

Alan Shore

NBTY, Inc
(631) 244-2000 ext. 5019
AShore@xxxxxxxx
"If you're going through Hell, keep going" - Winston Churchill

rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 04/27/2007 08:32:14 AM:

Last night whilst sipping my Manhattan on my deck (I find mint
juleps far too sweet) did I think about work?? Not in the

slightest.

:-)

But, on the subject of subfiles , I still find that a lot people,
even for the simplest of subfiles want to put in code to control

the

scrolling, and want to build it page at a time even though they

know

it will NEVER be more than 2-3 pages long. Happily, for me, I have
not had to build a subfile in years that cannot be built all in

one

go and with the system handling everything, though I have had to
maintain a few of the others and what a pain it is. The standard

for

my current shop is that if the subfile is over 999 lines long the
program will crash, that is the standard I didn't write it, so,

for

one of the few times, on the programs I have changed I go against
the standard and don't allow the program to crash, hey maybe I am
one of those Rogue(or is it Rouge) Programmers that people are
talking about. :-)

Steve

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]Namens Jerry Adams
Verzonden: vrijdag 27 april 2007 15:10
Aan: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Onderwerp: Re: Chalk one up for "The Cycle"

Last night, while sipping a mint julep on my deck, I got to

thinking

about the "non-cycle is more logical, intuitive." I have to agree

with

the statement, though I occasionally write cycle programs in ILE

RPG

(even with subprocedures - how sick is that?).

But, then, I remembered subfile programs. Though I write subfile
programs, no one has (yet) been able to convince me that subfiles

are

"easy and intuitive" to understand. On the other hand I wrote

subfile

programs on the /36. Since the /36 doesn't have the built-in
(cycle-like?) subfile stuff, everything (and I mean everything)

had

to

be coded in the routines.

As much of a pain as subfiles are to program (or maybe it's just

me),

I

haven't heard (and don't expect to hear) anyone wanting to code

subfiles

outside the built in system logic and handling. I no longer write
subfiles "manually;" that would be pretty masochistic.

* Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i5/iSeries Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
voice
615.995.7024
fax
615.995.1201
email
jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Mark Villa wrote:

I like the film industry analogy *much* better than the one I

was

going to use, my spark plug wrench. Don't use it often but it's

there

when needed and is the best tool for the job.

The cycle? Yes, just tell the newbies to think of it like "the
original 4GL" = some of the work is automated. They won't have

to

crack a book.
And that the only problem with the language and utility is that

MS

did

not market it.

Putting SQL in production is more complex to QA IMHO. But when
considering multi-platform development it is obviously the

preference

between these two.

It is when the rogue programmer _decides on their own_ to use

something

different that they cause problems. <<

<<-- I bet this rarely happens in the real world. lol

Mark

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