Re: Free form SQL

[Scott Klement <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Pete,

Actually, I think Vern is wrong.  You *can* use TGTRLS(*PRV), as long as 
you're using an SQL precompiler that supports free-format.

Remember what the precompiler does!  It converts your code into calls to 
SQL APIs, then compiles that code.  It doesn't matter whether your 
original code is fixed or free, in either case, it converts your code to 
fixed format calls to the APIs (it'll insert /end-free and /free as 
appropriate, providing you have the latest PTFs... there were bugs in 
the original implementation that caused the /end-free to be misplaced in 
certain circumstances, but these are fixed in the latest PTFs -- make 
sure you have the ones that supercede the original ones, don't just pick 
the ones from the APAR)

Anyway.. the point is, the code that the precompiler creates will work 
with TGTRLS(*PRV), no problem -- so it doesn't matter whether you use 
TGTRLS(*PRV) or not.  You *do* have to use SQL statements that are 
supported on the target release (i.e. if you use a new SQL keyword that 
requires V5R3, you'd have a problem).  (But that would be a problem in 
either fixed or free format.)

The only flaw in free-format SQL on V5R3 (that I'm aware of) is that the 
syntax checker in WDSC 7.0 reports a strange error on free-format SQL 
statements.  (Something about a connection error, which it turns out had 
nothing to do with what was wrong, what was really wrong was that the 
RPG syntax checker in V5R3 didn't support free-format SQL.)  Not sure if 
they ever fixed that problem.

But that's only a problem in the editor.  The precompiler and compiler 
should work fine (assuming you have the right PTFs applied) even with 
TGTRLS(*PRV).

Pete Helgren wrote:
> However, your pointer on *PRV probably saved me much time since I would 
> have never thought to compile *CURRENT (*PRV is the default) and would 
> have chased my tail even further.