That is what I meant by depending on your IT goal and vision. It is
obviously wrong to say that nobody in my IT shop should use anything new
because Joe over here might not understand it. We are IT, it is our job
to keep ourselves updated. However, if your IT has already set a goal
to move away from RPGIII, for example, and is encouraging every
programmer to start using ILERPG, it would be counter productive for a
programmer keep insist that his brand new RPGIII application work just
fine, too bad if you don't understand it or not like it.
I understand that programming style is a very personally thing. Some
could still argue that there is nothing wrong with "goto" opcode if you
use it properly. True, if you use it properly. But everybody knows
that it can be easily mis-used. If "goto" can be easily avoided, I
don't seem anything wrong for a IT shop to discourage/ban the use of it.
I'm your example, obviously you have made the right choice for being
bold enough to implement this new technique in your shop. However, you
did it, my guess, is based on the realization that subfile is good and
expert in RPG field is encouraging IT to use it. . . . At that time,
you probably also know that there is a risk that it might be abandoned
by IBM, your peers, other expert. . .
I would love to write some java applications just for the fun of it
also. However, it carries a bundle to our IT shop if that is not my IT
shop's intention.
-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jerry Adams
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 6:28 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: RPG Cycle (was Multi-Occurring DS)
A rather specious argument. A lot of the features available in RPG (any
version) are hidden from the programmer.
Back in the 80's I attended a COMMON session on Subfiles, even though I
was on a S/36. Within a few months I had developed a method for doing
subfiles on a /36. Obviously all of the code was plainly visible to any
programmer, but would anyone (of sound mind, anyway) want to write
subfile programs that way?
And is a real subfile program intuitively obvious to any programmer,
especially a rookie? Matching records, level control breaks, and other
features of the cycle are, compared to subfiles, intuitively obvious.
And, if not, can be understood by any programmer in less than an hour
(which is how long that session lasted in my first programming class).
Understanding subfiles can become a lifetime learning project (of
course, I'm speaking for myself). So the features that help us program
things like subfiles are verboten because they are not obvious?
Poppycock.
* Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
voice
615.995.7024
fax
615.995.1201
email
jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Lim Hock-Chai wrote:
Again, it comes with a cost for your IT shop. May or may not be much,
depending on your staff.
-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jerry Adams
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 4:23 PM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: RPG Cycle (was Multi-Occurring DS)
Lim Hock-Chai wrote:
As far as RPG cycle, may be, I've made too much assumption regarding
it.
In my IT shop, 99.9% of programs are NON RPG cycle programs (Primary
file...). Most programmers here do not use traditional RPG cycle
programming. Under this condition, I just do not believe it is a
good
to introduce cycle programming simply because it is the best tool for
a particular task. Non RPG cycle can be just as effective.
And I still fail to see why people avoid (nay, prohibit) the use of
the cycle. Except for the myriad of old RPG II code that I have to
maintain (no RPG III), I *may* have written three or four (obviously)
cycle-dependent programs in the last five years.
The cycle, though, is part of the language just like BIFs, for
example.
Some, like %found( ), I use very frequently. Others I may never have
used at all, but I know how to read the bloody manual (that section I
actually printed for quick reference and review).
Personally, I'm too old and too darn lazy to re-invent things like
matching records and level control breaks (especially when doing both
at the same time).
* Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
voice
615.995.7024
fax
615.995.1201
email
jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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