Re: RPG II Question

[Jerry Adams <jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bruce,

I agree regarding the EXTK for alternate indices (logicals), but this is 
a physical with a single key field.

I re-compiled the program for debug (ISDB has a problem with /Copy 
books) so I know it was still using '1' as the key field's starting 
position.  So there was no mismatch between source and object - in this 
case.  I, also, changed the key start position to the correct location 
('2') and the program still worked as expected. 

The LISTCONS table is only used to verify a code entered on the entry 
panel, which is this program's raison d'etat. 

For what it's worth, I created the table and added it to this program a 
couple of years ago so I am the one who accidentally mis-defined the 
key's start location. 

	* Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
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	615.995.7024
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	jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



Bruce Vining wrote:
> According to the RPG II manual at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v5r4/topic/books/c0918180.pdf non-contiguous fields are indicated by the value 'EXTK' and files with a contiguous key by the starting position.
>    
>   Is it possible someone has changed the source and your executable is based on a previous version?
>    
>   Bruce
>
> "Peter Dow (ML)" <maillist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>   Hi Jerry,
>
> Keeping in mind that my grey cells are leaking out and making my hair 
> grey, but I have this recollection that when IBM started allowing 
> non-contiguous key fields, the key location in RPG II changed to just 1, 
> i.e. pretty much unused. I always thought of it as the position of the 
> key in the index, not in the physical file, and in the index entry, the 
> key would always start in pos.1.
>
> hth,
> *Peter Dow* /
> Dow Software Services, Inc.
> 909 793-9050
> pdow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx /
>
> Jerry Adams wrote:
>   
> > I really don't expect an answer. In fact most people will probably just 
> > delete this when they see the subject line. But this is puzzling the 
> > heck out of me.
> >
> > I went in to an RPG II program (old package) to do some simple 
> > maintenance changes. I noticed that one of the files was defined as:
> >
> > FFilenameIPEAFBlenRlenLK1AIOvKlocEDevice+
> > FLISTCONSIF 27 1AI 1 DISK 
> >
> > Well, the key length is '1' but the key actually starts in position '2' 
> > of the record. The purpose of the file is to validate a code entered on 
> > a panel:
> >
> > C WRCONS CHAINLISTCONS 54
> > C 54 SETON 99
> > C 54 *ZEROS ADD 23 $ 
> > C 54 GOTO X2A 
> >
> > The first position of LISTCONS is a status byte. Currently every record 
> > has an 'A' in position 1. The program has been successfully validating 
> > these codes for years. How is that possible? I even put the program 
> > under debug (ISDB) and verified the codes entered (WRCONS) and in the 
> > file (ABCONS) are the same after the chain, and that indicator 54 is 
> > turned *Off.
> >
> > It has been awhile since I programmed on a S/36, but I'm pretty sure 
> > that, first, when the program started up it would give me a file 
> > mismatch error. Is the i5 really smart enough to say, "Well, he botched 
> > that. Let's just use what is really in the file."?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> >
> >