Re: Classic Traps -- I need your input!

----- Original Message ----- From: "Simon Coulter" <shc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries" <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2008 3:16 PM
Subject: Re: Classic Traps -- I need your input!

Quarter = %div(Month : 3.01) + 1;

The compiler won't like that one. Make it normal division q=(m/3.01)
+1 and it works. I don't like this because it's obscure.

I agree - too obscure. Never realized you can only use integers in %div - thanks.

Quarter %dim(Month + 2 : 3);

I don't like that one either. It makes it harder to deal with
financial quarters.

At least in my actual code I typed this one correctly. %dim never had a chance :)

For me I wouldn't do this calculation in direct code. I'd write a
generic procedure:
getQuarterOfYear( date [, fiscalPeriodStart] )

True. I left the formula in the C spec for this one because we do not really do much by quarter anyhow, and we use a straight calendar. This one program is the only one I have seen here with any mention of quarters at all. And even then it is largely ignored.

I am still amused how much time has gone into fixing something that was not broken to begin with. At least the episode was educational.