Re: OPTIONS(*OMIT)/style question

On 21/08/2009, at 7:17 PM, David FOXWELL wrote:

I don't like this method as I often see this kind of thing :

MyProc (
client_number :
' ' :
0 :
client_info :
more_client_info :
' ' :
);

Here one can only presume that the parameters with ' ' or 0 aren't used.

Incorrect presumption. They are being used but they are only input values.

I would prefer to see named constants being used. Ask what does a blank client type mean and define a suitable named constant. What does 0 mean? What does the second blank mean? Derive names and use them instead--self documenting.

In my first example, I can see that client_type isn't initialised so isn't being used, although it probably still needs a comment.

"Not being used" is perhaps incorrect. It will be initialised to blanks and a blank client type may have meaning to the receiver.

Also when I declare the local variable, I use the same reference field that is used in the prototype.
D MyProc PR
D client_number S LIKE ( REF_client_number )
D client_type S LIKE ( REF_client_type )

Nothing wrong with that. It's good practice to define things like other things as long as there is a relationship between them.

I just wondered if this is what *OMIT is for?

RTFM will help you with that. *OMIT means the parameter is omitted--it has no value. A null pointer is being passed. The receiver has to be written to cope with that.

Regards,
Simon Coulter.
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