Re: Convert from free to fixed

... interesting, you are a clairvoyant, seeing what other persons are thinking...

IMHO RPG has sometimes diffrent features, doing similar things and good style is not to use all, what's available, but the most powerful lfeature of each category. For instance error handling: you have:
- error indicators in fixed format
- e extenders in free format
- ile condition handlers
- *pssr
- monitor groups
-... maybe I'm overlooking something, I didn't see in > 20 years RPG
comparing this alternatives, monitor is the most powerfull of all and contains all possibilities the other have and some valuable too (arbitrary blocks, grouping of conditions), so I clearly recommend to use this and only this!!!

Another example:
in RPG you have Subroutines and Procedures a procedure could do all, a subroutine does and has valuable additional features as local variables and parameters and prototypes for the compiler to check if your call could have a chance to succeed - so I clearly recommend to use procedures and forget subroutines (for all your newly written stuff). BTW: Prototypes are another example for doing things not consequently by the developers of RPG. There are languages out there only needing PIs and no PRs.

D*B

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Scott Klement" <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 5:30 PM
To: "RPG programming on the IBM i / System i" <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Convert from free to fixed

Hi Vern,

Nothing wrong with it - some think tried and true techniques should
never be used, just because they aren't their hottest new thing.

Frankly, that's not a common problem in the RPG community.

A much more common problem is to use old, clumsy, outdated techniques
just because folks are used to them. RPG programmers almost always hang
on to outdated techniques long after better ones arrive, just because
"we've always done it that way."

--
This is the RPG programming on the IBM i / System i (RPG400-L) mailing list
To post a message email: RPG400-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change list options,
visit: http://lists.midrange.com/mailman/listinfo/rpg400-l
or email: RPG400-L-request@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Before posting, please take a moment to review the archives
at http://archive.midrange.com/rpg400-l.