RE: Rock and a hard place

Hi James,

Is it possible to change the MI program? Is it possible to add logic to the MI program so that when it is called in a certain way it deactivates itself?

If so, then add the logic to the MI program, convert the OPM RPG to RPGIV, replace the FREE opcode with the call to the MI program to deactivate itself.


Regards,

Kevin Wright
PS You may want to title your threads so that people other than followers of Scylla & Charybdis can tell what is going on inside. Also somewhere in there you could have mentioned the gripping hand as the third hand.

-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of James Lampert
Sent: Wednesday, 22 June 2011 10:44 AM
To: RPG programming on the IBM i / System i
Subject: Rock and a hard place


I have an OPM RPG program. It's a maintenance utility for an
application.

I left it in OPM RPG, rather than converting it to ILE,
because at the
time, there was no advantage in converting it.

Now, I'm adding some new capabilities to it. Involving Data
Areas with
names longer than 6 characters.

But when I convert it to ILE, I find that it uses the FREE
statement to
deactivate a called MI program. And there's no FREE in ILE.
(no "/free"
jokes, please!)

On the one hand, I'd rather not rename the new data areas to
something
that will work in an OPM RPG NAMEVAR DEFN statement.
(Although nothing
has reached the shippable stage yet.)

On the other hand, it is absolutely imperative that the called MI
program be completely shut down between calls from this
utility, as with
the OPM RPG FREE statement. (It must, however, remain active between
calls when called from elsewhere.)

And on the third hand (if you're Lt. Arex*), I'd rather not
re-implement
the whole damned thing in a completely different language.

And on the fourth hand (if you're Amarie, the four-handed pianist of
Qualor II**) I also need to be able to create data areas on-the-fly.

Can anybody suggest anything (other than an abrupt retirement
from this
crazy business)?

--
JHHL

* Star Trek Animated
** ST:TNG, "Unification, Part II"
--
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