RE: Varying length subfield contains blanks instead of length 0 ?

In this particular case, I'm working with an array DS. I'm finding that even when I initialize the DS, the "empty" subfields contain all x'4040'. And when I test for *blanks, or for %len(...) = 0, I get blown out by the index exceeding the range (its dim(32) is a bit short of 4040). Looks like a MONITOR block is my only [albeit not especially elegant] way out. Gotta love it.
-- Michael

-----Original Message-----
From: RPG400-L [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Buck
Calabro
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2014 2:16 PM
To: rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Varying length subfield contains blanks instead of length
0 ?

On 5/5/2014 1:47 PM, Koester, Michael wrote:

I'm having trouble understanding why a subfield of a data structure

does not have the length designation (it crashes when I test with "when
%len(datastructure(x).subfield) = 0;" ).

I get the RNX0115 Length of varying length variable is out of range.

It clearly is out of range, because the value of the subfield is set to
all blanks, and the length bytes show x'4040'.

My question is why the subfield is initiated to all blanks, including

the length bytes, instead of to all x'00', like any other respectable
varying length field should have?

Because data structures are initialised to blanks.
http://pic.dhe.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v7r1m0/index.jsp?topic=%2Frza
sd%2Fsc092508537.htm
The last sentence:

Note:
When the INZ parameter is not specified:

1) Static standalone fields and subfields of initialized data
structures are initialized to their RPG default initial values (for
example, blanks for character, 0 for numeric).

2) Subfields of uninitialized data structures (INZ not specified on the
definition specification for the data structure) are initialized to
blanks (regardless of their data type).

Looks like testing for an "empty" varying subfield will need to be

"if datastucture(x).subfield = *blanks" instead of testing its length.
Let me know if there's a better alternative.

I think the default of initialising a DS to blanks regardless of the
underlying data types ill suits my needs, so I always, always specify
INZ at the DS level.
--buck
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