Re: Show nulls on display file?

On 2/21/2017 4:17 PM, Bob Cagle wrote:

Is there a way to display a null value on a display file?

No, for several reasons.
1) There is no such thing as a null value. [1] There's a null
attribute, and it's not mere pedantry to draw the distinction.
2) Display and printer files do not have any facility to handle NULL
database fields.

I have a user requesting that a 2-digit numeric field show either blanks or zero as well as 1 - 99, emulating Excel-like behavior.

The only solution I can think of is to convert it to a character field and validate for numeric or blank. Suggestions?

That's about the only way to get around RPG and DDS being strongly
typed. If you go this route, I suggest you make some utility
sub-procedures to do the typical DDS chores of validity checking,
editing, etc. Your RPG will have to get used to new and formerly
impossible errors like 'not a number'.

I have an off the wall question. Why does the end user want Excel-like
functionality from a 5250 display? If the answer is that Excel provides
a better UI(!) then perhaps you should consider integrating Excel into
the RPG application rather than trying to warp the 5250 interface to a
place it was never intended to go.

[1] Many people have unfortunately decided to call x'00' 'null'. It is
not at all the same thing as a database NULL.