RE: Simple RPG question (because the docs are worthless)

IF op code says:
For information on how operation extenders M and R are used, see “Precision Rules for Numeric Operations” on page 6-61.

There it says:
This behaviour is the default and can be specified for an entire module (using control specification keyword EXPROPTS(*MAXDIGITS) or for single free-form expressions (using operation code extender M).


Yes, it seems unnecessarily complicated.



-----Original Message-----
From: john erps [mailto:jacobus.erps@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, February 20, 2018 8:10 AM
To: RPG programming on the IBM i (AS/400 and iSeries) <rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Simple RPG question (because the docs are worthless)

Hi,

What does the "operation extender" M means I know R and H, but not M.

I tried to look into the RPG docs, at opcode "eval" which seems to me a logical place to document this, but no. The extenders are mentioned but i can't find the doc for M (or R or H). When i click "precision rules" i get to see doc about "operation extender" R.

Man how bad is the RPG documentation on IBM's site. It's terrible.
How on earth is somebody not already having 20+ years of experience in RPG ever going to find some info. A simple function like "half adjust" is buried as some "operation extender" (instead of a normal half-adjust function or BIF or whatever), and the doc on this "operation extender" H is almost impossible to find.

Pff, the only thing worse would be no doc at all. Terrible.


Sorry for the rant...