Re: Making changes to an RPG program

"RPG400-L" <rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote on 10/24/2019
10:16:27 AM:

Calling external programs

The code I have is
SWAP C CALL 'SWAP'
SWAP C DUEDAT PARM DUEDAT SWAPDT

Its been a while since I saw this type of code, but I believe the
translation is
Call program SWAP using the parameter SWAPDT, but populating SWAPDT
from the field DUEDAT and inserting the answer back into DUEDAT when
returning from the called program SWAP

The field SWAPDT is defined as
dcl-s Swapdt packed(8:0) inz(0);
The field DUEDAT is defined
dcl-ds Duedtds;
Duedat zoned(6:0);
Oiduem zoned(2:0) Pos(1);
Oidued zoned(2:0) Pos(3);
Oiduey zoned(2:0) Pos(5);
end-ds;

How would the call translate into free?

Why not just do this?

dcl-pr SWAP ExtPgm();
SWAPDT Packed(8);
end-pr;

SWAP(DUEDAT);