Re: Opening the same file twice in the same program?

I follow my self-defined "Rule of the 7": write it so even the 7th
programmer (who probably has no idea what they're doing) can understand the
code. Just because you can write a file maintenance program in a single
REGEX doesn't mean you should.

When you write complicated code, some well-meaning coder is going to try to
simplify it, possibly to debug it or possibly as a refactoring exercise.
IMO, a mark of good code is when your customers' programmers don't call and
ask for an explanation.

--reeve

On Tue, Aug 1, 2023 at 3:10 PM Jon Paris <jon.paris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"So why walk when you can ride?"

Because I always write for maintainability. And I may not be around to
maintain it.


Jon P.

On Aug 1, 2023, at 6:00 PM, James H. H. Lampert via RPG400-L <

rpg400-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 8/1/23 2:10 PM, Justin Taylor wrote:

Sounds like you're doing RPG RLA and want two File specs using the same
PF. Check out the EXTFILE File spec keyword.

It worked. Thanks. I didn't think it would be this simple, but it almost

is. "Almost" because it also needs an EXTDESC and a RENAME, i.e. (note that
spaces are squeezed out for email purposes):

FFOOBAR IP E DISK EXTDESC('FOO/FOOBAR')
F EXTFILE(*EXTDESC)
F RECNO(RRN)
FBOZBAR UF E DISK EXTDESC('FOO/FOOBAR')
F EXTFILE(*EXTDESC)
F RENAME(FOOREC:BOZREC)

(I'm even using an EXTDESC and EXTFILE on the primary, for absolute

LIBL-independence, and there's also a RECNO clause on the primary, because
the PF is unkeyed, and there's no key that's especially useful.)

And Jon, my attitude about riding The Cycle is that you should use any

language feature that you find useful, especially if it's idiomatic and/or
unique to the language. And there's probably nothing in RPG that's more
idiomatic or unique to the language than The Cycle. So why walk when you
can ride?

That's not to say that I've ever found secondary files to be even

remotely useful enough to be worth figuring out how to use them.

--
JHHL

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