Re: Why you shouldn't be afraid to use VARCHAR in RPGLE

Peter,

Sorry, I missed saying "You are right". That is the spirit of it.

Thanks!
JS

El vie, 12 dic 2025 a las 1:22, Peter Dow (<petercdow@xxxxxxxxx>) escribió:

dcl-s boolVar IND inz;

boolVar = (a = b ? '1': '0');

It's your choice. That is RPG valid code above.

I assume you mean that the DCL-S is valid RPG code, since the request
was to have a construct like

boolVar = (a = b ? '1': '0');

in RPG.

RPG does not have ==, just =, but in the context of

boolVal = (a = b);

the (a = b) is the same as the C (a == b), correct?

In that case, unless RPG comes up with some operator that distinguishes
between = (assignment) and == (test for logical equivalence), the
closest we can get to the C version is

boolVal = (a = b); // the equivalent of the C expression boolVal = (a ==
b ? '1' : '0');

If the C expression was

resultString = (a == b ? 'Hello' : 'Goodbye');

RPG would require

if a = b;
resultString = 'Hello';
else;
resultString = 'Goodbye';
endif;

and if the C expression was

resultString = (a = b ? 'Hello' : 'Goodbye');

RPG would require

a = b;
if b <> 0;
resultString = 'Hello';
else;
resultString = 'Goodbye';
endif;

Meaning that the assignment of b to a is unconditional, but the
assignment of 'Hello' or 'Goodbye' is conditioned upon the value of b
being non-zero.

--
*Peter Dow* /
909 793-9050
petercdow@xxxxxxxxx
/
On 12/11/2025 6:56 PM, Javier Sanchez wrote:

Simple:
One line of code. The compiler would make the hard work with the return
value. It is your intellectual work that you want back. A string? A
floating point? A char()? Whatever. The single line is clear upon your
intention.
The == notation is "C", put that away in RPG. Use only one = sign.
The return value is your intellectual work. Say it is an IND:
dcl-s boolVar IND inz;
boolVar = (a = b ? '1': '0');
It's your choice. That is RPG valid code above.

JS

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