Re: RPG Service Program vs Include Source for Shared Subprocedures and SQL Calls

Hey Brian,

We did it manually- so each “breaking” version got its own version
signature- and it worked fine. The problem occurred when you have hundreds
of versions- and trying to keep track of each.. with hundreds of exports..
the binder source exploded..

So we went to a more pragmatic solution: only adding exports to the end -
and if implementation is challenged- add that to the end and don’t touch
the original so any client code will work in touched.

.. but that is a convention, and conventions can easy be broken.

That made me implement the dynamic procedure load and we use that in all
our products and projects

You can find “the magic” in both noxDb and ILEastic and in our IceBreak.



lør. 21. mar. 2026 kl. 13.18 skrev Brian Parkins <goodprophet.bp@xxxxxxxxx>:

Neils, did this nightmare arise from system-generated Signatures - or
from user-defined Signatures? (I would have thought the latter provides
both flexibility and control - but please correct me.)

I assume you define one, fixed Signature now? So how do you manage
version control?

Interesting.

Brian.

On 21/03/2026 11:28, Niels Liisberg wrote:

.. but service program signatures quickly becomes a nightmare for version
control.. yes you can … but.. first you had one problem with control the
version .. now for each signature you have yet an issue..

Been there - done that.. never again…

lør. 21. mar. 2026 kl. 18.21 skrev Brian Parkins <

goodprophet.bp@xxxxxxxxx>:

Even under these circumstances a *SRVPGM <may> provide a solution.

Multiple versions of the same procedure can co-exist in a single
*SRVPGM, (provided the names are unique). The flexibility of Signatures
and the Export Symbol Table.

100% agree that *SRVPGMs are the better option; /COPY and /INCLUDE
should - in the main - be used only for Prototype inclusion, (with /IF,
/DEFINE, etc. as required).

Brian.

On 21/03/2026 05:22, Niels Liisberg wrote:

The is some exceptions: versioning - where different clients need

different

versions at a certain point in time.

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