Snippets

I use snippets quite a bit. If you don't have TR7 installed or simply choose not to use free-form specs and are using fixed format D-specs, there are some minor issues with snippets. When creating the snippet, if you paste in source from a valid section of fixed format code and change some of the code to placeholders, it will look like everything is aligned correctly, but when you insert the snippet into the target program, some of the data may not be inserted into the correct columns if the placeholder name is longer than the variable name that replaces it. It's not a big deal to adjust the formatting by inserting or deleting spaces and certainly doesn't stop me from using snippets. If you want to use snippets with fixed format code, you may want to vote for this RFE: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=29017, or make the switch to free-from D-specs.


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message: 4
date: Fri, 20 Dec 2013 12:32:51 -0500
from: Buck Calabro <kc2hiz@xxxxxxxxx>
subject: Re: [WDSCI-L] Promoting WDSCi, RDp and/or RDi

On 12/20/2013 11:47 AM, Brian May wrote:

For your "common code templates", give Snippets in RDi a try. You will have to open the view under Window > Show View > Other....

With snippets, you can set up a commonly used block of code, and put in placeholders for the variable bits. Then when you want to use it, place your cursor where you want the code to go, double click the Snippet to use, a dialog will come up for you to plug in the variable bits and then the block of code is inserted. I don't do green screen development any more, but at my previous job, I had snippets for things like subfiles. I still have snippets for defining and calling complicated API's or even for my code to read through a file using RLA. The snippet has the SETLL, READE, DOW, second READE, and ENDO all mapped out. I have place holders for the file name and the key.

You should definitely give it a spin. You might not miss your macros quite as much.

Now that we are column-free, snippets make a lot more sense. I'll have to transition my templates over. Thanks for the reminder!
--buck