Re: HTML and PDF Reports

Sorry David, but I have to disagree with you :-)

David Gibbs wrote:

Of course without a good understanding of the generated code, trying to
fix problems in the code is going to be a nightmare.

Sure, but you certainly SHOULD NOT be modifying the generated code. You
SHOULD BE going back to the tool and resolving the bug at the higher level
generators afford you.

In my experience (granted, somewhat limited to a single vendor's
product, but I have seen the output from other vendors tools), the code
that is generated is horrendous and next to impossible to debug.

I'd be interested in which vendor that was.

I have worked with multiple tools that generate code. The fact that they
generate code the same way every time means that they are MUCH easier to
debug. I know what the generator will generate, what the program flow will
be. I DON'T have to change my thought process to match another coders coding
style.

Personally, I think code generators of any kind are a pox on the
industry. Using a code generator might be OK for a prototype, but to
create usable, maintainable, adaptable, applications you need to develop
the code by hand ... or at least use a tool that emits the end result
code so you have full code comprehension.

And that's why we're arguing about which technology is better to get a
business application to the Web, rather than getting it there. I've used
generators for almost 20 years. I write WinC/Java/5250/HTML clients. I write
JDBC/ODBC/SQL Server/DB2 backends. I put the business logic where it makes
sense. I can change where each piece goes on a whim.

I don't care that I use a tool. I use the tool to get the job done. I cared
when I first looked at generated code 18 years ago, because I was an RPG
coder, and I wanted to keep my job as a programmer. I see too many people
get defensive when it comes to something else writing the code for them. I
think these people need to get over it.

Just My Opinion :-)