Re: Is ILE-RPG is Object Oriented Programming Language?

[Balaji Venkataraman/commsoft<bvenkata@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>polymorphism is supported very well and i am glad to "create" it a little 
by
>myself. - This term "p." sounds very scientific but what is it?
>Very simple:
>I send the same "message" (or " request" - *not* an AS/400-message object) 
to an
>object. This message can be the simple "display": the same "message" to an 
object
>but various objects will react in a different way.
>
>i can DSPOBJD ("display" the object "objectDescription") or just DSPCST 
(display
>customer). The same "message" but the DSPCST will run a pgm which opens a 
DPSF an
>perhaps a lotta other PF/LF... but that is not important to *me*.

I agree this is an example of polymorphism, a very primitive form of 
polymorphism. In a true "polymorphic environment" I would expect a DSPOBJD 
to display different kinds of info for different object types.  In fact in 
a "true polymorphic environment", we should just have a DSPOBJ which will 
lead you to different screens for different object types and be capable of 
DSPFD ( for PFs/LFs), DSPDBR (for PFs), DSPPGMREF (for PGMS) and so on. 

>Using inheritance is also possible although it needs that a designer 
really
>understands what this means.
>
>*MODULEs, subProcedures, local/global variables, static/dynamic binding. 
etc  are
>helping very much.
>What i am still missing a little is the possibility to get the "type" of a
>variable or to create
>variable "types" officially (would help to reduce potential sources of 
error).

I agree with you entirely here. We (RPG programmers) need the ability to 
create new data types. RPG (III and IV) do not (at this point) have the 
technology that emulates "Classes" that enable true Inheritance.


Balaji
bvenkata@commsoft.net

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