RE: RPG III -- RPG400-L

Jerry,

...[one of the] arguments for using /free was that it looks more like

"modern" languages like Java and C, which the few kids coming out of 
college IT courses are used to. <<

Most of the "kids" today are programming with drag/drop stuff and not writing
much code at all.

I find that Java is "king" it two shops in North America: (1) IBM and (2) Sun. 
Most other companies (inside and outside of the midrange world) use Java like
iSeries shops use user-written CMD (commands). 

All those interpreted languages are about the only languages "kids" are learning
in school: JavaScript, PHP, Perl, Python. Of course they also currently teach
the .Net stuff and will continue to do so until they realize that Windows
Vista's XML-based user interface language is so much better. 

What bothers me about the /free crowd is that they all seem slanted. Of course
you have to go to /free, that way you need to read articles, buy books, attend
seminars, etc. on it. After all, how many times do you need to pay someone to
teach you how to do a fixed-format CHAIN opcode?

Vendors hate it when their stuff lasts forever.

Now don't get me wrong. Since that the vast majority of people are now running
OS/400 V5.1 or later (most are on V5.3 from my research) seeing /free examples
in articles is great. I use /free when I write code for clients or my own stuff,
where appropriate. 
Simply because /free is now available to most, doesn't mean the billions of
lines of existing code need to be moved to /free syntax. Some of it just won't
move. Simply because some people don't work in end-user shops they think the
world is their fishbowl. "Use /free or the kid gets it!"
The fact that we use or do not use /free RPG has ZERO impact on the success of
the platform and our jobs. 
Teaching /free syntax is easy, here's all you need to know:

Start with /free end with /end-free.
Reverse the opcode and factor 1 where applicable.
End each statement with a semicolon.
Don't use MOVE/MOVEL, DO or any opcode where there is now a corresponding
built-in function.

Rinse and repeat.



-Bob Cozzi
www.i5PodCast.com
Ask your manager to watch i5 TV



-----Original Message-----
From: rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Jerry Adams
Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 6:57 AM
To: RPG programming on the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: RPG III

That's what I especially like about being a one-man shop: There was 
absolutely no argument, discussion, politics, or whatever about ditching 
the RPG III programs (converting to IV) and writing all new stuff in 
IV.  The excuses that I hear for not programming in IV are as lame as 
excuses get.


I "attended" a webcast yesterday by Susan Gantner on /free format.  One 
of Susan's arguments for using /free was that it looks more like 
"modern" languages like Java and C, which the few kids coming out of 
college IT courses are used to.  Besides not being able to code /free 
III code, a similar argument applies here: Managers are holding back 
(deliberately?) their programming staff and, just as bad, harming their 
companies because they can't/don't take advantage of better methods and 
available technology. 


But I try to keep an open mind.  I'd certainly be willing to hear of any 
reasonable excuse for sticking with III.  And "It's company policy or 
mandate" doesn't cut it.


        * Jerry C. Adams
*IBM System i5/iSeries Programmer/Analyst
B&W Wholesale Distributors, Inc.* *
voice
        615.995.7024
fax
        615.995.1201
email
        jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>



Joep Beckeringh wrote:

Douglas,

 > ... that I am not permitted
 > to convert to ILE.

There's your problem. So tell the one responsible: "Give me a day and 
I'll write my own conversion routine in RPG (and make sure you test it 
carefully, because I never wrote such a routine before). Or give me ten 
minutes; five to convert to RPG IV and another five to use the well 
tested functions %INT en %TRIM to convert it."

Joep Beckeringh

Douglas Palme wrote:

I am in the process of modifying an RPG III program that I am not permitted
to convert to ILE.

 

One of the fields is a 10 character field that only contains numeric numbers
and will never have more than seven digits..I know I could change the field
length to 7 but I was told no to that as well as it might blow up other
programs.

 

Here is the delimna, I need to move the value to a 7 digit numeric.  It is
possible that it can have anywhere from 1 to seven digits.

 

Example:

 

'116769    ' - Charcter value

 

I have a new field defined as 7,0

 

When I do a move on it it shows up as 1167690 and a movel gives me 7690000.

 

Suggestions? Hints?  Converting it is not an option.

 

Douglas

 



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