Re: Zoned fields showing as packed

[Michael_Schutte@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Thanks for the info, everyone... I certainly benefitted for it.  I also
knew there was an issue but I never bothered to ask what the issue was for
myself.  My solution was to never populate the data type.


Michael Schutte
Admin Professional
Bob Evans Farms, Inc.
"The Secret's the Sauce! Enjoy our new Bob-B-Q Pulled Pork Knife & Fork
Sandwich!"


rpg400-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 10/17/2007 05:52:39 PM:

> Bob P. Roche wrote:
> > A co-worker had a problem, that I haven't seen before, maybe there is a

> > PTF for it. He has a file with a field defined as 9s 0, we can verify
it
> > in several places.
>
> Yes.  This is the way RPG works.  It converts all numeric fields from
> files into packed (unless you tell it not to.)   That way, you can use
> the same field names in multiple files, and they'll all have the same
> definition.
>
> For example, if you have a CUSTMAS (Customer Master) file and a DDS
> display file that's intended as a place to edit the customer master
> record.  You can use the same field names in the display file as you do
> in the CUSTMAS record.  So you don't have to manually move every field
> from CUSTMAS to the display... you can just read the CUSTMAS file, and
> it'll automatically populate the display fields.
>
> The same works for any type of file (display, printer, database,
> communications, tape, etc).   So you can read a record from one file and
> write it to another.
>
> The idea is to convert everything to a common format -- to facilitate
> this idea of sharing fields between files.
>
> This is the way that RPG has worked since RPG III was introduced on the
> S/38.
>
> Note that if you declare an external data structure, or you read your
> database file into a data structure, the rules change.  When you do
> this, RPG will stop trying to convert things to packed, and will use the
> same definition that's in the database.
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