Re: CallP Versus Program 'CALL'

Having said that, you should not be doing either one. CALL, CALLB and CALLP
are all obsolete. What you should be doing is prototyping the program calls.

Alan, maybe I have misunderstood one of the points you are making. Taking you own example:

D CreateBFile...
D Pr ExtPgm('ABCPGM')
D PR_CustomerNumber...
D 8a Const
D PR_Amount...
D 7p 2 Const
/Free

CreateBFile('A0001':12.50);

CallP CreateBFile('A0001':12.50);

/End-Free

There is _no_ difference between the two lines of code which invoke the CREATEBFILE routine – both are calling an external program. As Joe Pluta indicated, the CALLP operation can be omitted in the same way that EVAL can be omitted in free-format calculations. CALLP is far from obsolete.

I agree program calls should be prototyped. However, the omission of the CALLP, (from program and procedure calls) is just a matter of syntax and style. (Personally, I prefer the CALLP to be explicitly coded so as to avoid any possible confusion with function usage, array references, etc.)

Brian Parkins.