Re: Why you shouldn't be afraid to use VARCHAR in RPGLE

As RPG and C differ in a lot of spaces - I would suggest, to not make it so "non obvious" as the ternary operator in C - just make it a %BIF - e.g.:

var = %IF( a = b : trueVal : falseVal );

or

var = %CASE( a = b : trueVal : falseVal );

This would be RPG-like - compact - easy to read and understand.

Regards,
Daniel

Am 11.12.2025 um 21:20 schrieb Javier Sanchez <javiersanchezbarquero@xxxxxxxxx>:

Brian,
The "ternary" operator is a very simple concept. Test in one single line
"a query" that will yield a true or false and return one out of two values
that are the ones in the expression after the question mark.

Put it more clear again:
dcl-s boolVal int(5) inz; // No need more room than two bytes
dcl-s a int(5) inz(10);
dcl-s b int(5) inz (15);

boolVal = (a = b ? 1: 0);

I confess, recognize that my initial example was way too fast written.
This one is more clear. Now, without this ILE RPG TR:

if a = b;
boolVar = 1;
else;
boolVar = 0;
endif;

5 lines of code. Sure, very clear, but very unnecessary!
This is elegance and efficiency.
Hey guys! For if any of you took care about it, even Einstein was excited
with his elegant e=mc2, just look a bit at it!
One single line! Not a function, not code at all, just concept and
simplicity!
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.
For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world,
stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”
-- Albert Einstein

JS

El jue, 11 dic 2025 a las 14:01, Brian Parkins (<goodprophet.bp@xxxxxxxxx>)
escribió:

May I beg to differ?

I would suggest many folk will find such an expression too cryptic,
especially when maintaining code written by others. It may be efficient,
it may be "elegant" - but is it easy to read and understand? Take a very
simple example:

a = a + 5; -or- a += 5;

Personal opinion: the former is more readily understood, the latter not
so, and open to miscoding (a =+ 5;). It is my experience that a majority
will favour readability in preference to "elegant" coding

Brian.

On 11/12/2025 14:14, Javier Sanchez wrote:
BTW, I have wondered a lot why you guys have not yet implemented the

C-like

expression as:
boolVal = (a = b ? 0: 1);
This is not only necessary for modern RPG but it should have been

provided

long time ago! 🙂

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