WDSC/Lpex macros vs SEU (was: Debug in WDSC)

[Buck <kc2hiz@xxxxxxxxx>]

> > > > (I used to write ReXX macros under MVS and never understood why
> > > > midrange systems couldn't do that.) 
> > >
> > > Okay, I gotta ask... Why can't SEU do that? I.e., what "macros" would 
> > > you like in SEU that can't be done with ReXX? (Not that anyone would 
> > > _want_ to.)
> >
> > Here's an example I wanted to use yesterday.  I'm fiddling with a
> > CPYFRMIMPF, and I have DDS that has numeric fields in it.  That DDS also
> > specifies EDTCDE(whatever).  For my tinkering purposes, I need another
> > version of that file's DDS where every field is character.
> >
> > I can pretty easily change out all the spots that say '5p 0' or '10s 0',
> > making them '5a  ' and '10a  ', but I can't readily delete the lines
> > that say EDTCDE(whatever).  I say 'pretty easily' although it takes
> > several passes to change P to A and S to A, restricting by column and
> > remembering to hide comment lines <g>.
> >
> > A ReXX macro does all of that in one pass.  Now, as the 'real' DDS
> > changes (new fields, different sizes and such), I run my macro over it
> > to translate it into the version that's character-only. 
>
> Since this is the WDSC list, discussion of how to do this in SEU is 
> better in Midrange_L. But because it started with an idea like "WDSC can 
> do it but SEU can't", I have to say at least that I don't see why this 
> can't be implemented as a user-defined line command in SEU. (Maybe 
> semantically that means it's not a 'macro'?)

You are right: this particular issue _can_ be implemented as a line 
command.  It can also be written as a complete stand-alone program, and 
if I were marginally clever I could probably hack up a QSH script using 
grep and sed to do it, too.  For me, the difference between any of these 
sorts of tools and an editor macro is the ability to directly command 
the editor.

> And I'm not at all sure that learning how to do it in WDSC is easier 
> than learning the SEU technique. If one or two 'good' ways to do it in 
> WDSC were posted, I think it would be very interesting to see them 
> compared to an SEU solution. If nothing else, it could show green-screen 
> developers a clearly mapped transition from one to the other. WDSC is 
> clearly the future and transition should be addressed.

I mislead the list and I'm sorry.  I _used_ to do this with Code400, but 
am unable to work out precisely how to do it in JLpex.  In Code, I could 
write my little hoohickys in ReXX, which was simple enough for me to 
understand and use.  Now I have to do it in Java, I think.  I'm still 
poking through the documentation, which is extensive :-/

Here's how I did it in Code, from start to finish:

alt-f, N, (new file c:\buck\macros\toalpha.lx)

/* Convert DDS fields from numeric to character */

'top'

do until 1 <> 1

'extract class'
'extract content'

/* skip comments */
  if pos('COMMENT', class) = 0 then do
    'extract element'

    /* set to char */
    NewContent = substr(content, 1, 34) || '   ' || substr(content, 38)
    'set content 'strip(NewContent, 't')
    call ExitTest

    /* get rid of EDTxxx */
    if pos('EDT', content) <> 0 then do
      'delete'
      call ExitTest
    end

  end

'next'
call ExitTest

end

ExitTest:
  'extract element'
  'extract elements'
  if element >= elements then do
    exit
  end
  return

ctrl-s (save)
alt-left (switch window to DDS)
<escape> (to get to command line)
extras on c:\buck\macros (if not in profile.lx)
macro toalpha

==========
The beauty of this is that I can now call this macro from another macro, 
so if I have a project that entails several mods, I can script the lot 
in one macro that cycles through the various windows in Code and 
performs the appropriate operation to each (which might be onoe thing 
for RPG, another for DDS, etc.)

All of the information needed to do this is in Help, Editor Reference, 
and there's no compile/test cycle.  Fix the macro, alt-left and rerun it.

I believe that now I will need to learn enough Java to get this done. 
The documentation mostly appears to be a Javadoc.  Help, Reference, 
APIs, LPEX API documentation.

  --buck