Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes

[jvoris@axs2000.net]

** This thread discusses the article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes **
** This thread discusses the Content article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes0

[bill_ledford]

Re:Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes

** This thread discusses the article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes **
One of the problems I see with this is that DeBug has not kept up and will not let you evaluate, watch, or change these fields.

[dmflaven]

Re:Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes

** This thread discusses the article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes **
Perhaps I am wrong but it was my understanding that although there is no limit to the length of the field name there is a limit to the length of what the system sees as a unique field name. I am not sure what that limit is/was. Let me say that in the following example the limit is 35 characters. Then the system would see following two field names as the same field: stringManufacturingCustomerConsigneeFirstName, stringManufacturingCustomerConsigneeLastName. That field being stringManufacturingCustomerConsigne.

[cburns@gemko.com]

Re:Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes

** This thread discusses the article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes **
The first time I taught this technique in one of my classes (mostly 40-55 year olds), the students looked at me as if I had just rescinded the Bill of Rights. Old habits die hard. If this little known feature gains legs, perhaps it might someday lead to the elimination of the 80 column limit in the RPG compiler.

[efnkay]

Re:Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes

** This thread discusses the article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes **
Long descriptive names or commented code. It has been my experience to find neither in great abundance from any particular group of programmers, any programming language, on any machine, or in any environment. It's usually nothing-at-all, or a five word sentence somewhere in the program banner...(if there is one)...Or it's wrong banner and comments because the program was copied from an original for another purpose. Good Luck promoting either. I tend to write big editorials and paper-back novels in my code...much to the grind of my colleagues. I say not enough. Some say too much.

[bill_ledford]

Re:Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes

** This thread discusses the article: Use Long, Descriptive Names in RPG Fields, Data Structures, and Prototypes **
I also tend to put a lot of comments in my code. It drives me crazy to work on code that has little to no documentation in the code. After I have moved on to other code and have to come back to change it, I for some of the details about the code I developed. The comments are as much for me as for someone else having to maintain my code. I once had another programmer tell me that comments get in the way of maintaining the code. He told me that he comments his code for his own benefit while he is developing it, but deletes it all before putting it into production. After I got over the shock of what he said, I told him if the comments get in his way, he can hide all comments with this command ‘HIDE '*' 7 ALL’ (in those days we did not have free-form RPG). I also told him he could also hide a selected line with X in the Seq Number field or blocks of code with XX in the Seq Number of the first line and XX in the last line to be hid. Free-form has to be done one at a time.