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

Hi Daniel

At first blush, I think of the differences - LIKE(...) is an internal 
reference, EXTNAME(....) and LIKEREC(....) are external references - 
certainly the former is. I think I heard something several years ago 
about that.

*Regards*

*Vern Hamberg*

IBM Champion 2025 <cid:[email protected]> CAAC 
(COMMON Americas Advisory Council) IBM Influencer 2023


On 12/9/2025 2:06 PM, Daniel Gross wrote:
> Hi Doug,
>
> I had some more time, and tried some code.
>
> In fact - it is absolutely no problem, to have a LIKE(...) definition even if the original field is defined "later" in the code.
>
> But if the original fields are defined with EXTNAME(...) or LIKEREC(..) this definition must be defined and the LIKE(...) definition has to follow it.
>
> I don't know why this is the case - and I cannot find something about this in the Info Center. Maybe someone with deeper knowledge of the RPG compiler can help here - Barbara? Jon?
>
> HTH
> Daniel
>
>
>> Am 09.12.2025 um 01:48 schrieb Marco Facchinetti<[email protected]>:
>>
>> Hi Douglas, just move the Ds declaration before the varchar one:
>>
>> dcl-ds  frf_control  extname('CONTROL');
>>
>> dcl-s  p_folder             varchar(%len(actclon1));
>>
>> HTH
>> --
>> Marco Facchinetti
>>
>> Mr S.r.l.
>>
>> Tel. 035 962885
>> Cel. 393 9620498
>>
>> Skype: facchinettimarco
>>
>>
>>> Il giorno lun 8 dic 2025 alle ore 15:56 DEnglander--- via RPG400-L <
>>> [email protected]> ha scritto:
>>>
>>> Marco,
>>>
>>> I tried what you listed, and it won't compile. I am running V7R4, with TR
>>> 10. What version are you running?
>>>
>>>
>>> This is the line in my program:
>>>
>>> dcl-s  p_folder             varchar(%len(actclon1));
>>>
>>> ACTLON1 is a field in file CONTROL.
>>>
>>> I also have this a little further down in the source:
>>>
>>> dcl-ds  frf_control  extname('CONTROL');
>>>
>>> I get the RNF3320. What is even more strange in this program, is that I
>>> also have the CONTROL file opened for input in an F spec, and the compiler
>>> still is complaining. But the message appears to show its complaining
>>> about the varchar(%len()), not the actual field definition itself. That is
>>> why I'm thinking I need to maybe have TR 11 installed first.
>>>
>>> Thank you,
>>>
>>> Douglas Englander
>>> Senior Programmer/Analyst
>>> The C. D. Hartnett Company – Corporate Offices
>>> 1-817-594-3813  ext. 1636
>>>
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