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

Hi Javier,

I'm one of those RPG programmers that doesn't know C.

Given

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);


what is the difference between

1.  boolVal = (a = b ? 1: 0);

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

3.  boolVal = (a = b);

 From what Paul Therrien said in his reply, it sounds like 2 and 3 are 
the same, while 1 is very different.

2 and 3 are equivalent to

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

and 1 is equivalent to

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

Actually, in RPGLE, boolVal would have to be defined as IND, not INT, in 
order for 3 to compile successfully.

Anyway, if what I stated is correct, then obviously we already have

boolVal = (a = b);

and

a = b;
boolVal = (a = b);

isn't too onerous or confusing.

--
*Peter Dow* /
909 793-9050
[email protected]
/

On 12/11/2025 12:19 PM, Javier Sanchez wrote:
> 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 (<[email protected]>)
> 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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