RPG block comments

I'm a seasoned developer but fairly new to RPG. Declining requests for features which are the absolute standard in every modern language is something realy putting me off. If you want to get more young developers on board relying on status quo is not going to manage thate.

If having RPG die of old age because there are no new developers wanting to enter this space is what you want then keep it up. I for myself am astonished by the amount of modern features not usable in RPG and RDi. I coded in Delphi for quite a few years and even though it's lacking behind it nothing compared to RPG right now.

One thing to add: 78 votes show that it is important - not only to Niels and me....

Hi Bob,
if you only do it the way you show it, than you are right.

But a block comment is normally used to use it in a block of comments....

That means several lines of Comments can be included in these /* ..... */ only.

If you create a lot of Procedures with Headers where you put Information inside which is used for automated documentation (like API specifications) it is much faster and easier if you have a /* ... */

Example:
/*
* This is an example how JavaDoc looks like in all other languages.
* On IBM i we need urgently much more RPG Developers and most of them come from other languages.
* So they are used to use block comments. Suddenly they should not only work with RPG which is special itself.
* They should not only use RDi which is - compared to actual IDEs and Editors like Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio or even modern eclipse - really hard to them.
* No they need also to understand, that IBM is not willing to do a simple thing like block comments, which couldn't be that hard to implement.
*
* @author Markus A. Litters
* @version 1.0
* @since 2022-01-27
*/


//
//* This is an example how JavaDoc looks in all other languages.
//* On IBM I we need urgently much more RPG Developers and most of them come from other languages.
//* So they are used to use block comments. Suddenly they should not only work with RPG which is special itself.
//* They should not only use RDi which is - compared to actual IDEs and Editors like Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio or even modern eclipse - really hard to them.
//* No they need also to understand, that IBM is not willing to do a simple thing like block comments, which couldn't be that hard to implement.
//*
//* @author Markus A. Litters
//* @version 1.0
//* @since 2022-01-27
//

The argue that other things are more important is not true for me because winning more Developers who will learn and maintain RPG is the most important Mission for IBM in these days and it is really hard to convince a 20-35 year old developer who comes from c#, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Rust, Go or whatever to do it and this thing is really one topic for many of them.

The more IBM is going to make RPG look like all the other languages but still use it's strengths, the easier it will be to convince more people to learn RPG and to use it.
We live in times where such a developer has the choice between 100 different jobs and most of them choose the jobs which give them the option to expand theirselves - not to limit them.

As long as IBM and so many IBM shops don't understand that it will get harder and harder every year and finally the companies has to move away from RPG because they don't find people who can maintain it....

Your argument
"Since RPG never had /*...*/ I don't see why we would miss it."
is really heavy.

I work with RPG for more than 30 years now. I remember very well that RPG had no // for many decades and I still know a lot of RPG developers who don't miss that because they still code the old way with columns.
So please think twice about that argue.

So either IBM is going the modern way with Total free but then go it right and full or they should leave the columns...

In the moment we have a language which is not fish and not meat and this is not my quote (I am vegan), it is a quote from many developers I trained in the past years to learn RPG.

Another example: In no modern Language you need to set a ; in a IF or ELSE statement. This is really hard to them and even for me because I also code in c#, JavaScript and TypeScript and I always forget that ; in the if and else because I don't need it in all the other languages (Ok - JavaScript doesn't care about such things at all... ;-) ).

I hope someone at IBM is reading this and understand the importance of such "small" enhancements.
It couldn't be that hard to implement. Niels Liisberg implemented it in his IceBreak Pre Compiler. The Pre Compiler converts the /* and */ internally to // so the RPG compiler can do it's job the way he knows it. Maybe you can implement it in a similar way.
As an alternative you should open the RPG Parser inside RDi so we can add such Options on our own.

Glad IBM rejected it, for now. I don't see how this "making RPG look like CL" is beneficial. The two forward slashes are more than good enough IMHO. The use of /*... */ is more of a legacy/muscle-memory feature than one Developers actually need. I mean to choose between these two comment styles:

IF (A = B); // Check if A is set to B

vs
IF (A = B); /* Check if A is set to B */

Since RPG never had /*...*/ I don't see why we would miss it. Certain in C, C++, JavaScript, etc. mostly // is used except maybe for Comment Blocks at the top of routines. And yes, they are good for that.
Perhaps a better requirement would be to ask for // style comments in the CL language. Now that would be cool.
But like I said, if it were introduced, that'd be okay but if it never is, I certainly won't miss it.

IBM does not intend to provide a solution to this request at this time, so it is being closed.

The ILE RPG compiler team has quite a long list of higher priority requirements, so this request is not likely to be implemented anytime soon.

IBM will use this request as input to planning but no commitment is made or implied. This request will be updated in the future if IBM implements it. IBM will use votes and comments from others in the community to help prioritize this request.

The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority requirement that should be addressed. This could make RPG more attractive to new programmers to the platform.

Background: The COMMON Americas Advisory Council (CAAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CAAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

For more information about CAAC, see www.common.org/caac

For more details about CAAC's role with RFEs, see http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/Blogs/i-Can/May-2017/COMMON-Americas-Advisory-Council-%28CAAC%29-and-RFEs/

Nancy Uthke-Schmucki - CAAC Program Manager

IBM has received the requirement and is evaluating it. IBM will provide a response after evaluation is complete.

The CEAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a high priority requirement that is important to be addressed.

CEAC approved this requirement on July 17, 2017, previous reference AD0273.

Background: The COMMON Europe Advisory Council (CEAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CEAC has a key role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community, and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

For more information about CEAC, see http://www.comeur.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3285

Therese Eaton - CEAC Program Manager