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If it is dynamic you cannot then put it in a datastructure that have a contained size, thus diminishing the value greatly.
If you use a pointer to represent it, you create a whole set of consequences, like deep/shallow copy problem of DS, missing references because lazy allocated etc.
RPG is mainly value based when working with datastructures, and this is a good thing for representing data in business logic (it is typically the most idiomatic way).
Please don't "evolve" RPG into Java !!! ;) See the mess and the hoops Java must go into just to "simulate" struct value types.
By not declaring the size of a string, you are just pushing the problem elsewhere. And usually, for real work, like writing to a database or call a REST service, you have a finite size to work with, that must be defined by protocol.
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.
If this feature is implemented, the compiler would support *MAX as the length for a CHAR, UCS2, GRAPH, VARCHAR, VARUCS2, or VARGRAPH definition.
IBM has received the requirement and is evaluating it. IBM will provide a response after evaluation is complete.
If this is implemented, it would likely -not- be available for subfields.
The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority requirement that should be addressed. Agreeing with CEAC comment below, this enhancement will help RPG to move forward with modern business cases where dynamic sizes get more important.
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
Nancy Uthke-Schmucki - CAAC Program Manager
The CEAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a HIGH priority requirement that is important to address. This enhancement will help RPG to move forward with modern business cases where dynamic sizes get more important. Example web requests and unstructured data.
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 crucial 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.
To find out how CEAC help to shape the future of IBM i, see CEAC @ ibm.biz/BdYSYj and the article "The Five Hottest IBM i RFEs Of The Quarter" at ibm.biz/BdYSZT
Therese Eaton – CEAC Program Manager, IBM
@Barbara Morris
My response related to the description in Details: "Have the ability to declare a character very similar to how we declare a string in Java without having to give it a length."
I was trying to keep the focus on this in order not to hijack this RFE.
Anyways I agree that *MAX could be very usefull.
I would also like to have it for arrays like DIM(*MAX) giving the highest possible value within the 16MB limit.
IBM has modified some of the information in this request. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Per Submitter's request, the value in the Source field has been changed from "None" to "COMMON".
@PederUdeson, I am wondering why it would be better to have a null-terminated string than a varchar?
To find the length of a null-terminated string, the entire string must be searched for the null character. This can impact performance if the string is very long. With a varchar sttring, the length is known immediately.
Also, I think it is likely that programmers would want all three string types, VARCHAR, VARUCS2, and VARGRAPH, (or VARCHAR(*MAX), VARUCS2(*MAX), or VARGRAPH(*MAX)).
@BrianRusch
If you use VARCHAR then the variable will have the format of a RPG variable length character field.
Using my suggestion using STRING it would be null terminated as known in C++ and Java.
My suggestion would be:
dcl-s myText varchar(*MAX);
That works for me too.
Or how about
dcl-s myText string;