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Status Not under consideration
Workspace IBM i
Categories Languages - RPG
Created by Guest
Created on Jun 1, 2021

RELATED IDEAS

Allow Standalone Field Declarations to Reference Subfields of Nested DS Arrays

Declaring a standalone field with a reference field (keyword: LIKE) should work if the referenced field is a subfield of a data structure array in a nested data structure.


Use Case:

dcl-ds DS_A qualified template;
dcl-ds DS_Arr_B dim(10);
field1 varchar(10);
end-ds;
end-ds;

dcl-pr program;
parm like(DS_A.DS_Arr_B.field1); // here now: RNF0623
end-pr;

Error: "The simple qualified name is not specified correctly"

Apparently the compiler doesn't like the array in the qualified name. It should in the future.


Idea priority Medium
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Dec 7, 2021

    IMHO I think you should reconsider this decision and at least save it for future enhancement.

    Otherwise we have to create clumsy code like this:

    dcl-ds DS_A qualified template;
    dcl-ds DS_Arr_B dim(10);
    field1 varchar(10);
    end-ds;
    end-ds;

    dcl-ds DS_A_DS_Arr_B likeds(DS_A.DS_Arr_B);

    dcl-pr program;
    parm like(DS_A_DS_Arr_B.field1);
    end-pr;

    And then we are back to the bad old days where we had to declare a lot of template structures before
    collecting them to the final nested data structure.


    Right now I'm strugling with the same problem. Causing a lot of oaths and curses. :-(

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Nov 30, 2021

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

    As mentioned in the comments, the reason for RNF0623 is that the qualified name has more than one level. In defintion statements, the compiler only supports "simple qualified names", which are names in the form A, A.B, or A.B(i). The name

    While this request aligns with the strategy for future investment for RPG, extending definition statements to support more complex qualified names requires a significant change to the compiler, and this team has quite a long list of higher priority requirements, so this request is not likely to be implemented anytime soon.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Oct 26, 2021

    The CAAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a medium priority requirement that should be addressed. The community would benefit from this if it can indeed be used in multiple situations.

    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

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Aug 26, 2021

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

    The problem with DS_A.DS_Arr_B.field1 is not that DS_ARR_B is an array. The problem is that a "simple qualified name" can only have two levels: DS.SUBF.

    IBM is investigating the effort required to allow qualified names with more levels, such as A.B.C, in definition statements.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Jul 12, 2021

    The CEAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a MEDIUM priority requirement that should be addressed.

    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

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