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Status Functionality already exists
Workspace IBM i
Categories Languages - RPG
Created by Guest
Created on Nov 2, 2022

RELATED IDEAS

Allow TEMPLATE keyword for standalone fields

The template keyword allows data structures to be defined as a custom complex type simply for the purpose of defining other data structures with the same structure.

Extending this to standalone variables will allow custom simple types to be defined in a similar manner with clarity of purpose of the declaration and compiler level enforcement.

e.g.

/COPY member:

dcl-s account_number_t dec(7,0) template;


Program:

dcl-s accno like(account_number_t);

Idea priority Low
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Nov 3, 2022

    How odd.. I only posted this because I tried to do it yesterday and RDi was erroring on the template keyword - with a packed field exactly as your example. I changed my code to base it on a null pointer as a result. Whereas it's now working fine today on the same variable.. never mind, apologies for wasting your time.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Nov 3, 2022
    The TEMPLATE keyword can already be specified for standalone fields. When support for the TEMPLATE keyword was added for data structures in 6.1, it was also added for standalone fields and files. There is an example on this page of the ILE RPG Reference: https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.5?topic=template-rules-keyword-definition-specifications

    However, note that your example uses the "DEC" keyword which doesn't exist. The following definition will compile:
    dcl-s account_number_t packed(7:0) template;

    - IBM Power Systems Development

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