Be able to use CTL-OPT BNDDIR anywhere in a program

For each service program, we put our exported prototypes into a "reference source" in a file named "QRPGLEREF". Hence, our programs can use these prototypes by including those reference sources, e.g. program ORD001 might begin:

ctl-opt;

/include qrpgleref,customers

/include qrpgleref,products

// ... program functionality

We then specify the required service programs at compile time to build the program. We would like to reduce the requirements to add these in each time by using binding directories.

For legacy reasons, we don't want to create a single binding directory named "PRODUCTION" containing everything as is sometimes suggested (too many clashing names). We would also err away from creating a binding directory "ORD001" containing a list of dependencies specifically for ORD001 as this lacks good source control within our organisation, and is not easy to duplicate for other new programs (ORD002 might have similar requirements).

Hence, we create binding directories CUSTOMERS and PRODUCTS, containing just the service programs CUSTOMERS and PRODUCTS respectively.

We can bind these into ORD001 by adding these to the control specifications of ORD001, as follows:

ctl-opt bnddir('CUSTOMERS': 'PRODUCTS');

/include qrpgleref,customers

/include qrpgleref,products

This meets our requirement!

However, these lists could still become large, and we are "doubling up" the dependency - we have CUSTOMERS listed as a binding directory, and included in the prototypes. Ideally, we would like to be able to add a binding instruction to the reference source, and avoid this doubling up. For example, CUSTOMERS would begin:

ctl-opt bnddir('CUSTOMERS');

//... list of exported prototypes and templates from customers

And PRODUCTS would begin:

ctl-opt bnddir('PRODUCTS');

//... list of exported prototypes and templates from products

Finally, ORD001 would simply begin:

ctl-opt;

/include qrpgleref,customers

/include qrpgleref,products

But crucially - the CUSTOMERS and PRODUCTS binding directories are automatically considered at compile time!

This is not currently possible because the PRODUCTS reference source will prevent compilation - as a ctl-opt statement follows a prototype (RNF0724 statement type is out of sequence). Hence, I would like BNDDIR control statements to be able to be specified anywhere within a program.

I do wonder what it should do if CUSTOMERS reference source also contains ANOTHER reference source, which includes ANOTHER binding directory, and whether this gets out of hand very quickly, but I can't decide if this would be a problem or not.