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TechTip: Using Naming Conventions to Organize ILE Source Members

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Maybe I am behind the times, but I have not actually been using most of the OOD enhancements that are available with ILE until recently. I know I should probably be ashamed and be flogged or something, but I am trying to make up for it now.

One of the issues that caused me to delay implementing external procedures, programs, and functions was that there was no easy way of finding out where a given program, function, or procedure was used. Since this problem has been adequately resolved (See "TechTip: Fishing for Service Programs"), there remains only one issue: how to keep track of the source members for the different module types (i.e., functions, procedures, prototypes, etc.).

I would like to be able to say that I came up with the following naming conventions on my own, but I didn't. I am sure I saw some of them as "suggestions" in some article or other. However, I am relatively certain that I have not seen them all together in one place. So without further ado...

Name
Type of Module/Source
P.xxxxxxxx
Procedure
PR.xxxxxxx
Prototype member for /COPY
F.xxxxxxxx
Function
S.xxxxxxxx
Service Program
M.xxxxxxxx
Main procedure (*ENTRY/pep)


I know it's simple, but it is what works for me. There are certainly other ways to go. Using separate source files (QRPGPROC, QRPGFUNC, QRPGMAIN, etc.) is one of the other methods I have seen. Whether you use these naming conventions or not, if you are going to be developing using ILE, you are going to need to use some sort of naming conventions. Remember, the best naming convention is the one you will actually use and stick to.

--Jeff Olen
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.




Jeff Olen

Jeff Olen is a super-spy now but keeps his cover identity intact by working for video game studios on the East Coast. So when he’s not out killing members of ISIS or rescuing refugees, you can find him playing Wolfenstein II or testing the new Fallout 76 releases at his beach house in Costa Rica. In any case, he can’t be reached. You can email his cat at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. She will pass on your message…if she feels like it.

MC Press books written by Jeff Olen available now on the MC Press Bookstore.

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