Re: Jbase programming query

[Richard Kann]

The old I learned basic programming in school. Who needs those new fangled large variable names or comments. Try this for size: L=5 GOSUB 9000 A5=VAR L=30 GOSUB 9000 A7=VAR . . .  <some 300 lines later> 9000 INPUT VAR IF LEN(VAR)>L THEN GO 9000 RETURN This was a 15000 line program, the variables were all defined way up at the top (at least 1/2 were, the new fields were left out). There were actually 8 or 9 different subroutine areas for common inputs, prints, etc. I got whiplash trying to read the code. Richard Kann Simon Verona wrote: I think that good programming techniques don’t change.. nice, clear, concise code (with comments) is massively easier to develop, debug and has less bugs inserted with ongoing maintenance and updates...   My nightmare is code like (I was looking at code similar to this earlier in the week)...                   IF X=2&Y=1&Z=3 THEN                      A=A+1                     J<X,Y>=R<Z>                    GO 100              END ELSE                   GO 200              END       This is just a snippet of the kind of code I was debugging – about 1000 lines of code in the same vein, without a single comment!    Such fun!   Simon     From: jBASE@googlegroups.com [mailto:jBASE@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Richard Kann Sent: 03 March 2009 23:49 To: jBASE@googlegroups.com Subject: Re: Jbase programming query   I've seen worse though I agree on the return to's. The other issue is goto statements that jump all over the world rather then using if then's or other more smooth routines. Maybe it's my age, but back in the old days it caused massive frame faulting making the disc run constant. These days I guess it is not as important though still a pain to debug. Simon Verona wrote: I think it's a case of "you're fired " if you use return to !!!   I can only agree having had to historically debut code with lots of  return to's in!   Simon   --------------------------------- Simon Verona Director Dealer Management Services Ltd   Sent from my iPhone   On 3 Mar 2009, at 17:38, Richard Kann <h...@comp-ware.net> wrote:     You said: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever,ever, ever, ever, ever,ever,ever, use RETURN TO. That's ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever,  ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ad infinitum. But how do you REALLY feel about it Jim?   Richard Kann Comp-Ware Systems, Inc.   Jim Idle wrote:     Dhaya wrote:         Hi     I am using jbase 4.1 release with T24. I have a query regarding  the usage of 'recursive return" statement   in Jbase programming language. I understood we can recursive  return to come out of subroutine to calling program. I have a requirement where when  the recursive return is executed, program control should not come out the subroutine used. It is that is there any way to code such as     PROGRAM.ABORT:       RETURN TO (PROGRAM.ABORT - 1)   Because, i want this recursivee return to be executed 1 level down. Can i use (PROGRAM.ABORT - 1) in jbasic or Is there any alternate way to use.             Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever,ever, ever, ever, ever,ever,ever, use RETURN TO. That's ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever,  ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ad infinitum.   For a start you will never debug it. Wanting to do this is a sign  that your design is very wrong.   jBC is a compiled language, therefore the line numbers have no  meaning except in the debugger. There are some compiled languages that  annotate lines but they are compiling broken languages.   The reason that you are wanting to do this is either that you have  used GOTO elsewhere in this program, or that you have called nested subroutines, discovered an error and now want to back out of all the GOSUBs until you can  return from the subroutine. Either way, it  means that you need to redesign your subroutine. Each GOSUB should check an error return and back out accordingly. This type of thing is why more modern languages have exceptions that can cascade back up the chain  and be caught at an appropriate point. However jBC does not have this functionality so you must program accordingly.   Now, personally, I think that the language should have had separate notation for subroutine vs gosub return, but it doesn't, so you are stuck with it. Review your design here - when you have to ask how  to do something like this, it means the program is broken.   Jim                             --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Please read the posting guidelines at: http://groups.google.com/group/jBASE/web/Posting%20Guidelines IMPORTANT: Type T24: at the start of the subject line for questions specific to Globus/T24 To post, send email to jBASE@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe, send email to jbase-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jBASE?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---