Re: Informix compiler parsing is poor

From Martin Andrews: * Bruce Momjian (root@candle.uucp) wrote: * : Has anyone else noticed that the informix c4gl compiler accepts some * : sytax as valid, like * * : print column "fred", "barney" * * : which emits no compiler warning, but goes into an infinite loop at run * : time. The parser should catch this bug. * * : I have found other weird limitations, like you can't use a string * : constant in a cursor OPEN statement, and sometimes built-in function * : calls can't be used in certain cases. * * : It seems like the 4gl parsing is just not as robust as other languages I * : have used. Has anyone else noticed this? * * Absolutely, the most infuriating is when simple syntax errors generate * broken code like the print statement you mentioned. I ran into the problem * that if I closed a window that I hadn't opened (I mis-typed the name) the * executable would core dump. Why can't the compiler catch this? Possibly due to you might not have opened the window within this module. I agree with the "print column" problem, tho. That's just common syntax. But when dealing with variables such as window names, forms, etc. that's pretty much up to the programmers to deal with. Robert Minter |Data Systems Support| \\\\\\_/// Programmer, Software Development | Orange, CA | ( _ _ ) internet: rob@dssmktg.com | Tel: 714.771.0454 | (| ^ |) bangpath: uunet.uu.net!dssmktg!rob| Fax: 714.771.3028 | \\`-'/ I used to not know, now I know I don't know. \\_/