Re: Informix/4GL REALLY SUCKS

In article <5F8A271D267F79CE.0A12CBF42A453779.E4C4CCCD8A04AE60@library- proxy.airnews.net>, Daniel Wright <dw420@airmail.net> writes >Well, if you've been following this thread like I have (and maybe David Williams >is >the only one to give a half-assed reading to my post...yes it was half-assed >David!), then you'll be very interested to know that for some strange reason, >Informix appears to have written the retflo() function, and presumably the >retdub() >function completely inconsistently with all their other retxxx() functions. > >I am very eager to get to work tomorrow and actually check the docs, but it >appears >that while retint() and retlong() accept 'pass-by-value', retflo() demands pass >by >reference. WHY? I cannot fathom why...If anyone has an explanation, I'd love >to >hear it. Obviously retquote() is a special case which would demand the Because char strings are a standard C datatype. Integers (and hence serials and dates) and smalls are standard C data types. They come with the language. Floative are structs (as are decimals). Internally Informix can do *int = *int i.e. take your pointer and transfer it in one op. With structs it is either a byte copy or element by element copy. I suspect they though passing by was easier?. No I'm not conviency either. >reference >and not the value but retflo()? > >Okay, even if there is a reasonable explanation for pass-by-reference for >retflo(), >why the hell!!!! doesn't Informix provide a function prototype (as in a header >file) >so the compiler will warn me when I pass it a float instead of a pointer to a >float? > >[If the documentation is really correct and I just missed this, PLEASE don't >ignore >the question as to the lack of a header file! Header files are a VERY important >part of the C language and are intended to allow people to know how to use >functions >without the need to know what goes on in the internal workings of those >functions....as if I really want to know why 4GL can't use standard argument >passing.] > >Also, if there really is a need to be inconsistent, a more obvious notation in >the >docs would be in order!!! If indeed, the manual correctly showed that retflo() >wanted a pointer and not a value, I certainly missed it....and it's not >surprising....again, why would you need anything than a standard C data value? > >C'mon, Informix....people still do use 4GL, although we are rapidly moving away >from >it and in fact rapidly moving away from dependence on any one specific database >engine....Despite market considerations, you're total abandonment of 4GL as a >development tool is another major reason.....Are you listening Leffler? Tell me >why >this is not an inconsistency in the 4GL toolset! This is one example, where you >can't say we can solve all our problems by upgrading....and then telling us the >next >release won't be available for another 3 months. > > > >Daniel Wright wrote: > >> Well, I realize I was rambling a bit, and I did review the Informix manual, >> which stated something like popquote() fills in your string with 'len' (the >> 2nd argument number of bytes), including the null terminator. It apparently >> doesn't know what to do if you are only interested in one character. I was >> not using it as a string although I did declare my variable to be long enough >> to hold the null terminator....my referencing it as *f_ptr_to_char, doesn't >> care about a null terminator either. >> >> My complaint was that the error message states that in an ESQL/C program, I >> have FETCH'ed something into a variable which is too small, and that in a 4GL >> program, you should contact Informix. Well, apparently the error was in the >> '.ec', but of course it is not stopped until it returns to 4GL. Since I >> didn't have any FETCH statements anywhere, it seemed to be a 4GL problem. >> >> You suggested that I send the C & 4GL program to you to find where I was >> destroying memory, THANKS, but I am now convinced I am handling all my >> pointers correctly. What I am NOT convinced of is that I am using the poorly >> documented 4GL routines properly, although from reading the manual, I believe >> I am. >> >> Anyway, here's the code, and it's output: (please advise as to what I am >> doing wrong) >> >> dev:/home/dannyw> cat fgl.4gl >> {***************************************************************************** >** >> >> ****************************************************************************** >*} >> >> MAIN >> DEFINE f_tote_time FLOAT >> >> WHENEVER ANY ERROR STOP >> >> DISPLAY "BEFORE" >> >> CALL get_hndl_time_4gl( ) >> RETURNING f_tote_time >> >> DISPLAY "AFTER", f_tote_time >> >> END MAIN >> dev:/home/dannyw> cat ec1.ec >> /***************************************************************************** >** >> >> get_hndl_time_4gl - set up handling time array and return total tote >> time >> ****************************************************************************** >*/ >> >> int get_hndl_time_4gl( int f_argc ) >> { >> >> if (f_argc) >> return(0); /*** This should cause a complaint about not >> returning proper number of values ***/ >> >> printf("HERE\\n"); >> /*** retquote( "0.023" ); THIS WORKS ***/ >> retflo( 0.023 ); /*** THIS core dumps ***/ >> printf("THERE\\n"); >> return(1); /* ZZZ */ >> } >> >> /*************************************************************************** >> * END OF SOURCE >> ***************************************************************************/ >> dev:/home/dannyw> c4gl ec1.ec fgl.4gl >> ec1.c: >> fgl.c: >> dev:/home/dannyw> ./a.out >> BEFORE >> HERE >> Segmentation fault(coredump) >> dev:/home/dannyw> >> >> Interestingly enough, only floating point retxxx() functions (retdub() and >> retflo()) seem to fail. >> As is alluded to in the source, retquote() provides the desired result. >> >> If it looks right to you, try it on your machine and tell me if it >> runs....Thanks >> >> David Williams wrote: >> >> > In article <2E6586C13341E60D.DF49B756DA06A631.F9B3D91E02C0C761@library- >> > proxy.airnews.net>, Daniel Wright <dw420@airmail.net> writes >> > >Well, this is one of those misleading error messages I suppose.... >> > > >> > >My program is written in 4GL and ESQL/C and this is probably totally >> > >unrelated to why it started core-dumping (I must be doing something >> > >wrong), but it consistently core-dumps when I call retflo() with a value >> > >other than zero....no matter if it is hard-coded, cast to a float or >> > >whatever.....but I'm still debugging that. This message is about the >> > >misleading error message I got. >> > > >> > >After adding "WHENEVER ANY ERROR STOP" to the code, I got the following >> > >output (even after I reduced it to a minimum amount of code, with no >> > >database references and no pointer references). >> > > >> > >dev/home/dannyw/dsc1/inv/ictl> ./a.out >> > >Program stoppe