Compatibility with VisualAge Generator

EGL is the replacement for VisualAge Generator 4.5 and includes some syntax primarily to enable the migration of existing programs to the new development environment. This syntax is supported in the development environment if the EGL preference VAGCompatibility is selected or (at generation or debug time) if the build descriptor option VAGCompatibility is set to yes. The setting of the preference also establishes the default value of the build descriptor option.

The following statements apply when VisualAge Generator compatibility is in effect:

• Three otherwise invalid characters (- @ #) are valid in identifiers, although the hypen (-) and pound sign (#) are each invalid as an initial character in any case; for details, see Naming conventions

• If you refer to a static, single-dimension array of structure items without specifying an index, the array index defaults to 1; for details, see Arrays

• The primitive types NUMC and PACF are available, as described in Primitive types

• If you specify an even length for an item of primitive type DECIMAL, EGL increments the length by one except when the item is used as an SQL host variable.

• The SQL item property SQLDataCode is available, as described in SQL item properties

• A set of call options are available in the call statement

• The option externallyDefined is in the statements show and transfer

• The following system variables are available:
  • sysVar.handleSysLibErrors

  • sysVar.segmentedMode

• The following system functions are available:
  • sysLib.getVAGSysType

  • sysLib.connectionService

• You cannot use a dynamic array as an argument to a function or to another EGL program.

• The libraries sysMath and sysStr are automatically available to your code.

• You can issue a statement of the following form:

    display printForm

  printForm

  Name of a print form that is visible to the program.

  In that case, display is equivalent to print.

• The following program properties also support VAG compatibility.
  • AllowUnqualifiedItemReferences

  • IncludeReferencedFunctions

  For details, see Program part in EGL source format.

• If you set the text-form property value, the content of that property is available in the program only after the user has returned the form. For this reason, the value that you set in the program does not need to be valid for the item in the program.

Related reference
Arrays
call
Input form
Input record
Naming conventions
pfKeyEquate
Primitive types
print
Program part in EGL source format
show
SQL item properties
sysLib.connectionService
sysLib.getVAGSysType
sysVar.handleSysLibErrors
sysVar.segmentedMode
transfer