Name the Indicators - Tip2

RPG understands indicators. We don't need to spell everything out

Right from its inception, RPG has understood indicators to be boolean variables that simply equate to true or false. So If *In25 = '1'; is not only ugly--it is a waste of typing because the shorter and, to me at least, more obvious If *In25; is identical in effect.


If validAccount;

Or even:

If *In(validAccount_25);

Are a lot easier to understand then:

If validAccount = '1';

The increased readability shines though when WE consider the negative condition. For example consider how much more obvious:

If Not validAccount;

Is when compared with:

If validAccount = '0';

Perhaps WE never use '1' but use the figurative constants *On and *Off? Isn't that better?

Not a lot really. Although most of us have grown up thinking of indicators as being "On" or "Off", that is a just throwback to the tabulator origins of RPG, where indicators were real physical switches that could indeed be on or off.