DECLARE EXTERN (was Re: Any response to my DECLARE question)

[Jeff Harrison]

Ken brody wrote:

Jeff Harrison wrote:
> 
> Ken Brody wrote:
> >
> > Jeff Harrison wrote:
> > [...]
> > > You mentioned that the purpose of declare extern is to tell
> > filePro that
> > > there is a variable in existence on another table that will
> > be calling this
> > > one... While that will usually be true, it does not have to
> > be.  You could
> > > take advantage this feature as a way of using long variable
> > names without
> > > explicitly casting them.  I have actually done this on occasion.
> > [...]
> >
> > Why not just DECLARE it without any length or type, as in:
> >
> >    DECLARE myvar
> >
> 
> Yes, that would save me 7 characters, but in the example that I sited the
> processing table could also be used as a "call" table, and therefore would
> need the extern key word added.

If you are planning on sharing it among processing tables, yes.  If so,
then the EXTERN isn't really related to using it "without explicitly
casting" it.  And if you are not sharing it, then why EXTERN it?

-- 

Ah, yes, but I can have it both ways.  The same processing table can be used
as both a "call" table and a regular input processing table (using the @menu
functionality).  When it is a call table I pass values to it with the long
variable names.  When it is an input table the values come from getenv
statements.  Since the same table is used for both purposes, I need to keep
the extern key word in there.

BTW I'm not seeing my own messages on the list now.  Is it just me, or is
the list down?

Jeff Harrison
jeff.harrison at epixweb.com

Author of JHExport and JHImport - The fastest and easiest ways to generate
code for filepro exports and imports.  Demos available upon request.