FW: exact match

[Scott Walker]

Scott Walker
RAM Systems Corp.
PO Box 1778
Davidson, NC 28036
Ph: (704) 896-6549
Fx: (704) 896-7458
Email:  scottw1 at alltel.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Walker [mailto:scottw1 at alltel.net] 
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 4:13 PM
To: 'Steve Waters'
Cc: Filepro List - No spam (filepro-list at nospam.celestial.com)
Subject: RE: exact match


Steve,

I gotta tell you when I read your email my VERY FIRST THOUGHT, like
Walter's was "THIS SHOULD NOT BE HARD CODED IN THE PROGRAM".  

What you're doing is great to make work for the programmer, but poor
practice.  You're setting up a situation where everytime there is a new
part that needs to be modified, you have to go in and modify the
program.

Think of it this way...if you did a program for payroll, would you hard
code the employees names and SS numbers and rates of pay in the program,
or would you store that data in a file, let the program accessing it as
needed.  Of course you would store those pieces of data in a file.  That
way when a new employeed is hired, or one is fired, or someone gets a
raise, etc., you don't have to have the programmer come in and modify
the program, but instead a user can simply update the data in the
"Employee" file.

Almost everytime I've hard coded pieces of what are really data in  a
program like you are doing I've ended up having to come back later and
rewrite it to store the data in a file like I should have done to start.
It may take a little bit longer to do it right but it gives you so much
more flexibilty later on and lets users do what they should be able to
do without programmer intervention, ie. Update their database.

Walter, I hope I have not stepped on your toes by responding to this.


Regards,

Scott

Scott Walker
RAM Systems Corp.
PO Box 1778
Davidson, NC 28036
Ph: (704) 896-6549
Fx: (704) 896-7458
Email:  scottw1 at alltel.net 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces at lists.celestial.com] On Behalf 
> Of Steve Waters
> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2004 4:00 PM
> To: filepro-list at celestial.com
> Subject: RE: exact match
> 
> 
> 
> Steve Waters wrote:
> Thanks List!
> 
> Walter can you expand on this?
> 
> Walter wrote:
> I'd also argue that this routine should
> be comparing to values in another table, rather than
> being hard coded into your processing table.
> 
> 
> 
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