-P correct use

[Scott Walker]

-----Original Message-----
From: filepro-list-bounces+scottw1=alltel.net at lists.celestial.com
[mailto:filepro-list-bounces+scottw1=alltel.net at lists.celestial.com] On
Behalf Of Dennis Malen
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2007 4:57 PM
To: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
Subject: -P correct use

If I execute a lookup to a file and do not post to that file and a -P is

used, will that corrupt anything.

After the recent clarification, we understand that if we post we must
have 
a -P. and should not have a -P if we are not posting.

What happens if we have a -P and we are not posting. I have some old 
processing that still has the -P. Is it imperative that the -P be
removed.

Thanks!

Dennis Malen
516.479.5912 



Dennis,

You're asking what happens.  ONLY YOU CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION because
it entire depends on your code and what it does.  Say you do a lookup to
a customer in the customer file just to get their Name and Address.  If
you have used -p on that lookup you have locked the record even though
you are not changing any of the data in the customer file record
(posting as you say).  Does that hurt anything?   Depends.  If some
other user is posting customer payments which include a payment for the
customer who's record is locked, and that posting tries to update the
balance field in that customer's record, it can't because the record is
locked.  The user posting will get a message such as "Waiting on
cust_master record # 2343 to be unlocked.  They will sit there for as
long as the record remains locked by the lookup the  1st user did with
the unnecessary lock.  How long is that?  Depends on your code and if
the 1st user has gone to lunch.

As a good coding practice, records should be locked ONLY when absolutely
necessary and for as short a period as possible.  This minimizes
problems.  How many problems and how big depend on your code.

Regards,


Scott

Scott Walker
RAM Systems Corp.
ScottWalker at RAMSystemsCorp.com
Ph: (704) 896-6549