Operation Codes Overview
An operation code, or command in Encore RPG, is a complete instruction. It can contain keywords, operators, variables, constants, and expressions. Each command belongs to one of the following two categories:
- Declaration commands, which name a variable, constant, or procedure and can also specify a data type. For more information, see Declaration Operation Codes.
- Executable commands, which initiate actions. These commands can execute a method or function, and they can loop or branch through blocks of code. Executable commands include assignment commands, which assign a value or expression to a variable or constant. For more information, see Executable Operation Codes and Assignment Operation Codes.
Continuing a Statement over Multiple Lines
An operation code usually fits on one line, but when it doesn’t, you can continue a long command onto the next line using a line-continuation character, which consists of a plus sign. In the following example, the DCLFLD command is continued over two lines:
DCLFLD myVar Type (*String) Shared (*YES) +
WithEvents (*YES)
Adding Comments
To help document code, it is useful to make liberal use of embedded comments. Comments in code can explain a procedure or a particular instruction to anyone reading or working with it later. Encore RPG ignores comments, however, when it runs your procedures.
Comment lines begin with a double slash (//), and can be added anywhere in code. Comments can also go on their own separate line. To extend comments over multiple lines, you can either add a double slash at the beginning of each line, or use a */ at the beginning of the comment and end the comment with a /*.