sequence of lines

[David Thompson]

>  > I don't find Macro disturbing. I was simply using it as a clue. That,
>>  plus the fact that you are using an email program that doesn't run in
>>  OS X, made me wonder if it would be a waste of time to recommend
>>  features such as custom statements and functions, which aren't
>>  available for versions prior to Panorama V.
>
>I am somewhat puzzled by your remark it doesn't run in OS X, because here it
>runs alright even in Leopard's latest version. Regarding your second remark
>please note (below) that I have access to the latest version, so it is/was
>certainly no waste!

When I expand your email to show all of the headers, I see this.

User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2106

Version Tracker and the Microsoft web site both say it requires Mac 
OS 8.1 to 9.x.

I probably should have phrased it a little differently. I don't 
consider an application that is running under Classic to be running 
in OS X, but I should have said it in a way that made that clear. I 
am surprised to hear that you can run it in Leopard.

>For example: Instead of
>>
>>  Field "DateField"
>>  Copy
>>  DownRecord
>>  Field "TextField"
>>  Paste
>>
>>  you could use
>>
>>  Local theDate
>>  theDate = datepattern(DateField, "DD-MM-YYYY")
>>  DownRecord
>>  TextField = theDate
>Sure, but, if I may refer to previous remarks, that text is longer.
>The first example I write, perhaps a bit unusual, in one line, actually even
>a part of a 'procedure-line':
>
>field date copy downrecord field a paste


That's just a question of style. I prefer to put separate statements 
on separate lines, and to indent the lines that are part of a "block" 
such as the lines between an If statement and its corresponding EndIf 
or a Loop statement and the corresponding Until or While.

Even though I am a rather poor typist, when I am writing code I am 
not looking for a way to shorten the typing. The time spent typing is 
a pretty small fraction of the time I spend writing and debugging a 
procedure. Anything I can do to make it easier to read and understand 
the code is time well spent in my opinion. I give my variables names 
that describe what they will be used for. If certain lines logically 
go together, because they are working on the same task, then I use 
blank lines to separate them from other lines that are working on a 
different task. However, I must admit that I don't use comments as 
much as I should.

>May I conclude with a question I forgot to ask previously.
>Are text funnels which I find most helpful also obsolete


Text funnels are in no way obsolete. There are certainly cases where 
newer features will make it easier. I would much rather use an 
arraydelete( function to delete the tenth item from a comma separated 
list of fifty items than use a loop and text funnels to do the same 
thing, but there are also cases where text funnels would be simpler, 
and still others where text funnels would be the only way.

Dave