Includes

[DonQuixote]

In some software products they maintain includes for every data file with variables equated to the field positions.  For instance, CUST.NAME.POS = 1.  So within your programs you'd reference CUST.NAME.POS instead of 1.  Then when the standard software moves the field to a different position you don't have to rewrite your custom programs.  Did the Prelude product think of this? If so where are these includes?

[precisonline]

They didn't.  Everything is referenced by hard attribute numbers everywhere throughout the BASIC.  As it was explained to me, there were certain techniques like this that were specifically avoided to try to obfuscate the code in an attempt to prevent competitors from reverse engineering the logic.

[precisonline]

Oh, the one thing they DID do is /FLI.  You can get some ideas from /FLI of what is where, but you have to translate that information as you're reading through the code.  So when you see something like:

PARMS(3)<21,3>

...you can go to /FLI and get some ideas of what that "means".

[nmorgan]

I have wrestled with figuring out PSI code daily for the last 15 years and most of it still makes me want to swear.

Let's not even talk about cramped, multi-statment lines with no spaces, or their love of the GOTO statements branching out of FOR-NEXT loops.  It's like a style book of How Not To Write Code.  Yet....it works....mostly....much of the time.  I guess it's kind of like the talking dog.  You don't pay much attention to what he says, you just marvel that he talks at all.

The only bright spot is that I only have to put up with it for another 89 days and 17 minutes.

[precisonline]

But who's counting?

Love the talking dog analogy.  I'll have to remember that one.