Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!psuvax1!psuvm!cunyvm!rohvm1!madif From: MADIF@ROHVM1.BITNET (Jim Foster) Newsgroups: comp.lang.rexx Subject: Re: looking at individual characters in a string Message-ID: <91043.082954MADIF@ROHVM1.BITNET> Date: 12 Feb 91 13:29:54 GMT References: <91039.085930GIAMPAL@auvm.auvm.edu> Organization: Rohm and Haas Company Lines: 16 In article , waynet@wiffle.techbook.com (Wayne Tilton) says: > >BTW, using the PARSE instruction to do multiple variable assignments >is usually much faster than using individual assignment statements. >The following code excerpt from a date calculation routine I wrote >demonstrates this technique. > If you're going to compile your execs, I wouldn't do this. The compiler is able to assign values at compile time for simple assignment statements such as: Name = 'Jim'. As far as I know, this is not true for parse statements or in the above example if you forget the quotes. Many people also find the simple assignment statement easier to maintain. I've had to explain the use of a parse statement used to initialize variables often enough that I don't bother with it anymore.