RE: found a bug in 3.13.9 dbLoadTemplate - after all that time

["Mark Rivers" <rivers@cars.uchicago.edu>]

Bernhard Kuner wrote:

> It would be more usefull to have default values for 
> substitutions that may be overwritten in the string expansion lines.
May be 
> something like this:
> 
>   file test.template {
>   pattern{ NAME, HOPR="9", LOPR="1", MDEL="0.1"}

I really like this suggestion.

One problem with template files now is that it is real hassle if one
wants to add an additional subsitution parameter.  Suppose test.template
above does not currently support the MDEL parameter, but I want to add
it.  At present, if I add it, then I have to find every substitution
file that references test.template and update it to add MDEL.   

With Bernhard's suggestion, this would not be necessary.  I could define
a default value for that new parameter, which would be the same as the
previous default value for that field in test.template, or if it was not
defined there, then the default value in the record.  Existing
substitution files will work as they always did, but new ones can now
use the MDEL parameter.

Mark Rivers