May 3, 2017
May 3, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 9
• LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RPG: Converting to Free-Form RPG, Part 2
• FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Encrypting Your Debugging Views
• NEWS HIGHLIGHT: Using IBM Navigator for i
• ON-DEMAND WEBCAST: IBM i Resources Retiring?
• FEATURED VIDEO: New - Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
• EVENT: Put your IBM i RPG apps on the Web with ASNA Wings
Practical RPG: Converting to Free-Form RPG, Part 2
I'm not one to get rid of something that isn't broken, but I'm not sorry to see KLISTs go away.
Written by Joe Pluta
Given the limitations of columnar RPG, the KLIST was a clever way to allow a programmer to specify a variable number of fields to access a keyed file, but at a price of a lot of lines of code for even simple jobs. Thankfully, free-format RPG has given us a way to do away with those many lines of code.
Valence 5.1 is on the Launch Pad!
Since 2008, RPG developers around the world have been using Valence to create stunning IBM i-based web and mobile apps. Whether you’re looking to create executive dashboards with download-to-Excel features, file maintenance utilities, custom web services or even intricate order entry apps, Valence has a solution for you — in many cases with no programming required!
Download Valence 5.0 today for a free test drive on your IBM i system and receive a 10% discount coupon for the forthcoming Valence 5.1 release. Hurry! Offer ends May 9.
ASNA Mobile RPG empowers RPG programmers to create great IBM i-driven smartphone and tablet mobile apps with nothing but plain ol’ RPG. Programmers don’t need to learn obtuse languages like HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Java or Objective C. The only skills required to create superb mobile applications with Mobile RPG are traditional RPG coding skills—period! These applications feature secure and fast read/write access to your IBM i database and provide game-changing possibilities for your business. Learn more today!
Have you heard? RPG is now fully free-format! This latest edition from RPG expert Jim Martin is your one-stop resource for free-format information. It’s a must-read for all RPG programmers, featuring completely updated code. See the new H, F, D and P specs in action in this easy-to-use reference guide. You’ll learn rules and syntax but also grasp how this modern style of coding can improve your overall productivity--from initial development through maintenance. Get your copy today!
Save 25% on this and ALL this month's Top 10 Titles. Visit the MC Press Bookstore and use the code: "Top-10-May" to save through May 7th!
RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Encrypting Your Debugging Views
Good news for RPG shops everywhere: IBM gave us a way to protect our code from prying eyes, while keeping all the functionality of the debug views! The code is there, but it’s hidden.
Written by Rafael Victoria-Pereira
As you might have guessed, anyone with access to STRDBG, the command that replaces STRISDB, will also have access to your source code! This gets especially sticky if you run a shop that designs and sells software; you need to secure your source code and can’t let your customers peek inside your programs. Fortunately, IBM included a new parameter in CRTRPGMOD and CRTBNDRPG, which allows you to encrypt your debug views. In other words, now you can ship debuggable code and know that your code is not visible to your customers.
Let’s face it: IBM i experts and RPG programmers are retiring from the workforce. These folks have been managing all areas of your business—often manually and behind the scenes—for decades, everything from IT operations to data and documents to cybersecurity.
Are you prepared to handle their departure?
During this 30-mintue recorded webinar, our panel of IBM i experts—Chuck Losinski, Robin Tatam, Richard Schoen, and Tom Huntington—will outline strategies that allow your company to cope with IBM i skills depletion by adopting these strategies that allow you to get the job done without deep expertise on the OS:
- Automate IBM i processes
- Use managed services to help fill the gaps
- Secure the system against data loss and viruses
IBM i skills depletion is a top concern for IBM i shops around the world. The strategies you discover in this webinar will help you ensure that your system of record—your IBM i—continues to deliver a powerful business advantage, even as staff retires.