- 51. RPG Academy: /FREE Your Code – What the Most-Used Operation Codes Look Like in Free-Format
- (RPG)
- ... this: W_Some_Number = W_Some_Number + 1; Well, there's another, shorter notation in free-format that RPG got from "modern" languages: W_Some_Number += 1; You'll find this particular ...
- Created on 02 February 2016
- 52. RPG Academy: /FREE Your Code - It's /FREE, But It Has Rule
- (RPG)
- ... If you skipped directly to this section, please read the rules from the previous section. It'll make the task of fully understanding what's going on much easier. Here's a typical RPG operation: reading ...
- Created on 05 January 2016
- 53. RPG Academy: /FREE Your Code: Free-Format Pros and Cons
- (RPG)
- Welcome to the new sub-series of RPG Academy, the long overdue discussion of free-format RPG. Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira This part of the TechTip series will start by discussing the ...
- Created on 01 December 2015
- 54. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Use BIFs to Perform Time Operations
- (RPG)
- You've learned how to use BIFs to handle the Date data type and perform a variety of operations with it. It's now time to do the same for the Time data type. I'll show you what RPG has to offer and present ...
- Created on 03 November 2015
- 55. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Retrieve the Day of the Week with %DIFF
- (RPG)
- ... the week. Like many other date-related RPG operations, adding or subtracting days, months, or years to a date can be a real pain. The previous article in this series introduced the %DATE BIF, which ...
- Created on 07 October 2015
- 56. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Using BIFs to Perform Date Operations
- (RPG)
- RPG's date-related BIFs form a powerful set of tools that will help ease your date-operations-caused pains! Keep reading to learn how to use them properly. Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira Date ...
- Created on 02 September 2015
- 57. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Building Excel's PROPER Case Function and Testing Chg_Cas
- (RPG)
- ... just a few examples of Excel functions that you convert to RPG. You can argue that there's not much to gain from that. Well, at least you get to practice the whole process of creating a function! Many readers ...
- Created on 05 August 2015
- 58. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! More Excel-like Functions with %XLATE
- (RPG)
- ... instance) of a string can be a challenge in RPG, because unlike SQL (and MS Excel), RPG doesn't have a change case function. So let's build one, using yet another BIF: %XLATE. There's more to string operations ...
- Created on 01 July 2015
- 59. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Building MS Excel-like LEFT and RIGHT Functions Using BIFs
- (RPG)
- ... These are simple yet powerful text-handling functions. LEFT and RIGHT don't have a parallel in RPG. However, the MID function does: it's the %SUBST BIF that I presented two TechTips ago. It's time ...
- Created on 17 June 2015
- 60. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Part 5, Easily Find and Replace Text in Strings with BIFs
- (RPG)
- ... a few examples adapted from IBM's ILE RPG Reference Manual: C EVAL string1 = 'See NAME. See NAME run.' + ' Run NAME run.' * 1. All ...
- Created on 06 May 2015
- 61. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Part 4, Simplifying String Operations with BIFs
- (RPG)
- ... Victória-Pereira Working with strings in RPG can be a real pain: all of those MOVE and CAT op codes and work variables with different lengths just to "stitch" the appropriate string together! You can ...
- Created on 01 April 2015
- 62. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! More on Moving MOVE and MOVEL out of Your Code
- (RPG)
- ... keyword, and you can use whatever edit word you want, as long as you follow some rules, described in the Parts of an Edit Word section of IBM's ILE RPG Reference Manual. Just to consolidate this, here ...
- Created on 03 March 2015
- 63. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Start Moving MOVE and MOVEL out of Your Code
- (RPG)
- The MOVE and MOVEL op codes are workhorses in fixed-format RPG, but they don't exist in free-format. Use the EVAL op code and a few BIFs to remove MOVE and MOVEL! Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira There ...
- Created on 03 February 2015
- 64. What Happened to the "RPG Academy" Column
- (RPG)
- It's missing! Find out where it went. Have you been feeling lost without the very-popular "RPG Academy" column that used to be here in MC TNT Tips 'n Techniques? Don't worry! It's not gone. It just changed ...
- Created on 22 January 2015
- 65. RPG Academy: BIF Up Your Code! Get Rid of Those File-Related Indicators
- (RPG)
- ... go there again! RPG provides us with two native ways to read a file: you either read it sequentially (starting on the first or a specific record that matches some sort of key), using SETxx and READxx, ...
- Created on 06 January 2015
- 66. RPG Academy: Parameters: Do You Know Your Options?, Part 3
- (RPG)
- ... classic example is the QCMDEXC API, which allows you to run CL commands from within an RPG program: D QCMDEXC PR ExtPgm('QCMDEXC') D P_CmdString 32702A ...
- Created on 04 November 2014
- 67. RPG Academy: Parameters: Do You Know Your Options?, Part 2
- (RPG)
- ... solutions, right? This is the most annoying shortcoming of *NOPASS. Fortunately for you and me (and all the other RPG programmers out there), the great minds behind RPG thought about this and came ...
- Created on 24 October 2014
- 68. RPG Academy: Parameters: Do You Know Your Options?, Part 1
- (RPG)
- We discussed the VALUE and CONST keywords in previous TechTips. However, that's not all you need to know about parameters. Keep reading to find out more! Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira The title ...
- Created on 03 October 2014
- 69. RPG Academy: Parameters: What You Should Know, Part 2
- (RPG)
- ... Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira Let's start with a quick recap of the previous TechTip. In RPG, parameters passed between programs are, by default, passed by reference. In other words, what ...
- Created on 12 September 2014
- 70. RPG Academy: Parameters: What You Should Know, Part 1
- (RPG)
- Previous TechTips described procedures and functions. Now it's time to talk a bit about parameters. Read on to find out more! Written by Rafael Victoria-Pereira We talked about procedures ...
- Created on 08 August 2014
- 71. RPG Academy: Using Your Own Functions
- (RPG)
- ... above, and 3) then end the function. The next RPG Academy TechTip will focus on procedures' and functions' parameters and everything that can go wrong with them… and how to prevent that! Until nex ...
- Created on 27 June 2014
- 72. RPG Academy: Building Your Own Functions
- (RPG)
- ... IF Check_Item_Exists_In_Inventory(Item_ID: Item_Quantity : Item_Unit_Price) = *On Then (do something) Now let's turn this into RPG: procedure and function names should be short but understandable, ...
- Created on 30 May 2014
- 73. RPG Academy: More on Procedures: The Dos and Don'ts and Other Interesting Thing
- (RPG)
- ... blocks, to create modular solutions to the challenges today's RPG programmers face. This implies that the procedures should be small and simple so that they can be used in as many situations as possible. ...
- Created on 02 May 2014
- 74. RPG Academy: How to Create and Use Procedures
- (RPG)
- Leverage your OPM RPG knowledge with this simple and practical example of using procedures. Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira I've been getting great feedback from the readers since the first TechTip ...
- Created on 04 April 2014
- 75. RPG Academy: Binding It All Together
- (RPG)
- ... Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira Creating an OPM RPG program is an easy, one-step operation: Just type "14" in the respective source member line of the Work with Members Using PDM screen and ...
- Created on 27 February 2014
- 76. RPG Academy: Modules, Programs, and Service Programs
- (RPG)
- ... concept. Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira How do you create an OPM RPG program? You write your source, compile it with PDM's option 14, and (after you squashed all those annoying little bugs) you ...
- Created on 06 February 2014
- 77. RPG Academy, Part 1: From OPM to ILE, ASAP
- (RPG)
- If you still write code as you did 20 years ago or have RPG ILE on your resume but don't actually use ILE, this is for you. This series will help you transition to RPG ILE by explaining the concepts ...
- Created on 16 January 2014
- 78. SQL 101: Flipping It—Using RPG Code in SQL
- (SQL)
- It’s time to learn how to (and why) you can “flip” things around by putting RPG code inside SQL “things.” The how is easier than you might think, but the why will blow your mind! By Rafael Victória-Pereira ...
- Created on 15 January 2020
- 79. Practical RPG: Encapsulating Your Data with Extension Files, Part 1
- (RPG)
- Extension files allow you to extend the life of your database without having to completely re-engineer it. By Joe Pluta As business programmers, we spend most of our time working with the database, ...
- Created on 07 January 2020
- 80. SQL 101: Embedding SQL in RPG Code, Part 2
- (SQL)
- ... in both fixed- and free-format RPG code. I also demonstrated the functionality provided by host variables, which allow SQL and RPG to exchange information in a simple and easy-to-implement way. Let’s continue ...
- Created on 12 March 2019
- 81. Practical RPG: Processing an IFS Directory
- (RPG)
- ... e-book is still relevant today. If this article gets you to start thinking about using the IFS in your RPG programs, then by all means read his tutorial. It's the fastest path to learning the IFS. Here ...
- Created on 05 July 2016
- 82. A C# Primer for RPG Programmers
- (General)
- If you already "migrated" to ILE and free-format RPG, learning a modern programming language is easier than it was before. Why not learn C#? Written by Rafael Victória-Pereira This article ...
- Created on 09 September 2015
- 83. Practical Middleware: Architecting for the Future
- (IT Infrastructure - Other)
- ... by using some combination of Linux, Tomcat, IBM i (RPG and DB2), and Node.js. That’s my version of the ubiquitous LAMP stack: Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (or Python or Perl). So what does my infrastructure ...
- Created on 01 July 2024
- 84. The Importance of BIFs, BIF Essentials
- (RPG)
- BIFs are not technically part of /Free. You can use them in RPG IV positional. But they are so much more necessary in /Free that it only makes sense for us to look at some of the most common ones and see ...
- Created on 25 April 2024
- 85. SQL 101: Your First Embedded SQL Function
- (SQL)
- ... that this series is about SQL, not RPG. However, you’ll see a bit of RPG in this and the next TechTips. My intention is to help you think outside the box and consider using SQL where you normally wouldn’t. ...
- Created on 08 April 2019
- 86. Ch-ch-ch-changes
- (Editor's Letter)
- ... RPG programmers when those folks retire. Pretty soon now you're gonna get older. I can think of quite a few people who have retired from this business in the 20+ years I’ve been around, and I’m sure most ...
- Created on 24 July 2017
- 87. October 5, 2016 Volume 15 Issue 19
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • LEAD ARTICLE: Practical CL: System Reply Lists • FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Write Better Code—Tips for Organizing Your Modules and Service Programs • NEWS HIGHLIGHT: 2017 IBM i Marketplace Survey ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 88. January 4, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 1
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • LEAD ARTICLE: Practical SQL: Field Reference Files in DDL • FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Write Better Code - More on Commenting and Documenting Strategies • NEWS HIGHLIGHT: New Bluemix Services with ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 89. March 1, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 5
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RPG: Converting to Free-Form RPG, Part 1 • FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Introducing the ILE Debugger • NEWS HIGHLIGHT: Now Available - PHP 7 Certification ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 90. April 5, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 7
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RPG: Techniques for Procedures • FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Choosing the Right Debug View • NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM launches financial models on Bluemix to ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 91. May 3, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 9
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • 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 ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 92. July 5, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 12
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • LEAD ARTICLE: Practical SQL: Complex Filters Using Common Table Expressions • FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Starting a Debug Session • FEATURED ARTICLE: Book Review: Programming ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 93. September 6, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 14
- (MC RPG Developer)
- • LEAD ARTICLE: Practical SQL: Updating a File Using a Cursor • FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Working with Breakpoints • FEATURED ARTICLE: ILE Service Programs: a Tutorial • FEATURED ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 94. April 3, 2019 | Volume 16 Issue 33
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical Linux: Using PDT to Manage Linux - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy - Modernization: Guidelines for Modernization Goals, Part 2 - FEATURED ARTICLE: 2019 IBM i Marketplace Survey ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 95. November 1, 2017 | Volume 16 Issue 16
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RPG: APIs, Part 2 - Changing Objects Using the QLICOBJD API - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - Working with Watch Conditions - FEATURED ARTICLE: How MVC Can ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 96. January 3, 2018 | Volume 16 Issue 18
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RPG: A Utility Program to Build On - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - A Step-by-Step Debug Session, Part 1 - FEATURED ARTICLE: 2017 State of IBM i Modernization ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 97. March 7, 2018 | Volume 16 Issue 20
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RDi: Exploring RDi 9.6, Part 1 - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - You Can Debug Anything! - FEATURED ARTICLE: ILE Tutorial: How to Use Embedded Sub-Procedures ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 98. May 2, 2018 | Volume 16 Issue 22
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RDi: Exploring RDi 9.6, Part 3 - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right - A Step-by-Step Debug Session, Part 2 - FEATURED ARTICLE: A Small Intro to Big Data, Part 2: ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 99. July 11, 2018 | Volume 16 Issue 24
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical RDi: Manipulating Timestamps - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy: Debug Done Right – Debugging Batch Jobs - FEATURED ARTICLE: Using Keys and Output Opcodes in /Free ILE RPG - NEWS ...
- Created on 08 October 2016
- 100. August 1, 2018 | Volume 16 Issue 25
- (MC RPG Developer)
- - LEAD ARTICLE: Practical SQL: PREPARE, EXECUTE, and EXECUTE IMMEDIATE - FEATURED ARTICLE: RPG Academy – Modernization: Why, What, Where, and How - FEATURED ARTICLE: Introduction to ILE RPG Activation ...
- Created on 08 October 2016