Plug into Sockets
by Kevin Vandever

Developers possess many tools for accessing the iSeries from the Web. I have written about many of those tools in this newsletter. But there are those out there who want to connect to many platforms or want to use a more core-Java approach to accessing the iSeries. They want pure portability but still require speed and ease of implementation. "The toolbox is great," they'll say, "but it is still platform-dependent." Well, that's OK, because I just may have what the Java developer ordered, in the form of sockets. READ MORE >

Access Windows Control Panel Using VBScript
by Shannon O'Donnell

Since I'm on an HTML kick lately, I thought I might show you how to do a few unusual, yet nifty, things using HTML and VBScript. In this column, I'll show you how to access the now-familiar Windows SHELL command via VBScript to open various options in the Windows Control Panel. READ MORE >

Cool Things in CODE/400: Keyboard Shortcuts
by Scott Mildenberger

One of the common complaints I hear from developers about switching from SEU to CODE/400 is that they don't like using the mouse. I, too, find that I can be more productive by just using the keyboard. The solution is to learn keyboard shortcuts for the things you do most often. Below are the shortcuts that I find most useful. I've grouped the tips by category to make them easier to reference. READ MORE >

How to Interact Directly with JavaBeans from JSPs
by Richard Shaler

JavaServer Pages are powerful. However, because of their power, it's easy to use them for more than their intended purpose--presentation. It is often easier to embed some of your business logic in a JSP rather than in a JavaBean, where it belongs. You can resist the temptation by knowing how to interface JSPs with JavaBeans. Here, I show you how to create a JavaBean and how to interact directly with that JavaBean from a JSP. READ MORE >

FTP Basics: Batch Processing
by Shannon O'Donnell

As more and more AS/400 shops move to PC-based development tools, more and more AS/400 programmers are having to learn PC-based functions and commands. One of these, which has become the de facto standard for file transfers, is File Transfer Protocol. FTP is one of those TCP/IP utilities that has been around for years and is really easy to use. But did you know that you can use FTP for batch file transfers? READ MORE >

The Random Number Generator API
by Kevin Vandever

If you're like most AS/400 programmers, you probably haven't experimented with APIs very often. It's probably not your fault. The day-to-day responsibilities of your job may never call for the functionality provided by APIs. But there are hundreds of these little creatures out there for your use, so you may want to research them, because it's quite possible you've already written something that could have been accomplished easier and more efficiently with the use of an API. Come check one out with me. READ MORE >

Reader Feedback and Insights

We value your feedback and your insights into the OS/400 market. Feel free to drop us a letter to the editor and we will post them in a reader feedback column associated with this newsletter. READ MORE >