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  • *NOMAX Does Not Mean Infinite Capacity

    March 21, 2012 Hey, Ted

    The practice in our shop has been to set the initial size of physical files to what seems to be a reasonable value. In many cases, we leave the size at the default value of 10,000 records with three increments of 1,000 records each. Sometimes we change one or more of these values, usually the first one. Someone has suggested that we stop the guesswork and create all files with SIZE(*NOMAX). However, someone else is afraid that a program will go into a loop and fill up the disk space with output operations. Who’s right?

    –Flora

    I agree with the

    …

    Read more
  • Sharing In V6

    March 21, 2012 Jon Paris

    Some time ago I read Ted Holt’s Guru tip Sharing Simplifies Source Code in which he showed an approach to building reports in a modular programming environment. At the time I can remember thinking that it would be interesting to see how V6 RPG’s ability to pass files as parameters might offer an even simpler approach.

    Simpler, that is, once you know how to pass files as parameters! Well, it has taken me almost a year, but I finally got round to working on it, and I confess I rather like the results.

    Ted’s original approach required that a driver

    …

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  • Admin Alert: Getting Started With An i 6.1 Upgrade

    March 7, 2012 Joe Hertvik

    For the second time in two years, my organization is participating in a multi-partition/multi-machine i5/OS V5R4 operating system upgrade to i 6.1. The second time around is interesting because I can build on lessons from last year’s upgrades. In the hope that it can help you with your V5R4 to 6.1 upgrades, here are some of my notes for planning the upgrades.

    Deciding Between Upgrading To i 6.1 or i 7.1

    With IBM dropping support for i5/OS V5R4 and the fact that Big Blue hasn’t released the i 8.x operating system yet, customers still have a choice whether to

    …

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  • Interpreted CL Members

    March 7, 2012 Hey, Ted

    I am thinking of writing a program that will read a source member of CL commands, interpreting them and running them dynamically one at a time. I can think of several situations in which such a utility would be more suitable than compiled CL programs. Before I re-invent the wheel, I want to know if IBM i already has something like that.

    –Tom

    Yes, there’s something like that. You can do this sort of thing with input spooling. I’ve only used input spooling on occasion, so I’m not an expert, but I can show you how it works.

    Create a

    …

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  • Commenting Interactive Code

    March 7, 2012 Ted Holt

    The tips I regularly feature in this august publication deal with some aspect of source code syntax. Today I turn my attention to another part of the programming process. I want to talk about a work habit that you might find useful.

    I would say that everyone who writes any type of source code at all knows the importance of comments, but that would be incorrect. I have followed (and written) too much code that was inadequately commented. Effective comments in source code serve as a great boon to the humans who must read or modify source code. As Ashley

    …

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  • Why Can’t I Access My Remote System’s AS/400 IFS?

    February 22, 2012 Hey, Joe

    I’m trying to create a QFileSvr.400 link between two of my IBM i machines. I created the link on my local machine just like I’m supposed to. But when I open the link to access AS/400 Integrated File System (AS/400 IFS) objects on my remote machine, it gives me a Not Authorized To Object error. What’s going on here?

    –Wil

    Background on QFileSvr.400

    Before I answer Wil’s question, here’s some background information on the QFileSvr.400 file system. If you’re already familiar with QFileSvr.400, skip ahead to the answers section.

    The QFileSvr.400 file system is a unique IBM i machine construct.

    …

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  • bsearch: Partial Key Searches and More

    February 22, 2012 Jon Paris

    Note: The code accompanying this article is available for download here.

    In bsearch: A Better %LOOKUP, I mentioned that bsearch permits us to do a partial key lookup (i.e., a lookup that is based on just a portion of the search field). Since bsearch performs a binary search, it will not necessarily return the first matching element in the array. If we need to handle all matching elements then we have to be able to locate the first match in the array, and then process subsequent matching elements.

    Before we jump into the mechanics of how to do

    …

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  • Prompt Control Controls Parsimonious Command Prompting

    February 22, 2012 Ted Holt

    Note: The code accompanying this article is available for download here.

    I like everything to be as simple as possible. Call me parsimonious, but I agree with my friend Cletus the Codeslinger, who says, “When something’s complicated, somebody’s trying to get your money.” One way to simplify CL command prompting is to show relevant parameters only. Here’s how that’s done.

    By default, prompting a CL command shows all parameters, even though some of them may not be applicable to what the user is trying to accomplish. The Prompt Control Definition (PMTCTL) keyword allows you to prompt for a parameter

    …

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  • Admin Alert: QSECOFR Security Problems I Have Known

    February 8, 2012 Joe Hertvik

    Handling the QSECOFR user profile is always problematic. On one hand, it’s essential for the smooth operation of your system. Conversely, it can be a major issue if someone discovers its password. This week, I’ll review some real-life QSECOFR security breaches I’ve encountered and what can be done if you encounter these situations in your shop.

    Real-Life QSECOFR Security Situations

    A lot of strange things can occur with QSECOFR usage. Here are some common situations I’ve run into over the years and what can be done, if you encounter them.

    1. Situation: Your IBM i administrator doesn’t change the QSECOFR

    …

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  • Using JSON and RPG To Create Interactive Web 2.0 Applications

    February 8, 2012 Alex Roytman

    Note: The code accompanying this article is available for download here.

    In my last article, Meet JSON, I introduced you to the concept of JavaScript Object Notation and how it’s changing the way Web applications are being built. Let’s explore JSON syntax a little further by building a really simple customer inquiry Web application. The code can be downloaded here.

    This application consists of three simple parts:

    • CustInq.html–Simple HTML page to ask for customer number and present customer information
    • CUSTINQ.rpgle–RPG/CGI program to output customer information in JSON format
    • CustInq.js–JavaScript code to facilitate the communication between the RPG
    …

    Read more

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