• Admin Alert: Searching for Elusive OS/400 Green-Screen Commands

  August 18, 2004 Joe Hertvik

  In spite of many recent graphical enhancements to OS/400, sometimes the fastest way to finish your work is by running an old-fashioned 5250 green-screen command. But the problem with green-screen commands is that you need to know the exact command name in order to run it, and executing the right command sometimes depends on how good your memory is. Fortunately, IBM offers a few easy to remember green-screen utilities for finding the right command at the right time.

  

  The first place to stop during your command search is at the Major Command Groups menu. You can reach the MCG menu

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• Listing Spool Files

  August 11, 2004 Bruce Guetzkow

  The code for this article is available for download.

  

  Changing spool file attributes can be a tedious chore. IBM provides the Change Spooled File Attributes (CHGSPLFA) command to simplify this task, allowing you to select a collection of spool files based on several characteristics, but, curiously, output queue is not one of the selection criteria. The solution is the List Spooled Files API (QUSLSPL), used as a front-end to CHGSPLFA. With this API you can select spool files by any combination of user name, output queue, form type, or user data.

  CREATING THE LIST

  The List Spooled Files API

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• Optional Parameters and CL Procedures

  August 11, 2004 Hey, Ted

  In “Adding New Parameters to RPG Programs,” you stated that CL programs require that the exact number of expected parameters be passed to them. That’s not entirely true.

  

  If you use ILE CL (source type CLLE), you do not have to pass in the same number of parameters as expected. You can use the same technique you described in the RPG example. You would assign the parameter to the work field with CHGVAR, but monitor the assignment for message MCH3601 (“pointer not set for location referenced”). If that message is sent, you assign the default value to the work field.

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• Control Break Programs, Version 3

  August 11, 2004 Dear Readers

  Faithful reader Doug Eckersley sent me an example of how he would write a control break program like the one I presented in the May 12 issue. Doug mentions two things he likes about his method. First, it uses subroutines, which makes the program modular, and, second, he uses no hold fields. Here’s his code.

  

  D K1              C                   1
  D K2              C                   2
  D K3              C                   3
  D Key           E DS                  extname(SALES:*key)
  
       Begsr $Main;
  
         NewPage = *on;
         CompanyTotal = 0;
         Except REPORTHEADER;
         Setll *start SALES;
         Read SALES;  
                   
         Dow not %eof(SALES);    
            Exsr $Level1;    
            Read SALES;
         Enddo;
         
         Except REPORTFOOTER;
  
       Endsr;
       
       Begsr $Level1;
  
         

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• Create Your Own Compile Commands in WDSC

  August 4, 2004 Bruce Guetzkow and Kushal Munir

  The code for this article is available for download.

  

  If you have been using IBM‘s application development tool, WebSphere Development Studio client for iSeries, you have probably been using it for everyday development of RPG and COBOL applications. WDSc lets users customize many aspects of development, such as the ability to create or modify compile commands. This article looks at how you can create your own compile commands in WDSc to invoke commands on the iSeries, and retrieve the results of compiles in the iSeries Error List view.

  We begin with a brief overview of how compile commands

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• Use Your PDM Options with RSE

  August 4, 2004 Hey, Ted

  Like many other iSeries programmers and operations people, I have for years created PDM options to improve my work life. I was delighted to learn that the WebSphere Development Studio client, which I now use for program development, includes a counterpart to PDM options. In WDSc, they’re known as user actions. Here’s an illustration.

  

  One of my common tasks is creating a backup copy of a source physical file member before making any modifications to it. I usually rename the member, then copy it to a new member of the original name. In this way, the backup member keeps the

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• Admin Alert: Shutting Down OS/400 User Profiles with Activation Entries

  August 4, 2004 Joe Hertvik

  Sometimes you may want to set up specific schedules that detail when OS/400 user profiles can sign on to your system. You may have a consultant who is only authorized to sign on during the business day, or you may want to limit customer service or other shift workers to have system access only during their shift. But since unauthorized system access often occurs during off-hours, it’s in your best interest to limit user profile access as much as possible.

  

  OS/400 offers a simple function for creating activation schedule entries that specify when OS/400 user profiles are enabled or disabled

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• Backup and Recovery Just Got Easier with BRMS V5R3

  July 28, 2004 Debbie Saugen

  Backup and recovery keeps getting easier as Backup, Recovery and Media Services (BRMS) delivers significant new functions in V5R3 to simplify and automate system backups and recoveries. BRMS is IBM‘s strategic backup and recovery product for iSeries and i5 servers. Packaged as licensed program product 5722BR1 (V5R3), BRMS is a comprehensive tool for managing the backup, archive, and recovery environment for one or more systems in a site, or across a network in which data exchange by tape is required.

  

  BRMS lets you simplify and automate backups as well as manage your tape inventory. It keeps track of what

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• Control Break Programs, Version 2

  July 28, 2004 Hey, Ted

  Ken Orr taught me this one. Assuming an input file called SALES that contains the daily sales of all stores sorted by store number, department number, and, finally, sales person number. The file also contains item number and sales amounts.

  

  This example shows where to print headers and footers of a report (excluding page headers and page footers), where to accumulate totals, and where to reset totals. The basic structure is a set of nested loops.

  EVAL        CompanyTotal = 0
  EXCPT       REPORTHEADER
  
  READ        SALES
  
  DOW         not %eof(SALES)
  
  EXCEPT      STOREHDR
  EVAL        StoreTotal = 0
  EVAL        oldStoreNum = StoreNum
  
  DOW         not %eof(SALES) 

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• Auditing Users with All-Object Authority

  July 28, 2004 Hey, Wayne

  I have found myself looking for a better way to meet our audit requirements and believe you can point me in the right direction.

  

  For users with *ALLOBJ authority, I need to create an exit program that changes the job to log CL *YES and log their sign on date, time, user, and job number into a database file. On sign-off, I need to log the same information captured during sign on, to the same database file, and need to change LOG to *LIST and copy the spool file from QEZJOBLOG to an audit out queue.

  –Mark

   

  I understand that

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