Book description
Application development is a key part of IBM® i businesses. The IBM i operating system is a modern, robust platform to create and develop applications. The RPG language has been around for a long time, but is still being transformed into a modern business language.
This IBM Redbooks® publication is focused on helping the IBM i development community understand the modern RPG language. The world of application development has been rapidly changing over the past years. The good news is that IBM i has been changing right along with it, and has made significant changes to the RPG language. This book is intended to help developers understand what modern RPG looks like and how to move from older versions of RPG to a newer, modern version. Additionally, it covers the basics of Integrated Language Environment® (ILE), interfacing with many other languages, and the best tools for doing development on IBM i.
Using modern tools, methodologies, and languages are key to continuing to stay relevant in today's world. Being able to find the right talent for your company is key to your continued success. Using the guidelines and principles in this book can help set you up to find that talent today and into the future.
This publication is the result of work that was done by IBM, industry experts, business partners, and some of the original authors of the first edition of this book. This information is important not only for developers, but also business decision makers (CIO for example) to understand that the IBM i is not an 'old' system. IBM i has modern languages and tools. It is a matter of what you choose to do with the IBM i that defines its age.
Table of contents
- Front cover
- Notices
- Preface
- Chapter 1. Introduction to RPG IV
-
Chapter 2. Programming RPG IV with style
- 2.1 Just another programming language
-
2.2 RPG is free-form
- 2.2.1 The modern free-form RPG
- 2.2.2 The basics of /Free coding
- 2.2.3 Unsupported op-codes
- 2.2.4 Op-codes that tend to produce unclear and error-prone source code
- 2.2.5 Liberating data and file definitions
- 2.2.6 Data declarations
- 2.2.7 More on data definitions
- 2.2.8 Defining prototypes and subprocedures
- 2.2.9 Miscellaneous topics
- 2.2.10 Moving to free-form
- 2.3 Modern RPG programs and subprocedures
- 2.4 Naming
- 2.5 Comments
- 2.6 Structuring code
- 2.7 Using templates and qualified data structures
- 2.8 Qualifying wherever possible
- 2.9 Strings
- 2.10 Subroutines
- 2.11 Older functions
- 2.12 Embedded SQL
- 2.13 Global definitions
- 2.14 Parameters and prototyping and procedure interfaces
- 2.15 The Integrated Language Environment
- Chapter 3. Subprocedures
- Chapter 4. An ILE guide for the RPG programmer
- Chapter 5. Application programming interfaces
-
Chapter 6. Database access with RPG IV
-
6.1 Externalizing input and output
- 6.1.1 What is meant by externalizing
- 6.1.2 Putting theory into practice: An example of externalizing I/O
- 6.1.3 Externalizing example: Overview
- 6.1.4 Externalizing example: Separating database logic from display logic
- 6.1.5 Externalizing example: Implementing changes
- 6.1.6 Externalizing example: Other possibilities
- 6.1.7 Summary
- 6.2 Embedded SQL
- 6.3 Stored procedures
- 6.4 DB2 call level interface
- 6.5 Trigger programs
- 6.6 Commitment control
- 6.7 A note about globalization
- 6.8 More information about database access with RPG IV
-
6.1 Externalizing input and output
-
Chapter 7. Exception and error handling
- 7.1 Introduction to exception and error handling
- 7.2 What is an exception/error
- 7.3 Trapping at the program level
- 7.4 Trapping at the operation level
- 7.5 Subprocedures and exception/errors
- 7.6 ILE CEE APIs
- 7.7 Priority of handlers
- 7.8 The embedded SQL problem
- 7.9 Using percolation: Try, throw, and catch
- 7.10 Conclusion
- Chapter 8. Interfacing
-
Chapter 9. IBM Rational Developer for IBM i
- 9.1 Why you should use Rational Developer for IBM i
- 9.2 Built on Eclipse
-
9.3 What is new in Rational Developer for IBM i
- 9.3.1 Code coverage monitor
- 9.3.2 Integrated emulator
- 9.3.3 IBM i Access Client Solutions and Run SQL scripts
- 9.3.4 RPG formatter
- 9.3.5 More flexible outline view
- 9.3.6 Native Mac OS X support
- 9.3.7 Commenting and uncommenting in RPG, CL, and DDS
- 9.3.8 Hyperlink navigation within source member
- 9.3.9 Importing and exporting RDi configurations and push-to-client support
- 9.3.10 Smaller usability enhancements
- 9.4 Using the RDi debugger
-
Chapter 10. Modern RPG comparison as viewed by a young developer
- 10.1 Fixed format versus free-format
- 10.2 File-Specs
- 10.3 Tables
- 10.4 Parameters
- 10.5 Key lists
- 10.6 Array and error lookups
- 10.7 Calling programs from a program
- 10.8 Read commands
- 10.9 Evaluates, checks, and scans
- 10.10 Select statements
- 10.11 Substring and concatenate
- 10.12 Go-To commands
- 10.13 Embedded SQL in free-format 101
- 10.14 Built-in functions that you need to know
- Appendix A. Additional material
- Related publications
- Back cover
Product information
- Title: Who Knew You Could Do That with RPG IV? Modern RPG for the Modern Programmer
- Author(s):
- Release date: December 2016
- Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
- ISBN: 9780738442105
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