FHG Volume: 11 Archives

I Was Just Wondering. . .

December 14, 2011 Hey, Ted

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

I was wondering if you have come across any techniques using subprocedures to simulate associative arrays in RPG IV. I’ve just started experimenting with the idea. I’d like to create dynamic associative arrays using service programs and user indexes.

–Steve

As a matter of fact, I had thought about implementing associative arrays in RPG, Steve. I’ll share my thoughts on that topic. But first, let me talk about wondering.

I do a lot of wondering. You’ve seen the results of many of my wonderings in previous issues of

…

End-of-Year Odds and Ends

December 14, 2011 Ted Holt

Dear Colleagues:

It’s hard to believe that another year is coming to an end, but it’s happening yet again. Let’s wind up 2012 with some odds and ends. I hope you find something useful.

In response to Message Received, But Not Understood, Michael wrote:

I have used the CMPDTA parameter on the MONMSG command to provide this filter. See CPF2817.

Here is an illustration of Michael’s suggestion:

CPYF       FROMFILE(&FRLIB/&FRFILE) +
             TOFILE(&TOLIB/&TOFILE) FROMMBR(&FRMBR) +
             TOMBR(&TOMBR) MBROPT(*REPLACE) CRTFILE(*NO)
MONMSG     MSGID(CPF2817) CMPDTA(CPF2861) EXEC(DO)
   /* to-file doesn't exist */
   /* do something */
ENDDO
MONMSG     MSGID(CPF2817) CMPDTA(CPF2869) EXEC(DO)
   /* from-file is empty */

…

Admin Alert: Hidden Parameters of the Submit Job Command

December 14, 2011 Joe Hertvik

Power i operating system commands are like old friends. You think you know everything about them, then one day they surprise you by displaying a different side of themselves. This week, let’s look at a few hidden parameters available with the i OS Submit Job (SBMJOB) command. These parameters can help you perform some new tricks you may not have thought of.

Non-Obvious Candidates

Everyone knows the standard SBMJOB parameters such as Job Name (JOB), Job Description (JOBD), and Job Queue (JOBQ). But if you search the Additional Parameters section of the Submit Job command (available by pressing F10 from

…

Juggling With jQuery

December 7, 2011 Paul Tuohy

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

Way back in May 2009, I wrote about some of my experiences with Javascript. Well, time has moved on and I, hopefully, have become a more experienced Javascript programmer. Part of that experience has been in coming to grips with the many Javascript libraries and frameworks that are available for download.

When it comes to Javascript, here is what has been happening to me. I came across a requirement for a feature on a Web page (e.g., a calendar to allow the selection of dates), so I did

…

SQL Finds a Delta

December 7, 2011 Hey, Ted

Is there a way using SQL to calculate the amount a numeric column changes from one row to the next?

–Ken

Yes. Here’s how it’s done.

First, you need a table to use for an example.

create table mydata
 ( Name char(8), Qty dec(3,0))

insert into mydata values
  ('Bob',   25),
  ('Bill',  85),
  ('Sue',   17),
  ('Bob',   28),
  ('Bob',   32),
  ('Bill', 105),
  ('Sue',   45)

To pull this off, the data must be stored in the order in which it is to be retrieved. If necessary, create a temporary table to hold the sorted data.

declare global temporary table SortedData as
  (select name,

…

Admin Alert: More Information on Semi-Restricted State, Vendor Profiles, and Storage Pools

December 7, 2011 Joe Hertvik

As we approach year end, I usually clear out my Admin Alert mailbox to see if there’s any good additional information about recent articles that I can pass along to you. Good thing, too, as some readers sent over workable ideas about getting into semi-restricted state and how to handle vendor profiles for auditors. Here’s what they said. I hope this information helps you.

On Semi-Restricted State TCP/IP, Suggestion #1

About my article on putting an IBM i system into semi-restricted state (where the system is down but TCP/IP is up), reader Richard Shearwood filled in some gaps about

…

Read Once, Update Many

November 30, 2011 Ted Holt

Using SQL rather than native I/O to query and manipulate the database is more than replacing one syntactical regulation with another. It requires a different way of thinking. Nevertheless, corresponding features do differ, and today I show one way that the SQL update differs from a native update.

Consider the following scenario from a project in which I was recently involved.

I needed to read a database table (physical file) from top to bottom. After I retrieve each row (record), I called one or both of two high-level language programs, using parameters to pass data values from the table and

…

Another IFS Interface

November 30, 2011 Ted Holt

The Work with Links (WRKLNK) command is underwhelming. If it were my software, I would add a lot of options to it. But since it isn’t my software, I’ll content myself by using an alternate green-screen interface that has features that are missing from WRKLNK.

The alternate interface to IFS directories is the Edit File (EDTF) command. If you specify a single file name in the FILE parameter, EDTF opens the file in the editor. However, if you specify a directory name or a wildcarded name, EDTF presents a directory listing. (The Display File (DSPF) command works the same way.)

…

Why Are My Batch Jobs Running at Priority 20?

November 30, 2011 Hey, Joe

I’m looking at my work management setup on one of my System i boxes. I noticed that all the jobs in my QBATCH subsystem are executing at run priority 20, the same priority as my interactive jobs. What’s going on, here, and how do I reset my batch jobs to run priority 50 where they belong?

–Henry

In three steps, here’s what I think is happening and how you can change your batch run priorities.

Step 1: Your job and its routing data

Each submitted job has its own routing data. Job routing data can easily be viewed through the

…

NULL and NOT IN

November 16, 2011 Ted Holt

No matter who you are, there’s always something you can learn. In Much Ado about Nothing: Interesting Facts about Null, I presented a good bit of information about null values in database tables. Imagine my surprise and delight to stumble upon something I did not know about nulls.

It started innocently enough. I was surfing the Web and happened upon a link to an article entitled Ten Common SQL Programming Mistakes. I couldn’t click the link fast enough.

I found a very well-written article by Plamen Ratchev. I won’t repeat the whole thing here, but Ratchev wrote about

…

Search for: