Date Handling in RPG IV

May 19, 2004 Joel Cochran

After spending time on RPG-related e-mail lists, like RPGIV@yahoogroups.com or rpg400-l@midrange.com, you find some of the most frequently asked questions are about using dates in RPG IV. This article covers the basics of date handling in RPG IV. Since most of us are not at the most recent level of the operating system, yours truly included, the techniques and methods discussed here will work with V5R1 or later. This article will not cover the use of dates with embedded SQL, which has special considerations.

WHEN IS A DATE A DATE?

Dates typically have been stored as numeric variables. Sometimes we

A Solution to the Numeric Parameter Problem

May 19, 2004 Hey, Ted

A common gripe I hear over and over again in midrange circles concerns the way numeric parameters of a CL CALL command are passed from the command line and from the CMD and RQSDTA parameters of the Submit Job (SBMJOB) command. I found a way around this problem.

A brief explanation of the problem seems in order. When a CALL command is executed within a CL program, variable parameters are passed as they are defined, but literals are passed with default formats.

• Character literals that are less than 32 characters are padded with blanks to a length of 32 characters.

Read a Data Area As a One-Row Table with SQL

May 19, 2004 Hey, Ted

Is it possible to treat a data area as if it were a one-record physical file in an SQL query? We currently copy the data area to a one-record file, which we use in our queries. However, occasionally the data area gets updated but the refresh lags behind.

–W.G.

I’ve never thought about it, but that’s an interesting idea. In my S/36 days, I frequently wished it were possible to treat the local data area as a one-record disk file in Query/36.

To answer your question: yes, it’s possible if you’re at V5R2. You will need to create a table

Admin Alert: A Lotus Notes Adjustment for Fighting Spam

May 19, 2004 Joe Hertvik

When you’re in charge of an organization’s Lotus Notes-based e-mail system, you’re going to spend a lot of time thinking about and fighting spam. Spammers are notorious for sneaking e-mail into all kinds of companies, but if you have a Notes 6.0.x server, there’s one simple adjustment you can make that just might cut down on the amount of unwanted e-mail your users receive.

I found this particular setting when my Domino 6.0.1 users started experiencing a dramatic increase in the amount of spam making it to their desktops. Even users who didn’t normally receive spam were getting several