• Let’s See Those Command Parameters

  August 31, 2005 Hey, Ted

  I have a CL program that builds a command in a variable, which it passes to QCMDEXC for execution. If I run the program in a job that logs CL program messages, the job log contains a nearly useless message that tells me that the “CALL command contains parameters.” Is there a way for me to make the system show me the CL command that is being executed?

  –Mitch

  

  I share your frustration, Mitch. I know of nothing in the operating system that would make the job log show the command that is being executed. If you have access to

  …

  Read more

• Submit a Prompted Command to Batch

  August 31, 2005 Hey, Ted

  If I put a question mark before a command name in a CL program and run the program interactively, the system prompts the command, allows me to fill in the blanks, and then executes the command. Is there a way to prompt the command, then send it to batch for execution?

  –Mark

  

  Yes, there’s an API for this sort of thing. First, here’s the type of code you’re running interactively.

  ? SAVOBJ
  MONMSG     MSGID(CPF6801) EXEC(RETURN)
  

  The system prompts the Save Object (SAVOBJ) command. If the user presses Enter, the system runs the command. However, if the user presses F3 or

  …

  Read more

• Admin Alert: Changing Your Mind When Loading Group PTFs

  August 31, 2005 Joe Hertvik

  Most administrators are familiar with the standard PTF application process, where OS/400 PTFs are loaded on a partition and then applied during the next unattended IPL. But there may be times when you need to skip IPL PTF application because of a bad PTF or a tight IPL schedule. Is there a way to back out of IPL PTF processing and delay PTF application for another time?

  

  The answer is yes. IBM gives you a green-screen option for loading PTFs onto your system and then picking and choosing which PTFs to apply and which PTFs to skip during an IPL.

  …

  Read more

• Embedding SQL in RPG IV–Episode II

  August 24, 2005 Joel Cochran

  In the first installment of this article, affectionately named “Episode I,” I presented the first half of an embedded-SQL primer. We discussed such heady topics as host variables and cursors, and it was a good start but far from complete. All of the examples in the first article were static examples, meaning that they had no true runtime dynamics. While the variable values could obviously change, the form and format of each SQL statement was constant. In Episode II, I am going to focus on one of the more powerful features of embedded SQL: dynamic SQL statements.

  

  Picking Up

  …

  Read more

• A Speedier CHGPF

  August 24, 2005 Hey, Ted

  As a matter of policy, and to eliminate the CHGPF quirk you wrote about recently, I recreate all associated logical files when I change a physical file. I use a certain technique to make the conversion go faster.

  

  I first use the Move Object (MOVOBJ) command to move the logical files to a temporary library. When the new logical file is recompiled into the original library, the access path will be shared and the compile will be done in a snap. Then, I delete the old logical file from the temporary library and I’m done.

  Here are two more tips

  …

  Read more

• Admin Alert: Common Things to Do When Installing Third Party Products

  August 24, 2005 Joe Hertvik

  Before letting you install their packages, third-party OS/400 software providers usually ask you to inventory your system to ensure that it contains specific licensed programs, patches, or configurations that are compatible with their products. Filling out an OS/400 requirements checklist forces you to investigate your system configuration and then act on the results. Here are some common system requirements you may be asked to verify for a third-party install, and where you can find that information.

  

  Checking for Installed OS/400 Licensed Programs

  Some packages specify that other OS/400 licensed programs must be installed on your partition before they will run.

  …

  Read more

• Embedding SQL in RPG IV–Episode I

  August 10, 2005 Joel Cochran

  I must admit that I’ve been a Star Wars geek since I was 7. The premier theater in Des Moines, Iowa, at the time was a three-screen stand-alone job that easily lent itself to the term “blockbuster.” The line literally wrapped around the building, and we waited hours to get in and see the first installment of the space epic long before the movie-going public called it “A New Hope” or “Episode IV.” Every kid I knew wanted to be Luke Skywalker or Han Solo. Almost 30 years later, I’m still entranced by the story, and I was more excited

  …

  Read more

• Editing Numbers in CL

  August 10, 2005 Cletus the Codeslinger

  Think about some of the PC-based software you use. You’ve never seen the source code. You don’t know what interesting and esoteric techniques the programmer(s) used. All you know is what you see, which is how the program performs. You’re happy when it works effectively and annoyed (or worse) when it doesn’t. In other words, you’re an end user.

  

  Now think about the end users that use your code. They have no emotional attachments to your clever use of subfiles. They couldn’t care less that you used that obfuscated API that no one else in your shop could figure out.

  …

  Read more

• Five Ways to Access IFS Data from a Windows PC without FTP

  August 10, 2005 Hey, Joe

  I’ve been asked to investigate a way to transmit files from an AS/400 to a CREST messaging system using an Infrastructure for Financial Markets (IFM) gateway. The problem is that I have been asked not to use FTP to transmit these files between the two systems. Apart from FTP, what other options can I use to copy files from the IFS to my PC?

  –Brooks

  

  The beautiful thing about the OS/400 and i5/OS operating system is that it’s probably the most well-connected system in existence. If you can’t move data between an AS/400, iSeries, or i5 machine and the outside

  …

  Read more

• API Corner: List Spooled Files From an Application

  August 3, 2005 Shannon O'Donnell

  The code for this article is available for download. Please note: the code has been changed since this story first ran. [Modified 09/08/05]
  

  In this article, I will show you how to use the QUSLSPL (List Spooled Files) Print API to display all the spooled files for the current user, from within an application. Why is this something you would want to do? The biggest reason I can think of is security. Most of the time, you would rather not have to grant your users access to a command line interface. However, to allow the users to view their

  …

  Read more

Previous Articles Next Articles