RPG-Oriented Sessions
Application Modernization Strategies: From Web Enablement to New Application Development
There are many modernization options available to IBM i users these days. So many in fact that it is hardly surprising that many have become frozen like deer in the headlights - unable to move for fear of making a wrong decision. In our opinion there is only one bad decision - to do nothing. There is no silver bullet - and the likelihood is that there never will be. The simple fact is that not everyone needs to redo all of their existing applications. Sometimes simply web enabling some of your RPG or COBOL applications makes the most sense for your business, and that is important in a time where budgets and time are scarce commodities.
In this session we will discuss the many different ways in which you can move your applications forward. Topics to be covered include:
- New uses for old code (web services, stored procedures, office integration and more)
- Options for creating new web applications (RPG CGI, Java, PHP, etc.)
- Options for providing a browser-based interface to existing green screen applications (re-engineering, refacing, etc.)
Speaker: Jon Paris
What's New with CL
IBM i Control Language (CL) has long been used as a language for both operations and job control. In the most recent releases of IBM i (V5R3, V5R4 and 6.1) IBM has delivered many of the long hoped for and long requested enhancements to the CL for both environments. Enhancements include new commands as well as new extensions to existing commands. What are these new features and functions? How can they be used? This session will answer those questions and more!
Speaker: Alison Butterill
RSE/RDi/WDSC 101 - Jump Start: The Basics
Have you become convinced that it's time to take a look at using RSE - the Remote Systems Explorer, which is part of RDi and WDSC? This session will provide you with the first steps you should take in making the transition from SEU and PDM for RPG development to this modern productive toolset.
Susan is both an RSE user and a fan. She'll cover tips for installing and getting started with the tools and some customizations that Susan finds essential. She'll also include information on keyboard shortcuts, handy third party plug-ins, and more. You'll be a more productive programmer in no time!
Join Susan for an in-depth look at how to get a quick start to using RSE to replace SEU for your System i development. After all - you have nothing to lose but your application backlog!
Speaker: Susan Gantner
/Free Your RPG!
With the V5R1 release of RPG IV IBM has "liberated" the language. In this session we will explore the essentials of /free-form coding including:
- The basic syntax rules of /Free RPG (or "How I learned to love the semi-colon")
- The new Built-in-Functions designed to replace unsupported operation codes, including the new BIFs to manipulate dates and times
- Coding alternatives for the defunct MOVE operation
- New operations you can ONLY use in /Free form
Speaker: Susan Gantner
What's New in RDi and other IBM Rational tools
Come to this session to hear about the most recent announcements regarding the Development Tools from IBM Rational.
Check back here later for more details.
Speaker: Alison Butterill
This RPGer Doesn't Do Windows
Aaron Bartell lives quite happily without using Windows on his desktop. If you have been thinking of giving Linux or Mac a try on your desktop, come to this session to hear from a fellow RPGer who has made the switch. He'll share his experiences and tips for making the switch from Windows.
Speaker: Aaron Bartell
Top 10 Things RPGers Must Know
A lot has changed in the computing world since RPG IV was introduced, so come learn how to bring modern development tools and techniques to bear in your RPG applications. Uncover the top ten things every RPGer should be doing to ensure that he/she remains an asset to their company. Understand the critical techniques, tools, and best practices you should be using when developing your RPG applications. Then, get advice on the tools and capabilities that your RPG applications should be exploiting, and see illustrations of all the key points.
Speaker: Jon Paris
Debugging Tools for RPGers
In this session, we'll cover the 2 most widely used debuggers from IBM for RPG applications: the STRDBG "green screen" debugger and the graphical interactive debugger that's part of both RDi and WDSC.
We'll look at the basics of using both, but the primary focus will be on the graphical debugger that works with RSE/RDi/WDSC. We'll look at the pros and cons of each so that you can help determine which is the best for your debugging requirements.
Speaker: Susan Gantner
Exploit the power of Java Open Source in your RPG programs
In this session you will learn how RPG's Java interface extensions can be used to exploit the wealth of Java Open Source applications.
We will start by explaining the basic RPG syntax extensions and demonstrate how the interface works through practical examples. Examples will include:
- Interfacing with the JavaMail API to easily send email from your RPG programs
- Building pie charts, bar graphs, and more buy interfacing to the JFree.org APIs
We will also discuss how the performance of such Java utilities can be improved through the use of server job and data queue interfaces.
Speaker: Aaron Bartell
What's New in RPG?
An RPG announcement hasn't generated this much buzz since the introduction of RPG IV in V3R1 - 15 years ago! RPG Open Access is what has everyone talking. But you'll learn in this session that there's a lot more to RPG at 7.1 than just Open Access - exciting as that is.
Join chief RPG architect, Barbara Morris, for a detailed tour of the latest news in the RPG language. She will also cover RPG enhancements from other recent releases, such as 6.1
Note that this session will cover a high level overview of Open Access. The details of Open Access are covered in a different session (Open Access for RPG)
Speaker: Barbara Morris
Embedding SQL in RPG Programs
Many RPG programmers have used interactive SQL as a tool to quickly browse data or to create test data scenarios, but have stopped short of embedding it into their RPG programs. Come to this session to learn why, when and how you may want to use SQL in conjunction with RPG. We will cover the basics of embedding SQL into RPG, including using SQL cursors and a few tips on getting good performance from your SQL applications.
Prerequisite: This session assumes you are familiar with the basics of the SQL language, such as the SQL SELECT and UPDATE statements
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
Integrating RPG with the Web
I've written some business logic in RPG. Now how do I make it available through a web interface? It seems like there are a million ways to web-enable an RPG program, and choosing the right technology to do so is a daunting task.
The April 2008 issue of System iNEWS magazine provided a service program containing RPG business rules, and showed how to write a web front end and call that service program from three different web development languages (CGIDEV2, PHP, and Java). So readers can get a feel for the differences between them.
This presentation summarizes what you'll find in that issue, and will hopefully help you along the road to deciding on a technology for your own apps.
Speaker: Scott Klement
Re-thinking your documentation
Documentation is rarely an RPG programmer's favorite task. We view it as boring and a waste of our time. But there are ways to make documentation more interesting, usable and fun. What's more, many of the tools you can use are available free or at low cost.
In this session, we'll discuss some of the alternative approaches you might take. Items to be covered include the use of Wikis, better ways to handle screen shots, using simple video "How to" clips and more. Demonstrations of some of the suggested tools will be included.
Speaker: Jon Paris
RPG Web Programming - The Easy Way with CGIDEV2
Getting to the web may seem like an insurmountable problem for the traditional RPG programmer. But it is actually as easy to write an RPG program to communicate with a web browser as with a 5250 screen!
CGIDEV2 is a FREE tool from IBM that provides subprocedures to process externally defined HTML and "wrappers" for the CGI APIs.
Come to this session for an overview of CGIDEV2 and the main subprocedures and see how it makes it easy to write RPG programs to:
- "Print" to the web
- Provide subfile style selection
- Perform database maintenance
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
RPG and the IFS
How to get started using the Integrated File System from your RPG programs. The IFS is typically used for reading and writing "PC-style" files on the iSeries, and is an important tool for integrating with other computers or business partners.
Speaker: Scott Klement
Navigator for Programmers
Often thought to be the domain of operators and administrators, Navigator (formerly Operations Navigator) is actually a powerful tool for programmers. This session discusses how it can be used by programmers; from Basic Operations, through the IFS to Database development and administration.
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
The RPG UI Open Source Project
I have always been intrigued with how RPG can create modern looking applications – in particular, Internet browser based applications. Along with that I have found there is an art of sorts in taking efforts of getting RPG to talk with the browser and finding the right tools to use.
This session describes the journey I took in my most recent open source solution titled “RPGUI” (aka RPG User Interface). I will walk through the motions I took to discover what tools are available and how I put them together to create version 1.00 of RPGUI (free and open source!!).
Many things will be discussed including how to setup a simple Apache configuration, talk about the high-level concept of communicating with the browser, and how messages are passed back and forth. The current implementation of RPGUI focuses on ExtJS (www.ExtJS.com) which is the most popular client side render kit in existence today.
Speaker: Aaron Bartell
RPG Tricks and Techniques
This session covers tricks and techniques for the RPG IV programmer.
Come to this session and learn some of the things that you may not have known about
- The H Spec
- Compiler Directives
- The D Spec
- Sorting Arrays
- Using dynamic memory allocation
- Using integers
- Using indicators
- Triggers
- Constraints
- Record Locking techniques
- Other bits and pieces
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
ILE Essentials, Part 1: Static Binding Basics
In this first part of a two-part session, we will take a look at the essential information you need to know about using ILE’s static binding. Using a simple application example, we will illustrate how and why to create modules, bound ILE programs, Service Programs and how to use them effectively. In Part 1, we will discuss creating modules, bound programs and Service Programs as well as creating and using Binding Directories.
Part 2 (a separate session) will focus on maintenance issues related to Service Programs, including Binder Language, as well as Activation Groups and scoping for overrides and shared open data paths.
Speaker: Susan Gantner
Extending Your RPG Applications with PHP
One of the great things about PHP for IBM i is that it integrates with our existing programs and data. It allows us to extend the scope of our applications beyond the green screen to the web, while maintaining our existing investment. It does this by providing us with facilities that allow us to call existing programs and procedures, along with record level I/O functions that mirror old friends such as READ and CHAIN. The latest announcements from IBM and MySQL mean that we will soon be able to access our existing data as if it were stored in MySQL tables, so there's yet another option for extending our world.
In this session Jon will delve a little deeper into the world of PHP and more specifically the IBM i specific features added to the language.
During this session Jon will:
- Discuss sample PHP scripts that show how to integrate with existing programs and data
- Discuss sample PHP scripts that use record level I/O and SQL
Speaker: Jon Paris
A Pattern for Reusable RPG Code
You've learned all of the concepts of ILE, and this has given you a lot of new options. When you go back to the office, you find it's hard to use them! They just don't fit into the way you're accustomed to writing software. In your mind, you have a pattern for how programs should be written, and to use ILE effectively, you really need to learn a new pattern. This session discusses the new pattern of writing good, reusable ILE code.
Speaker: Scott Klement
An RPGer's Adventures in Webland
At System i Developer we like to practice what we preach. The company web site is designed for and is served from a System i. An application is used to manage conference information which, in turn, is used to generate web pages. There are also interactive web pages that communicate directly with RPG programs (e.g. selecting your session grid and repeat sessions).
This session shows you how the Summit web site was built and how the following items played a key part in the development of the web site:
- Design Decisions
- Tools Used - WDSC, Navigator, Zend Studio
- Creating the Database using DDL (SQL)
- Externalizing the Database
- The public and the private web sites
- Maintaining information (using CGIDEV2)
- PHP
- Generating Static Web Pages
- Using and tuning embedded SQL
- Using AJAX
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
Introduction to AJAX for RPG Programmers
Although it has been around for a number of years Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) has suddenly become a hot topic. What is all the fuss about? What relevance does AJAX have for the RPG programmer?
AJAX provides a means of having a web page communicate with a server, either synchronously or asynchronously. Combined with CGI programming techniques (CGIDEV2 is used in the presentation), you now have a means of dealing interactively with a web page i.e. changing the contents of a web page without having to re-write the whole page.
And best of all, it is already installed on every PC, all you have to do is use it!. In this session you will learn:-
- The background to AJAX
- How it works
- Examples of how to use it
Speaker: TBD
Exception Error Handling
Learn all about the various options for error handling in RPG IV.
This session explains:
- Trapping operation errors
- Monitor Groups
- Program and File Information Data Structures
- ILE Error Handling Options
Speaker: Barbara Morris
RSE/RDi/RDP/WDSC: 102 - Beyond the Basics
Now that you have waved goodbye to SEU and you're an RSE (Remote System Explorer) user, what more do you need to know beyond the basics covered in the "RSE Jump Start" session?
Some of the topics Susan will cover include:
- Automating coding tasks by using Wizards, Templates and Snippets
- Two ways to use split-screen editing
- What is caching, why do I care, and how can I control it
- What are Projects and how (and why) might I use them?
This session assumes you either have attended "RSE/RDi/RDP/WDSC: 101 - Jump Start - The Basics" or that you have some experience using RSE in either WDSC or RDi or RDP for editing RPG code.
Speaker: Susan Gantner
RPG User-defined Functions (UDFs) & Table Functions (UDTFs)
RPG is the best language in the world for writing business rules. But what happens when you want to use those business rules from SQL? Or from a web application that accesses your business logic through SQL? DB2 for i lets you write User Defined Functions (UDFs) in high level languages like RPG. UDFs can be called from SQL statements run from anywhere, including ad-hoc queries, SQL run from web applications, and SQL run from the embedded SQL precompilers used by RPG and other languages.
UDFs can even return a table (often called a UDTF, User Defined Table Function) which lets them do the same sort of work that a stored procedure would do -- but unlike stored procedures, they can return result sets to any language, including PHP, Java, .NET and embedded SQL written in ILE RPG.
UDFs are a powerful tool for any programmer's toolbox.
Speaker: Scott Klement
ILE Essentials Part 2: Binder Language & Activation Groups
In this second session in the double ILE Essentials series, we will take a look at the essential information you need to know about using ILE’s Binder Language and Activation Groups.
This part will focus on maintenance issues related to Service Programs, including Binder Language basics, as well as Activation Groups and scoping for overrides and shared open data paths. We will discuss which default parameters to avoid and how to save time and trouble maintaining your code.
Speaker: Susan Gantner
Fast, Free Applications for your IBM i
Are you tired of constantly exporting and importing data for "foreign" applications running on Windows or Unix/Linux servers? Do you wish there was an easy way to keep more applications on IBM i?
This session shows you two approaches that will help you to ensure that modern applications can be deployed on IBM i easily and without breaking the budget.- Exploit the huge world of open source (i.e., free or nearly free) applications and tools that you can easily implement on your IBM i system. And what's more, you can easily integrate these applications into your DB2/RPG universe.
- Create powerful browser-based database applications in minutes using readily available application frameworks - writing almost no code yourself. And all the data can be stored in DB2 so you can easily integrate these applications into your existing inventory.
Can it really be that cheap and easy to do? Yes, thanks to the ability to run PHP and MySQL on IBM i. In this session, Jon will discuss a number of open source applications and will also demonstrate several application frameworks to show just how quickly and easily new web-based applications can be deployed.
Keep your IBM i alive and vibrant and be a hero to your end users by responding quickly to requests for new web based applications.
You do not need to be a PHP programmer to do this. Come find out how.
Speaker: Jon Paris
Externalizing Database Processing
One of the major considerations for the ongoing modernization of applications is how to make functionality accessible to multiple interfaces. But no matter how the application interfaces may change (green screen, web, client server, mobile phones etc.) or how data may arrive on the system (FTP, EDI, XML etc.) you can be sure that all of the data is going to end up in a database.
Externalized database processing provides a means of encapsulating database access. This session discusses why you may want to externalize database processing in RPG IV and how to do it.
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
Getting Started with APIs from RPG
APIs confuse or intimidate many RPG programmers. The API documentation, when you can find it, is rarely written in a way that's clear to RPG developers. This session covers the basics of what APIs are, how to find them in the Information Center, how to read the API descriptions and some of the common techniques needed to use them.
Speaker: TBD
Using Special Files to Simplify Your RPG
This session introduces a coding technique that can greatly simplify how your RPG programs interact with modern interfaces such as web services, browsers and more. It allows you to access these interfaces through native RPG I/O operations such as READ, WRITE, UPDATE, etc.). This support is enabled by using RPG's SPECIAL Files, a feature that has been around for years, but has received very little attention to date.
That attention has recently increased dramatically now that the new IBM tool RPG Open Access is here. Open Access builds on the original Special File support.
No need to wait for Open Access, though. You can gain many of the benefits today that Open Access offers by using SPECIAL Files. What kinds of things can you do? How about changing a report program to output to a browser with only a few changes to the existing code? Perhaps sending an email by simply WRITEing the data. Or processing IFS files and directories with nothing more than a READ or WRITE? Even invoke PASE functions using WRITE and getting the results back using READ!
A SPECIAL file is actually a program that receives and reacts to I/O requests on behalf of another RPG program. Once written, it can be used by any program merely by identifying it on the F-spec and coding the appropriate READs and WRITEs etc.
This session will provide you with an understanding of the basic concepts and give you a few examples to get your creative juices going on how you can exploit this capability in your shop today.
The concepts learned in this session will be especially helpful if you plan to attend the session "Open Access for RPG" which follows it.
Speaker: Jon Paris
The Hidden Talents of the D-Spec
The humble D-spec has been a part of the RPG IV language since its inception, but many of its features remain undiscovered by the majority of RPG programmers.
For example did you know that:
- You do not have to give names to fields
- You can force specific fields into a Data Structure simply by listing their names in the DS
- Group fields are a powerful tool for grouping and sorting data
- RPG's *INnn indicators can be mapped to a DS and given names
These and many other related techniques can add powerful new weapons to your RPG toolkit. Join us and find out how.
Speaker: Jon Paris
Getting to Grips with Pointers
What are pointers? What can you do with them?
This session guides the programmer through:
- the nature of pointers
- the RPG syntax used to define and use pointers
- common uses for pointers, including database triggers, APIs and user spaces
- heap storage (dynamically allocated storage using %ALLOC, %REALLOC, DEALLOC)
- common pitfalls
By the end of this session, attendees will:
- Understand when and how to use pointers in RPG IV
- Understand how to avoid the common pitfalls when using pointers
Speaker: Barbara Morris
RPG and the IFS
How to get started using the Integrated File System from your RPG programs. The IFS is typically used for reading and writing "PC-style" files on the iSeries, and is an important tool for integrating with other computers or business partners.
Speaker: Scott Klement
Top 10 Things RPGers Must Know
A lot has changed in the computing world since RPG IV was introduced, so come learn how to bring modern development tools and techniques to bear in your RPG applications. Uncover the top ten things every RPGer should be doing to ensure that he/she remains an asset to their company. Understand the critical techniques, tools, and best practices you should be using when developing your RPG applications. Then, get advice on the tools and capabilities that your RPG applications should be exploiting, and see illustrations of all the key points.
Speaker: Jon Paris
The MySQL - DB2 Connection
MySQL, the most popular database for PHP applications, can help you take advantage of hundreds of free open source PHP applications and integrate that data with your own RPG or COBOL applications.
Using DB2 as the storage engine for your MySQL databases means that exactly the same data can be directly accessed and updated using MySQL from PHP or Java applications as well as from native RPG or COBOL programs and/or your favorite query tool.
This session provides:
- An overview of MySQL and storage engine concepts
- Hints for installing, managing, and using MySQL on IBM i
- Tips for using PASE terminal sessions, the MySQL client and other MySQL admin tools
- Steps to Install and use the DB2 for i storage engine
- Hints on dealing with long and/or case-sensitive names in RPG programs
- Comparisons between MySQL and your native IBM i flavor of DB2
Speaker: Susan Gantner
Considerations for a Successful ILE Implementation
Although it is very rare that the implementation of any two ILE projects are exactly the same, there are a lot of ground rules that are required in all implementations.
This session discusses some of the considerations for a successful ILE implementation including how to control and manage the development environment, development tools to use, design considerations (Activation Groups, Binding Directories, using Service Programs) and documenting procedures.
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
RPG Tricks and Techniques
This session covers tricks and techniques for the RPG IV programmer.
Come to this session and learn some of the things that you may not have known about
- The H Spec
- Compiler Directives
- The D Spec
- Sorting Arrays
- Using dynamic memory allocation
- Using integers
- Using indicators
- Triggers
- Constraints
- Record Locking techniques
- Other bits and pieces
Speaker: Paul Tuohy
Accessing External Databases From RPG
RPGers often need to access data from 3rd party databases, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL and DB2 on other platforms. One way to do this is by using Java database (JDBC) drivers. Scott will share his experience in using this technique and show you how you can access non-i5OS databases from your RPG programs.
Speaker: Scott Klement
Processing XML with RPG
In this session we'll look at the enhancements made to the RPG compiler to enable RPG developers to process XML natively from RPG programs. We'll first have a brief overview of the features added in Version 5 that are critical to understanding the XML support that came in V5R4.
One of the main features of the release is the new XML support. Whether you are using XML for web services or data interchange, dealing with XML in RPG is definitely challenging. This support brings welcome relief in the form of new native RPG IV language support that greatly simplifies parsing XML within your RPG programs. In this session we'll discuss the two types of XML parsing support offered and the new operation codes that provide that support.
Speaker: Jon Paris