RPG Cafe Blog

RPG has delivered its first RFE! https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=92809 Without the PTF that provides the new TGTCCSID parameter for the CRTBNDRPG and CRTRPGMOD commands, it was impossible to compile if the primary source file was a Unicode IFS file. Now, with a PTF for 7.1, 7.2, or 7.3, if you specify TGTCCSID(*JOB) or a specific EBCDIC CCSID such as TGTCCSID(37), you can compile from Unicode source. For...   [Continue Reading]

Many of the features listed in the What's New section of the 7.3 RPG reference are not actually new in 7.3. Several features are already available through PTFs for 7.1 and 7.2 (see the " What's new since 7.2 " page in the 7.2 reference. Here are the features that are brand new in 7.3 (These are not planned to be made available for earlier releases through PTFs) %SCANR (scan...   [Continue Reading]

In 7.2, two new directives were added for ILE RPG. /SET temporarily changes the defaults for some D spec keywords from the defaults set by the H spec. /RESTORE undoes the effects of the active /SET directive. http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_72/rzasd/cdset.htm http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_72/rzasd/cdrestore.htm If you code /SET in a /COPY file, there is an implicit /RESTORE at the end of the copy...   [Continue Reading]

7.1 and 7.2 PTFs are available today for the ILE RPG compiler that provide support for coding free-form RPG from column 1 to the end of the line. No more wasting the first 7 characters of the line. or the last 20 characters if you create your RPG source files with the recommended length of 112. To use this enhancement, you code **FREE in line 1 of any source that is to be fully free. When the source contains **FREE in line 1, that source can only...   [Continue Reading]

If you get the compiler to generate PCML for your module or program, you may have been annoyed at the way the procedure and parameter names in the PCML were in uppercase. Or you may have been frustrated because one of the procedures in your module has features that are not allowed for PCML generation, which caused the compile to fail. If you didn't need PCML to be generated for that particular procedure, you had to split out some of your...   [Continue Reading]


Tags:  rpgcafe iws pcml ibmi

If you are considering updating your applications to support more than one language, here are two presentations by Kent Milligan of IBM on the topic of globalization. They focus on the why and how of globalizing your database and application. Actually, I urge you to read these presentations even if you are not currently concerned with globalization. During my recent presentations of "What's New in 7.2", I have been talking a lot...   [Continue Reading]

There are two new enhancements for RPG, available through PTFs. These enhancements are timed to coincide with 7.2 TR1 and 7.1 TR9. First, the ALIAS support that was new in 7.1 is now extended to support all externally-described files. Second, the rules for using result data structures for I/O have been relaxed, allowing you to use the same data structure for both input and output operations. Read here,...   [Continue Reading]


Tags:  rpgcafe ibmi

If you're not already using OPTION(*NOUNREF), I recommend that you consider doing so. OPTION(*NOUNREF) was introduced in 6.1. It tells the compiler not to generate unused fields into the module. By default, with OPTION(*UNREF), the ILE RPG compiler generates unused fields into the module. Prior to 6.1, you had no control over this. The default *UNREF has some negative effects. Too much storage for the module The most common ways for a module...   [Continue Reading]

Here's a link to the What's New section in the 7.2 ILE RPG Reference. http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/api/content/ssw_ibm_i_72/rzasd/rpgrelv7r2.htm?locale=en#rpgrelv7r2 Here's a link to the PDF for the ILE RPG Reference for 7.2: http://www-01.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/api/content/ssw_ibm_i_72/rzasd/sc092508.pdf If you have followed the enhancements delivered through PTFs during 7.1, especially the new free-form...   [Continue Reading]


Tags:  rpg 7.2