Who Knew You Could Do That With RPG IV ? a Sorcerer's Guide to System Access

This redbook is focused on RPG IV as a modern, thriving, and rich application development language for the 21st century. It is written for those AS/400 system programmers that are in the cusp between RPG/400 and RPG IV and are looking for hints and tips to make the move forward worth their while. This book promises to drop little golden nuggets of information in the form of code samples and style guidelines. Picking up each golden nugget will lead you step-by-step down the path that will eventually allow you to take full advantage of RPG IV and the Integrated Language Environment (ILE). Even the most experienced RPG IV programmer will find something useful in this redbook.

We know you have been busy running your business instead of following RPG IV enhancements. So, we have included a timeline outlining the history of the RPG IV language and all the technical updates to the language since V3R1. You can use this timeline to assist in determining which of the many enhancements you can take advantage of to solve the real business problems today.

In V3R2 and V3R6, RPG IV added support for user-defined subprocedures marking the defining point at which RPG IV can truly be considered a modern programming language. This redbook shows you both the style and function of how to make the subprocedures work for you.

One of the keys to the power of RPG IV is in its ability to prototype any system function and make things happen! This redbook shows you how to use RPG IV to: - Use the TCP/IP sockets APIs - Read and write directly to the Integrated File System (IFS) - Use dynamically server HTML Web pages with the CGI interface - Exploit program-to-program communications with data queues (DTAQ) - Directly access user spaces (USRSPC) - Communicate with the system and users via message handling - Write exit programs (anonymous FTP).

RPG IV and DB2/400 have always enjoyed a tight integration between language and database. Now, learn how to exploit the new CLI database APIs and access your business data with embedded SQL, stored procedures, trigger programs, and commitment control (CC).

Modern tools can significantly improve your productivity. This redbook also briefly introduces such tools as CODE/400 for rapid server-side development and VisualAge for RPG for rapid client-side RPG in a client/server environment.

This redbook is focused on RPG IV as a modern, thriving, and rich application development language for the 21st century. It is written for those AS/400 system programmers that are in the cusp between RPG/400 and RPG IV and are looking for hints and tips to make the move forward worth their while. This book promises to drop little golden nuggets of information in the form of code samples and style guidelines. Picking up each golden nugget will lead you step-by-step down the path that will eventually allow you to take full advantage of RPG IV and the Integrated Language Environment (ILE). Even the most experienced RPG IV programmer will find something useful in this redbook. ***Update Notice*** The SSERVER3 and SCLIENT3 example program as an example of multiple I/O between one server and multiple clients was not correct and has been updated. The updated sections are marked by change bars in Sections 5.5.5 and 5.5.6. In addition, we updated the RPGISCOOL library SAVF found under Additional materials on the IBM Redbooks Web site. See Appendix A Example RPG IV programs on the Web for instructions to download these examples. The source files in library RPGISCOOL file SCKSRC that have been updated are: SCKSELF, SCKCPY, SCLIENT3, SSERVER3, SCLIENT3B, and SSERVER3B.