Re: Code designer bugs - are there fixes for these problems?

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Hi Jim,  please see my comments in you message below.

Kind regards,

Mike

Mike Hockings, P.Eng.
WebSphere Development Tools for AS/400  -  CODE/Designer & WebFacing !
IBM Canada Ltd. Laboratory
hockings@ca.ibm.com

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Subject:        Code designer bugs - are there fixes for these problems?


Greetings,

I am trying to design an AS/400 screen in Code Designer,
and am running into problems. On the file level I have the
keyword that points to an externally described file that is
my reference field. I then try to add a field from that
file. Code Designer does not default to that file, but
asks for which file I would like to get my field. If I add
without a prompt, it adds a field from a file that is
totaly unrelated file and a library I don't have in my
library list.

==========================>
I understand the problems here.  Unfortunately I don't have a way to
pre-load the open dialogue with a starting value (in this case the
reference file specified on the file level REF keyword).  This is a
"common component" kind of thing and all uses of it suffer from the same
problem -- so you are not alone there :-).

Fields of all types have a styles page in the properties notebook.  Select
a reference field that you like, bring up it's properties and select the
"styles" page.  Here select the "Creation defaults" entry and push the
"Redefine" button.  Now the future reference fields that you create will
have the same settings -- cool eh? You may have to go to the source view
and manually edit the field to remove the hard-coded lib,file,record
information before setting the creation defaults if you only wish the
field to set the field value.  If I get a moment I will look into fixing
this, that is allow you to delete the lib,file,record information in the
properties and have it default to what the REF kwd says.
<==========================

When I do a save, the little window comes up to say that it
is saving, but then hangs there. It does not ever advance,
so it is hard to tell if the source actually got saved.

==========================>
Yup, this happens sometimes, particularly with a fast save that completes
before the gui gets around to showing the save progress dialogue.
<==========================

When I finally get a referenced field on my display, and
have it saved (I look at the source to make sure the
changes happened, and got saved with SEU or Code editor) i
then bring the souce back up in the designer, and it loses
all track of those referenced fields. The keyword for the
reference points specifily to the lib/file field-name, but
when looking in properties for the field, the library says
*libl, the field name is in the file prompt, the library
name is in the record prompt, and the file name is in the
field prompt. To make it work right I have to fix all but
the lib prompt, and then it uses the file keyword for the
database reference to point to the file and record.

==========================>
I have not seen or heard of this particuar problem before.  Do you have
source that you would be willing to send me that shows this problem?
<==========================


It crashes quite frequently, and I lose source when it
does.

==========================>
Crashed in Designer are largely (but not always) due to problems with
communications.  There was an eFix for SP4 that included a number of
corrections in the communications code.  If you can give me a scenario or
source that crashes Designer every time I can likely fix it.

Save more often, turn on the auto-checkpoints.
<==========================

Are there fixes available for the designer? Is this thing
ever going to work properly so I don't have to spend time
fixing the code? I don't want to go back to SDA, but it
seems that the designer is not quite ready for prime time.
 (are we using alpha or beta code?????)

==========================>
How about gamma code (just sound kinda glow-in-the-dark).

There are fixes for Designer in every WDT400 Service Pack including the
soon-to-be-released-any-day-now SP5.
<==========================


Jim Essinger
Senior Programmer/Analyst
Student Loan Fund of Idaho
esinger@fmtc.com
208-452-4058

I am on Win 2000 Pro Service pack 2 with most of the fixes
downloaded from the internet.

On the developer I am at the following levels:
IBM WebSphere Development Tools for iSeries
Version: V5R1M0
Pathname: C:\WDT400\
Installation Date: 12/10/2001

The following list gives the service and configuration
levels of each installed product component:

Component: CODE/400
Service Level: 4

Component: Distributed Debugger
Version: 9
Pathname: C:\IBMDEBUG
Service Level: 1

Component: VisualAge for Java for Windows
[Installed]

Component: Webfacing
Service Level: 4

Component: Base
Service Level: 4

Component: SDK
Service Level: 4

Component: ET400
[Not Installed]

Component: VisualAge for RPG
Service Level: 4

Component: WebSphere Studio
Service Level: 4

Component: NetQuestion
Program Folder: C:\IMNNQ_2K
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