Data Queues

["James W. Kilgore" <qappdsn@xxxxxxx>]

boothm@ibm.net wrote:
> 
> 
> Data queue.  There's that word again.  I want to read about it but can't
> find it in a redbook.  Where is there a good discussion of Data Queues?
> 
You can always find a good discussion right here! :)

Data Queues are a real handy tool to use.  We use them for any print on
demand type of function, like shipping documents, picking slips, counter
invoices, etc.

Data queues can be indexed, sequencial FIFO or LIFO.  Imagine a bunch of
people doing order entry, when the order is completed they press a
function key to start a new order.  At this time, the order entry
program outputs a record to a data queue.  Another program is running
all on it's own in the background waiting for entries to appear on the
queue, when one does, it reads it and produces a warehouse picking slip.

A couple of things to remember:

Records are deleted from the queue when received by a program.  You can
always put the entry back on the same queue or pass it on to another
queue.

The only way I know of to reclaim the space occupied by a queue is to
delete the queue then recreate it.

When createing the queue, you specify a maximum record length, although
all entries do not have to be that length, just don't try to read past
the incomming data string.

Unless you have a lot of records, using indexed data queues is a nice
way to sort entries shown on a screen.
Let's say you have a hundred entries in a subfile in name order and you
want to offer the user a function key to sort by date order, like PDM
allows you to sort by date or member name.  You read through your
subfile and output each entry to an indexed data queue, when done, read
back the data queue and recreate the subfile. Viola' - inline sorting
within an RPG program.

In our impementation our data queue entries have three fields:
  Verb:  contains things like *END to seton LR in the receiving program.
  Format: contains the name of the data structure that maps the
incomming data
  Data:  actual data string

We define physical files for each data queues data format that we can us
as externally defined data structures in both the creating and receiving
programs.

Let the games begin!

James W. Kilgore
qappdsn@ibm.net
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