Re: XML Parsing and other fine songs of the south

Andrew,

Java is where it is at for XML parsing. The DB2 XML extender is OK for
very simple serialization of XML documents but it is pretty limiting.
The best I have come up with in RPGIV is to use JDOM. JDOM embedded in
RPGIV is much simpler and more powerful than the XML tools. The problem
is that there are hidden traps that are easy to fall into. For example,
it is very easy to create objects without a reference that are never
cleaned up.

What are you trying to do with XML? Is your XML document coming in a
data stream or is it in the IFS/somewhere else? Writing a program to
parse an XML document and write the result to a database is a fairly
trivial task in Java. There are also a few java-based toolkits that
simplify this.

David Morris

>>> Andrewb@SETACORPORATION.com 07/26/02 02:37PM >>>
OK I'm in a quagmire finding out what could be the better way to
perform simple/complex XML parsing in OS/400

No - comparatively, after downloading XML/Soap from Microsloth and
having a working model parsing all the info I wanted up within hours,
getting the same thing to happen within OS/400 with the same ease isn't
jumping out at me.

I have
1) Downloaded the latest Alphaworks code - which has theoretically been
re-branded as 5733-XT1 however when I asked my BP about this, he wasn't
able to find it - oh and IBM is now charging (are you ready) $250 for
these XML tools.  Again - from what I read of the Docs, it looks tastes
and smells exactly like the FREE Alphaworks samples
2) DB2 Extenders for iSeries - fascinating product, but the
documentation is terrible - half the time, I'm editing files on the PC,
running commands on the PC that really execute SQL's on the 400 etc...
basically you spend 4 hours looking like your making an intricate model
car <some of you will know the look I'm talking about> and in the end,
you get an obscure error (QICU library not found?) which isn't addressed
in the documentation.
3) Write it yourself - my string skills are fine - I can look for XML
tags like mad...
4) Use Java and SQL for all file IO - pluses and minuses for this
method but MAN in a ROOM filled with RPG people, you'd think I could
find a simple parser

So on the Ignite list, I tried to find out who's using the DB2
Extenders (a promising product) - and nobody said ANYTHING - I mean it.
So who's doing XML on an AS/400, why are they doing it, and how are they
doing it!  Not that I wanna know much.

Andrew Borts / Webmaster