RE: access as/400 database files w/Visual Basic 6

Frank,

IMHO, the biggest improvement in ease of maintenance is deployment. You're
used to the iSeries, no? Write a new RPG program, stick it in the library
and suddenly the entire world has that new program (ignoring locks, old
pointers, etc.) Unfortunately, in the Client/Server world, each user's
workstation has a copy of the code, so the new program must be deployed to
each workstation. Also, since each workstation can be different, even in
minor ways, and there are so many layers of stuff in a client server
application it's easy for subtle bugs and incompatibilities to arise. In the
web environment we're closed to the RPG way of doing things. Stick a new web
page on the server and suddenly the entire world has the new program, great!

As for ease of development -- I'm sure this will start a war -- but I've
found ASP to be extremely easy to learn. However, in fairness I had a decent
windows programming background. Regardless of the choice of a MS or Java
centric solution you'd find numerous "how to" books at your local bookstore,
not to mention web sites devoted to the development. If you choose a less
common solution (CGIDEV2, eRPG, etc.) there are fewer places to go for
support, but then again you've already found midrange-l, one of the best.

Regardless of the development solution, the first thing you need to learn
(if you don't already know it) is HTML. Get thee to a book store this
weekend and pick up an HTML in 21 days book. Until you understand the
language used to draw the screens it doesn't make sense to learn the
languages used to write the language used to draw the screens.

-Walden

------------
Walden H Leverich III
President
Tech Software
(516) 627-3800 x11
(208) 692-3308 eFax
WaldenL@TechSoftInc.com
http://www.TechSoftInc.com

Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
(Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)



-----Original Message-----
From: Frank W. Kany IV [mailto:frank.kany@burr-reid.org]
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 15:50
To: midrange-l@midrange.com
Subject: Re: access as/400 database files w/Visual Basic 6


How much easier is it to develop and maintain a web based application over a
VB application?  It really doesn't matter to me which direction I go.  But
I'd definately agree with you and not have to deal with problems like
"Driver level 1.2.33 not compatible with DLL 2.1.22 while running under
build 34.1.1".  Do you have some information on where I can learn more about
invoking RPG programs and Database access through the web?

Frank W. Kany IV
The Law Offices of Burr & Reid
www.burr-reid.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Walden H. Leverich" <WaldenL@TechSoftInc.com>
To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 3:31 PM
Subject: RE: access as/400 database files w/Visual Basic 6


> >From: Frank W. Kany IV [mailto:frank.kany@burr-reid.org]
> >use VB as a front end to my RPG applications
>
> Why VB instead of a web app? Leaving the arguments of ASP vs. JSP vs.
> Relationan Web, etc. alone, no matter which of our methods you select
> they are all "thin client" web browser based. Are you really doing
> anything on the client that requires a fat client?
>
> Unless you absolutely need a fat client I'd always look at the
> web-based solution today. Multi machine VB support issues are a mess,
> especially if you aren't familiar with VB. Wouldn't you rather spend
> your time solving a problem like "We need to send e-mails to our
> clients" that a problem like "Driver level 1.2.33 not compatible with
> DLL 2.1.22 while running under build 34.1.1"
>
> -Walden
>
> ------------
> Walden H Leverich III
> President
> Tech Software
> (516) 627-3800 x11
> (208) 692-3308 eFax
> WaldenL@TechSoftInc.com
> http://www.TechSoftInc.com
>
> Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
> (Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Frank W. Kany IV [mailto:frank.kany@burr-reid.org]
> Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 15:10
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Re: access as/400 database files w/Visual Basic 6
>
>
> Thanks for all your help.  The reason why I want to learn how to
> access AS/400 database files is becuase I'm trying to learn how to use
> VB as a front end to my RPG applications.  I don't know how it all
> works and I
want
> to learn.
>
> Frank W. Kany IV
> The Law Offices of Burr & Reid
> www.burr-reid.org
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Walden H. Leverich" <WaldenL@TechSoftInc.com>
> To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
> Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 2:53 PM
> Subject: RE: access as/400 database files w/Visual Basic 6
>
>
> > Frank,
> >
> > Get a "in 21 days" book for VB that includes database access
> > (probably something called ADO or Active Data Objects.) Learn this
> > with Access or
> MSDE
> > as the backend database. Once you understand data access from VB to
> > a database you can change the ODBC driver for Access for the one for
> > the iSeries and you'll have a good start.
> >
> > As for Joe's comments on cross-file relationships. I would look
> > strongly
> at
> > using "stored procedures" to do the updates. These SPs can be RPG
> > (or
> Cobol)
> > programs on the iSeries. Of course, if you're willing to understand
> > the cross-file relationships then you can issue updates from VB as
> > well.
> >
> > But, first things first, learn VB data access against a local
> > database,
> then
> > worry about the iSeries, it's not really any different.
> >
> > -Walden
> >
> >
> > ------------
> > Walden H Leverich III
> > President
> > Tech Software
> > (516) 627-3800 x11
> > (208) 692-3308 eFax
> > WaldenL@TechSoftInc.com
> > http://www.TechSoftInc.com
> >
> > Quiquid latine dictum sit altum viditur.
> > (Whatever is said in Latin seems profound.)
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Frank W. Kany IV [mailto:frank.kany@burr-reid.org]
> > Sent: Friday, August 09, 2002 14:19
> > To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> > Subject: access as/400 database files w/Visual Basic 6
> >
> >
> > This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
> > --
> > [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
> > I would like to LEARN how I can have my VB6 applications connect to
> > our AS/400 and access data to use in my VB6 applications.  I am a
> > beginner at VB6.  I'm just going to write simple VB6 applications to
> update/delete/write
> > records to an AS/400 database file.
> >
> > Does anyone have any kind of pdf documents or websites that would
> > point me in the right direction?
> >
> > TIA,
> >
> > Frank W. Kany IV
> > The Law Offices of Burr & Reid
> > www.burr-reid.org
> > --
> >
> >
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