Carsten's Tip Library

I've just come up for air after immersing myself into Carsten's tip library.  I've used some of his tips over the years but since I consider myself a decent API programmer I've usually managed to handle most IBM APIs myself.  Then I hit the wall with QjoRetrieveJournalEntries and saw Carsten's note from a week or ago and the light bulb went on for me.

If you haven't seen this library and you plan to do any API programming, especially for complex APIs, I highly recommend getting the code if nothing else just for the fundamental API programming techniques.  The QjoRetrieveJournalEntries API programming in and of itself is worth the time.  Carsten's techniques for building one of IBM's brutally complex API parameter structures is nothing short of brilliant.

The programming is excellent.  It's fixed-format, but that's not even a nitpick, just something you need to know up front.  It's written using excellent ILE technique, so should convert to free-format without any problems.  If I get an opportunity, I'm going try to convert some of it and see what I get out of it. Because I have so much extra time, you see...

Again, though, if you see any API programming in your future (and really you should) then I think this is one of the best resources on the Internet.  The same way I consider Scott Klement the go-to source on all things IFS-related (and other topics as well), I think Carsten's work is absolutely essential for complex API programming.

My biggest problem?  Where am I going to find the time to learn UIM programming...  :)