Re: [IBMiOSS] RPG parameters to Python and back

On Fri, Jun 1, 2018 at 4:27 PM, Buck Calabro <kc2hiz@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I wrote some proof of concept code in Python - it was surprisingly quick
to do with the requests library. That Python works on my 7.3 machine in
PASE.

Yeah, I consider Requests one of the "killer apps" in Python. (I know,
technically it's not an "app" but you get the point.)

Now, I want to shoehorn that into my existing green screen inquiry
program. I would like to do this:

RPGLE -> search criteria -> Python -> UUID -> RPGLE
RPGLE -> UUID -> Python -> binary file -> RPGLE
RPGLE -> MIME/text/binary file -> Python -> UUID -> RPGLE

Is this a fool's errand?
Should I just learn how to do the equivalent on the green side?

Fool's errand? I would say that depends. If you're willing to think in
terms of "information flow" rather than *parameters* per se, then it's
fine.

The simplest and most straightforward way to get information out of
called Python code is for the Python code to "leave" it somewhere to
be picked up by the caller. (I use this verbiage to contrast with the
idea of "passing" information directly back to the caller.) The most
natural choice, from the Python side, would be an IFS stream file. But
it should be fairly easy to leave the information in a database table
or other QSYS.LIB objects (via iToolKit).

I'm a 40-year RPG programmer, and I felt more comfortable trying this in
Python instead of... I don't even know what options are available on
green screen, and I'm afraid that doing the research to find out will
take longer than proofing it in Python did.

Feels weird, man.

This is one of the best testimonials I've heard regarding Python on the i.

John Y.