RE: Programming with API's

["Jim Langston" <jlangston@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Comments in line

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com [mailto:owner-rpg400-l@midrange.com]On
Behalf Of SCarter@rsrcorp.com
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2001 1:21 PM
To: RPG400-L@midrange.com
Subject: Programming with API's

I have been looking lately play around with API's and try to get a general
feel for using them. I have a couple of questions:

1.  Are the system supplied api's useful?  Is there any real business need
to use these?

Extremely useful.  Sometimes it's the only way to get things done.  Some of
the API's I've used include Security API's (changing user passwords though
a web page with validation), MI API's (Reading NETSPLF data file directly
to receive files in batch mode when available), C API's (converting from
alpha to numeric), and many more.

2.  Where can I get a better description of what an API does than just
looking at QSYSINC and QUSRTOOL?

IBM documentation online.  Here's a good starting point for V4R4:
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/pubs/html/as400/online/9eng44.htm
There are probably other sources, but that's generally where I start.

3.  Where can I get API's other than IBM? Or are API's only supplied by
IBM?

The MI400 list might be able to answer that a little better.  That list
is for people who code very close to the metal.

4.  None of the examples in QUSRTOOL are in RPG IV, should they be in RPG
IV format and what do I have to do to get them in RPGIV format?

You can use them as is pretty much in RPG IV with the proper spacing
and syntax (CVTRPGSRC) but it might be a good idea to change it to RPG IV/
ILE format.  It's up to you, any new code I work on is RPG IV, well, it
used to be, now back to RPG III for a while (JBA).

5.  And I am sure this has already been asked but.... Where can I get
information, examples, books, etc.... about how to use API's with RPG
IV.?(Not C )

Who knew you could do that with RPG (A sorcerer's guide) is probably
a good start.  I've actually never even seen the book, but have downloaded
it once or twice, but it is the #1 refered to book on these lists.

HTH

Regards,

Jim Langston
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