RE: Cvt RPG III to RPG IV (ILE Concepts) -- RPG400-L

Thanks for the reply Buck.
Yes I have read the ILE Concepts manual.
I attended an RPG ILE programming course at IBM.
Sorry as I wax philosophical but reading something and
undersanding the thing are two entirely separate states.
Please tell me just where in the manual does it illucidate
on how to convert OPM systems (with SQL) to ILE, and Oh
'by the way' watch out for these points.
As new systems are designed from scratch it is possible
to exploit ILE methodologies, but to retrofit these into
old OPM programs is a hugh effort, and is hardly worth the
return.
I have not and cannot embrace ILE with my present systems.
The structure of the OPM RPG III programs is not designed
with ILE concepts in mind.
I have simply converted to RPG IV code.  I have chosen to
run in DFTACPGRP, as this is the closest OPM is to ILE.
Converting large suites of programs from OPM to ILE is not
a simple nor very obvious exercise.
If I am an ILE beginner I will be so for a long time, as
long as the systems I support are not ILE based.
It will not take me much effort to become an ILE PRO such
as yourself once I can devote my time to ILE.
Our shop runs BPCS and until BPCS is ILE'ised (not likley in
my lifetime) or we replace BPCS with an ILE designed system
(not many about, and expensive to boot) I am not going to
be able to be expert in ILE.  Even if I design bits and
pieces with ILE concepts there will always remain a unwieldly
conglomeration of OPM and ILE.
As for system standards what in ILE Concepts mentions these.
I can only glimpse what may be required regarding service
programs, binding directories,even documenting the u beaut
procedures that the clever Joes come up with so that others
can use them. Does that mean that RPG shops will end up with
constantly reinvented bits of code that almost do the same thing.


Oh by the way I would appreciate you shedding light on my
misunderstandings, it is why I posted in the first place.
TIA


Frank Kolmann




From: Buck Calabro <Buck.Calabro@commsoft.net>


Frank,
Thanks for the list - it helps to see what problems and misunderstandings
you (as an ILE beginner) encounter.  Rather than address your list item by
item, I'll ask at what point you read the ILE Concepts manual... before
starting, sometime during the initial conversion to RPG IV, before
compiling
DFTACTGRP(*NO), sometime after encountering problems with ILE (that is,
DFTACTGRP(*NO)) or not at all.

I know it sounds sarcastic, but it isn't.  As I looked over the issues you
raised (and you are NOT alone there!) I see that all of them are addressed
in the Concepts manual.  So the question becomes: how can we clean up the
manual?  I'm strongly leaning toward a FAQ entry on the lines of 'ILE for
beginners.'  Knowing when you started reading the manual will help pinpoint
the parts that should be more 'tutorial' oriented and less 'reference'
oriented.
  --buck