Re: Using Code/400 (was Re: /FREE RPG compiler errors)

[Doc <Doc6502@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hmmm... I know that using TextPad isn't the optimal IDE solution.

However, I prefer it to CODE for a variety of reasons:

1.  It's small and quick.

2.  I know enough RPG syntax to not need the prompter <grin>
    Actually, I created rulers (well, stole rulers from the SEU
    IFxx prompts) that I can easily paste into the body of the code.

3.  I write a lot of different kinds of code-- RPG, C, Java, TCL,
    Perl, Python... so on and so forth.  Because I can create (or
    find on the TextPad website) syntax dictionaries, I have
    syntax highlighting.

4.  I like the flexibility I have in TextPad to use regular
    expressions in search patterns, and I can scan loads of project
    files quickly.

5.  I can record macros quickly and easily, and hook them into
    toolbar buttons.

6.  Heilos' support has been nothing short of outstanding.  The $25
    I spent for the original licence was in 1997.  I haven't had to pay
    a dime extra for some pretty substantial upgrades in function.

7.  I code all of my web pages by hand-- TextPad makes this very easy
    for me.

8.  Clip book support means I can save code snippets easily, for those
    times when I don't like the support macros give me.

9.  The block select mode ROCKS.  I can clip rectangular regions of
    text, which is actually a lot handier than you'd think.

10. I can create PC, UNIX, or Mac text files.  I can save them in ANSI,
    UTF 8, Unicode, or Unicode big endian formats.

11. There's a text sort feature that makes alphabetizing lists quick.

12. I can write code offline, which was the big draw for me.

13. I don't have to conform to IBM's semi-colon rule in free-format RPG;
    I have a script that formats the text for me appropriately.  (It
    also purges the rulers I mentioned in #2.)

Of course, there are some holes--
No automatic file transfer via FTP (I have a Perl script that does that).
Compilation results have to be transferred back to the PC-- sometimes I 
don't bother.
No way of integrating the OS/400 debugger into TextPad!

Now, of course, every 9th subscriber on this list will go, "So?" or 
"Well, CODE does..." Let me say, "That's nice."  My opinion of CODE has 
nothing to do with anyone else's coding style.  If you got a tool that 
produces the code you need... well, go man go!  Whatever works best for 
you.  I haven't tried the CODE version that's now in Eclipse, nor have I 
tried UltraEdit (I think that was the name). I need to look into those 
cos if there's one thing I am it's LAZY.  If I can find a tool that'll 
cut down on the amount of work I have to do, I'm IN.

Also, someone asked "What is TMKMAKE?"  TMKMAKE is a utility that's part 
of QUSRTOOL that performs like a make tool found in Unix.  OPM programs 
tend to be pretty straightforward in the rebuild process-- you just 
build the program, and that's it.  Since ILE programs may be composed of 
many pieces and re-building all of those components may be tedious, time 
consuming, or dangerous, TMKMAKE allows you to identify a particular 
object's (sometimes called a target) components, and create rules 
outlining how both the underlying components and the target may be 
created.  Additionally, TMKMAKE is sensitive to dates, so it's possible 
to only recompile and rebind the targets that are affected by a 
particular change, rather than recreating every stinking bit of code
just because I changed one line.

If done correctly, it's a powerful tool for quickly producing 
incremental (that is not recompiling the world) builds of entire 
software products.

The downside is that make script syntax and behaivour can be a little 
arcane, and you have to spend a LOT of time with them in order to become 
proficient with them.

Later all...

-Doc, who's listening to George Harrison