Re: ** Son of RPG Redbook lives ** -- RPG400-L

1) Dates.  RPG programmers are so used to using numeric fields of various
types for dates instead of the date, time and timestamp data types.  Simple
stuff like converting a date field to a numeric field (YYYYDDD, CYYMMDD, and
YYYYMMDD numeric field formats), formatting a date without dashes (that
poorly documented 0 at the end of the date formats), date arithmetic,
substring on dates, etc.

2) No Global Variables.  Put more stress on showing how a subroutine (no
parameters, uses all global variables) is different from a subprocedure
(should only use local variables or passed parameters)  is different from a
function (returns a value and does not modify passed parameters).  Stop
using global variables in your examples (externalizing I/O by importing
global data structures? bleah).  Files must be global but file fields should
be passed to a subprocedure instead of globally referenced in the
subprocedure.

3) Use of WDSc to maintain code.  The Code/400 editor is clunky compared to
the WDSc editor.  I have trouble adding an existing 400 program/source
member to a WDSc project.  When does the source get updated on the host?
How to do host debugging from WDSc?

4) Move all your example code to free format instead of fixed format.  If
you don't code in free format then your readers won't.

5) Calling Java from RPG.  Starting up the JVM.  Ending the JVM.  Defining
Java objects and methods in the RPG program.  Creating Java objects.
Calling Java methods.  Is calling a static java method different than
calling an object method?

6) Calling RPG from Java.  How do you define an RPG procedure prototype in
Java.  What should I be aware of when coding an RPG subprocedure to be
called by a Java program?

7) Calling RPG programs from SQL.  The SQL CREATE FUNCTION statement for an
RPG program.  How should you code RPG ILE program or procedure to work with
SQL?

8) Working with SQL tables in RPG.  What can be done with the SQL data types
not supported by RPG?  How to handle null fields in RPG?  Maybe some mention
of commitment control in RPG.

Paul

-- 
Paul Morgan
Senior Programmer Analyst - Retail
J. Jill Group
100 Birch Pond Drive, PO Box 2009
Tilton, NH 03276-2009
Phone: (603) 266-2117
Fax:   (603) 266-2333

"Jon Paris" wrote

> IBM have finally decided to go ahead and update the RPG Redbook.
>
> So ..... I'm looking for suggestions as to subjects that should be
covered,
> areas in the existing book that need updating, etc.
>
> In particular, I'd like to know about new stuff that you've done in the
last
> year or two where you found the documentation severely lacking and had to
> dig around a lot to find answers.  I've been monitoring this and other
lists
> so I have a fair idea of topics that cause problems, but I'd like as many
> ideas as possible.
>
> In order to encourage discussion, please respond to this list - but help
me
> out by sending a CC to my e-mail so that I don't have to dig through all
the
> digests.
>
> Jon Paris
> Partner400
> www.Partner400.com