Re: iSeries Projects... we're listening

Vern,
some answers, but you said that you are still using V4. Please upgrade to V5
whenever you get a chance!
There was major functionality enhancement, specificically for iSeries
Projets, that went into V5. All the Build Styles taht
I mentioned are only in V5. Conflict detection (aka detecting that remote
resource changed) with the remote library ONLY went in version 5.0!


> in the associated library. Ah, I see, I can import things from anywhere
> under a connection. Perhaps even from different iSeries'? Yikes!
Yes, you can import members into an iSeries Project from anywhere, including
a different host.
When you push, you will only push to the associated library oft hat project.


> 2. It seems that, if I use a sandbox library, i have to have created it
and
> copied members into it before making them into a project. I do see the
> option (right-click) to create a new source file. But without a CMS this
is
> very tedious.
Not true. You can create an iSeries project from scratch, and map it to a
library called "myFoo".
If the library does not exist on the host, it will be created for you on a
first push. Right click
on any iSeries project and select New -> iSeries Project.


> 3. You already show the connections in a Remote Systems view in the
iSeries
> Projects perspective. I'd love to see the ability to drag-drop source into
> a project, from any filter in a connection. (I'm looking at v4.)
TO-DO: support drag-and-drop for future releases.

> 4. This has probably been said, but to clarify - all the code for a
project
> is downloaded to some directory on the PC, and editing is all local?
Yup. To actually see where your code is on the file system, right click on
an iSeries project and select
Properties -> Info and look at Location.


> 5. A different matter - when I right-click a member to get options, LPEX
> and CODE are not there, as they are in RSE.
>  <snip...>
> the idea that taking one of the "Open with..." options sets a flag? A
check
> appeared by the one I chose.
Ok, so Eclipse which is the base platform of WDSC has the concept of
Internal and External editors.
Each file type (Windows files and not iSeries source files that is) has
editors registered agianst it depending on the extension.
These associations, like you noticed can be configured by going to
Preferences -> File associations (or something like this in 4.0).
When you download a member from the host, it is really a windows file and
the type of the member becomes the extension of the file. and this is
why all these file associations work. The more editors you register against
a given member, the more editors you see in the Open With menu option (under
iSeries projects). Out of these editors, only one is the active editor. This
is what you will be launching when you select Open. And like you said, this
action has a flag that remembers the last editor you opened with Open With.
So in summary, Open starts off as the default editor, but then remembers the
last editor you used for that specific member (file). This is done this way
for consistancy across WDSC. If you use other perspectives in the product,
the behavior should be the same. NOTE: if you open a given member (file) in
any editor, and you then try to open it in another editor, your action will
simply be ignored. You can not open two editors on the same file. Agian,
behavior across product.

Now out of the box, JLPEX is registered as an internal editor with most
common iSeries member types, and in v4.0, I dont believe CODE 400 was
registered with any type as an external editor. But you had the option of
using Open With -> System editor. This action opens external editors that
happen to be registered with your Windows platform as the default editor.
And so in 4.0, if you said Open With -> System Editor on a .rpgle member you
should get CODE 400,  and on a dds member, you should get CODE Designer (if
it happens to be your sytem default editor).

In 5.0, CODE 400 is registered as an external editor for convenience, and in
the next release, CODE designer will be added to the list. But again, this
was only for convience because System Editor does the trick.


> 6. When I take the opt to "Show remote objects", everything in the
> associated library appears. But only source members can be added to the
> project. It'd be nice not to see all the other stuff, since I can't do
> anything with it, anyway.
Not yet  ;-)


> 7. There seems to be very little help on iSeries projects. It's not a
> subheading in any of the help divisions, as far as I can see (v4, again)
In 5.0 it is better. I am also in the process of writting two articles, one
as info and one as tutorial.
Stay tuned.


Mazen Faraj
iSeries Projects development, WDSC
Toronto Lab.