iSeries (AS/400) RPG/400 Advanced Programming

Introduction

Delegates attending this course will develop more comprehensive and user driven applications. Multi user programming skills, error handling techniques, and subfile program development will allow the programmer to write more robust applications.

What you will learn

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Write multi-user file update programs.
• Use windows in RPG/400 programs.
• Code and process choice fields, radio buttons, pull down menus and menu bars.
• Trap and prevent execution time errors.
• Run CL commands from within an RPG/400 program.
• Code data structures in programs, and define these externally. Code footers/summary pages on reports.
• Code and use execution time and compile time arrays.
• Code a load-all subfile with RPG/400.
• Code a page by page subfile with RPG/400.
• Code a single page subfile with RPG/400.
• Code a data entry subfile with RPG/400.
• Code a message subfile.
• Code subfiles in windows.

Who should attend

Programmers, programmer/analysts and senior programmers who develop and maintain applications using RPG/400 on the iSeries.

Pre-requisites

The RPG/400 PROGRAMMING course should be attended prior to this course, followed by programming (e.g. 3 months) using RPG/400 in a development environment. Delegates must be able to write a new database file maintenance and a new report program.

Course content

• Recap of RPG/400.
• Windows in display files.
• Using windows in RPG/400.
• Finding the cursor location.
• Displaying long data items.
• The single user maintenance program.
• Database file handling in RPG/400.
• File operation error handling.
• Record lock handling.
• Externally described data structures.
• Multiple occurrence data structures.
• Program error handling and error monitoring.
• File information data structures.
• Program status data structure.
• Screen response time outs.
• Commitment control and journalling.
• Coding footers and summary pages on reports.
• Arrays in RPG/400.
• Array processing operations.
• Compile time and run time arrays.
• Join logical files.
• Introducing the OPNQRYF command.
• User controlled files and file overrides.
• IBM supplied programs, QCMDEXC and QCMDCHK.
• Executing CL commands from RPG/400.
• Outfiles for DSPxxx and WRKxxx commands.
• Sending journal entries.
• Inter job communication.
• Choice fields and buttons.
• GUI iSeries (AS/400) screens.
• Defining a radio button, push button fields.
• Pull down menus and menu bars.
• The concepts of subfiles.
• Subfile record formats.
• Subfile loading techniques.
• Relative record number processing.
• The subfile record and subfile control record.
• Subfile design using SDA.
• RPG/400 operations available for subfiles.
• The load all subfile program logic.
• The expanding subfile technique.
• Coding page up and page down.
• Loading and processing an expanding subfile.
• Single page subfile program logic.
• Coding subfiles in windows.
• DDS keywords for window subfiles.
• Displaying windows from a called program.
• Subfiles for data entry.
• Subfile validation and database updates.
• Reading sequentially through a subfile.
• Coding a message subfile.
• CL programs for use with message subfiles.
• Using message subfiles in RPG/400.
• Journalling and commitment control with subfiles.

Materials

A course manual with supporting documentation is provided. The practical sessions on this course encourage delegates to be more adventurous with RPG/400 programming, and encourage the development of more robust and user friendly applications. Delegates may bring a quarter inch cartridge tape to backup the materials developed on this course for further reference.

Schedule - Dates on Request