Course Details:

Course Outline:

• Introduction to RPGIV and ILE
• Converting programs from RPG/400 using CVTRPGSRC
• Single & Multi Step ILE program creation
• Changes to specifications H, F, C & extended factor 2
• Free form CTL-OPT and DCL-F Statements
• Renamed operation codes and extenders
• Expressions, Built in functions (BIF’s) with EVAL & EVALR
• Definition Specifications & DCL free form equivalents:
    • Stand-alone fields & Constants
    • Data structures: internal, external, qualified, indicator, embedded
    • Data Areas
    • Arrays,  
    • Variable length & null terminated strings
    • Date, Time and Timestamp functions
    • Pointers, dynamic storage
• File processing without indicators, using BIFs
• Using data structures on I/O
• Operational extenders
• Intercepting errors including MONITOR
• Free format program code & supported operation code
• Alternatives to fixed format operation codes
• Using Complex Data Structures & Multi-Dimension Arrays
• Defining Sub-procedures, procedure interfaces and prototypes.
• Cycle-Main, Linear main and Sub-procedures
• Date, Time and Timestamp functions
• Optional Parameters & Faster Return values
• Debugging with Source Level Debug & Encryption
• RPGLE Cycle-Main, Nomain and Linear Main Modules
• Creating and Managing ILE programs
• Introduction to ILE CL – compile and call commands
• Using Service programs with signature control: Binders Source
• Coding public and private procedures in Service programs
• Binding Directories
• Taking control of activation groups
• Variable length & null terminated strings
• Teraspace Storage Model

Pre-requisites:

This course is aimed at experienced RPG developers looking to bring their skills up to the current release.

Course content:

Conversion & Specification Changes

• Converting RPG to RPGLE
• Benefits of RPGLE
• Two stage program creation
• RPGLE H-Spec layout and associated keywords.
• Free-form CTL-OPT statement
• RPGLE F-Spec and associated keywords.
• Free-form DCL-F statement
• RPGLE layout of the C-Spec and need for Operation Extenders
• Coding ‘Extended Factor 2’ and expressions
• Logic control operation codes with extended factor 2

Variable Definition & Data Areas

• D-spec definition of standalone fields and constants.
• Variable length strings
• D-spec definition of data structures:
         Qualified, External, Like, Indicator, Program status
• Data Area Definitions (hard and soft coded)
• Using Data Structures & Data Areas
• Free Format DCL- statements
• External ALIAS support

Free Format Code & Built In Functions

• Free format calculation specifications
• EVAL and EVALR operation codes
• Arithmetic precision control in free format code
• Free format alternatives to traditional RPG operation codes
• Free format keyed database access %KDS
• Selective updating %FIELDS
• File I/O without indicator using BIF’s instead of result indicator
• Intercept errors with %ERROR or MONITOR
• String handling BIFs
• Date & time related BIFs
• Data type conversion BIFs

Arrays and Pointers                    

• D-Spec Array definition
• Overlaying arrays
• Compile time data
• Using array BIF’s: %LOOKUP, %XFOOT, %SUBARR
• Multiple occurrence data structures
• Multi-dimensional arrays
• Complex Data Structure definition and interrogation
• Sort & Search data structure array
• Pointer variables and %ADDR
• BASED variables and Templates
• Dynamic storage and associated BIFs
• Null terminated strings and %STR

Prototyped Calls & Sub-procedures  

• • Sub-procedure Definition
  • Prototypes & Procedure Interface
  • Procedural Call – CALLP
  • Local and Global variables
  • Local Files
  • Reusing a sub-procedure
  • Activation group implications
  • Methods of passing parameters:

          By Reference, Read-Only Reference, Value

• Optional parameters: *OMIT, *NOPASS, %ADDR, %PARMS
• Faster return values with RTNPARM (and %PARMNUM)
• Free format procedure statement DCL-PROC

ILE Concepts and introduction

• ILE v OPM
• Relationship between program and module objects
• Dynamic call v Static call
• ILE program and module object information – DSPPGM, DSPMOD
• Convert CLP to CLLE & procedure Call – CALLPRC
• Binding CL and RPG together into a single program
• Update ILE program objects
• Include copyright into module objects
• Application isolation with Activation groups
• Controlling which activation group is used
• Reclaim resources for an activation group

RPG Modules

• Bind RPG modules into programs
• Make source code available for interactive debug
• Defining PEP
• Understand export / import concepts
• Using export on sub-procedure definitions
• Define and use NOMAIN modules
• Code Cycle-Main and Linear-Main procedures
• Teraspace storage model v Single-level storage model
• Bindable APIs

Service Programs & Binding Directories

• Bind by copy v Bind by reference
• Service Program creation and Maintenance
• Service Program exports and Public Interface
• Control of Service Program Signatures
• Signature Versioning
• Binder Language and QSRVSRC
• Public and Private procedures
• Binding Directory objects
• Use of Binding Directory to simplify the program creation process

Finding Runtime Errors – Debug                     

• Enabling a program for debug
• Start debug (STRDBG)
• Set break points and check variables
• Track program logic
• Debug Encryption
• Tips n’ techniques

Follow on Courses:

To add internal power to application programs consider the Power RPG with SQL course (ISSQE). Also consider the Rational Developer for i (RDI) course.

Schedule: