*************** Club Tech Programming Tips Newsletter ***************
An AS400 Network Publication http://www.as400network.com
Home of NEWS/400 Magazine
Issue 26 August 30, 2000
Thanks to this issue's sponsor: T.L. Ashford
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******************************************************************
THIS WEEK:
> CGI Sample Code for ILE RPG and ILE Cobol
> Incorporate the Command Line into an Application
> Change SIZE Parameter Default to *NOMAX
> Display the Command String
> Modify IBM Edit Codes
Featured Tip:
CGI SAMPLE CODE FOR ILE RPG AND ILE COBOL
Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programs are invoked in response to a
user request from a remote Web browser, and they are able to read data
passed from the browser and generate HTML output on the fly, allowing
you to create dynamic and interactive Web pages. On the AS/400, CGI
programs can be written in C++, ILE C, ILE Cobol, and ILE RPG.
To get started in writing CGI programs, it's helpful to begin with
working sample CGI code. Here are some resources where you can find
sample ILE RPG code:
Tech Studio Code Snippets
IBM Rochester
http://www.as400.ibm.com/net.data/tstudio/workshop/snippets/newsnip.mac/viewall
Easy as /400 Open Source Applications
IBM Italy
http://www.easy400.ibm.it/
"Custom APIs Boost CGI Program Performance"
NEWS/400, July 1999
http://www.as400network.com/article.cfm?ID=3074
"Develop an RPG CGI Application"
NEWS/400, January 1997
http://www.as400network.com/article.cfm?ID=1857
"Develop an RPG CGI Application: Building Dynamic Web Pages"
NEWS/400, July 1997
http://www.as400network.com/article.cfm?ID=2128
Various RPGLE sample code
BVS Tools
http://www.netshare400.com/cgi-bin/DSPSAMP
A recent upload to the Cobol Community at
http://www.as400network.com/communities/cobol/ contains the following
ILE Cobol code:
ILE Cobol CGI Examples
Authored by Eduardo Murra Farrus
http://www.as400network.com/communities/cobol/CobolCode/IleCobolCgiExample.zip
Note that only AS400 Network professional members can read the above
three NEWS/400 articles, but anyone can download the sample CGI code
from those articles at http://www.as400network.com/resources/code/ .
Short Takes:
1. INCORPORATE THE COMMAND LINE INTO AN APPLICATION
Q. I want to replace an AS/400 menu with a menu program that looks and
works like the original menu. How can I replicate the AS/400 command
line in my program, including the ability to retrieve previous
commands using F9?
A. You should check out a NEWS/400 article published way back in May
1995 titled "A Command Line from Anywhere." The article includes CL
program CMDLINE, which uses APIs QMHRTVRQ, QCAPCMD, and QMHMOVPM to
provide a fully functional command line that you can incorporate into
your application. CMDLINE, like the AS/400's command line, can do the
following:
a. Provide an input field into which the user can type OS/400 command
strings.
b. When the user presses F4, invoke the CL command prompter using the
entered command string; add the changes entered through the prompter
to the command string.
c. Check any entered command string for valid CL syntax.
d. Determine whether the current user profile has limited capability
(LMTCPB(*YES)) and, if so, whether the entered command string is valid
under limited capability.
e. Execute any command string that is valid under items 3 and 4.
f. Display on the screen's message line all messages returned from the
command string execution.
g. Save all executed command strings, including the changes entered
through the prompter, to the job message queue.
h. When the user presses F9, retrieve the previously executed command
string from the job message queue and display it in the command line
input field.
i. When the user presses F9 repeatedly, retrieve previous command
strings in descending order of execution.
The NEWS/400 article also provides a sample RPG program that
demonstrates how to integrate a fully functional command line into a
standard work-with screen. Note that only AS400 Network professional
members can read the above NEWS/400 article, but anyone can download
the code at http://www.as400network.com/resources/code/ .
2. CHANGE SIZE PARAMETER DEFAULT TO *NOMAX
Q. Every time I create a physical file, I'd like the default value for
the SIZE parameter to be *NOMAX. How do I do this?
A. Use the Change Command Default (CHGCMDDFT) command to change the
default value for CRTPF's SIZE parameter. Beware, though, that if you
specify *NOMAX without specifying the other two elements in the list,
you'll run into a snag -- the attempt fails with diagnostic message
CPD6273 ("Single value not valid default value"), which has a severity
level of 40. You then get escape message CPF6260 ("Errors detected
while changing defaults"), which aborts the attempt. The solution is
to specify all three values for the SIZE parameter, like this:
CHGCMDDFT CMD(CRTPF) NEWDFT('SIZE(*NOMAX () ())')
or like this:
CHGCMDDFT CMD(CRTPF) NEWDFT('SIZE(*NOMAX *N *N)')
where *N represents a null value. *NOMAX is now the first of three
values; although the other two values are null, they have been
specified.
Use *NOMAX in the SIZE parameter with caution, as a runaway job could
eat up all your DASD.
Answer adapted from a Tech Corner item by Gary Guthrie
3. DISPLAY THE COMMAND STRING
When you use CL command prompter (F4) to enter a command, you don't
need to exit and press F9 to retrieve the command to view the command
string. You can simply press F14 while you're still in the command's
prompt screen to display the command string.
4. MODIFY IBM EDIT CODES
Q. Can I modify the IBM-shipped edit codes 5 through 9, or is that not
permitted because an OS/400 program uses them? I want to use edit code
9 to display a YYMMD date format from a six-digit field.
A. Yes, you can modify edit codes 5 through 9 for your own purposes
although IBM predefines them. To work with edit descriptions, type GO
CMDEDTD at an AS/400 command line to display a list of the available
edit description commands. Note that you can't actually modify the
edit description; instead, you must delete it with the DLTEDTD command
and then create a new one with the CRTEDTD command. You can find more
information about creating user-defined edit descriptions in
Application Display Programming (SC41-5715).
As an alternative to changing the user-defined edit descriptions, you
might consider using edit words. Edit words provide maximum
flexibility in creating edit masks.
Answered by Gary Guthrie
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********** ABOUT CLUB TECH PROGRAMMING TIPS NEWSLETTER **********:
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