============================================================== SEARCH400.COM | Programmer Tip March 12, 2003 ============================================================== FROM OUR SPONSORS:
FREE White Paper: Building an E-Commerce Trust Infrastructure http://search400.com/r/0,,11109,00.htm?freeguide ============================================================== Essential explanations, tools and code for the iSeries programmer. More tips: http://search400.techtarget.com/tipsIndex/0,289482,sid3_tax2f9,00.html ============================================================== In today's technical advice roundup you'll find tips, expert answers and input from your peers to the following iSeries programmer questions and concerns: Today's Featured Programmer Tip: -- BIFs simplify numeric to alpha conversions 1. Answers to Other Technical Questions: - In search of a better Lookup? - Check & run commands in RPG - Take command of your commands - Enhance reports with highlighted or underlined text 2. Important Announcements and Links - Tips Contest: February winners announced - Free Book Excerpt: Exploring IBM e-Business Software - New Glossary: iSeries acronyms and terms defined - Advice: Programmer Discussion Forum _________________________________________________________________ ************ SPONSORED BY VeriSign - The Value of Trust ********* FREE E-COMMERCE SECURITY GUIDE Is your e-business built on a strong, secure foundation? Find out with VeriSign's FREE White Paper, "Building an E-Commerce Trust Infrastructure." Learn how to authenticate your site to customers, secure your Web servers with 128-Bit SSL encryption, and accept secure payments online. Click here: http://search400.com/r/0,,11109,00.htm?freeguide ============================================================== Today's Featured Tip ============================================================== BIFs simplify numeric to alpha conversions There are times when you want to insert a numeric result into the middle of some text. If you are adjusting a customer's account, you may want to display some text like the following: "A credit of $5.25 was applied to your account." In RPG IV, the process can be accomplished via a Built-in Function (BIF). Search400.com expert John Kohan shows you how to use BIFs such as the %CHAR BIF in RPG IV and RPG/400. >> CLICK here for the full tip: http://www.search400.com/tip/1,289483,sid3_gci884385,00.html ============================================================== Answers to Other Programmer Questions ============================================================== In search of a better Lookup? The way RPG OpCode LOOKUP searches a sorted array can take you days to find what you're looking for. In this tip user Nick Hobson offers some other ways to do searches, including using the %Lookup BIF. http://search400.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid3_gci801392,00.html Check & run commands in RPG Sometimes you need to ask the user for a command or simply run a command saved previously. This function, provided by Search400.com member Victor Roig, gives you the option in a very simple way. http://search400.techtarget.com/tip/1,289483,sid3_gci750493,00.html Take command of your commands User-defined commands are one of the most under utilized objects in OS/400. The way they are defined, created and used is often misunderstood, so programmers stay away from them. Once they're mastered, however, they become a great tool to have in your toolbox. Site expert John Kohan explains these commands and provides a brief example to get you started using them. http://www.search400.com/tip/1,289483,sid3_gci874086,00.html Enhance reports with highlighted or underlined text Have you ever wanted to highlight or underline a field in a report? This can be done two ways: by using a print file (PRTF) or embedding the code within the print specifications of an RPG program. Site expert Dwight Beech shows you how to use both methods to improve the look of your reports. http://www.search400.com/tip/1,289483,sid3_gci864184,00.html _______________________________________________________________ IMPORTANT MESSAGES AND LINKS: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- FEBRUARY WINNERS ANNOUNCED | Search400.com tips contest The long-awaited time has come, and the results are in ... Please join us in congratulating Ed Fasano. Ed's tip came in first place in Search400.com's Tip of the Month Contest for February. Ed won a Swing Groover II electronic golf coach and analyzer and was added to our Hall of Fame for his tip: Use the Web, Excel and ODBC for iSeries formatting. http://www.search400.com/tip/1,289483,sid3_gci881156,00.html Congratulations also to our runner-up winners: Gonzalo Galaz, Alex Corretge I. Bergua and Joe Szymanski. View all winning tips in Search400.com's Hall of Fame: http://search400.techtarget.com/tipsHallOfFame/0,289489,sid3_prz826588_cts826578,00.html NEW CONTEST FOR MARCH: This month we're giving away a Archos jukebox studio 10GB MP3 player/hard drive 500294. With a whopping storage capacity of 10GB you can carry the equivalent of 250 CDs! In addition, 2MB memory buffer stores from 30 to 100 seconds of music to prevent interruptions. You can connect directly to your stereo with optional cable. Send in your tip -- you could be our next winner. >> SUBMIT a Tip: http://search400.techtarget.com/tipsSubmit/1,289485,sid3,00.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FREE BOOK EXCERPT | Exploring IBM e-Business Software Log on and download for free the first chapter of Exploring IBM e- Business Software written by Casey Young and published by Maximum Press. This book provides a detailed look at IBM's overall e-business architecture and how the various IBM software products fit into the e-business structure. Here you will find information on key IBM e- business platforms, development tools, application server software, network security solutions, systems management software and more. >> DOWNLOAD the chapter: http://search400.techtarget.com/whitepaperPage/1,293857,sid3_gci883626,00.html >> BUY the book: http://www.digitalguru.com/DigitalGuru/product_detail.asp?catalog_name=Books&category_name=&product_id=1885068581&partner_id=55 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- NEW ISERIES GLOSSARY | Search400.com There are so many iSeries acronyms and terms and so little time to figure them all out. Search400.com has gathered and defined some of the industry's top used acronyms and terms to help you stay abreast of the older -- and upcoming -- lingo out there. If you're puzzled by a term not seen here, please e-mail us at mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED], and we'll add the definition to our list. >> CHECK out the glossary: http://search400.techtarget.com/glossaryPage/0,294242,sid3,00.html =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- DISCUSSION FORUM | Interact with other programmers Are you an iSeries programmer with questions? Join your peers in Our Programmer Forum to ask and answer questions about XML, COBOL, CL, ILE, Web development, Java and much more. http://search400.discussions.techtarget.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]@.ee84636 >> RECENT Discussion threads you may find of interest: * Holding all the spool files when a job is submitted http://search400.discussions.techtarget.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]@.ee84636/3401 * "Last used date" for iSeries objects http://search400.discussions.techtarget.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]@.ee84636/3392 ______________________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::: SEARCH400.COM CONTACTS :::::::::::::::::: TIP MAILBOX, (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) >> Send us feedback on tips and ideas for new tip content. ______________________________________________________________ MICHELLE DAVIDSON, site editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) >> Send us your story ideas and best practices. ______________________________________________________________ DEBRA TART, assistant editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) >> Send us your tips and Best Web Links. ______________________________________________________________ DAVID GABEL, executive tech editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) >> Send me your technical tips and tip ideas. ______________________________________________________________ GABRIELLE DERUSSY (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) >> Sponsor this or any other TechTarget newsletter. ___________________________________________________________________ :::::::::::::::::::: ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER ::::::::::::::::::::: Published by TechTarget (http://www.techtarget.com) TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved. 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