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IBM i PDM (Programming Development Manager)

PDM (Programming development manager) is installed as a part of the Applications Development ToolSet (ADT) on most IBM i systems today. PDM is an environment that lets programmers and/or operators easily navigate and work with objects in libraries (aka schemas) anywhere on their IBM i Power Systems. PDM enables users to utilize shortcuts for executing repetitive tasks. Frmo the main STRPDM…

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Visual Studio Code and the Code for IBM i Extension

If you have read any of my previous blogs about IBM i Programming, the chances are, you know I’m becoming a bit of a VS-Code fanboy… or maybe Fanman… well… probably fangeezer is most accurate. Over the couple of months, we’ve seen some really neat updates to the Code for IBM i and other related IBM i extensions for us i-developers. Quite surprisingly, IBM have joined the VS-Code game, and helped…

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IBM i Access for Web

IBM i Access for Web revolutionizes your Boss’s view of your IBM i systems, offering a stretchy, secure, and user-friendly web gateway to those oh-so-important resources. Want to give your IBM i a fresh coat of modern? This tool just might be your ticket to the future! Green Screen Signon in a Webpage I know it’s been around for over a decade, but I think IBM i Access for Web is under utilized…

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Mastering Git on the IBM i

Mastering Git on the IBM i: It’s not as hard as you might think! As an IBM i developer, you’re likely familiar with the traditional source control tools available on the platform, such as PDM, SEU and Third party tools like TURNOVER, ALDON, etc. While these tools have served the IBM i community well, the rise of modern version control systems like Git has opened up new possibilities for…

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15 IBM-i Technical Interview Questions with Answers

Interviews are a worrying time for most people, right? Not for me! I really enjoy them. But, with 30+ years of experience under my belt, I have a very comfortable time talking about all aspects of the wonderful IBM POWER SYSTEM and the IBM i OPERATING SYSTEM. I know maybe half of the operating system and that knowledge is shrinking every day – because the IBM i ecosystem is growing every day. So…

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How to capture IBM-i job info for submitted jobs

Submitting jobs from within IBM i Control Language programs is EASY But sometimes we want to know the job name, or job queue, that the job was submitted with. This is easy to do in CL, and since my colleague John ShhhItsAsecret “who’s surname can’t be mentioned or else it will give him an internet presence alerting the FBI, NSA and YAKUZA who are all hunting him for various crimes committing…

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Reorganizing Locked IBM i Files

The Reorganize Physical File Member (RGZPFM) command removes deleted records from (compresses) one member of a physical file in the database, and it optionally reorganizes that member. What we used to say about RGZPFM It is generally not recommended to perform an RGZPFM (Reorganize Physical File Member) operation on IBM i files while they are in use by other applications or users. This is…

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Who cares about IBM i Webservers?

Why should I learn about webservers on the IBM i System? Do you ever lay in bed asking yourself that question? I did. But now I lay in bed asking myself more annoying questions like “Why is my webservice not able to read that location in the IFS?” or even the nightmare scenario of suddenly jerking awake with a realisation that you are using the wrong CCSID and that’s what has cost you 2 days of…

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Find the size of jobs using QTEMP on the IBM i System

Hunting down QTEMP Fat Cats As an IBM i propeller-head you are most likely familiar with the QTEMP library. Right? You already know that QTEMP isn’t a standard library (called ‘schemas’ in SQL speak) – it’s unlike all the other libraries QTEMP is yours and yours only: Every job has its own unique QTEMP library that only it can access Every QTEMP is created when a job starts uniquely for that…

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What is an IBM i Journal?

IBM i Journals are the Sherlock Holmes of data storage. IBM i Journal keeps a log of events, just like your Diary. Imagine writing down every single thing that happened to you during the day. This is what a journal does for any file on the system. Me – trying to explain what a journal is, while slurping cold tea at a ridiculously early time in the morning. If a journal is so clever it must have…

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Goodbye England Hello Germany

NOT THE COUNTRY – THE BIKE So, after selling my much beloved T595 and moving over here to Spain, it didn’t take long for me to get the motorcycle itch. But now Motolimey garage is equipped with a German Car and German Motorcycle. Welcome to the new (to me) and very saucy BMW K1200R The 2008 BMW K1200R is a powerful and sporty naked motorcycle with impressive specifications: Engine and…

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Modernizing My Old AS400 Programmer Brain

Come with me while I go on a journey of discovery setting sail from the land of Legacy AS400 coding techniques, sailing over the horizon in search of the future of IBM i Coding Techniques. The mission is to migrate away from green screen, also known as command line interface, and leave the old trusty SEU for source control. Wave goodbye to IBM-I source files. I am moving away from the old…

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How to get a list of all files in an IFS folder

Talking to a colleague this morning, we were discussing a vendor supplied series of spreadsheets (in CSV format) that his team needed to process. I was surprised to see there were hundreds of files in this folder and he wanted to list them, and assign different files to different people. “What’s the best way to print a list of all the files in an IFS folder so we can process them? And make it…

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Converting an old PF to a shiny modern SQL TABLE

Converting an old Physical File (PF) to a modern SQL table can significantly enhance your database’s functionality and performance. Here are the general steps to achieve this: Analyze the Existing PF: Understand the structure and data types used in your PF. This will help in mapping the fields correctly to SQL data types. Create the SQL Table: Define the new SQL table using the CREATE…

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Adding UP with IBM i SQL

Playing with SQL on the IBM i System: IBM-i Aggregate Functions In the world of data management, SQL (Structured Query Language) stands out as a powerful tool for querying and manipulating databases. Among its many features, aggregate functions are some of the most valuable yet often underutilized capabilities. These functions allow you to perform calculations on multiple rows of data, returning…

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How can I find the largest IFS Folders on my IBM i System? #FATFOLDERS

Or — Two cool techniques to find the largest IBM i IFS Folders But first, what is the IFS? The IBM i Integrated File System (IFS) is a component of the IBM i operating system. It provides a unified interface for accessing and managing different types of file systems, similar to those found in personal computers and UNIX systems. The IFS is: Unified Access: IFS allows users and applications to…

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IBM i ACS and its weird AUTO UPDATE function!?

IBM Access Client Solutions (ACS) has a feature to check for updates automatically. You can enable this feature by selecting the “Check for Updates” option under the Help menu of the ACS Main User Interface. Alternatively, you can go to Edit -> Preferences and select “Notify when update is available”. So, you run the update and then expect to see the latest version: Which happily updates me to…