Difference between revisions of "Category:RPG"

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RPG has long had the capability of importing standardized blocks of code to do standard functions via [[Slash COPY|/COPY]].  Additionally, several versions of RPG support [[CALL|calling]] a sub-program, thus many aspects of object management are facilitated within RPG.
 
RPG has long had the capability of importing standardized blocks of code to do standard functions via [[Slash COPY|/COPY]].  Additionally, several versions of RPG support [[CALL|calling]] a sub-program, thus many aspects of object management are facilitated within RPG.
  
==APIs==
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===APIs===
 
[[API]] stands for Application Program Interface
 
[[API]] stands for Application Program Interface
 
RPG has access to C functions via service programs in binding directory QC2LE, as well as CEE APIs.  There are also APIS specific to IBM i, like IFS access.
 
RPG has access to C functions via service programs in binding directory QC2LE, as well as CEE APIs.  There are also APIS specific to IBM i, like IFS access.
  
A new API mechanism is called IBM Rational Open Access: RPG Edition <ref>IBM United States Software Announcement 210-114 ,  [http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=ca&infotype=an&appname=iSource&supplier=897&letternum=ENUS210-114 IBM  Rational  Open Access: RPG Edition delivers  RPG IV extensibility to access new devices and resources ],13 Apr 2010.  Retrieved on 19 Apr 2010</ref>  Open Access is a separately purchased product for IBM i 6.1 and above via handlers written using SPECIAL files.
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A new API mechanism is called IBM Rational Open Access: RPG Edition <ref>IBM United States Software Announcement 210-114 ,  [http://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?subtype=ca&infotype=an&appname=iSource&supplier=897&letternum=ENUS210-114 IBM  Rational  Open Access: RPG Edition delivers  RPG IV extensibility to access new devices and resources ],13 Apr 2010.  Retrieved on 19 Apr 2010</ref>  Open Access is a separately purchased product for IBM i 6.1 and above via handlers similar to using SPECIAL files.
  
 
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Revision as of 20:39, 19 April 2010

RPG is an acronym which stands for Report Program Generator. It is a programming language developed by IBM originally created for developing business applications.

See also on Wikipedia: RPG programming language

Programmers, coming to RPG from other programming environments, will still need to get some education to familiarize themselves with its capabilities, and how it functions.

There are four major versions of RPG currently in use... RPG II, RPG III, RPG 400, and RPG IV (sometimes referred to as ILE RPG). The latter has two distinctive flavours: the traditional column restricted language entry and the modern /Free alternative where most of the coding can be entered in a non-column restricted way.

RPG is most commonly associated with IBM Midrange platforms, however various RPG flavors have been developed for other platforms over the years including the IBM 1401, System/360, S/370 and follow-ons; the Hewlett Packard HP3000 [1]; as well as Wang, Sperry, Burroughs, and Digital PDP and VAX computers. While never immensely popular on non-IBM platforms, it did exist outside of IBM.

OS/400 contains extensive support for debugging and run-time identification of RPG code. There is a large established base of RPG code in production environments, usually performing heavy-lifting batch-oriented data tasks, or providing support for interactive ERP applications, either with native 5250 interface or with a graphical user interface (GUI) or Web Skin applied over the 5250 data stream.

RPG vs. other languages

Compared to other programming languages, RPG is especially strong in

  • transactional processing;
  • data base access, such as DB2;

The main perceived flaw with RPG is that it is not object oriented, nor does it contain direct support for a (GUI), although there are RPG Third Party offerings to fill that gap.

RPG vs. Java

A comparison between RPG and Java can be made so long as Java is used in a developer framework, or one of the available application servers. Unlike Java, however, RPG contains language-level features for common business tasks such as database access.

Objects and RPG

Although RPG is perceived as not being object-oriented, the OS/400 operating system is composed entirely of objects that can be manipulated by RPG and other languages.

RPG has long had the capability of importing standardized blocks of code to do standard functions via /COPY. Additionally, several versions of RPG support calling a sub-program, thus many aspects of object management are facilitated within RPG.

APIs

API stands for Application Program Interface RPG has access to C functions via service programs in binding directory QC2LE, as well as CEE APIs. There are also APIS specific to IBM i, like IFS access.

A new API mechanism is called IBM Rational Open Access: RPG Edition [1] Open Access is a separately purchased product for IBM i 6.1 and above via handlers similar to using SPECIAL files.


This article is a stub. You can help by editing it.


Open Source Sites

External Links

  • RPG Developer Network http://www.rpgiv.com/
  • "RPG: A Great Language with a Greater History" by Brian Kelly, The Four Hundred, Volume 18, Number 30 -- August 17, 2009 [2]

References

  1. IBM United States Software Announcement 210-114 , IBM Rational Open Access: RPG Edition delivers RPG IV extensibility to access new devices and resources ,13 Apr 2010. Retrieved on 19 Apr 2010