IBMi (AS400) fans only ' Modernizing RPG's indicator with INDARA (Indicator Area) keyword

-


#IBMiSample

INDARA (Indicator Area) keyword for ICF files

workstn indds
indicator data structure
INDARA is used to put the field option indicators and function(response) key indicators in a separate area of memory called indicator area.

By using this keyword, we can make indicator data structure in our program to give the customized name to indicators defined in the display file. Hence, it makes the program more readable and easy to understand.

Step 1. indicate INDARA keyword in your Display File



Step 2. indicate INDDS in your RPG workstation file declaration
dcl-f PKLTSFV workstn indds(Dspf) sfile(SFL1 : SF1NUM);


Step 3. declare the indicator area

       dcl-ds Dspf qualified ;

         Exit            ind pos(03) inz(*off);

         SflClr          ind pos(50) inz(*off);

         DspAtrRI        ind pos(61) inz(*off);

         DspClrRed       ind pos(62) inz(*off);

         SflEnd          ind pos(91) inz(*off);

       end-ds ;


   

Step 4. In the RPG source program replace all the indicator in the form *inNN or *inKK with the name defined in the indicator area,
for instance:
replace *in50 = *on with Dspf.SflClr = *on;
replace *in61 = *on with Dspf.DspAtrRI = *on;
replace *in03 = *on with Dspf.Exit = *on;
replace *inKC = *on with Dspf.Exit = *on;



Here's how to test and set indicators:

dcl-ds Dspf qualified ;                    
  Exit            ind pos(03) inz(*off)   ;
  SflClr          ind pos(50) inz(*off)   ;
  SflEnd          ind pos(91) inz(*off)   ;
end-ds ;                                   

dow Dspf.Exit = *off;
...
enddo;


Dspf.SflClr = *on;



That's it!





I appreciate all the comments made on this blog.













 

Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 2, 2022 at 3:36 PM

    As an aside - I RARELY code things as xxx = *on - I prefer the logical expression forms of xxx and NOT xxx. To me that is easier to read, and especially for developers that come from languages other than RPG it's easier to understand because it reads as a boolean. Indicators are unknown to developers of other programming languages, booleans are well known. I go so far as to define contants of "on", "off", "true" and "false" in a copybook in case I decide to use the explicit expression form. Cheers :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. santhoshNovember 25, 2022 at 1:00 PM

    how to use INDDS along with INFDS?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aldo SUCCIJanuary 18, 2023 at 5:34 PM

      Here's how to test and set indicators:

      dcl-ds Dspf qualified ;
      Exit ind pos(03) inz(*off) ;
      SflClr ind pos(50) inz(*off) ;
      SflEnd ind pos(91) inz(*off) ;
      end-ds ;

      dow Dspf.Exit = *off;
      ...
      enddo;


      Dspf.SflClr = *on;

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IBMi (AS400) fans only ‘ Memories (IBM Coding Forms)

-
Image
 IBM Coding Forms Oh mom! No, not my sweet, sweet natural mom, but IBM, the mother of us RPG programmers. The adventure with IBM began way back in 1992 when my friend said to me: "They need smart guys at a software house in Cesena!" And thanks to my dear friend, I ended up there, amidst the hills, good wine, Piadina Romagnola, and fresh pasta! It was December, and the company was an IBM partner. They asked me to take a course followed by an exam at IBM in Bologna. If I passed the test, they would hire me. Boom! Just 20 days later, there I was, at work! I started tinkering with the legendary IBM S/36 - today considered an informatics relic, but I swear, back then, it was a powerful machine! The first program I wrote, believe it or not, was on paper provided by the ancient scribes of IBM. Yes, I handwrote a program on paper. It felt more like a grandma's recipe than the result of my hard-earned studies! The "boss" said: "It looks decent, but load it onto the
Read more

IBMi (AS400) fans only ' SQLCODE values: Dear readers, unleash your suggestions!

-
Image
This RPG code uses a DOU loop to fetch data from a cursor named C1 until the SQLCODE is not equal to 0, indicating the end of the recordset. Inside the loop, it clears a data structure (RecordDsC1), fetches data into it, and then checks if the fetch was successful. If successful, it assigns values and writes to an output file. After the loop, it checks if the SQLCODE is not 100, indicating unexpected termination, and displays a warning message if needed. // Loop until SQLCODE is not equal to 0 dow sqlCode = 0 ;   // Clear the data structure RecordDsC1   clear RecordDsC1;   // Fetch data into RecordDsC1 using cursor C1   exec sql fetch C1 into :RecordDsC1;   // If fetch was successful (SQLCODE = 0)   if sqlcode = 0 ;     // Assign values and write to output     W1QUEU = rDsW1QUEU;     write W1SF1;   endif; enddo; // Check if SQLCODE is not 100 (indicating unexpected termination) if sqlCode <> 100;   // Build a warning message   wMsg='Warning: +    The selection has terminated
Read more