A Hands-on Training for Maximizing IBM's free RPG Web Development
Tools
About the Author | About
the Training Course | Getting Started
What you get | Appendix
What if developing a Web app in RPG was as easy as writing
a subfile program?
Actually, it's easier with IBM's free CGIDEV2 toolkit!
Why spend hours trying to decipher IBM APIs and days getting them
to work, when you can use Brad Stone's powerful new training to turbocharge
the process. Remember, it is guaranteed to work for you, even if you have
never developed a web program before! You'll save time and a ton of aggravation
when you tap into the power and functionality of the CGIDEV2 Toolkit.
It's a smart career move! Your users will stand up and applaud your new
web application development skills, and your company will keep a step ahead
of the competition by bringing a professional web presence to its customers.
Brad's step-by-step training puts the fun back into learning. Get your
copy today!
Dear AS/400 Colleague,
I have recently completed a training manual that will quickly teach
you everything you need to know to easily develop web applications using
IBM's free CGIDEV2 development tools with RPG. This 20-hour course walks
you through each step of the learning process and comes complete with a
CD containing all the example code.
CGIDEV2 is a powerful toolkit which is provided free of charge from IBM.
The toolkit was developed by Mel Rothman of the IBM eServer Custom Technology
Center (eCTC) and it allows RPG programmers to easily create web applications
with RPG. If you are familiar with CGIDEV2, you probably know that while
there is some information available, it isn't always the easiest to follow
or understand. In fact, it requires many hours of trial and error work
to figure it out. Because of this, I saw a need for an "all in one"
training manual that will take you from installing the CGIDEV2 toolkit
all the way to creating your own fully interactive e-Store application
- - and everything in between.
Clear and concise explanations!
My new training manual starts you off by explaining how to download,
install and configure the CGIDEV2 toolkit on your AS/400. It then takes
you through each of the subprocedures included in the toolkit. Each section
clearly explains how and when to use each subprocedure as well as any input
and output parameters that are required. To me, understanding what you
are doing is just as important as actually doing it. And these chapters
will really open your eyes to the fantastic power and functionality of
the CGIDEV2 toolkit.
The chapters that follow will show you how to use each of the subprocedures
in a real programming environment. Even if you're a beginner, the first
example will get you started quickly and easily with the "Hello World"
application. The training manual goes on to explain and give examples of
outputting dynamic content using CGIDEV2's trademark, the HTML template.
These templates allow you to create web pages with substitution variables.
Then, in your program you simply reference this template and replace the
substitution variables with the data you want displayed. This means that
you no longer have to code any HTML inside your RPG programs!
Also included are sections on how to use the debugging and messaging
facilities included with the CGIDEV2 toolkit. Anyone who has done web development
knows that debugging applications can be a tedious and time consuming chore.
But, I will show you how using the supercharged functionality of the CGIDEV2
toolkit can make debugging and message reporting a snap!
All the pieces come together!
There is an entire chapter devoted to showing you how all of the pieces
of the CGIDEV2 toolkit fit together by creating your own e-Store, complete
with shopping basket! This application will also show you how you can easily
create web "cookies" with your RPG web applications and use them
so that customers returning to your Web site do not have to sign in every
time, making their experience very pleasant (and your programming very
professional).
If you have read my best selling book, e-RPG: Building AS/400 Web Applications
with RPG, then you know how gung-ho I am on this subject. Anything that
will help RPG programmers get further ahead in their careers, as well as
have fun at the same time is something I am interested in! CGIDEV2 is the
next step in e-RPG programming. It makes development, maintenance and implementation
of web applications a cinch!
A complete training solution!
Everything you need to get started is included: a 250 page, step-by-step
manual with an accompanying CD which contains all the training source code
used in the manual and a customized index.html file with links to important
references and other products on the Web. There's even an Internet software
bundle that includes Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 6.2.1, Netscape
Communicator 4.78, Opera 6 for Windows and HotDog pro 6.5 HTML Editor.
You will also get two very valuable quick reference guides - one for the
most used data structures and another for all of the subprocedures that
come as a part of the CGIDEV2 toolkit. It's a complete hands-on training
package that will have you up to speed in short order. Guaranteed!
If you have been putting off developing web applications using RPG and
CGIDEV2 because you just couldn't find enought information to get started
on the subject, I urge you to check out my new training manual. You'll
be glad you did!
Sincerely,
Bradley V. Stone
About the Author
| About the Training Course | Getting
Started
What you get | Appendix
- Download, install and configure the CGIDEV2 toolkit
- Create dynamic web output with RPG programs
- Store dynamic output in the Integrated File System (IFS)
- Easliy read input from a web browser using an RPG program
- Use the built-in error handling, reporting and debugging features
included in CGIDEV2
- Write and read cookies in CGI applications using RPG
- Find resources, forums and discussion groups related to CGIDEV2
- Avoid hard-coding of HTML, JavaScript and Style Sheets in your CGI
applications
- Eliminate data replication to non-AS/400 machines used for serving
your AS/400 data
- Avoid programming with complicated CGI APIs
- Build fully functional interactive online applications
- Debug CGI applications easily with CGIDEV2's built in functionality
- Create your own e-Store with shopping cart
To get started you'll need:
- AS/400 (or iSeries) with RPG compiler and a minimum OS/400 release
level of V4R4 (will also work with V4R5, V5R1 and V5R2).
- Internet connection on your PC with a web browser able to connect
to the AS/400 via TCP/IP.
- Sufficient authority on AS/400 to restore software and compile programs.
This 20-hour training course comes with a 250 page, step-by-step manual
with an accompanying CD which contains all the training source code used
in the manual and a customized index.html file with links to important
references and other products on the Web. Also included on the CD is an
Internet software bundle that includes Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, Netscape
6.2.1, Netscape Communicator 4.78, Opera 6 for Windows and HotDog pro 6.5
HTML Editor.
You will also get two very valuable quick reference guides - one for
the most used data structures and another for all of the subprocedures
that come as part of the CGIDEV2 toolkit. It's a complete hands-on training
package that will have you up to speed in short order!
Maximize the power of IBM's Free Web Application Development Tools!
Chapter 1 - takes you step by step through downloading, installing,
configuring and testing the functionality of the CGIDEV2 toolkit on your
AS/400. Upon completion, you will be ready to start developing web applications
with ease!
Chapter 2 - starts you off by describing how the CGIDEV2 toolkit
will help you produce dynamic output using RPG. Each subprocedure contained
in the CGIDEV2 toolkit is examined and explained in plain English. This
includes the parameter lists as well as any information that may be returned
to the calling program from each easy to use subprocedure.
Chapter 3 - describes the functionality contained within the
CGIDEV2 toolkit used to read input from the web browser. Because reading
input is an important part of any web application, this chapter will break
down each subprocedure, its parameters and returned values, making this
sometimes tedious task very simple!
Chapter 4 - covers the data conversion functionality of the CGIDEV2
toolkit. These functions are explained in detail, with descriptions of
how and when they are used, even as part of the CGIDEV2 toolkit itself!
Functions such as converting character to numeric, converting hexadecimal
values to text, and vice versa are just a few of the subprocedures covered
here.
Chapter 5 - describes what tools are available to you through
the CGIDEV2 toolkit used for error reporting and debugging. CGIDEV2 contains
some pretty fascinating functionality making debugging very easy as well
as creating dynamic error messages for your web applications!
Chapter 6 - describes additional functions included in the CGIDEV2
toolkit not covered in the previous chapters. These functions fit into
a sort of "grab bag" and are covered in great detail. These functions
range from working with cookies in your RPG programs to functions allowing
you to create counters for your web page!
Chapter 7 - dives into examples that help you take advantage
of the simple functionality included in the CGIDEV2 toolkit. Starting with
the classic "Hello World" application, you will work through
the basics of HTML templates, producing dynamic output, and reading data
from a web page.
Chapter 8 - takes the examples even further, diving into more
involved applications. Working with templates, cookies, messaging, counters,
and debugging, you will see how all of the pieces of the CGIDEV2 toolkit
fit together to let you easily create functional web applications with
RPG.
Chapter 9 - includes a very easy to use and functional e-Store
application, including a shopping cart! This example will take you from
start to finish of a fully functional web application. Each section, and
each piece of of the CGIDEV2 toolkit that can be used is clearly explained,
showing the true power of RPG and CGIDEV2.
Appendix A - Included for quick reference in Appendix A is a list
of all of the available subprocedures that come as part of the CGIDEV2
toolkit. Each subprocedure is broken down into its most simple elements,
describing parameters used with each.
Appendix B - Appendix B includes definitions of the most used
data structures and /COPY members used when programming with the CGIDEV2
toolkit. Again, this is a quick reference to some of the most used but
least viewed pieces of CGIDEV2.
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e-RPG
Power Tools – Stone on CGIDEV2