This illuminating textbook provides a strong foundation in the essentials of RPG/400 programming and addresses the needs of students and instructors in transition to RPG IV. As a teacher or student, you will welcome the "real-world" approach used throughout -- as will the eventual employers of those who complete a course based on this text. Dr. Yaeger designed the book to give students a thorough understanding of how to use RPG/400 efficiently in a variety of practical applications.
The book begins with an overview of programming for students new to the field. The fundamental concepts of business programming, as well as the development of the RPG language, are presented to ensure your understanding of how RPG evolved to the formats in use today. Everything you need is here to learn how to write a well-designed RPG program, from the most basic to the more complex. Among the topics treated are the principles of top-down design, including the use of subroutines; externally described files; interactive programming; tables, arrays, and advanced data definition, as well as byte- and bit-level operations; inter-program communications; a summary of RPG II with its fixed-logic cycle and use of indicators; and a preview of RPG IV.
Each chapter includes a section of questions, exercises, and programming assignments that reinforce the knowledge you have gained from the chapter and strengthen the groundwork for succeeding chapters. Three appendices cover essentials of AS/400 features needed for program development, SEU, and debugging programs. A fourth appendix contains data file definitions used in the book's programming assignments. The final appendix outlines how the concepts presented in each chapter are handled in RPG IV. An instructor's kit is available on diskette that includes complete data files and solutions for all programming assignments.
This textbook belongs on the required reading list for anyone learning RPG/400 -- and RPG IV -- for use in today's business world.
