RPG is a time tested development language. Open Access for RPG is supported by IBM and IBM i as an integral component to expanding business value and success. looksoftware and RPG Pioneer Pascal Polverini amongst other platform experts have developed Open Display File Technology to power your mobile and application modernization efforts on IBM i. Explore DOM control, layout and attributes for GUI in this episode.

1. The RPG Dude
and Open Display Files
2
GUI Properties Control
(DOM Control)
Pascal Polverini
Take a seat while the meeting starts…

2. RPG preamble
To design an interactive program you have to create
a display and then create a RPG pgm to reference it 1
You can use SDA, RDp or a third party tool to design
the display
You can use PDM or RDp to code the RPG
2
3

3. RPG preamble
To design the display:
• You can design a display within a 5250 environment
Or
• You can design a rich open display (mobile, browser,
desktop)
In 5250 environment, the design possibilities are limited
and a DDS format is directly produced for the display
description.
In open environment, the design possibilities are wider as
open formats can be used for the display description to
incorporate rich UI elements and capacities.

4. RPG preamble
Display layout/attributes control
5250
DSPF
DDS
RPG
indicators
Open
DSPF
DOM
?

5. RPG preamble
Display layout/attributes control
Open
DSPF
DOM
?
The control of the DOM could
be:
• Local (in JavaScript for
browser)?
• Central (in RPG)?
• Monitored with another
field, visible or hidden?
• Monitored with indicators?

6. RPG preamble
Display layout/attributes control
The control of the DOM could
be:
• Local (in JavaScript for
browser)
• Central (in RPG)
• Monitored with another
field, visible or hidden
• Monitored with indicators
Bad because business
logic will be split in
different locations,
central and local: hard
to maintain.
Bad because indicators
are limited in meaning
and numbers.

7. RPG preamble
Display layout/attributes control
The control of the DOM could
be:
• Local (in JavaScript for
browser)
• Central (in RPG)
• Monitored with another
field, visible or hidden
• Monitored with indicators
Ideally what we want is
the possibility to control
the all DOM directly in
RPG with simple fields.
Like “This RPG field controls
the address of an image” or
this other controls the
visibility or focus of a tab or
the content of a combo-list!

8. Now, let’s talk about
The RPG Dude
-
and particularly about
His Open display file perspective

9. The RPG Dude
You remember him…
Still the same with so
many applications to
maintain and to develop…

10. The RPG Dude
Here is his boss, who
loves GUI properties
control, but loves even
more, Market
properties control!

11. The RPG Dude
And before going to
show you the
customer…
I will present you…

12. The RPG Dude
The GUI Dude!
Who is hidden here,
but he’s got the power
to it make rain or shine
for your UI app!
Lets call him the
“Hidden GUI Dude”

13. The RPG Dude
Then, our RPG Dude has to
control the all DOM
(Any display fields or
control layout/properties)…
With simple fields in RPG!
?

14. The RPG Dude
And this, without him
having to do weird
things…
Or to mutate himself

15. The RPG Dude
Or to charm anyone…
“Venus Vedi Vinci” ?
Nope…Venus and you don’t want to Vedi!

16. The RPG Dude
Does such a solution exist?
To use simple, native RPG
fields… to control any GUI
properties. Could it be the
almighty DOM ???

17. The RPG Dude
Well, we have our
Hidden GUI Dude!
The Dude who’s got
the power to make
rain or shine ?!!

18. The RPG Dude
And he had an idea!

19. The RPG Dude
And he had an idea!
Create mapping
between your RPG field
and the GUI property
you want to control.

20. The RPG Dude
For example:
My RPG field
prodImage
mapped to
myImg.Picture which
represents the Address
property of the image
myImg.

21. The RPG Dude
For example:
My RPG field
prodList
mapped to
myCombo.List which
represents the List
property of the combo-box
myCombo.

22. The RPG Dude
For example:
My RPG field
tabFocus
mapped to
myTab.ActivePageIndex
which represents the
index of which tabPage
has the focus.

23. The RPG Dude
For example:
A default value can optionally be indicated but
the point is that the RPG can control the
property dynamically and at every I/O.
And the RPG could also
read any property value!
Noooo really? Wow !!

24. The RPG Dude
In the next
episode,
we will talk about
DB reference !

25. The RPG Dude
It should be a series on TV now?
Didn’t they say they were going
to show us the customer?

26. Learn more about Open Display Files:
View a recent webinar on Open Display Files:
http://go.looksoftware.com/open-display-files-deep-dive-slideshare
Learn about our solution with Open Display Files:
http://go.looksoftware.com/version-101-info-page-slideshare
www.looksoftware.com