The Modern RPG IV Language

Cozzi on everything RPG! What more could you want? In this fourth edition of The Modern RPG IV Language, internationally recognized RPG expert Bob Cozzi takes his classic best seller to a whole new level. At close to 700 pages, this edition covers all of the new functions and facilities available in V5R4 RPG IV while keeping the straightforward, no-nonsense style that has kept this book on the best-seller list for almost 20 years. This new edition is guaranteed to keep Bob Cozzi as the leading expert on RPG, and his book the one turned to by countless developers worldwide.

This new edition of The Modern RPG IV Language is packed with new information including new, never-before published information on coding free-format RPG IV. Chapter 12 delves into free-format in detail as he discusses MOVE alternatives, date and time conversions, data structures, and more. And to give you even more exposure to free-format, he has converted many of the examples throughout the book to free-format code. Add to that XML, CGI, and subprocedure information, and you have a book that no "modern" RPG programmer can be without. Even with all the new material, the basic concept of the book remains the same. As with previous editions, The Modern RPG IV Language, 4th Edition takes you through RPG IV, from its foundation to its most advanced techniques. At the core of this book are its chapters on built-in functions and op codes. In these chapters, Cozzi details each built-in function and op code with syntax tables that give you all the information you need at a glance plus examples to help you as you code. This is much more than just a book on rules, however. Bob includes more than 400 charts and tables to show how those rules apply and provides more than 500 real-life code examples of functions and operations. You’ll turn to this book again and again as you program in RPG IV. It is the quintessential reference for every RPG programmer.

What's New in This Edition?

> Free-format syntax, including an entire chapter focused on this highly popular subject > Free-format examples throughout the book > Expanded information on subprocedures XML support, including new BIFs and op codes > Web programming with RPG, including CGI APIs and URL encoding
> Updated and revised content throughout the book to cover i5/OS V5R4

Within the pages of this book, you will find:

• The basics of RPG IV, including data types, indicators, constants, and directives • Detail on all of the specification types • A complete discussion of expressions and how they should be used • Every built-in function • Every op code • Options for organizing your program with source files, modules, and storage • A discussion on modern operation code optimization • An explanation of structured programming and how to apply it effectively in RPG • Instructions on how to code inter-module communications • Everything you need to know about procedures • An entire chapter on the alternate syntax options now available—most notably Free-Format