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Status Not under consideration
Workspace IBM i
Created by Guest
Created on Feb 12, 2021

Enhance QMHRTVM with Message_ID

QMHRTVM is used to return the 1st and 2nd level message text for a specific MSGID from a *MSGF. However, API formats RTVM0300 and RTVM0400 are the only formats that return the actual MSGID of the message being retrieved. Formats 100 and 200 do not.
Add 2 new API return formats, perhaps RTVM0150 and RTVM0250 that are the same as their 100/200 version except these new formats would include the Message_ID, as follows:

typedef _Packed struct Qmh_Rtvm_RTVM0150
{
int Bytes_Return;
int Bytes_Available;
char Message_ID[7];
char Reserved[1];
int Length_Message_Returned;
int Length_Message_Available;
int Length_Help_Returned;
int Length_Help_Available;
/*char Message[];*/ /* Varying length */
/*char Message_Help[];*/ /* Varying length */
} Qmh_Rtvm_RTVM0150_t;

typedef _Packed struct Qmh_Rtvm_RTVM0250
{
int Bytes_Return;
int Bytes_Available;
char Message_ID[7];
char Reserved2[1];
int Message_Severity;
int Alert_Index;
char Alert_Option[9];
char Log_Indicator[1];
char Reserved[2];
int Length_Reply_Returned;
int Length_Reply_Available;
int Length_Message_Returned;
int Length_Message_Available;
int Length_Help_Returned;
int Length_Help_Available;
/*char Default_Reply[];*/ /* Varying length */
/*char Message[];*/ /* Varying length */
/*char Message_Help[];*/ /* Varying length */
} Qmh_Rtvm_RTVM0250_t;


Use Case:

The QMHRTVM API supports a "Format Control" parameter that allows users to specify *FIRST, *NEXT or *MSGID as the message whose info is returned. However, when format 100 or 200 is used, the message ID of the actual message whose info is returned is not itself returned.
This means that when a user of this API wants only the first/second level msg text or perhaps the Severity, they MUST use format 0300 or 0400 which are must larger and more complex and return info that isn't needed in this context.


Idea priority Medium
  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Mar 29, 2021

    As for using the SQL VIEW... messages file and message ID access is supposed to be extremely fast... reading the 30th message in a message file with a view that builds across all 20,000+ messages in the file first, and then omits the 19999 you don't want isn't efficient.
    The view can be used for certain global things, but not for message ID retrieval.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Mar 25, 2021

    The reason it IS needed is because of the "Retrieve Option" parameter.
    If I specify *NEXT, or *FIRST, and use format RTVM0100 or RTVM0200 I do NOT know what message information has been returned.

    Optional Parameter Group

    Retrieve option
    INPUT; CHAR(10)

    If this parameter is not used, it is defaulted to *MSGID. The following options are allowed:
    *MSGID Retrieve the message description specified by the message ID parameter. This is the default value of this parameter.
    *NEXT Retrieve the next message description in the message file that is after the message description specified on the message ID parameter.
    *FIRST Retrieve the first message description of the message file. Note that if *FIRST is specified for this parameter, the message ID parameter is ignored.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |
    Mar 12, 2021

    The MESSAGE_FILE_DATA view will let you pick and choose which fields you want returned from the message file more easily than the APIs.
    https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/ssw_ibm_i_74/rzajq/rzajqviewmessagefiledata.htm

    It's unlikely that we would add an additional format to the API just to add a field that is already available on another format, without a good reason, such as performance. While usability of the API is a valid reason, it's not likely to make the cut when we have to prioritize this request against other requests for enablement of features or function that does not already exist on any API or SQL service.