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Status Not under consideration
Workspace IBM i
Categories Languages - RPG
Created by Guest
Created on Nov 19, 2020

RELATED IDEAS

Enhancements to RPG should be reflected in a target release number that we can compile to.

You are publishing more and more enhancements to the RPG language which I find good. But this also gives us problems because the runtime environments are not backwards compatible. When new releases are published we normally install it on our test server to be sure that everything is OK before it is installed on the production system. We then compile to the target release that the production system uses. But this strategy is no longer available because you can't compile to the version that is installed on the production system.
This strategy actually caused that we once found a serious error in the database system - an error that went all the way to Rochester.
So we need to be able to compile to previous releases of RPG represented by the modification number. Ie *V7R3M0, *V7R3M1, *V7R3M2, *V7R3M3, ….


Use Case:

If the current level on the RPG runtime environment at the production system is at level *V7R3M3 and on the test system is at *V7R3M9 then it should be possible to compile the program to target release *V7R3M3.


Idea priority High
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Mar 10, 2021

    IBM does not intend to provide a solution to this request at this time, so it is being closed.

    It is not feasible for the compiler to have additional target releases.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Feb 15, 2021

    The CEAC has reviewed this requirement and recommends that IBM view this as a HIGH priority requirement that is important to address.

    To know what enhancement level we are compiling to we need to know what features are available at compile time.

    Background: The COMMON Europe Advisory Council (CEAC) members have a broad range of experience in working with small and medium-sized IBM i customers. CEAC has a crucial role in working with IBM i development to help assess the value and impact of individual RFEs on the broader IBM i community and has therefore reviewed your RFE.

    To find out how CEAC help to shape the future of IBM i, see CEAC @ ibm.biz/BdYSYj and the article "The Five Hottest IBM i RFEs Of The Quarter" at ibm.biz/BdYSZT

    Therese Eaton – CEAC Program Manager, IBM

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Dec 30, 2020

    Not necessarily Technology Refresh numbers. They are independent from the many updates of the RPG compilers.
    I actually don't care what number system they will be using.
    All I want is a way to be sure that my program can run on the production system
    after it is tested on the PreProduction system.

    Today the only thing we have is for example CRTBNDRPG TGTRLS(V7R3M0)
    but this gives us absolutely no guarantee that the program can run on
    the production system. If the runtime PTFs are not updated to the same
    level as the development and PreProduction system then there is a
    risk that the program will crash.

    I have experienced this the hard way.
    Some PTFs were applied on the development and PreProduction system
    and accidentally also the RPG compile time and runtime PTFs.
    Then the program was put in production and crashed after some time
    because there were differences in the runtime modules.
    A quick fix was to compile it to V7R2M0.
    This was compatible with the runtime modules that on the production
    system that were on V7R3M0.

    I want to specify that my program should be compiled to a level where
    it can run on the current level the production system is running.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Dec 29, 2020

    Are you referring to Technology Refresh numbers?
    Where v7.4 TR3 is V7R4M3 in your request?

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Nov 20, 2020

    The modification levels are just examples.

    But we need some way to know what enhancement level we are compiling to.
    As it is now there is absolutely no way to control it.
    The only way is when the program crashes very early in the morning when it is dark and raining. :-)

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Nov 20, 2020

    Where do you get these modification levels like V7R3M9 ?

    To my knowledge the compiler is listed as 5770WDS and has no modification level.

    I guess you're rereferring to the TR level which is not exclusively linked to RPG.

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