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Status Not under consideration
Workspace IBM i
Categories Core OS
Created by Guest
Created on Jun 15, 2022

RELATED IDEAS

New and modern type of subfile

Many of us asked to improve the subfiles, but all requests failed. Probably because the part of the operating system that mange subfiles contain old code and it is hard to do any changes.

Suggestion: introduce a new type of subfiles, that will be much easier to program and maintain:

1. Column heading for the columns of the subfile that will be tied to the position of the columns. Moving the column automatically moves the column headings.

2. Ability to sort the subfile via function key and operation words, or search the subfile and position cursor where found (or show only matched criteria).

3. Interaction between the subfile and RPG program will be by standard keywords and functions, not indicators. Use %SFLCLR %SFLDSP, etc.

4. No need to do %SFLCLR when displaying the subfile the first time. In many cases the subfile is displayed only once in the program and a novice programmer does not understand why clear when there was not any SFLDSP before.

5. Ability to have more columns than what it fits on the screen and move right or left via function key or an RPG function.

6. Ability to have more than 10000 records in a subfile.

7. Ability to automatically print the subfile with its column headings, or create an OUTFILE - via function key or RPG operation or function.

Idea priority Medium
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Sep 7, 2022
    Thank you for taking the time to submit your Idea. After careful consideration, we know that we cannot deliver your requested enhancement soon, so it is being declined.
    IBM Power Systems Development
  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Aug 22, 2022

    Lifting the 10K limit is not for scrolling so many times, it may be used to put into the subfile a large amount of data and afterwards sort it or search.

    Lets say I would like to see all transactions of a customer sorted by amount in descending order, I dump all his transactions into the subfile, issue %SORTSFL(mysfl:AMOUNT-DESC) and display the subfile.

  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Aug 1, 2022

    Excellent ideas, especially the sorting part.... I always wonder why subfiles didn't come with builtin sorting, seems so natural for such (push based) data structure.

    I don't agree in pushing the 10K limit too much... it doesn't make any sense to a human to scroll 10K of information and it will lead to inefficient code (i.e. programmers dumping the whole database there just to use the builtin facilities.... maybe facilitate paging instead).


  • Guest
    Reply
    |     Jul 15, 2022
    Moving to under consideration for further review.

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