it has been very quiet in the last couple of month. But we have not abandoned
this project. No, it is quite the opposite. We are planning a complete rewrite
of the editor and we need your help for this. As this is an open source
project for the IBM i community we need to know what the IBM i community
needs. So please give us your feedback.
What was good in this last version of the RPG Next Gen Editor (0.5.5)?
What was not so good (or could have been better)?
What features did you miss most?
What was your most used feature?
Which feature did you never use? (f. e. user space viewer?! because you were
not using user spaces at all)
Are you using the stand alone editor or do you integrate it in an existing
Eclipse installation?
Give us your feedback so we can begin to plan RPG Next Gen Editor 2.0.
As I am counting myself to the IBM i community here is my feedback for myself
and the rest of the team:
Good:
easy installation
lightweight / low requirements
fast
no server side installation needed
Not so good:
There are some annoying things (like the need for "opening libraries/source
files twice" in the Remote Explorer view) but nothing which really is a show
stopper for me.
Features I missed most:
more/better content assist/auto complete
refactoring support
SVN/Git/Mercurial support
better handling of compile options
importing of source code from external sources (like a zip file)
Most used feature:
IFS Explorer / Editor
Editor version:
Most of the time I am using the stand alone editor.
This was my feedback. What is your feedback?
Thanx in advance
Mihael
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I would like to have the ability to do 1-click compiles: in other words, have
2 compile buttons on the toolbar, 1 that compiles the active source file using
the "general" compile profile, and 1 that prompts the "general" compile
profile for the active source member being edited. I don't like having a
compile profile for each member as it is now in NextGen. By the way, the
"general" profile should be customizable. Thanks.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
My biggest issue was with compiles. If I remember correctly it would sometimes
work for the first compile of one program, but when I went to compile the next
program it would remember certain aspects of the previous compile of the
initial program and that would cause the second compile of the second program
to fail or produce results I didn't expect.
What I would love is if we could create named compile commands like RDPi has.
For example, I have a compile command that has the destination library hard
coded in it (i.e. I store my source in one library and my compiled web
programs in another).
I had to switch back to RDPi for some time because the IFS stuff wasn't saving
back up to the server when I was using the Aptana editor for .js and .html
files. I will switch back to RNG for a few weeks to get back into the flow of
what I thought would be good to have changed.
Keep up the good work!
AaronBartell.com
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Here are some features that I would find value in:
1) Ability to re-order machines in list (i.e. I want to group them according
to how I use them). Right now I think it organizes them in the order they were
created.
2) I would like to right click on a library and select ShowOnly->Source Files.
I rarely need to access the compiled objects and am instead only interested in
traversing source files and their members. I know I can, and have, created a
filter that accomplishes this, but having it as a right click option would
make it more intuitive for RDPi to RNG converts.
3) Ability to right click on a library and add a new library without going to
properties (small and silly, I know, but I think it would make a difference).
4) More color coding of source (i.e. keywords, column 6 specs, sub proc calls,
parm separator - colon, data types on D-specs)
5) Doing Ctrl+mouseclick on a local sub procedure call takes you to that local
sub procedure definition.
6) Outline view contain D-spec declarations
7) Ctrl+Space bring up prototype list of all locally defined prototypes (or
even better, include prototypes of /COPY books)
AaronBartell.com
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
1) IFS filters so I can have short cuts to folders.
2) Ability to right click on an IFS file and select Open With to open it with
an another editor (i.e. Aptana XML/HTML/JS editor). I know I can change the
document defaults, but sometimes I switch back and forth between the various
types of editors I open files with.
AaronBartell.com
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
1) Ability to re-order machines in list (i.e. I want to group them according
to how I use them)1) Ability to re-order machines in list (i.e. I want to
group them according to how I use them)
These are two very different things, Grouping and Ordering.
Ordering by name should suffice!?
Is Grouping really necessary? Is this a feature you missed in the past
releases? Now is your chance to raise your voice to get this feature!
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Another feature which might get into the release plan:
"Starting the iSeries Debugger (shipped with JTOpen) from the editor."
Is this something you need, always wanted and missed on every session? Now is
your chance. Raise your voice. The more feedback we get the better we can plan
the releases.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Yes, allowing the re-ordering of the list would definitely suffice. When I
said grouping I should have expounded more. I only meant to have them appear
in the order I would like to see them.
"Starting the iSeries Debugger (shipped with JTOpen) from the editor."
I looked at how to do this awhile back and gave up after realizing the
documentation was lacking for the iSeries Debugger. Has anybody else had
better luck?
AaronBartell.com
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
I looked at how to do this awhile back and gave up after realizing the
documentation was lacking for the iSeries Debugger. Has anybody else had
better luck?
After decompiling some of the classes it is possible to call the debugger from
the editor. Though you might have to login for every debug session as there
was no AS400 object parameter on the calls (AFAIK).
Perhaps we could open up a feature request via the JTOpen project though I
think the debugger is not developed by the JTOpen team. AFAIK it is only
packaged with it.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Perhaps we could open up a feature request via the JTOpen project though I
think the debugger is not developed by the JTOpen team. AFAIK it is only
packaged with it.
I believe it is only packaged with it.
AaronBartell.com
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Sorry to be so late. To me, the most important thing I would like to see added
is the ability to have a filter so that I can work with a subset of my source
members. I find the complete list of objects in a library to be too large and
difficult to navigate when what I really want to do is to edit and compile a
source member.
Actually, I almost never edit a single member. There is usually a CL program,
a display file, an RPG service program, binder source, prototype source and
finally the calling RPG program. What I'd really like to do is create a filter
that has only those source members in it. Manually adding each member is no
problem. This way it is easy to keep track of all the parts that make up my
current project, and to move them from test to production as a unit.
I use 'Open include' (for /copy statements) quite a lot. Very nice.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Did you try to setup a filter/filterset in the current version of the editor?
You could do something like show me all members starting with "JSON" to get a
list of all members of the json project. If this ain't working for you now is
the chance to get a solution which works for you as we are planning the
rewrite.
Filtering with a regex would work for you?
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
The tickets for the "old" version of the editor (0.5.x) will not be fixed in
the old version. My goal is to get most of this stuff "fixed" in the new
version.
Bug 154: I don't know if it can be done with the Eclipse Framework as easily
as the problem sounds. Though I would take a look at it when working on the
editor part in the new version. ... and as you so eagerly want to contribute I
can also assign a ticket to you ;-)
I think the problem is that other editors take a FileEditorInput and also a
general DocumentProvider (which only saves to the local file). We have to make
it so that it still takes a FileEditorInput and works with our
DocumentProvider (which does the transfer to the server in the last step).
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
The third video shows how to setup a filter. It is recorded with an old
version of the editor but most stuff stayed the same. If you need help with it
just drop a mail.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
and as you so eagerly want to contribute I can also assign a ticket to you
;-)
I'll take it! Not saying I will be able to figure it out, but I should learn a
lot in the process. This is one of those that I would use on a regular basis
for RPG web development so I would have a lot of incentive to get it working.
AaronBartell.com
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Though it has a little bug (doesn't open a member when the library is not in
the displayed libraries in the remote explorer). But for me it still works
much better than the functionality in RDP as most of the time when I right-
clicked on a copy statement it didn't show me the "open ..." menu entry in
RDP. That was really frustrating.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Thanks Mihael, I did try to set up a filter but I could not determine the
proper way. The video is a huge help! I did not realise that the filters are a
hierarchy. I thought I only needed a single filter rule to locate all source
members named 'BUCK'. I am ashamed to admit that I thought filtering was still
under development, and I thought I would leave you to develop it without being
annoyed by me complaining about it.
To be clear about what I did: when I set up a filter that contains only one
rule (Member Starts with BUCK) the filter shows all objects in the library,
just as if there were no filter at all. If I add another filter rule to that
filter set (Object name Starts with Q) it works. I see all objects named Q*
and inside them I see members named BUCK.
I do note that using lower case for any of the name elements will cause the
match to fail. I will spend much more time with RPG Next Gen now that I know I
can use filters!
I am a very poor Java programmer; you would not want me in the code! However I
think I might be able to write some help text. I've started reading up on the
Eclipse Help System. Do you have a tool you use to assist you with editing
help text?
I hesitate to mention it, but I have two very deep wishes; wishes I am sure
are almost impossible to grant.
1) Scripting/macros. I can write REXX macros in Code/400. Eclipse used to have
Eclipse Monkey but that was a poor substitute - I needed to learn the
internals of everything, and IBM kept the editor internals secret, bah!
2) Red/Green testing with RPGUnit. It would be awesome to be able to actually
write code with an editor that's TDD-aware.
Many thanks for RPG Next Gen.
--buck
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Filter: You would have to setup a filter for every "level": library, object,
member. F.e.: I want only my JSON sources, no objects.
create a filter set
add the predefined filter rule "Sources only" to the filter set (you don't have to use the "Q" convention on source files as they might not start with "Q")
add a custom filter rule "members starting with JSON" to the filter set
Unit Testing: Did you try the latest version of the editor (0.5.5). There has
been a new view added: RPGUnit.
Though you need a customized version of RPGUnit. The one on the
Sourceforge.net (rpgunit.sf.net) site won't work as it only outputs the result
to a spooled file and/or display. This is not very handy for another frontend
like the editor. I customized the code of RPGUnit to output the result into a
userspace. Then the userspace is read from the editor. As I was not successful
in reaching the project admin of the RPGUnit project I forked the project
which became the ILEUnit project on Sourceforge.net (ileunit.sf.net). Better
integration in the editor was one goal. Better support for continuous
integration software was another. I successfully ran a Unit Test on the IBM i
from Hudson. If you are interested in the project then contact me.
The ILEUnit project is still at the beginning and not under active development
at the moment as there is no interest in the project (seems the IBM i
community knows neither TDD nor CI nor unit testing ... , just ranting again
=)
From the RSS feed on rpgnextgen.com:
RPG Next Gen Editor 0.5.5 released:
A new release is out. The main new feature of this release is
the new RPGUnit plugin. It lets you execute unit tests written
with RPGUnit from the editor. The result will be shown in an
extra view. For this to work you need to use the RPGUnit package
from the www.rpgnextgen.com (see download section).
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Hi community,
it has been very quiet in the last couple of month. But we have not abandoned
this project. No, it is quite the opposite. We are planning a complete rewrite
of the editor and we need your help for this. As this is an open source
project for the IBM i community we need to know what the IBM i community
needs. So please give us your feedback.
What was good in this last version of the RPG Next Gen Editor (0.5.5)?
What was not so good (or could have been better)?
What features did you miss most?
What was your most used feature?
Which feature did you never use? (f. e. user space viewer?! because you were
not using user spaces at all)
Are you using the stand alone editor or do you integrate it in an existing
Eclipse installation?
Give us your feedback so we can begin to plan RPG Next Gen Editor 2.0.
As I am counting myself to the IBM i community here is my feedback for myself
and the rest of the team:
Good:
Not so good:
There are some annoying things (like the need for "opening libraries/source
files twice" in the Remote Explorer view) but nothing which really is a show
stopper for me.
Features I missed most:
Most used feature:
Editor version:
Most of the time I am using the stand alone editor.
This was my feedback. What is your feedback?
Thanx in advance
Mihael
If you don't want to openly give your opinion/feedback then mail it to me. It
is important.
mihael <at> rpgnextgen <dot> com
Here are my suggestions:
a. named filters listed in Remote Explorer view
b. having multiple active filters as with WDSC/RDp
Thanks for listening.
Could you please elaborate a bit on this. What would you like to have/see
implemented?
One thing I needed were compile options for each OS release. Also the platform
defaults (which can be changed) were ignored which was not good.
I would like to have the ability to do 1-click compiles: in other words, have
2 compile buttons on the toolbar, 1 that compiles the active source file using
the "general" compile profile, and 1 that prompts the "general" compile
profile for the active source member being edited. I don't like having a
compile profile for each member as it is now in NextGen. By the way, the
"general" profile should be customizable. Thanks.
My biggest issue was with compiles. If I remember correctly it would sometimes
work for the first compile of one program, but when I went to compile the next
program it would remember certain aspects of the previous compile of the
initial program and that would cause the second compile of the second program
to fail or produce results I didn't expect.
What I would love is if we could create named compile commands like RDPi has.
For example, I have a compile command that has the destination library hard
coded in it (i.e. I store my source in one library and my compiled web
programs in another).
I had to switch back to RDPi for some time because the IFS stuff wasn't saving
back up to the server when I was using the Aptana editor for .js and .html
files. I will switch back to RNG for a few weeks to get back into the flow of
what I thought would be good to have changed.
Keep up the good work!
AaronBartell.com
Here are some features that I would find value in:
1) Ability to re-order machines in list (i.e. I want to group them according
to how I use them). Right now I think it organizes them in the order they were
created.
2) I would like to right click on a library and select ShowOnly->Source Files.
I rarely need to access the compiled objects and am instead only interested in
traversing source files and their members. I know I can, and have, created a
filter that accomplishes this, but having it as a right click option would
make it more intuitive for RDPi to RNG converts.
3) Ability to right click on a library and add a new library without going to
properties (small and silly, I know, but I think it would make a difference).
4) More color coding of source (i.e. keywords, column 6 specs, sub proc calls,
parm separator - colon, data types on D-specs)
5) Doing Ctrl+mouseclick on a local sub procedure call takes you to that local
sub procedure definition.
6) Outline view contain D-spec declarations
7) Ctrl+Space bring up prototype list of all locally defined prototypes (or
even better, include prototypes of /COPY books)
AaronBartell.com
Git integration would be awesome and, like others have mentioned, the compile
options (one click, customizable and 'named')
Here are some more ideas:
1) IFS filters so I can have short cuts to folders.
2) Ability to right click on an IFS file and select Open With to open it with
an another editor (i.e. Aptana XML/HTML/JS editor). I know I can change the
document defaults, but sometimes I switch back and forth between the various
types of editors I open files with.
AaronBartell.com
These are two very different things, Grouping and Ordering.
Ordering by name should suffice!?
Is Grouping really necessary? Is this a feature you missed in the past
releases? Now is your chance to raise your voice to get this feature!
Another feature which might get into the release plan:
"Starting the iSeries Debugger (shipped with JTOpen) from the editor."
Is this something you need, always wanted and missed on every session? Now is
your chance. Raise your voice. The more feedback we get the better we can plan
the releases.
Yes, allowing the re-ordering of the list would definitely suffice. When I
said grouping I should have expounded more. I only meant to have them appear
in the order I would like to see them.
I looked at how to do this awhile back and gave up after realizing the
documentation was lacking for the iSeries Debugger. Has anybody else had
better luck?
AaronBartell.com
After decompiling some of the classes it is possible to call the debugger from
the editor. Though you might have to login for every debug session as there
was no AS400 object parameter on the calls (AFAIK).
Perhaps we could open up a feature request via the JTOpen project though I
think the debugger is not developed by the JTOpen team. AFAIK it is only
packaged with it.
I believe it is only packaged with it.
AaronBartell.com
Sorry to be so late. To me, the most important thing I would like to see added
is the ability to have a filter so that I can work with a subset of my source
members. I find the complete list of objects in a library to be too large and
difficult to navigate when what I really want to do is to edit and compile a
source member.
Actually, I almost never edit a single member. There is usually a CL program,
a display file, an RPG service program, binder source, prototype source and
finally the calling RPG program. What I'd really like to do is create a filter
that has only those source members in it. Manually adding each member is no
problem. This way it is easy to keep track of all the parts that make up my
current project, and to move them from test to production as a unit.
I use 'Open include' (for /copy statements) quite a lot. Very nice.
Are existing bugs going to be fixed during the process of moving to the new
infrastructure?
For example, here is a thread where I had an issue: https://sourceforge.net/p
rojects/rpgnextgen/forums/forum/1002415/topic/3762290
And here is the flyspray tracking id: http://tickets.rpgnextgen.com/index.php
?do=details&task_id=154
AaronBartell.com
@starbuck5250
Did you try to setup a filter/filterset in the current version of the editor?
You could do something like show me all members starting with "JSON" to get a
list of all members of the json project. If this ain't working for you now is
the chance to get a solution which works for you as we are planning the
rewrite.
Filtering with a regex would work for you?
@aaron
The tickets for the "old" version of the editor (0.5.x) will not be fixed in
the old version. My goal is to get most of this stuff "fixed" in the new
version.
Bug 154: I don't know if it can be done with the Eclipse Framework as easily
as the problem sounds. Though I would take a look at it when working on the
editor part in the new version. ... and as you so eagerly want to contribute I
can also assign a ticket to you ;-)
I think the problem is that other editors take a FileEditorInput and also a
general DocumentProvider (which only saves to the local file). We have to make
it so that it still takes a FileEditorInput and works with our
DocumentProvider (which does the transfer to the server in the last step).
@starbuck5250
http://rpgnextgen.sourceforge.net/index.php?content=videos
The third video shows how to setup a filter. It is recorded with an old
version of the editor but most stuff stayed the same. If you need help with it
just drop a mail.
I'll take it! Not saying I will be able to figure it out, but I should learn a
lot in the process. This is one of those that I would use on a regular basis
for RPG web development so I would have a lot of incentive to get it working.
AaronBartell.com
@starbuck5250
Open Include: Yes. Like it too ;-)
Though it has a little bug (doesn't open a member when the library is not in
the displayed libraries in the remote explorer). But for me it still works
much better than the functionality in RDP as most of the time when I right-
clicked on a copy statement it didn't show me the "open ..." menu entry in
RDP. That was really frustrating.
@fist -17-
Thanks Mihael, I did try to set up a filter but I could not determine the
proper way. The video is a huge help! I did not realise that the filters are a
hierarchy. I thought I only needed a single filter rule to locate all source
members named 'BUCK'. I am ashamed to admit that I thought filtering was still
under development, and I thought I would leave you to develop it without being
annoyed by me complaining about it.
To be clear about what I did: when I set up a filter that contains only one
rule (Member Starts with BUCK) the filter shows all objects in the library,
just as if there were no filter at all. If I add another filter rule to that
filter set (Object name Starts with Q) it works. I see all objects named Q*
and inside them I see members named BUCK.
I do note that using lower case for any of the name elements will cause the
match to fail. I will spend much more time with RPG Next Gen now that I know I
can use filters!
I am a very poor Java programmer; you would not want me in the code! However I
think I might be able to write some help text. I've started reading up on the
Eclipse Help System. Do you have a tool you use to assist you with editing
help text?
I hesitate to mention it, but I have two very deep wishes; wishes I am sure
are almost impossible to grant.
1) Scripting/macros. I can write REXX macros in Code/400. Eclipse used to have
Eclipse Monkey but that was a poor substitute - I needed to learn the
internals of everything, and IBM kept the editor internals secret, bah!
2) Red/Green testing with RPGUnit. It would be awesome to be able to actually
write code with an editor that's TDD-aware.
Many thanks for RPG Next Gen.
--buck
Filter: You would have to setup a filter for every "level": library, object,
member. F.e.: I want only my JSON sources, no objects.
Unit Testing: Did you try the latest version of the editor (0.5.5). There has
been a new view added: RPGUnit.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/rpgnextgen/screenshots/287789
Though you need a customized version of RPGUnit. The one on the
Sourceforge.net (rpgunit.sf.net) site won't work as it only outputs the result
to a spooled file and/or display. This is not very handy for another frontend
like the editor. I customized the code of RPGUnit to output the result into a
userspace. Then the userspace is read from the editor. As I was not successful
in reaching the project admin of the RPGUnit project I forked the project
which became the ILEUnit project on Sourceforge.net (ileunit.sf.net). Better
integration in the editor was one goal. Better support for continuous
integration software was another. I successfully ran a Unit Test on the IBM i
from Hudson. If you are interested in the project then contact me.
The ILEUnit project is still at the beginning and not under active development
at the moment as there is no interest in the project (seems the IBM i
community knows neither TDD nor CI nor unit testing ... , just ranting again
=)
From the RSS feed on rpgnextgen.com:
A new release is out. The main new feature of this release is
the new RPGUnit plugin. It lets you execute unit tests written
with RPGUnit from the editor. The result will be shown in an
extra view. For this to work you need to use the RPGUnit package
from the www.rpgnextgen.com (see download section).
I will go look at the fork of RPGUnit - this is exciting stuff!!
@starbuck5250: ... and don't hesitate to post any ideas/wishes!!!
Macros: I don't know Code400 at all. So what kind of macros do you think
of/need?