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Learn how to view and modify field values and set breakpoints in the Integrated i5/OS Debugger.

don_yantzi.jpgnazmin_haji.jpgBy Don Yantzi and Nazmin Haji

Editor's Note: This article is an excerpt from the new MC Press book The Remote System Explorer: Modern Developer Tools for the System i.

 

Viewing and Modifying Field Values

One of the most important features of any debugger is the ability to examine the values of fields in the running program.

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Zoho adds powerful features to Zoho Creator 3.0 and introduces a new Marketplace to buy and sell the resulting Web applications.

chris_smith.jpgBy Chris Smith

There are times when you need a small application in a hurry, and you don't feel like spending a few hundred--or a few thousand--dollars to acquire it. Sometimes just the time involved shopping for the right solution can make you decide it's easier to create it yourself. At least that way, you know you're going to get what you need, not something that's "close" but actually someone else's idea of what they thought you should need.

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Best Practice = Best Skills + Best Processes + Best Solutions + Best Resources + Continuous Improvement

joan_mckittrick.jpgBy Joan McKittrick

You have just been hired at an IBM i shop. You are the new kid on the block, and they have assigned you the project of searching for a particular tool that fits in the application development realm. I am not going to be specific here; the application could be change management, help desk, security, cross reference, or any other of at least 20 different categories. The big question is where to start.

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It's time for us dinosaurs to get out of the tar pits. RDi is here to stay.

joe_pluta.jpgBy Joe Pluta

We've heard lots of reasons not to use the GUI tools IBM has (not so) gently nudged us toward: WebSphere Development Studio Client for System i (WDSC) was way too much tool for RPG developers. It was too big, too slow, too cumbersome, too limited. Even if those were valid reasons, they have been alleviated bit by bit with each release, culminating in the final breakup of the tool into various offerings, including Rational Developer for i (RDi).

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Microsoft's latest .Net features are examined in an interview with Dan Waterbly, an accomplished .Net developer with the Washington State Digital Archives.

By Chris Peters

Dan Waterbly is a .Net applications developer for the Washington State Digital Archives, the first state agency built specifically for storing and accessing digital public records. The Digital Archive is a "100% Microsoft" shop where the most current .Net features are explored in a data-centric production environment. In this interview, I ask Dan about the nature of the latest development tools from Microsoft and his experiences using them in practice.

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Four great add-ons/extensions extend Firefox functionality and save you a lot of time.

by Jan Jorgensen

I know, I know. I promised to give you Part II of the frame-crossing TechTip, but time has been short, and I haven't finished it yet. But I will do it soon. Meanwhile, I'll present you with four add-ons for Firefox.

 

First of all, I am not religious about either IE or Firefox. I use both browsers, and I am not saying that IE sucks and that Firefox is the one and only, but I am saying that if you develop Web applications, Firefox is in my opinion better that IE. And if you include a few add-ons, it just becomes superior. And Firefox is open source, so you can just download and install it, and you're ready to go.

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Remember using REXX for SEU exit points? If so, Eclipse Monkey is your new best friend.

By Joe Pluta

I so had to avoid saying something like "Bananas for Eclipse" in the title, but I restrained myself.

Time to Get Back to the Technical Details

With all that has transpired in the community over the past year, we've spent a whole lot of time recently concentrating on some non-technical or at best tangentially technical topics. The whole V6R1 AD repackaging scheme, while crucial to the financial planning of your company, has less to do with development than with paying for it. And while I've gotten some great comments on those articles, I've also been hearing a pretty regular refrain that I ought to be covering more technical topics.

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One of the first and best of the System i plug-ins for WDSC, this extension provides some basic features missing from Remote Systems Explorer.

By Joe Pluta

The Remote System Explorer (RSE) extensions from Softlanding include a number of nicely written tools that fit very well into the RSE feel. As we'll see, that has its pros and cons. But the plug-in works as intended, and it's perhaps one of the best examples of a well-written, professional plug-in.

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