September 11, 2020
September 11, 2020 | Volume 14 Issue 51
- LEAD ARTICLE: TechTip: Entering Quotes in CL Variables — A Better Way?
- FEATURED ARTICLE: How Can I Tell Whether All the Connections to My IBM i Are Secure?
- FEATURED ARTICLE: 9 Helpful Functions for Working with Variables in CL on IBM i
- NEWS HIGHLIGHT: IBM Study: Consumers' COVID-19 outlook, optimism and preferences vary greatly across generations and geographies
- WEBCAST: Node Webinar Series Pt. 1: The World of Node.js on IBM i
- MC VIDEO SHOWCASE: Design an Invoice in 10 Minutes
- EVENT: VIRTUAL POWERUp 2020 Rescheduled for September 14 - 18, 2020

TechTip: Entering Quotes in CL Variables — A Better Way?
Is there a foolproof way to enter single quotes (') in a Control Language (CL) program variable without having to double them?
By Sam Lennon
Nearly everyone knows that to embed a quotation mark in a CL variable you have to double it. To putNAME='SMITH'in a variable, you have to enter'NAME=''SMITH'''. Enter an uneven number of quote marks and the CL prompter will attempt, and nearly always fail, to fix if for you, which can make entering code challenging and sometimes frustrating. What if we could use a double quote ("), and then easily replace each with a single quote programmatically?

How Can I Tell Whether All the Connections to My IBM i Are Secure?
While it’s easy enough to know whether my own connection to IBM i is secure—that is, encrypted—how can I tell whether all connections are encrypted?
By Carol Woodbury
Some organizations have a requirement that all connections to their IBM i be encrypted. I applaud those organizations and encourage everyone to adopt this practice. Most organizations encrypt outbound connections, but not everyone encrypts internal traffic. Encrypting all communication (including internal) ensures that no passwords or data are flowing anywhere in cleartext.
What to Do When Your AS/400 Talent Retires
IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small.
This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business?
This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn:
- Why IBM i skills depletion is a top concern
- How leading organizations are coping
- Where automation will make the biggest impact
Enjoy!
Download your copy today!
2019 State of IBM i Modernization
The annual Profound Logic ‘State of IBM i Modernization Survey” takes a look at the trends and attitudes that shape the IBM i modernization market. We reached out to the IBM i community, and the response was outstanding: close to 800 people, nearly 300 more than last year, took the survey. This enthusiasm resulted in very interesting findings for how businesses plan to use and modernize the platform in the coming year.
As you read through each section of the survey, you will see our summary of the results and suggestions for the future. We hope the survey will help your business better understand what is possible for your IBM i platform in the coming year.
Node Webinar Series Pt. 1: The World of Node.js on IBM i
Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.
Part 1 will teach you what Node.js is, why it's a great option for IBM i shops, and how to take advantage of the ecosystem surrounding Node.
In addition to background information, our Director of Product Development Scott Klement will demonstrate applications that take advantage of the Node Package Manager (npm).
watch now!
What Most IBM i Shops Get Wrong About the IFS
Can you trust all of your users all of the time?
A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six month later.
A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:
- How phishing attacks are becoming more sophisticated
- Three little-known ways malicious programs can reach your IFS
- Why the IFS is IBM i’s “Typhoid Mary”
You’ll also learn why some of the most common malware solutions still leave IBM i systems vulnerable—and what you can do to protect your organization.
Easiest Way to Save Money? Stop Printing IBM i Reports
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9 Helpful Functions for Working with Variables in CL on IBM i
Ted Holt explains how to use the trim, type-conversion, and case-conversion functions in your IBM i CL programs
by Ted Holt.
Editor's note: This article is excerpted from chapter 4 of Complete CL: Sixth Edition.
This article explains some of the various manipulations you can perform in CL to combine two or more constant or variable values: specifically, the trim, type-conversion, and case-conversion functions.