Remote Systems LPEX Editor

The Remote Systems LPEX Editor is based on the base LPEX Editor, and contains System i® specific functions.

You can quickly launch the Remote Systems LPEX Editor in edit mode from the Remote Systems view, System i Table view, and Remote Search view by double-clicking a member. You can also launch the editor by using the pop-up menu on a member to open it in edit mode, or in browse mode.

The first thing you will notice when you open the editor is the use of color in the source. This is called tokenization, and is the coloring of language tokens to make them easy to distinguish.

Note that the prefix area contains the sequence numbers of the member. The prefix area in Remote Systems LPEX Editor supports SEU commands (for example, CC, B, A, LL).

Also note that for many source types, an Outline view appears. The Outline view displays the outline of your source and can be used to navigate within your source.

Syntax checking, prompting, and help

The Remote Systems LPEX Editor has automatic syntax checking. are immediately visible. All of the syntax errors are embedded into the editor view and there is no need to move to the bottom of the screen to scroll through errors. The Remote Systems LPEX Editor uses the latest language syntax to check syntax for DDS, RPG and COBOL. An active connection is required for syntax checking SQL and CL. CL does cache syntax information, so syntax checking may be available when disconnected if cached information exists.

Help (F1 in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor) is not just available for errors, but for source too. Pressing F1 for context-sensitive help opens the reference manual at the topic for the code you are editing. For example, when you press F1 on an ILE RPG operation code, the help for that operation code opens in the help browser. Reference manuals are also accessible through the Source menu in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor. This reduces the requirement for printed manuals.

F4 allows you to prompt when editing in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor. For languages other than CL, the Prompt view opens and allows you to modify your source. For CL, a window opens with your prompt. F1 context-sensitive help is available from all prompts.

For more information, see the topic Editing RPG, COBOL, CL, C, C++, and DDS members in the online help in the client product. See also Editing source in the tutorials.

Verifiers and System i Error List view

Syntax checking ensures that there are no errors on the line that you type, but the Remote Systems LPEX Editor provides an additional check, called the Verifier. A verifier does the same syntax checking and semantic checking that the compiler does, without generating an object. This means that if you try to use an undeclared variable, the verifier will let you know.

The verifier function is available for COBOL, RPG and DDS from the Source menu, or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+V. Use the Source menu to verify with prompt and specify additional options.

Any errors detected by a verify will appear in the System i Error List view, exactly as those from a compile.

The System i Error List view allows you to insert the errors into the editor view by double-clicking. Use the F1 key to get help for errors, and use the View menu to filter errors that you don't want to see (for example, perhaps you want to ignore informational messages). The menu can also be used to dictate whether or not, and how, error messages are inserted into the editor view.

To cleanup any inserted errors, from the editor you can use Ctrl+F5 to refresh the list. The refresh action:

• Removes any syntax, verifier, or compile errors
• Clears any excluded lines

Or you can use the Remove messages menu option from the Source menu.

The System i Error List view can also be used as a To Do list. As you modify lines, they are either marked with an X to indicate that the line has been deleted, or with a check mark, to indicate that an error has been addressed. Only another verify will ensure that the errors have truly been fixed.

Using the verifier has the following advantages:

• You can ensure a clean compile before actually compiling. This can be important for machines where compiling must only occur on off-peak times.
• If you are working offline, you can ensure that you are working with source that will compile when you reconnect to your System i.

The System i Error List view (whether being used for compile results or verify) has several advantages as well:

• There is no need to switch between a spooled file and the source, or have two emulators open, as both are visible simultaneously, and you can have all the errors inserted into the source.
• When used as a To Do list, it is easy to ensure that all errors are addressed. There is no need to fix an error, recompile, fix another, and so on, until all errors are addressed.
• When an error occurs in a /COPY or a /INCLUDE member in RPG, or a Copy book in COBOL, double-clicking the error opens that member quickly for you and inserts the errors, as with the primary source member.
• F1 help for errors helps you fix the error quickly without using a reference manual.
• Using the preferences you can hide any messages you don't want to look at (such as informational or warning messages), making it easier to ensure that you address important errors quickly.
• For more information, see the topic Verifying and the topic The Error List view in the online help in the client product. See also Verify the source in the tutorials.

Content assist, templates, and RPG wizards

The Remote Systems LPEX Editor has several functions which help you quickly enter code.

Content assist (Ctrl+Space) will propose, display, and insert code completions at the cursor position. Based on the previously typed characters, or in the case of RPG, column position as well, invoking content assist presents you with possible valid completions to the code you have already entered. For example, this can be useful when you are unsure of the number of parameters required when calling a procedure, or even the parameter types.

For more information, see the topic Content assist in the online help in the client product.

Templates can be used to generate frequently used blocks of code. They can be imported and exported, which means they can be shared. For example, if you have a standard header that must be added to each program, or a standard interface, you can define a template, and insert it by typing its name and then Ctrl+Space.

For more information, see the topic Completing code with content assist and the topic Templates in the online help in the client product. See also Verifying the source in the tutorials.

There are three RPG wizards that can help you create code quickly:

• D Specification wizard
• Procedure wizard
• Java™ Method Call wizard

Code will be generated for you.

For more information, see the topic Creating an RPG Definition Specification in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor in the online help in the client product.

Additional Remote Systems LPEX Editor parser action and preferences

Additional preferences and actions are available for the System i languages:

• Column Sensitive Editing: This function is useful for column-sensitive languages like RPG and DDS. Normally in a windows application, inserting and deleting text pushes the remaining text left or right, and for these languages results in a syntax error. Enabling column sensitive editing limits insertion and deletion to the columns specified for the language.
• Signatures: Available for RPG and DDS, enabling this feature automatically flags each line with the specified signature. Note that modified lines in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor have the date changed as in SEU, regardless of member type.
• Automatic-uppercasing: Uppercases modified lines. Available for CL, DDS, RPG, COBOL members
• Automatic-indent: Indents the cursor when enter is pressed on the following line to help pretty-print your source. Available for CL, RPGLE.
• Automatic-formatting: Formats your source as you enter it, according to specified preferences. Available for CL and free-form SQLRPGLE.
• Open/Browse /COPY member or Copy book: For RPG and COBOL languages, you can open or browse members referred in the source through the pop-up in the Editor menu.
• Show block nesting: Using Ctrl+Shift+O, or from the Source menu in the pop-up menu, you can display an arrow indicating the nesting level at the cursor location.
  

• Show fields: When a file is referenced in a program, you can use this menu option from the pop-up menu to show the fields in the file in the System i Table view. Available in RPG, COBOL, and CL.
• RPG actions:
  • Convert to free form (RPGLE)
  • Convert to ILE (RPG)
  • Show indentation (RPG, RPGLE)

Content assist, templates, and RPG wizards, are designed to speed up and improve your editing experience.

Additional LPEX keys

In the Remote Systems LPEX Editor, most functions are available through menus and keystrokes. Here is a list of additional keys you might find useful in LPEX:

Printing

Like most Windows applications, printing can be done through the File > Print menu option or by pressing Ctrl+P. This can be done while editing. Printing also tokenizes the printed source, as long as you select the Tokenized checkbox. Printing in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor prints to your Windows printer, not the System i printer. Print options are available in Window >Preferences > LPEX Editor > Print.

The following substitution variables are available for use in the header and footer:

• %p: page number
• %n: source name, base file name, or document name
• %f: full path file name or document name
• %d: date
• %t: time

Find and replace in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor

In the Remote Systems LPEX Editor you can use Ctrl+F to open the Find function in LPEX. The search function is very flexible. You can specify regular expressions that allow you to search for a pattern. For example, if you specify this|that as the search string with the Regular expression check box selected, then the editor searches for lines with this or that on them. You can use Ctrl+N or Shift+F4 to find the next match.

For more information, see the topic Finding and replacing text in the online help in the client product. See also Finding and replacing text in the tutorials.

Compare a file in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor

Comparing members in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor requires you to open a member in the editor. Once open, you can easily compare that member to another by selecting the Compare button in the toolbar or through the Edit > Compare > Compare file menu option.

Once the compare has been triggered, source appears merged with different lines flagged in color. Pink is the color used for the source being compared to, and yellow is the color for the opened source.

Unlike on the System i , where you have to flip between the spooled file and the source opened in SEU, comparing in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor allows you to continue to modify the member that was opened originally. Use Ctrl+Shift+N to navigate to the next mismatch and Ctrl+Shift+P for the previous mismatch. If you do modify source, you can use Ctrl+Shift+R to refresh the compare and finally Edit > Compare >Clear to end.

Compile from the Remote Systems LPEX Editor

When you have source open in the Remote Systems LPEX Editor, it's not convenient to go to the Remote Systems view or System i Table view to issue a compile. Instead you can use one of the following:

• Toolbar button (uses the last used compile command for the member type to compile without prompt)
• Ctrl+Shift+C (uses the last used compile command for the member type to compile without prompt)
• Compile menu (where you can choose to compile with and without prompts, and select whichever compile command you want for the item). If you have not saved prior to compiling, you are prompted to do so.

For more information, see the topic Compiling in the online help in the client product. See also Compiling source remotely in the tutorials.

Comparing the Remote Systems LPEX Editor to SEU

The following table compares the features of the Remote Systems LPEX Editor described in this topic to equivalent or similar features in SEU.