Utilities

Easier Character Case Toggle in SEU

To switch between uppercase and lowercase entry in SEU easily, set up record/playback keys or PCS keyboard macros for the following definitions:

 UPPER = {F10}set caps on{enter}{F10} lower = {F10}SET CAPS OFF{enter}{F10} 

The braces are not literal characters but are meant to indicate the special keys.

- Douglas Handy

Access Unlike Member Type Prompts

The source member type may be temporarily changed during an SEU/400 session via F13. This allows CL command prompting from within RPG for QCMDEXC strings, or from within OCL36, for instance.

- Douglas Handy

SEU Find/Change Improvement

Here is an AS/400 tip that I have found very useful. When I am using SEU, I often like to have only what I am finding or changing on the screen. To do this:

1. At the first line of the program, enter line command "X9999" to exclude all lines of program. Note: "X99" or "X999" can be used depending on size of program.

2. Run F xxx ALL or C xxx xxx ALL.

3. The screen returns with only your finds or changes.

4. To return to the entire program, press F5 (Refresh).

- Don DeChamps

Quick SEU Find

I accidentally discovered an undocumented change in SEU. From the top line labeled "SEU==>" you don't need to put in the "F" or "FIND" before the search string when you are searching. Just put in the word you are searching for (in quotes if there is an imbedded blank) and press F16, and it searches just like I used to do on the S/38. At COMMON many S/38ers complained and IBM must have quietly capitulated (it is not in the help text). We are on V2R1M1 and I don't know if this was in prior releases.

- Blair Hamren

Ejecting to New Page in SEU

An undocumented feature of SEU that we have used since our S/38 days and which is still in AS/400 SEU allows you to skip to a new page when you print out a TXT member upon exiting SEU. This is handy if you use SEU like a word processor, which we sometimes do. If you place a "%" (percent sign) in column 1 of a line and then exit SEU and choose Print=Y on the exit screen, the line with the "%" will start on a new page and the "%" will not print. Note, however, that this does not work when you use STRSEU with PDM OPTION(6)-you must actually go into the member and print it from the exit screen.

- Blair Hamren

Undo Changes in SEU

Press the Clear key in SEU to undo any changes since the last Enter or function key. This tip is especially great for when you hit the Field Exit key accidentally.

- Greg Prior

Repeat Last Search Field in SEU

If you do a FIND or CHANGE command at the "SEU===>" line, then run another command, you can repeat the FIND or CHANGE by using * after the FIND command instead of retyping the search argument or pressing F9 multiple times.

- Greg Prior

Quick Cursor in SDA

When you are in the SDA Work Screen and have several fields, you can use F18 and F19 to move the cursor to the next or previous field in SDA. It sure beats using the arrow keys!

- Greg Prior

Change Field Usage in SDA

To change the usage of a field on the SDA work display, simply key the new usage character (I-Input, O-Output, B-Both) over the first position of an existing field and press Enter. It doesn't matter whether the existing field is alpha or numeric.

- Laura DeBoth

Use UPDDTA to Create Permanent DFU Programs

You can use the Update Data (UPDDTA) command to quickly generate DFU programs for files. You can bypass the start-up time involved with each use by saving and reusing the generated program:

1. Use the SETATNPGM command to set the Attention key program to QCMD.

2. Run UPDDTA for the file.

3. As soon as you get into DFU, press the ATTN key.

4. Display QTEMP library. There will be a program and display file with names beginning with a "Q" (like QDZTD00001). Do a CRTDUPOBJ for the file and the program, duplicating and renaming them into a library of your choice. The name of the program and the display file must be the same.

5. In the future, use the CHGDTA command, substituting the name of the program from step 4.

- Craig Pelkie

Typing Quotes in SDA

If you have ever tried to enter quotes, apostrophes or other special characters on to a display screen using SDA, you may have run into some problems. If you just type them in, SDA will interpret them as SDA commands and get confused. This led me to many frustrating moments until I discovered an easy way to solve this problem.

The trick is to enter the special character as a normal character initially, and then change it to what you want afterward. For example, to enter the line:

Enter the customer's number, then "M" to modify

...first type it in like this:

'Enter the customerxs number, then xMx to modify'

Press the Enter key, then go back and type over the x's like this:

Enter the customer's number, then "M" to modify

- Jon Vote