Getting Started with Code for IBM i: A Lunch & Learn Video
On October 29, 2025, Alan teamed up with Susan Gantner and Jon Paris for an educational Lunch & Learn focused on two timely IBM i development topics: VS Code for i and RPG arrays.
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Entries by Amy Lantz
Alan Seiden Hosts IT Leadership Summit at POWERUp 2025
Join your IT executive peers and host Alan Seiden for the next IT Leadership Summit—an exclusive event focused on exploring ways to leverage your IBM i investment, improve user satisfaction, and achieve greater professional success. Organized with COMMON User Group in conjunction with POWERUp 2025, the Summit will take place May 19, 2025 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. Few seats remain, so contact Manzoor at COMMON soon if you would like to attend!
VS Code for IBM i: SELECT Statement [VIDEO]
In this episode of Getting Started with Code for i, Patrick Behr focuses on the power of the SELECT statement included in the Db2 for i extension. SELECT lets you quickly generate CSV or JSON files, or update your Db2 for i data, directly from Code for i. Just watch how easy it is!
VS Code for IBM i: Profiles [Video]
Returning with a new episode in his Getting Started with Code for i video series, IBM Champion Patrick Behr now focuses on how to set up profiles. Profiles let you define different library lists and filters based on what you’re working on. They give you one-click access between, for example, production and test environments, accounting and warehouse applications, or whatever you need to need to do next.
VS Code for IBM i: Filters [Video]
In Episode 2 of his Getting Started with VS Code for IBM i series for RPG and COBOL developers, Patrick Behr shows us several ways to efficiently filter and find IBM i source physical file members using Code for i’s Object Browser. (You’ll find Episode 1 here.)
Online Event: Skills for Your IBM i in 2025
Did you know that IBM i security guru Carol Woodbury began her career as an office admin at IBM? Neither did we! Some of the dynamics that drove her success can be replicated by today’s IBM i teams and their management. In fact, her story could help you future-proof your IBM i team and bridge the skills gap.
Getting Started with VS Code for IBM i [Video Tutorial]
Code for IBM i is rapidly gain traction as an efficient, cost-effective alternative to RDi for RPGLE (fixed and free format), COBOL, CL, and Db2 for i development. To help traditional IBM i developers explore this fast and flexible IDE, Patrick Behr offers this first tutorial in his Getting Started with VS Code for i video series. In it, he demonstrates how to install VS Code and its IBM i Development pack, connect to an IBM i server, set and manage library lists, filter your object browser, and change and compile RPG source.
Integrating Open Source on IBM i: Advanced Topics and Optimization
Pairing open source with traditional IBM i programs works great for APIs, web, and mobile applications. But how do you stay on top of your business’s requirements for speed and scalability? OCEAN User Group recently asked Alan to help answer that question. In the recording of their November meeting (also linked from the graphic below), he covers:
PHP: The “RPG” of Open Source for IBM i
Reliable. Versatile. Fast. The terms we use to describe modern RPG applications apply to PHP as well. That’s why PHP remains a top choice to supplement RPG for IBM i projects involving the web, APIs, and high-volume transactions. One sterling example is Curbstone’s PCI-validated payment solution, which uses PHP-based portals to process over 8 billion dollars in credit card payments annually with 99.99% uptime availability.
What’s New & Exciting in PHP on IBM i in 2024
A proven IBM i solution for API, mobile, and web application development, PHP is now at version 8.3. Solid and dependable, today’s PHP is fast, easy to code, yet powerful for the modern developer. In the video below, courtesy of Toronto User Group (TUG), Alan Seiden explores modern uses for PHP. He provides tips and code samples, discusses recent PHP enhancements, and offers his recommendations for security and performance. You’ll also learn how: IBM i users enjoy easy updates and fast performance. The PHP package comes with key extensions, tested and working out of the box. Each new PHP release…