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.
When Your IBM i Email Delivery Fails with Office 365 or Gmail
We’ve been receiving about one request per week to help clients troubleshoot or fix SMTP email issues on IBM i systems—especially when sending to Microsoft (Office 365) and Gmail accounts.
These problems can affect a wide range of systems, including:
New QSHONI Commands for SQL and IFS on IBM i
QShell on i utility (QSHONI) makes it easy for traditional CL, RPG, and COBOL programs to call Python utilities and other QShell/PASE utility programs (PHP, Node, Java, etc.) and directly use their output. Last month we updated you on three new QSHONI features: QSHPHPRUN, QSHCALL and QSHPYCALL.
This month we will cover several other new and updated QSHONI features added in the past 12 months. Use the following quick links to read about a specific command.
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.
New QSHONI Commands: Integrate Python, PHP, Java with CL & RPG
A few years ago I introduced you to my QShell on i utility – QSHONI. QSHONI makes it easy for traditional CL, RPG, and COBOL programs to call Python utilities and other QShell/PASE utility programs (PHP, Node, Java, etc.) and directly use their output. QSHONI opened up a whole new world of integrations to open-source apps from traditional IBM i applications.
I keep thinking I will run out of interesting things to add to the library, but the ideas keep on flowing.
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.)
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.
VS Code for IBM i: SEP Debugging Prerequisites
Code for i users have been showing interest in Service Entry Point (SEP) debugging. SEP permits debugging of applications that run in a different job than the programmer’s job, such as a web server or prestart job.
Available since Version 2 of the IBM Debug Service, SEP requires several prerequisites, including the IBM i Debug extension, PTFs, and Licensed Program Products (LPPs). This article focuses on the PTFs and LPPs, objects that are frequently overlooked.
JUNE 2025 UPDATE
Version 3 of the Debug Service is now available. For prerequisites, see the official documentation’s Debugging General Requirements.
Version 3 of the Debug Service is now available. For prerequisites, see the official documentation’s Debugging General Requirements.
Compare Source Code with VS Code for IBM i
Code for i’s source comparison feature recently helped me find a bug. While comparing old vs. new versions of an RPG program, I discovered that a CHAIN had been changed to an SQL SELECT, which was fine, except that an important column name had been forgotten. I created a “before and after” Code for i screen shot for the programmer, who then fixed the mistake.
As documented on the Code for i “Tricks” page, comparing source code takes only two steps. This technique works both for traditional source members and stream files stored in the IFS.
Call/Parm Your Open Source Apps from RPG and CL with QSHCALL
A few years back I created the QShell on IBM i (QshOni) project to allow QShell/PASE (open source) apps to be more easily integrated and used with traditional IBM i job streams written in RPG and CL. Since then, many developers have adopted QshOni to utilize their open source apps in conjunction with their classic traditional apps.
Recently I added several new commands to QshOni to make living the PASE life even easier for RPG developers. Today’s focus will be on the QSHCALL command.