Exercise 4.2: Compiling source remotely

Before you begin, you must complete Exercise 4.1: Verifying the source.

The remote compile capability is part of the Remote System Explorer. It gives you a workstation interface to submit requests to compile, bind, or build objects on the iSeries host. It allows for easy access to all the compile options available for all the supported CRTxxx commands.

If you used the local program verifier, then your host compiles should be successful -- no wasted iSeries cycles. However, if there are errors, the host compiler will send the error information back to the workstation and they will be loaded into the iSeries Error List view, which behaves just as it did when you did a program verify.

The default for compiling programs is to submit the compile to the batch job queue. Here in this exercise you can run the compile interactive.

Changing compile preferences

To change the preferences to run the compile interactive:

  1. Click Window > Preferences from the workbench menu.
    Change Compile command default
  2. In the left pane of the Preferences window, expand Remote Systems.
  3. Expand iSeries under Remote Systems.
  4. Click Command Execution under iSeries.
  5. In the right pane of the Preferences window, clear the Compile in batch check box.
  6. Click OK to return to the Remote System Explorer perspective.

Invoking the compile command

You will now use the prompt for the CRTBNDCBL command to specify your compile parameters. All entry fields pertaining to names are already filled in with the correct information.

To compile source:

  1. Right-click the PAYROLLC2 member in QCBLLESRC.
    Select member to compile
  2. Click Compile (Prompt) > CRTBNDCBL on the pop-up menu.

    The Create Bound COBOL Program (CRTBNDCBL) dialog opens.

  3. In the Debug view list, select the *ALL parameter.
    Prompt for CRTBNDCBL

    If you want to see the other parameters available, click Advanced.

  4. Click OK when you are finished.

    The progress bar on the workbench (bottom right corner) will indicate that the compile runs. Then the error list will be shown, with no errors, just information messages.

    If you are not sure that the compile was successful, you can check the iSeries Commands Log.
    iSeries Command Log

  5. Click the iSeries Commands Log tab from the view at the bottom of the workbench.

    This log shows a list of all commands run on the remote system and the messages returned for each command.

You have set compile preferences, invoked the compile command, checked for a successful compile and now you are ready to begin Exercise 4.3: Submitting iSeries commands in the iSeries table view.