What is an IDE?

What is an IDE?

An IDE is an Interactive Development Environment, an application that can be used to develop any kind of software programs.

IDS's provides comprehensive facilities to programmers for easier, faster and more accurate software development.

If you are an experienced AS400 or iSeries RPG Programmer you are already using an old fashioned IDE. It's called SEU.

What is an IDE? 1

The problem is -- SEU is little more than a text editor with a few bells and whistles. 

SEU has basic line copying functions letting you move lines around and some archaic syntax checking (it hasn't been updated for a decade so ignores all new RPG code layouts). 

SEU has no code review function. 

No automatic code insertion. 

No code reformatting. 

No highlight of field names in error. 

SEU is a very basic, old fashioned IDE.

Why is a modern IDE better than SEU?

Why use RDi
  • An IDE utilizes different colors or formatting for the source code, making it more readable. Syntax highlighting helps you understand the code and reduces the chances of getting lost in between numerous lines of code
  • Text Autocomplete where the editor will prompt you to continue lines of code using the correct syntax, it will verify code as you type it in
  • Refactoring is a powerful tool where you can refactor a specific field-name and it will find and replace that field through the source code
  • Version Control is greatly simplified with the ability to save source code in IFS locations with date/time stamps added to the source name
  • Copy-Paste code sections with instant code formatting -- showing and indenting if/do/select loops
  • The list goes on...

So, without further ado, let's dive in..

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