Date Published: October 30, 2024
Centering Text in RPGLE: The JSTEXTC Service Program
In the world of IBM i and RPGLE, simplicity and efficiency are always key. Recently, I developed a service program, JSTEXTC, aimed at solving a common formatting issue: centering text of varying lengths within a character field. It’s a small but effective tool designed for RPGLE, which can streamline UI design and output formatting.
Purpose and Usage
The JSTEXTC service program allows any text string to be centered within a field of a specified
length. Whether formatting output for screen display, reports, or even custom messages, this function enables a
consistent and visually appealing alignment of text.
Core Code Overview
The CenterTxt procedure is designed to accept two parameters:
- p_Text (varchar(1024)): The text string to be centered.
- p_Len (Packed(5:0)): The desired length of the output field.
After calculating the number of spaces required for centering, CenterTxt inserts the trimmed text, achieving the centered alignment.
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How to Use the jstextc Service Program
1. Source Code Placement
Ensure the following setup:
- The source code QPROTOSRC/jstextc must be placed in the QPROTOSRC source member.
- The source code QRPGLESRC/jstextc must be placed in the QRPGLESRC source member.
- Both source members should reside within the same library.
2. Purpose
The QPROTOSRC/jstextc member is used within QRPGLESRC to copy the necessary
declarations and parameters for the application to function as a service program. This is achieved by binding
the /copy directive during the compilation process.
Additionally, the QPROTOSRC/jstextc source code is utilized by RPG applications that require
this service program.
3. Compilation Instructions
Step 1: Create the Module
CRTRPGMOD MODULE(*CURLIB/jstextc) SRCFILE(*CURLIB/QRPGLESRC) SRCMBR(jstextc) DBGVIEW(*SOURCE) REPLACE(*YES)
Step 2: Create the Service Program
CRTSRVPGM SRVPGM(*CURLIB/jstextc) EXPORT(*ALL) ACTGRP(*CALLER) OPTION(*DUPPROC)
Note: The *CURLIB is used as the default library in this example. You may specify any
library where you want the objects to be stored.
4. Binding Directory
Once the service program is created, it should be added to a binding directory. For example, I use JASTOOL as my binding directory. You can use any binding directory that suits your needs.
ADDBNDDIRE BNDDIR(*CURLIB/JASTOOL) OBJ((jstextc))
Use Case
To call the cl_cmd see below example: