Creating an IBM i source physical file

To start using i Projects, you need to populate your project with source physical files and members. You can do this by creating new source files and members locally, or by importing remote objects from IBM® i. If you create new source files and members in a local project, you can select Push Selected or Push Changes to upload them to the server. To create a source physical file:

Procedure

  1. In the i Project Navigator, right-click an i Project and select New > IBM i Source Physical File.
  2. On the New Source File page, select an i Project where you want to create the source physical file. Valid i Projects that can hold a source physical file are distinguished by a blue arrow on the top right hand corner of the project icon.
  3. Specify the name of the source physical file in the File name field and click Next.
  4. Specify the coded character set identifier (CCSID) used to describe character data in the fields of the source file. Special values are:
    • *JOB: The current job's default CCSID is used (recommended).
    • *HEX: The CCSID 65535 is used, which indicates that character data in the fields is treated as bit data and is not converted. Valid values are any integer value between 1 and 65535.
    To modify the coded character set identifier after it has been specified, right-click the source file name and select Properties. The properties will be updated on the server the next time you select Push Selected or Push Changes. Keep in mind, however, that the CCSID can only be modified if the file was originally created with a CCSID value of *JOB. We recommend that you create the file with a CCSID of *JOB.
  5. Specify the record length of the source physical file. This defines the number of bytes in the length of the records stored in the source physical file. Valid values are any integer value between 13 and 32766. Note that you cannot modify the record length after you create the source file. Recommended choices for record lengths are 92 and 112, which allow for data lengths of 80 and 120 respectively.
  6. Specify the IGCDTA parameter for the source physical file. This specifies whether the file contains double-byte character set (DBCS) data .
  7. Type a brief description of the object in the Description field. To modify the description after it has been specified, right-click the source file name and select Properties. The properties will be updated on the server the next time you select Push Selected or Push Changes.
  8. Click Finish. The blue arrow pointing to the right indicates that the resource is local. If Show Remote Objects is enabled, an arrow pointing to the left and right indicates that the same resource also exists in the remote library on the server. If Show Local/Remote Decorator is disabled, the arrows are not shown.

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