In PDM, the WRKxxxPDM command only remember your previously entered parameters, so you must often type frequently used parameters repeatedly. In PDM you can only see one library’s objects, and one file’s members at a time, and it is not possible to work with your libraries, objects and members at the same time. To accomplish this goal, you might have several emulators running so that you can work with your various lists of items simultaneously.
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Creating a connection is the equivalent of defining your emulator sessions. You can define multiple connections to the same IBM i, but in addition, you can include different configurations for the startup of your connection, such as saving different user IDs and passwords, initial library lists etc.
The first thing you will notice when you expand your connection is a list of subsystems.

The view that a connection is in, is called the Remote Systems view. It works much like Windows File Explorer: drill down by clicking on the “plus” (+) to gain access to desired items. For example, expand the *LIBL filter to see all the libraries in the library list, then expand a file to see all its members (much like option 12 in PDM).
Expanding a subsystem, results in a list of filters for that subsystem. Filters are names of lists of items that you can specify reuse and share. Filters “filter out” undesirable items. When creating filters, you can use generic values like in PDM and have as many filters as you want or need. Filters can be created for each subsystem, so you can have filters for IFS files, local files, objects etc.
Since filters are names and stored with your connection, so unlike PDM where only the previous parameters for the WRKxxxPDM command are remembered, in RSE all filters are persisted between sessions.
When first created, a filter contains only one filter string. By modifying the properties of a filter, you can add additional filter strings. Filter strings provide the ability to generate more complex lists. For example, in PDM you can only list the members in one source physical file in a single library. By using multiple filter strings in a filter, you can list members in different files, and even in different libraries in a single named filter.
As previously mentioned, the Remote Systems view can be used to navigate and list objects you need to access to develop your applications. Drill down, or expand items to see their children. Right-click to gain access to actions available in a pop-up menu. Standard actions such as drag and drop, copy, paste, delete and rename are available through the popup menu (right-click). These options are quite powerful in comparison to PDM: You can use copy and paste or drag and drop to copy or move members and even objects from one IBM i to another (no more SAVOBJ and FTP!). The pop-up menu also contains many other actions that can be performed on items, and allows you to create additional actions of your own.
See User actions and Manipulating items.
The Remote Systems view can often feel awkward for the PDM user, so after you have created your connections and filters, you may find yourself more often in the Object Table view. The Object Table view is a more comfortable interface for PDM users. You can open the view directly by selecting the Object Table tab at the bottom of the Remote System Explorer Perspective, or by selecting the Show in Table View action item in the pop-up of the Remote Systems view. You can use the Work with menu to generate lists the same way as you would with the WRKxxxPDM commands. The Work with menu keeps a small list (10) of previously displayed lists in the Object Table view, which is also better than PDM. The command line appears at the bottom of the Object Table view, and allows you to enter commands, or parameters for actions, like in PDM.

You can modify which columns appear in the Object Table view. More customizable than F14 in PDM , you can choose to hide or show any individual column. You can type a character to bring up the Position To dialog. This dialog allows you to quickly scroll to your desired item.
Like the Remote Systems View, the Object Table View has actions that can be invoked on items in it. As in the Remote Systems View, access to the action is provided through a pop-up menu from clicking with the right mouse button. In the pop-up from the Object Table View, you will see a list of actions with their PDM option number to make the menu feel more familiar. Use the user action menu to create and add your own actions. User actions added either in the Table or Remote Systems View, appear in the User Actions menu in both views.

User actions (F16 in PDM) allow you to extend the Object Table View and the Remote Systems View with the action that you use. You can create your own action, where you will be able to prompt the command to run, and define how a command is executed.
One of the advantages of RSE user actions is that they can be named, which makes them easier to use and remember than the two letters in PDM.
The Object Table View contains a command line.

The Show Log button can be used to view the Commands Log view.
Command execution mode can also be selected.
Tips:
Compile actions (PDM options 14 and 15) are grouped into two menus: With and without prompting. You can add your own compile commands to the compile menu. This is much the same as adding a user action.

Compile actions are different from other actions: The results of the command itself appear in the Commands Log, but for commands which support events files, errors generated by the compiler are displayed in the Error List view.
RSE allows you to search filters, not just libraries, files and members. This means that you can search with very flexible search patterns. For example, you could search all the members in the file QRPGLESRC in library MYLIB and the members A* in the files PRJA* in library PROJECT by invoking the Find string action on the filter that contained those filter strings. This would not be possible as one single operation in PDM or using the FNDSTRPDM command.
Parameters for search are similar to FNDSTRPDM and uses the FNDSTRPDM command to generate the results.
Search results appear in the Remote Search view, and the view has a history of searches. In PDM, you see the search results and members one at a time in the order that the matches are found. In RSE, you see the list of all the search results in one place, allowing you to open whichever member you want first and using whichever match in the member you decide. The Remote Search view allows you to manage the resulting list, by letting you remove members and matches through the pop-up menu.

Tips:
As previously mentioned, Remote Systems LPEX Editor can be quickly launched in edit mode from the Remote Systems View, Object Table View, and Remote Search view by double-clicking a member. However, you can also launch the editor by using the pop-up menu on a member to open (PDM option 2) or browse (PDM option 5).
The Remote Systems LPEX Editor is based on the base LPEX Editor, and contains IBM i specific functions.
The first thing you will notice that is different from SEU when you open the editor, the use of color in the source. This is called tokenization, and is the coloring of language tokens to make them easy to distinguish.

You will also notice the prefix area, which contains the sequence numbers of the member. The prefix area in Remote Systems LPEX Editor, supports SEU commands (for example, CC, B, A, LL, etc.)
You will also note that for the DDS, RPG, COBOL, and CLP, CLLE languages, an Outline view appears. The Outline view displays the outline of your program and can be used to navigate within your program.
Tips:
| SEU | Remote Systems LPEX Editor |
|---|---|
| Full screen mode when browsing only (F13) | Full screen mode for both edit and browse (double click the editor tab). However, many more lines are visible in Remote Systems LPEX Editor in full screen than in SEU. |
| Split screen and browse | Split screen for edit and browse:
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| Date area: at the right, always enabled | Date area appears next the sequence numbers. It is Off by default, but can be enabled through the preference, or the pop-up menu. |
| Print: STRSEU, Option 6 | Printing is available from the File menu, or Ctrl+P |

Like, SEU, Remote Systems LPEX Editor has automatic syntax checking. However, unlike SEU, all the syntax errors are immediately visible, not just the first one. As errors are embedded into the editor view, you don’t need to move to the bottom of the screen to scroll through errors. Remote Systems LPEX Editor, uses the latest language syntax to check syntax for DDS, RPG and COBOL. An active connection is required for syntax checking SQL, and CL. CL does cache syntax information, so syntax checking may be available when disconnected, if cached information exists.
Help (F1 both in SEU and Remote Systems LPEX Editor) is not just available for errors, but for source too. Context sensitive help links F1 with the reference manual so that you get help for exactly what you are editing. For example, F1 on an ILE RPG opcode, would bring up the help for that opcode, this type of help is simply unavailable from SEU. Reference manuals are also quickly accessible through the Source menu in Remote Systems LPEX Editor, requiring the need for print ones, to be minimized.

As in SEU, F4 allows you to prompt when editing in Remote Systems LPEX Editor. For languages other than CL, the Prompt view will appear and allow you to modify your source. For CL, a modal window appears with your prompt. F1 context sensitive help is available from all prompts.
See Editing members.
Syntax checking ensures that there are no errors on the line that you type, but Remote Systems LPEX Editor provides an additional check, called the Verifier. A verifier does the same syntax checking and semantic checking that the compiler does, without generating an object. This means that if you try to use an undeclared variable, the verifier will let you know.
The verifier function is available for COBOL, RPG and DDS from the Source menu, or by pressing Ctrl+Shift+V. Use the Source menu to verify with prompt and specify additional options.
Any errors detected by a verify will appear in the Error List View, exactly as those from a compile.

The Error List View allows you to insert the errors into the editor view, by double-clicking. Use the F1 key to get help for errors, and use the view menu to filter errors that you don’t want to see (for example, perhaps you wish to ignore informational messages). The menu can also be used to dictate whether or not, and how error messages are inserted into the editor view.
Or you can use the Remove messages menu option from the Source menu.
The Error List View can also be used as a TODO list. As you modify lines, they are either marked with an ‘X’ to indicate that the line has been deleted, or with a checkmark, to indicate that an error has been addressed. Only another verify will ensure that the errors have truly been fixed.
While the only function to help you enter code in SEU is the prompter, Remote Systems LPEX Editor has several functions which will help you quickly enter code.
Content assist (Ctrl+Space) will propose, display and insert code completions at the cursor position. Based on the previously typed characters, or in the case of RPG, column position as well, invoking content assist will present you with possible valid completions to the code you have already entered. For example, this can be useful when you are unsure of the number of parameters required when calling a procedure, or even the parameter types.

Templates can be used to generate frequently used blocks of code. They can be imported and exported, which means they can be shared. For example, if you have a standard header that must be added to each program, or a standard interface, you can define a template, and insert it by typing its name and then Ctrl+Space.

See Completing code with content assist and templates.
Tip: The content assist function and Outline view in RPG is driven by the information generated by a verify. This is what pulls in external information like procedures found in a /COPY member, or fields and records from a display file. It's important to refresh the Outline view at least once before invoking content assist, or only limited content assist will be available.
These are extremely useful to the new programmer, and for the more experienced one, as they are for more complicated language elements and reduce the need to refer to reference manuals. They can be quickly accessed through the Source menu in the Editor view, and through the pop-up New menu. Simply specify all the information through a graphical interface.

Code will be generated for you.

All these features, which are not available in SEU, are designed to speed up and improve your editing experience.
| Key combination | Description |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Home | Go to the top (like TOP in SEU) |
| Ctrl+End | Go to the end (like BOTTOM is SEU) |
| Ctrl+L | Go to line number (also entering line number in prefix area like SEU works) |
| Alt+S | Split a line |
| Alt+J | Join a line |
| Alt+L | Select a line |
| Alt+R | Select a rectangle |
| Ctrl+W | Show all lines (useful when lines are filtered out) |
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| Ctrl+S | Save |
| Ctrl+M | Match (selects matching brackets, and for languages like CL and RPG, control statements like DO/ENDDO, IF/ENDIF) |
| Ctrl+Shift+M | Find match |
Like most Windows applications, printing can be done through the menu option or by pressing Ctrl+P. The advantage over SEU is that this can be done while editing, and that printing in LPEX also tokenizes the printed source, so long as you select the Tokenized checkbox. Printing in Remote Systems LPEX Editor, prints to your Windows printer, not the IBM i printer. Print options can be found at .
Tips:
In Remote Systems LPEX Editor you can use Ctrl+F to bring up the Find function in LPEX. The search is more flexible than in SEU as you can specify regular expressions that allow you to search for a pattern. For example, if you specify this|that as the search string with the Regular expression check box selected, then the editor will search for lines with this or that on them. You can use Ctrl+N or Shift+F4 to find the next match.
Tips:
Comparing (PDM option 54) in Remote Systems LPEX Editor requires you to open a member in the editor. Once open, you can easily compare that member to another by selecting the Compare button in the toolbar or through the file menu option.
Once the compare has been triggered, source appears merged with different lines flagged in color. Pink is the color used for the source being compared to, and yellow is the color for the opened source.
Unlike on the IBM i, where you have to flip between the spooled file and the source opened in SEU, comparing in Remote Systems LPEX Editor will allow you to continue to modify the member that was opened originally. Use Ctrl+Shift+N to navigate to the next mismatch and Ctrl+Shift+P for the previous mismatch. If you do modify source, you can use Ctrl+Shift+R to refresh the compare and finally to end. During a compare session, the pop-up menu displays a Compare submenu where you can control the current compare settings being used.

Tips:
See Compiling.