iSeries / IBM i Command (CMDSRC) with Pre-Populated Elements

Question

So, I've looking to build an iSeries / IBMi command, which has the option of additional codes (these are essentially transaction codes), it should allow you to specify...but I'd like to default the first 3 out of a maximum of 10.

My source

             PARM       KWD(FROMDATE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) +          
                          PROMPT('From YYYY-MM-DD')                  
             PARM       KWD(TODATE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) PROMPT('To + 
                          YYYY-MM-DD')                               
             PARM       KWD(TXN) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(1) RSTD(*YES) +     
                          DFT(Y) VALUES(Y N) PROMPT('Specify TXN +   
                          Codes Y or N')                             
             PARM       KWD(TXNLIST) TYPE(L2) PMTCTL(CHOOSETXN) +    
                          PROMPT('TXN Code List')                    
                                                                     
 L2:         ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) MIN(0) MAX(10)            
                                                                     
                                                                     
 CHOOSETXN:  PMTCTL     CTL(TXN) COND((*EQ Y))                       

shows the command,

                                                                       
Type choices, press Enter.                                             
                                                                       
From YYYY-MM-DD  . . . . . . . .   __________    Character value       
To YYYY-MM-DD  . . . . . . . . .   __________    Character value       
Specify TXN Codes Y or N . . . .   Y             Y, N                  
TXN Code List:                                                         
                                   _____         Character value       
               + for more values   _____                               ```
                                                                       
                                                                       

but I'd like the TXN Code List to be pre-populated??

E.g. pre-populate first three with "AA123", "BB124" & "ZZ999"

Answer 1

OK...so it looks like a SUBTREE will suffice...

             CMD        PROMPT('GENERATE TXNS')                          
             PARM       KWD(FROMDATE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) +              
                          PROMPT('FROM YYYY-MM-DD')                      
             PARM       KWD(TODATE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(10) +                
                          PROMPT('TO YYYY-MM-DD')                        
             PARM       KWD(SUBTREE) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(1) RSTD(*YES) +     
                          DFT(Y) VALUES(Y N) PROMPT('SPECIFY')           
             PARM       KWD(TXNLIST) TYPE(TXNVALS) +                     
                          PMTCTL(SUBTREEY) PROMPT('TXN CODES')           
                                                                         
 TXNVALS:    ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT(AA123)                    
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT(BB124)                    
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT(ZZ999)                    
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')                       
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')                       
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')                       
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')                       
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')                       
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')                       
             ELEM       TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5) DFT('')
 SUBTREEY:   PMTCTL     CTL(SUBTREE) COND((*EQ Y))

Which looks like this...although I still need to test the CL parameters...

                            GENERATE TXNS (TESTCMD)         
                                                            
Type choices, press Enter.                                  
                                                            
FROM YYYY-MM-DD  . . . . . . . . FROMDATE                   
TO YYYY-MM-DD  . . . . . . . . . TODATE                     
SPECIFY  . . . . . . . . . . . . SUBTREE        Y           
TXN CODES:                       TXNLIST                    
                                                AA123       
                                                BB124       
                                                ZZ999       
                                                _____       
                                                _____       
                                                _____       
                                                _____       
                                                _____       
                                                _____       
                                                _____   

Answer 2

One way to populate those is to do so in a CL program that calls this command. You can fill out the parameters using local variables where you set your default values.

DCL        VAR(&TX1) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5)    
DCL        VAR(&TX2) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5)    
DCL        VAR(&TX3) TYPE(*CHAR) LEN(5)    
CHGVAR     VAR(&TX1) VALUE('AA123')
CHGVAR     VAR(&TX2) VALUE('BB124')
CHGVAR     VAR(&TX3) VALUE('ZZ999')

MYCMD      TXN(Y) TXNLIST(&TX1 &TX2 &TX3)

If you wanted, you could additionally use selective prompting of your command, for instance, if you have one type of user whom you want to allow input of the date selection fields, but want to use only the default transaction codes, you could call your command as

MYCMD      ??FROMDATE(*N) ??TODATE(*N) ?*TXN(Y) ?*TXNLIST(&TX1 &TX2 &TX3)

One might not want the extra layer using of another program to accomplish a task, but it could also be viewed as separating the concerns into their proper place. I like to think of a CMD object as a controlled way to define parameters for a program, similar conceptually to a prototype. This ensures that I call my RPG (or whatever) program in a consistent way and allows me not worry as much about corrupt junk coming in via the parameters. I would say one should let the CMD object be that traffic cop to ensure predictable combinations of valid parameters and let any specific defaults, which I picture as more likely to be changeable over time and situation be set in a CL program.

Some of this choice may be weighted by how users get to your command. I work in a system where most users call programs from a custom menu and it is easy to set a CL program in the chain. If your use case was for programmers or system operators to call this directly off of the command line, then you might think that it is easier to call the CMD object with an F4 prompt than to type CALL MYCMDTX to call the CL, especially if you end up needing parameters there also.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, the DFT keyword for a parameter definition only supports a single value.

My first thought was perhaps you could take advantage of prompt override program which:

allows current values rather than defaults to be displayed when a command is prompted

The way that would work would be to have a special value *DFT or something defined as default. If a user prompted the command, then they could see the actual values. But looks you'd need to specify PMTCTL(*PMTRQS) since it's a list parm instead of a single value; which means the user would also have to hit F10=Additional parameters.