Meet TOBi: Your New Best Friend for Building IBM i Objects

If you're deep into IBM i development and programming, you know how crucial it is to have tools that streamline your workflow without sacrificing reliability. Today, let's dive into TOBi, the open-source build system designed specifically for IBM i. This tool bridges traditional IBM i practices with modern DevOps, making it easier to manage builds, dependencies, and deployments. I'll walk you through what TOBi…

https://www.nicklitten.com/meet-tobi-your-new-best-friend-for-building-ibm-i-objects/

How Should I Backup/Restore Stored Procs

If you are working with stored procedures on your IBM i system, you know they are handy for encapsulating business logic and making your SQL calls more efficient. But what happens when you need to back them up or restore them after a hiccup? Today, I am walking you through the process in a straightforward way. We will cover the basics, the steps, and some tips to avoid common pitfalls.

https://www.nicklitten.com/how-should-i-backup-restore-stored-procs/

IBM-i Critical storage condition exists!

My Morning IBM i Nightmare: Critical Storage Hit, and How I Fixed It by Deleting Performance Data It's February 5th, 2026, and quite surprisingly, my day started with a bang. I logged into my main system this morning around 8 AM, sipping my Yorkshire Tea, only to see those dreaded CPF0907 messages flooding QSYSOPR. The system was screaming about critical storage, with ASP usage spiked over 95%.

https://www.nicklitten.com/ibm-i-critical-storage-condition-exists/

RPG Subfile Code Review: Breaking Down Another Developer’s Approach

Hey folks, this Sunday morning finds me tinkering with some old training videos, while wading knee-deep in green screens, RPG code, and the occasional cup of strong coffee on the sunny (but cold) Spanish Costa Blanca. I’ve just hit publish on something that’s been sitting on my hard drive for way too long: a brand-new (well, newly released) course called…

https://www.nicklitten.com/25328-2/

How to find IBM i File Record Locks – with or without SQL

How to find IBM i File Record Locks with pure OS Commands To find file record locks on IBM i using the DSPRCDLCK (Display Record Locks) command, follow these steps: Open a command line on your IBM i system. Enter the DSPRCDLCK command with the appropriate parameters. Here’s a basic example: DSPRCDLCK FILE(MYLIB/MYFILE) MBR(*FIRST) RCDNBR(*ALL) In this example: FILE(MYLIB/MYFILE) specifies the library and file…

https://www.nicklitten.com/how-to-find-ibm-i-file-record-locks-using-sql/

Python 3.13 Slithers onto IBM i Systems

Grab your cups of tea and buckle up because Python 3.13 has slithered its way into the scene, and it’s ready to spice up your coding life on this trusty platform! Quietly released in October 2024, Python 3.13 is the latest shiny toy for us tech nerds, and as of April 10, 2025, it’s time to see how it fares on IBM i systems.

https://www.nicklitten.com/python-3-13-slithers-onto-ibm-i-systems/

Getting Started with IBM i Control Language (CL) Programming

If you're a gray-haired IBM-i Programmer like me (I prefer silver-fox BTW), you've definitely spent countless hours wrangling with the green screen, trying to make your system do exactly what you want. That's where Control Language, or CL for short, comes in handy. It's the scripting language built right into IBM i that lets you automate tasks, manage jobs, and control your environment with precision.

https://www.nicklitten.com/getting-started-with-ibm-i-control-language-cl-programming/

What is IBM i Control Language?

If you've spent any time around IBM i systems, you've probably heard the term "Control Language" or "CL" thrown around. But what exactly is Control Language? And why should you, a modern programmer in 2026, care about it? Grab a cuppa, and let's dive in. What is Control Language (CL)? In the simplest terms, Control Language (CL) is IBM i's scripting language for system operations.

https://www.nicklitten.com/what-is-ibm-i-control-language/

How to Use Split Screen in VS Code – A Quick Guide for IBM i Programmers

Let's talk about something that can seriously boost your programming productivity: split screen editing in Visual Studio Code. If you're like most IBM i programmers, you're probably used to alt-tabbing between files. But VS Code's split screen functionality? It's a game-changer. Why Should You Care About Split Screen? In my years of programming on AS400, iSERIES and IBM i systems, I've noticed we…

https://www.nicklitten.com/how-to-use-split-screen-in-vs-code-a-quick-guide-for-ibm-i-programmers/

New IBM-i Tech Channel – @Nick-Litten-Tech

A little Spring Cleaning for 2026 Hey there, IBM i programmers. If you have been following my content on YouTube, you might have noticed some changes coming up. For the last few years, my main NICKLITTEN YouTube channel has been a mix of everything: technical deep dives into RPGLE coding, CL scripting tips, SQL stored procedures on IBM i, and even some fun family videos from trips or daily life.

https://www.nicklitten.com/new-ibm-i-tech-channel-nick-litten-tech/