RE: Accessing documents in IFS with Excel from the iSeries

["Wilt, Charles" <CWilt@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of John
> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 3:19 PM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Accessing documents in IFS with Excel from the iSeries
> 
> 
> We are creating some PDF files and Excel files on our iSeries 
> and placing
> them in the IFS. 
> 
> I would like to give the users the ability to access these 
> from their green
> screen application.
> 
> I have tried STRPCCMD ('START Y:/REPORTS/ITDEPT/SALESRPT.PDF')
> 
> Which works fine but requires all users to map their drive Y the same.

Don't use a drive mapping.  Instead use the UNC pathname: 
\\servername\sharename\foldername\...\docname.pdf

In your above example, you could share the REPORTS folder, so you could use 
\\servername\REPORTS\ITDEPT\SALESRPT.PDF.

> 
> And also requires that the user already be logged on to the Y 
> drive (does
> not prompt for user id and password)
> 

That's going to be a function of Windows.  You'd have to have iSeries user IDs 
and passwords that match your Windows user ID and passwords.  Another option is 
to implement Single Sign-on.

>  
> 
> I want to display these files from an iSeries application and 
> give the user
> the option to view the pdf and excel files without starting a 
> program on
> their PC
> 

Not going to happen. "Something" is going to have to do the work on the client 
PC.

>  
> 
> My questions are (bear with me if these are dumb questions, Running PC
> commands from the iSeries is new to me): 
> 
> 1) Is there another way to do this without a socket program?
> 
> 2) I can create a share from the iSeries, can I map a drive from the
> iSeries?

Creating shares, use iSeries Navigator...look under "File Systems" 
-->"Integrated File System" right click a folder and select Sharing.

Mapping drives, no.  The iSeries doesn't have any concept of Windows "drives".  
But you can still use a Windows PC file share, via the UNC name through the 
/QNTC file system.   For instance, to access a share named MYSHARE a windows 
server named MYWINSVR, I use the following: /QNTC/MYWINSVR/MYSHARE/mydoc.doc


> 
> 3) Can I check to see if a drive is mapped (from an iSeries 
> using RPG or CL)

Check to see if a PC has a particular drive mapped?  Not without a custom 
socket program.

> 
> 4) The users may put their PDF and Excel files into different 
> directories in
> the IFS, The program knows exactly where the PDF and Excel 
> files are (has
> the complete IFS path name) I do not want to create a share 
> of the IFS root,
> is there a better way to run the STRPCCMD to allow this 
> (without making the
> user key in the directory path)
> 
> Example I have a database with /REPORTS/ITDEPT/SALES.PDF in 
> it, The easiest
> thing would be to have all users map drive Y to the root then 
> the STRPCCMD
> at the beginning of this email would work for them all, 
> however since I do
> not want the Y drive mapped to the root, I am looking for other
> possibilities. Has anyone done anything like this and if so 
> how did you
> implement?


Should have already gotten the answer for this from my above comments.


HTH,

Charles Wilt
iSeries Systems Administrator / Developer
Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America
ph: 513-573-4343
fax: 513-398-1121