Synon 2E and Plex Emporium by Lee Dare (A developer blog): December 2025

Warning query these files at your own peril! However, this knowledge is awesome for things like generation of data dictionaries and source code pre-compilations.

Thanks for reading the

Synon 2E and Plex Emporium by Lee Dare (A developer blog).

Lee.

Useful synon 2E sites you MUST bookmark

Synon 2E related useful sites and links you MUST bookmark

This blog isn't the only useful place to get great Plex and Synon 2E content.

Here are some 'up to date' and 'active' links.

These appear to be creating content largely from the 2E manuals.

https://synondeveloper.com/

https://ibmiskills.com/what-is-synon-1

The 2E manuals in their raw form from Broadcom.

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/ca-enterprise-software/it-operations-management/ca-2e/8-7.html

The Broadcom forum.

https://community.broadcom.com/communities/community-home/digestviewer?communitykey=a6f323f2-4e9f-4dc3-a1d8-663ba79c3eaf

Annual conference site from CM First.

https://plex2e.com/

If you want to modernise your Synon 2E applications or port.

https://freschesolutions.com/resource/ca-2e-synon-modernization/

https://cmfirstgroup.com/offerings/solutions/ca-2e-synon-modernization/

A services company?

https://programmers.io/synon-development/

https://cmfirstgroup.com/offerings/products/ca-2e/

A lovely old post from the OG sales guy from Synon.

https://www.ramonchen.com/synon/products/2e/2e.html

Some LinkedIn groups and their member count as of 06/12/2025.

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1109057/ - Synon (218)

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3307655/ - Synon Professional (417)

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1637887/ - Synon Programmers (1880)

I'd appreciate a reciprocal link for my site if you are the owners of any of these. It helps with google discovery. :-)

Any other links to share, please get in touch.

Thanks for reading the

Synon 2E and Plex Emporium by Lee Dare (A developer blog).

Lee.

Synon 2E - Technical Deep Dives

Below are some long form posts targeting specific areas of the Synon 2E tech stack.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing these 'back in the day' and hope that they help some of you.

The generic data driver is a method to output *Arrays into PRTFIL's or DSPFIL's without having to define a structure file etc. Very, very useful and I have used numerous times. The only design consideration is the array size depending on which RPG generator is being used.

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2009/11/implementing-generic-data-driver-file.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2009/11/implementing-generic-data-driver-file_20.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2010/01/implementing-generic-data-driver-file.html

Performance tuning batch jobs?

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2019/06/slow-running-batch-tasks-simple-method.html

Pet hates?

Some things that I don't like seeing in 2E coding. Call them standards?, call them being a fusspot?

Code reviews, love them or hate them, they share knowledge and create better developers.

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2017/02/2e-code-review-pet-hates-part-i.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2017/07/2e-code-review-pet-hates-part-ii.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2018/05/2e-code-review-pet-hates-part-iii.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2019/05/comment-on-commenting.html

General Synon 2E topics, hints, tips, 'How to' guides. They'll be a gem or two in here for most of you.

This should be standard in all shops

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2016/09/chgobj-and-easy-file-maintenance.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2018/05/its-not-depressing-so-get-suppressing.html

Nice little tips here

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2016/09/under-covers-of-selrcd-function-type.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2018/11/multi-line-edit-oddities.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2017/01/condition-of-timestamp-field-type.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2018/06/you-have-function-options-you-know.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2020/01/dsprcd-refresh-trick-and-few-extra-tips.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2022/02/move-and-move-array-with-2e-date-and.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2024/04/did-you-know-synon-2e-has-afull-screen.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2013/11/why-notepad-is-such-cool-feature-in-2e.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2013/06/those-pesky-little-2e-errors-we-all-make.html

A personal favourite

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2024/03/understanding-constant-usages-in-2e.html

Really useful, especially with the new webservices push and unpack and package up input and output arrays.

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2019/01/elementary-my-dear-watson.html

Thanks for reading the

Synon 2E and Plex Emporium by Lee Dare (A developer blog).

Lee.

Synon 2E - SQL and Model files summary

Some of the SQL posts over the last year or so. Some useful 2E model files extraction routines, audit stamp updates and some general IBMi knowledge.

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2022/01/sql-is-your-friend.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2023/04/a-few-more-little-sqls-for-ibm-i.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2023/05/object-usage-via-sql.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2023/06/exploring-2e-messages-via-sql.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2024/03/exploring-2e-messages-via-sql-update.html

Want to get down and dirty into the inner depths of the 2E model files? These posts will help give you the confidence to dive in.

WARNING: Not for the faint hearted and welcome to surrogate hell (or is it heaven).

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2016/11/2e-model-files.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2017/08/2e-model-file-ii.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2025/12/synon-2e-internals-steve-hinzmann-synon.html

Thanks for reading the

Synon 2E and Plex Emporium by Lee Dare (A developer blog).

Lee.

Synon 2E - Standards posts all in one page

Many of these were written years ago and google is gradually forgetting them.

Here is a summary of some of the technical posts I've made with lots of helpful hints, tips and development standards for Synon 2E, CA 2E and now Broadcom 2E.

This one is useful if you want to write performance code of reduce generator code bloat
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/07/2e-development-standards-performance.html

This one is useful if you want to write robust code
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/07/2e-development-standards-defensive.html

Some general 2E coding standards

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/08/2e-development-standards-general-coding.html

Some coding standards around action diagramming and usage of contexts
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/08/2e-development-standards-ad-contexts.html

Some more ad-hoc hints and tips
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/09/2e-development-stanbdards-ad-hoc-tips.html

More standards and a focus on *Return Code usage
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/09/2e-development-standards-that-damn.html
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2017/01/dont-forget-return-code.html

Naming Conventions?

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/09/2e-development-standards-extra-naming.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/10/2e-development-standards-further-naming.html

More hints and tips, diving a little deeper into certain function
https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/10/2e-development-standards-hints-and-tips.html

https://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2008/10/2e-development-standards-hints-and-tips_25.html