SET assigns value to the variable at RUNTIME.

#DIM declare the variable and it's Data Type at COMPILE TIME.

#DIM name As %String
Set name = "Micheal Scott"
#DIM age As %Numeric
Set age = 36
#DIM employer As App.Employer               ; compile time
Set employer = ##class(App.Employer).%New() ; runtime 

SET or #DIM? Your design, your rules.

Hola amigo! 😊 Cómo estás hoy,

I would like to share a small part of my learnings from my first ever official project: POS/EDC machine integration with our billing system. This was an exciting challenge where I got hands-on experience working with APIs and vendors. 

How does a Payment Machine actually work?

It's simple, start by initiating/creating a transaction, then retrieve its payment status.

Here, initiate/create refers to POST method and Retrieve refers to GET.

Hello!!!

Data migration often sounds like a simple "move data from A to B task" until you actually do it. In reality, it is a complex process that blends planning, validation, testing, and technical precision.

Over several projects where I handled data migration into a HIS which runs on IRIS (TrakCare), I realized that success comes from a mix of discipline and automation.

Here are a few points which I want to highlight.

1. Start with a Defined Data Format.

Before you even open your first file, make sure everyone, especially data providers, clearly understands the exact data format you expect. Defining templates early avoids unnecessary bank-and-forth and rework later. 

While Excel or CSV formats are common, I personally feel using a tab-delimited text file (.txt) for data upload is best. It's lightweight, consistent, and avoids issues with commas inside text fields. 

PatID   DOB Gender  AdmDate
10001   2000-01-02  M   2025-10-01
10002   1998-01-05  F   2025-10-05
10005   1980-08-23  M   2025-10-15

Make sure that the date formats given in the file is correct and constant throughout the file because all these files are usually converted from an Excel file and an Basic excel user might make mistakes while giving you the date formats wrong. Wrong date formats can irritate you while converting into horolog.

Starting out with ObjectScript, it is really exciting, but it can also feel a little unusual if you're used to other languages. Many beginners trip over the same hurdles, so here are a few "gotchas" you'll want to watch out for. (Also few friendly tips to avoid them)

NAMING THINGS RANDOMLY

We have all been guilty of naming something Test1 or MyClass just to move on quickly. But once your project grows, these names become a nightmare. 

➡ Pick clear, consistent names from the start. Think of it as leaving breadcrumbs for your future self and your teammates.

Dear Community,

I've noticed that some of my friends and colleagues are using the Developer Community app on their Android devices. Could someone please help me with the exe file or guide me on how to get it?

While starting with Intersystems IRIS or Cache, developers often encounter three core concepts: Dynamic Objects, Globals & Relational Table. Each has its role in building scalable and maintainable solutions. In this article, we'll walk through practical code examples, highlight best practices, and show how these concepts tie together. 

1. Working with Dynamic Objects:

Dynamic objects (%DynamicObject and %DynamicArray) allow developers to manipulate JSON-like structures directly in Objectscript. They are especially useful for modern applications that need to parse, transform or generate JSON.

Hello Community,

I’d like to know how I can update my login email address from the profile section.

When I click the "Edit" option in my profile, it redirects me to login.intersystems.com. However, even on that page, I don’t see an option to edit the login email address. [unable to edit]

Could someone please guide me on how to change my login email?

Thanks in advance!

Are you curious about how to run Python scripts directly in your InterSystems IRIS or Caché terminal? 🤔 Good news it's easy! 😆 IRIS supports Embedded Python, allowing you to use Python interactively within its terminal environment. 

How to access the Python Shell?

To launch the Python shell from the IRIS terminal, simply run the following command:

do ##class(%SYS.Python).Shell()

This opens an interactive Python shell inside the IRIS terminal. From here, you can write and run Python code just as you would in a normal Python environment.

Dear Community,

I am trying to convert a base64 encoded string to a pdf. I have tried a lot of possible ways, but never succeeded. I am able to decode the base64 using $System.Encryption.Base64Decode but I am not able to convert it and store this in a path.

Can anybody help me out here?

Thanks.