Everyone using free-format RPG knows the basics of using prototypes to replace their old parm lists for program calls. However, many overlook just how much prototypes could do for them. In this session, Susan reviews prototype basics but will concentrate mostly on exploiting their often-overlooked features. Did you know that prototypes:Protect against parameter mis-matchesProvide automatic conversion of parameter types and sizesEnable passing literals, built-in functions or function calls as parametersAllow you to specify optional parametersEnable you to call C functions and system APIs that return valuesShe'll include a look at more recent enhancements that can simplify prototypes. If you haven't used *Convert, *Exact and %Passed, come here to see examples of the impact they could have on your code. You'll pick up some best practices for exploiting these features, including examples of the right way for called programs (or procedures) to safely handle optional parameters.