- Frequently Asked Questions

Read the answers to frequently asked questions about Presto

General

Q. What is Presto?

A. Presto is a web enabling software solution that instantly web enables all your RPG & COBOL applications. It gives your users’ browser access to your green screen apps that are transformed into professional looking web pages. This is accomplished without having to identify screens up front; it is done on the fly. You have full access to the client side HTML code to make any screen enhancements such as adding links, images, drop down lists, graphs, Google Maps and making Ajax calls. Presto runs in a batch process.

Q. What are the benefits of Presto besides providing nicer looking applications?

A. Some key benefits are improved end user satisfaction and reduced training costs because of the more intuitive screens and easier navigation. The applications are more accessible and it’s easier to maintain end users because no PC software is needed; they just need a browser. You can also give people access to the apps outside your organization including clients or partners. Presto extends the functionality of your programs by adding images and graphs. System performance is also improved since the programs run in batch.

Q. How long does it take to web enable green screen applications?

A. As soon as you install Presto your entire system is instantly web enabled and all your screens are browser compatible. You do not need to identify screens up front. This means all your programs, menus and system screens are web enabled immediately after installation. With some simple work and configuration options you can get even better aesthetics. You can optionally enhance your screens further with images, links and drop downs to name a few and the amount of time it takes for those depends on the type of customizations you want and your experience with HTML.

Q: How do end users access the applications and does any PC software need to be installed?  

A: All end users need to access the web enabled applications is a browser and the URL to your Presto applications. No other PC software, Active X or Java Applets need to be installed. Browsers supported include Internet Explorer, Firefox and early tests indicate that Chrome will work.

Q. How does Presto affect system performance and does it use Interactive resources?

A. Presto improves your System i performance by running as a *batch process. It does not run interactively. Your end users should not notice any difference between accessing the 5250 applications in Client Access versus accessing the web enabled screens in a browser.

Q. Can I enhance and customize screens and have them look like our public website? Are Ajax, JavaScript and HTML changes supported?

A. You have full access to the client side HTML code to make any screen enhancements you want. Some examples of enhancements you can make are adding links, images, drop down lists, graphs, popup calendars, Google Maps and other UI changes as well as making Ajax calls to support your SOA initiatives. Presto includes skins which are HTML and CSS files that handle the look of the site. You can create your own custom skin to create the look you want or to match the look of your organization.

Q. Are system screens like Work with Output Queues or Display Message web enabled?

A. Yes, all system screens are web enabled.

Q. How long does it take to install and is there a trial version?

A. You can install Presto in less than 1 hour and see your results immediately. There is a fully functional free trial version that can be requested. Presto includes a pre-configured instance of the APACHE HTTP web server to make the installation as simple as possible. This assumes you have the pre-requisites installed as outlined in the Minimum Requirements question lower down on this page.

Q: Do you need to make any changes to the RPG, Cobol or DDS source code?

A: No, you do not need to make any changes to your underlying RPG, Cobol or DDS source code. Presto does not even require DDS; it just uses the 5250 datastream.

Q: Does Presto work with Cobol and OPM, RPG ILE and S/36?

A: Yes, Presto works with Cobol and all versions of RPG. There is no need to update any of your existing code to Web enable your RPG programs using Presto. It does not touch any existing code- it rides on top of your existing applications.

Q: Can I still run the original green screen application?

A: Yes, absolutely. Presto does not affect the original 5250 green screen programs. You can continue to run them while you access the web enabled programs.

Q: Is Presto the same as Webfacing and is it a screen scraper?

A: Presto can be considered a Webfacing solution and a screen scraper depending on your definition of those terms. You do not have to map screens or identify them before using Presto. Presto works on the fly and the 5250 data stream to HTML web pages.

Q: What is the learning curve for an old iSeries programmer?

A: Presto's learning curve is very quick. It would take you days not weeks to become proficient at developing/enhancing screens using the Presto IDE. HTML is very quick to learn as well. Though it may take a while to master HTML you can learn the basics in just a few hours which are all you would need to make most types of screen enhancements beyond the table wizard and panel configuration changes.

Q: How is Presto licensed?

A: Presto licensing is made available two different ways: The first is called Base Pricing that includes a specific number of concurrent users determined by the BCD tier your system falls under.  The second licensing option is Unlimited User Pricing, and that includes as many users as you need for your system.  Under the Base Pricing option you may license more concurrent users beyond what is included in the Base Pricing option if you need more, however do not want the unlimited user option.

Q: What is the difference between Presto and WebSmart ILE or WebSmart PHP? Would you use Presto to develop new web apps?

A: Presto web enables existing green screen applications whereas WebSmart ILE and WebSmart PHP are used to develop new web applications from scratch or to rewrite existing green screen applications. When web enabling an existing application with Presto you do not touch the underlying RPG or DDS code. WebSmart PHP and WebSmart ILE provide the ability to rapidly develop new web programs. You can reuse existing RPG code from both editions of WebSmart by calling back end RPG programs but you cannot convert existing interactive programs with WebSmart as you can with Presto.

Screen Design and UI

Q: Do all screens have to reviewed/updated in the Presto IDE or will they inherit a default look?

A: Presto will assign a skin, or default web 'look and feel' to each screen by default. Out of the box every screen on your system will inherit the same look.

Q: Does Presto support 132 character screens?

A: Presto supports 132 and 80 character screens.

Q: Can menus be clicked on and can links be added to other web apps (i.e WebSmart) or documents (i.e PDFs)?

A: You can make menus links that users click to select or you can have a clickable icon beside each menu. Any image or button can be a link to any web page you want including WebSmart applications. You are not limited to just a call, you can pass parameters to WebSmart programs using information from the screen. You can also use WebSmart programs in conjunction with AJAX to seamlessly integrate new functionality in your screens. Existing PDF and other documents available from a browser can also be linked to from any Presto web enabled page.

Q: Can drop downs be used to replace popup windows or for subfile options?

A: You can use drop down lists for subfile options or to replace popup windows. You can also use icons or a right click menu to replace subfile options and radio buttons or check boxes can also be added to a page. You can create database-driven, dynamic dropdown boxes by using Ajax to call WebSmart programs.

Q. Are you able to include more data per page than a 5250 screen and can you change the screen size in the browser?

A. You can add any of the existing data from the screen and add any other text and can also add new fields that are not on the existing panel with ajax calls. You can change the size of the web page and are not limited to the size of the original green screen application.

Q. Are color attributes and conditioned text or fields handled on the fly with Presto?

A. Colors and conditionally displayed data fields and text are handled correctly by Presto. Conditional attributes or display are controlled with CSS settings that you can customize, if necessary. Presto can render the same screen in different ways, based on the program logic in your original code that controls the display and formatting of data. It will correctly mimic the behavior of your original green-screen application.

Q. Can fields be removed or hidden in the HTML.

A. You can easily remove fields or text from the screen or use CSS to hide them instead.

Q. Are popup windows and function keys supported?

A. Window popups and function keys are supported without you needing to make any changes to screens. Users can also drag windows around the screen, and resize them. You can either hit the function key on your keyboard or click the function key button on the web page.

Q. Where are the Presto screens that have been modified saved?

A. Presto stores customized pages as HTML documents on your System i. If you have screens that you do not make any changes to then no customized page exists for those screens. Instead, Presto just creates and renders the HTML on the fly.

Q: When you need to add a field or make a change do you modify the original RPG/DDS source, Presto or both?

A: It depends on the type of change. You make the change in Presto if you are just modifying the screen with the existing fields. If you need to add a new field you would do it in the DDS or you can do it in Presto by using AJAX technology. If you add a field to the DDS you would only need to update the screen in Presto if the screen has a custom page.

Requirements and Deployment  

Q. What are the minimum requirements to use Presto and what OS releases does it support?

A: Currently Presto needs to have a minimum OS of V5R3 to operate and it is V6R1 compliant. If you want to run Presto sessions in batch, you also need to have WebSphere Web Application Server V6R0M0 (Express or Full version) installed, but not running. Presto doesn’t require any WebSphere component to be running except the WebFacing server.  WebSphere Express Edition comes standard with the operating system at no extra charge. TCP/IP needs to be running on your iSeries and for anyone using the Presto IDE for development they need a PC with minimum Windows XP with IE 6 or 7 installed and processor speed of Pentium 200 (Note: it will run fine on slower machines, just slower!). End users need a browser, Internet Explorer or Firefox are officially supported, however other browsers may work but are untested.

Q: How do you 'gradually' roll out the converted screens, for example, by department? Also, can you pick and choose which screens to render or do you have to do them all?

A. Presto will web enable your entire system but you can gradually roll out customized pages by setting up a development environment and then a production environment, letting you modernize at your pace.  You can also enhance different sections of your screens over time. If you do not want to give access to all your programs via Presto you can set up Exit points to restrict what users can access.

Q: Is there a performance hit running an application via Presto vs green screen and how do the response rates compare?

A. There is very little, if any, performance difference between running your programs on a 5250 screen compared to Presto. In fact, since Presto apps use no interactive processor you should see better overall system performance in many cases. Your end users should not notice any difference in the time it takes to render a page. Pages will however render a bit more slowly when viewed in the Presto IDE during development.

Q. Are there any conflicts running Presto with other web based products, Websphere, HATS, etc?

A. No, Presto will run on a separate port by default to avoid conflicts. In most cases you can however merge the Presto APACHE instance with an existing one for other products that use APACHE.

Q. If you already have an Apache instance for Websmart or Nexus would this run in same or separate instance?

A. It’s your choice; they can run in the same instance or run separately.

Q. Does it work with SSL?

A. Yes.

Q: Which web server does it use?

A: Presto works with the Apache HTTP web server which is shipped with the iSeries. This is standard software that comes with the operating system. You do not have to buy any licenses for additional products from IBM.

Q. Can the web enabled apps be accessed outside your network?

A. That is your choice. It is definitely possible if you open up access with your firewall to the Apache web server Presto uses on your System i to access your system.

Q: Can I embed Presto apps into my existing portal or other web applications?

A: Yes, you can link to Presto from your existing web applications and you can also achieve SSO with your other web apps as long as you can pass the Presto login API the user information or a session ID using the Auto Login feature. Using Presto with Nexus you can easily bypass the sign in screen in your Presto app and embed them into the Nexus portal.

Q: As an ISV how can I deploy a Presto web enabled solution to multiple customers? Do the customizations need to be done on each customer's machine?

A. You would do the work on your system and just send each customer the full library and IFS folder with the HTML files for the custom pages. You can choose a different skin for each customer but don't need to change anything else assuming all the programs are the same. You can also have a separate Presto environment for each customer if they will all have a unique or customized solution. Your customers would also need to purchase Presto and install it.

Q: Does Presto support multiple languages?

A: Yes. If your system is set to a CCSID other than 37 all you need to do is set the CCSID on the server environment configuration and in the APACHE instance. You can also make enhancements to your screens using Ajax to translate the text on the screen.

Q: Can you use Presto without Nexus Portal, WebSmart and Clover?

A: Presto does not require Nexus, WebSmart or Clover to run, however, we do include SmartCharts with Presto at no charge. SmartCharts are used to create flash graphs over data on your screen. Presto is a standalone product. We would certainly encourage you to use Presto with Nexus to enhance your complete application modernization initiative with a web menuing and user management system. The license fee for Nexus Portal has been waived by BCD as a promotion with paid annual maintenance, however you can use Presto without Nexus.

Competition 

Q: How does Presto compare to HATS, JWALK and other web enabling solutions?

A: Presto is similar in concept to those products. We recommend you to evaluate the products on your own systems to compare them. A complete copy of Presto is available for a free trial. Our policy is to not get into a point by point comparison with other products. What we can tell you is that Presto:

• Instantly web enables all your applications without having to identify screens beforehand.
• Gives you more flexibility with customizing screens because you have full access to the HTML.
• It does not require the WebSphere Server to run
• It does not require access to or any changes to the DDS source.