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 WebSmart 5 Advanced Training Seminar in British Columbia
We have scheduled a WebSmart 5 Advanced Training class for the week of September 12-15, at our development office in Sidney, British Columbia, Canada.
This class is intended for WebSmart programmers with some experience, who would like to be exposed to more advanced programming techniques in a structured environment. As programmers, many of us spend our time thinking "there's gotta be a better way to do this...", but we can never make time in our heavy schedules to take a couple hours (much less a couple days) to figure out those better ways. By participating in this class you'll give yourself a break from the chaos at the office, and give yourself some time with one of our developers, which will provide you with a great opportunity to sort out some of your weak areas with the product and benefit from our experience as WebSmart developers, programmers and consultants.
We are also offering a course on the
Fundamentals of Web Development with WebSmart that is tentatively scheduled for the end of August \ beginning of September.
If you are interested in attending this WebSmart class or would like additional information, please fill out our Training Request form. You can also contact Marcel Sarrasin, our training coordinator.
Clover Beta: Sign up Now!
The Clover development team is putting the final touches on the first version of Clover. You read about it last month, next month try it out for yourself!
Clover is an optional component of the WebSmart suite of products. Its purpose is to allow developers and users to design reports and queries and deploy them in browsers. Clover is seamlessly integrated into WebSmart, so there is no special or separate install procedure. If you install the main WebSmart components (WAS on the server, IDE on the client) then you can use all the features of Clover.
Clover is designed to make it easy to write reports with subtotals, breaks, summaries or details, produce online bar graphs and more. It works with your existing iSeries or i5 database files, and provides SQL wizards to make constructing simple or complex relations between files intuitive.
What does Clover have that WebSmart doesn't?
WebSmart provides a platform to create sophisticated web applications such as file maintenance, order entry, shopping carts, web forums, document management, web services oriented applications, corporate portals, etc. - just about any business application you can imagine. Using WebSmart's coding environment, you can also write typical business reports such as sales analysis, invoices, etc. However, some of the features of typical reports, such as subtotals and breaks on values, require additional coding within the tool. Clover addresses this issue by providing a new interface, tightly integrated with many of the existing features of the IDE, to enable you to write reports with little or no coding. Clover has its own set of templates which drive the report creation process, making it easy to create reports with breaks, subtotals, graphs, etc. Using the included SQL wizard, you can relate many files (for example, join a header to a detail file) and define how you want the data sorted, filtered and reported.
We are now accepting applications for candidates to join our beta program.
By participating in the beta test, you will get early access to the software and all its features, as well as the developer's ear while you're trying it out. The beta stage of the software is when it's particularly malleable, and we're able to give you a quicker turnaround on your suggestions.
So if Clover sounds like something that you'd like to try out, we encourage you to visit the Clover Beta Request page at our web site.
If you have any questions about the beta, you can contact Technical Support. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the software.
Wenger Corp. Consulting Profile
Since 1946, Wenger Corporation has been manufacturing innovative products servicing a variety of markets including elementary to post-secondary music education, the performing arts, theater, places of worship and more. They are recognized as an industry leader with a reputation for supplying durable and versatile products with real value and proven return on their investment. Located in Owatonna, Minnesota, Wenger now offers nearly 600 products to customers worldwide and employs over 500 people.
With increased market diversity, Wenger recognized a need to redesign their public web site to be more market driven, allowing their prospective and current customers to access products and information specifically designed for their individual market segment. Wenger also recognized the need to create a site that demonstrated leading edge technology and was alive with images of their products.
To assist with the design of their new site Wenger contracted the services of Accompany Software in Minneapolis. Accompany conducted a thorough review of the existing site, interviewed Wenger staff to develop user requirements, and worked closely with Wenger's marketing staff to develop a site infrastructure that satisfied the demands of the varied markets and customers that Wenger services.
The web site was developed using Flash which projects a progressive and crisp image, indicative of Wenger's product line. The site is served by an Apache web server and data is delivered to the Flash front-end by WebSmart programs developed in a joint effort by ExcelSystems and Wenger's IT staff. ExcelSystems also developed an HTML version of the site for non-Flash compatible browsers, the HTML site is accessible via a link on the page.
In addition to the unique combination of Flash and WebSmart programs, the site is also entirely driven by dynamic content. Product images, information and page layout are all determined by content derived from a database designed cooperatively by ExcelSystems and Wenger programmers to deliver ultimate flexibility. This allows Wenger to deliver market specific information for products that in fact may exist in multiple markets.
Joe Lutterman, IS director for Wenger Corporation states: "The design of the site maximizes visibility to Wenger products by providing access by market or product line. The HTML version of the site allows customers who do not have Flash the ability to fully navigate. The successful design and implementation was a cooperative team effort between our two partners, Accompany Software and ExcelSystems."
The site went live in May and is accessible at www.wengercorp.com.
For further information about how this application was developed or for details on our consulting services, please contact Kevin Cronin.
WebSmart Coding Tip: Comments in HTML and JavaScript
One of the new features of the WebSmart 5 IDE is that it syntax checks PML that is embedded directly in your HTML segments. This lets you write code very much like the way ASP, PHP or ColdFusion is written - intermingling PML and HTML. While you probably only want to use this feature to a limited extent (to embed small fragments of PML), there is another practical use involving commenting your code.
Usually, when you write comments in HTML or Javascript code, those comments will show up in the rendered page. This is not good from two perspectives:
- It reveals more about your code than you might want visitors to see (Eg: another developer outside your organization can read and more easily understand your Javascript).
- It sends unnecessary code to the page, making it slower to display.
By using embedded PML, though, you can easily add programmer documentation in your Javascript or HTML that will not be included in the rendered page.
For example, for HTML you normally code comments like this:
<!--This is an HTML comment that will be included in the rendered page at runtime-->
To avoid having this in the rendered page, code it like this:
<pml> // This is an HTML comment that will NOT be included in the rendered page at runtime </pml>
(This is really just a regular PML-style comment instead of an HTML- style one).
For Javascript, you normally code comments like this:
// This is a Javascript comment that will be included in the rendered page at runtime
Or like this:
/* This is a multi-line Javascript comment
that will be included in the rendered page at runtime */
And - coincidentally - both these syntaxes match the way you can code comments in PML. So to avoid having these show up in the rendered page, do this:
<pml> // This is a Javascript comment that will NOT be included in the rendered page at runtime </pml>
<pml> /* This is a multi-line Javascript comment
that will NOT be included in the rendered page at runtime */ </pml>
So, since the syntax of Javascript and PML comments is the same, all you have to do to exclude JavaScript comments from a rendered page is surround them with <pml> and </pml> tags. Since WebSmart 5.0 syntax-checks inline PML correctly, you can be assured that if you make any syntax errors, the IDE will catch it prior to compiling the PDW. Since most of your comments are likely to be for Javascript rather than HTML, you should soon be able to get into the habit of using this technique.
And one final note - comments are never generated in the server-side code (they used to be until some release of V 4.0) - so feel free to use comments liberally. They will not clutter up the generated source code.
New WebSmart Example Programs: Changing Text Style on Validation, Real Time Server Clock.
The following new WebSmart example programs were added recently:
- Example 93 - Changing the text style on validation. This example program illustrates how you can use PML and CSS to conditionally change the attributes on the field text rather than displaying an error message. Conditional error messages can sometimes be hard to add into a page without skewing your carefully set-up layout, so this technique provides an alternate way of indicating a problem with a field without having to insert extra text somewhere in the page.
- Example 92 - Real time server clock. This example demonstrates a real-time clock which runs using the iSeries server time as a starting point, and then updates every second using Javascript.
For further details on any of the WebSmart examples, or if you have any questions on how to implement the techniques they demonstrate, please contact Technical Support.
Trimming Numeric Fields in HTML
When you place a numeric field in the HTML and apply an edit code, the edited resulting value will frequently contain leading blanks (if the edit code/word used has zero suppression). This can result in any of the following problems:
- Right adjusted numbers in edit controls.
- For instance, if a 3 position numeric is in a max 3 sized edit control, and displays the number '7', the user can delete the '7' and try to type in '124', but may find they can't because they didn't notice (and delete) the two leading blanks.
- In some cases the underlying numeric field is for some reason bigger than the edit control (say it's a 10 digit numeric, but we know the value will always be max 4 positions). In these cases, the leading blanks fill the edit control, making it appear empty.
- Numbers in JavaScript. In some cases the leading blank in the JavaScript will cause it to consider it an alpha value or some sort of hex representation and you end up with totally bizarre numbers in your JavaScript variables.
- NOTE - This is also a problem for unedited numbers, with leading zeros. For example, if you use rrn as a parm to a JavaScript function and don't suppress the leading zeros, JavaScript will interpret some of these numbers correctly (so you think your function is working ok) but others are completely wrong.
- Extra spacing in text if you wanted to attach the number to the preceding text.
As a consequence of the above problem, we are proposing that we automatically trim numeric fields which have edit codes. In hypothetical cases where the blanks are actually desired, an addition option would exist at the field definition which could turn the trimming off as follows: <field name=LG#TSKF.TMDAAN editcode=J trim=0>.
We would like to get your feedback on this proposed change, particularly if you have examples of places where the blanks are desirable. Note that this change would not affect any use of numeric fields in PML. The only affected area would be numeric fields with edit code placed directly in the HTML. Please take a minute to fill out the form below to let us know your feelings about this issue. When you hit the submit button, and brief 'Thank You' message will be displayed to indicate that we have received your entry, and the form will go away.
Proposal for WebSmart to automatically trim numeric fields which have edit codes?
If you have any further questions about this matter, please contact Technical Support.
IBM acknowledges BCD and JJ
Able for iSeries Innovation.
IBM has launched the iSeries Initiative for Innovation program which encourages ISVs, tools partners and IBM to team together to deliver innovative new iSeries solutions to IBM clients. Through this program, we were pleased to see that IBM has recognized JJ Able & Company for the telecommunications billing and operations support system they offer to their clients. This value added application runs on the iSeries, and was created using BCD's WebSmart and Nexus Portal.
Read the complete article in the Series Innovation Newsletter, by Peter Bingaman, V.P. iSeries Marketing.
ESDI Welcomes Another New Employee
Shortly after hiring two new people last month, ESDI (BCD Development and Support) has hired another new technical support rep. Oscar Gomez arrives at ESDI with a diploma in Computer Systems from a local college and a few years experience doing everything from developing multimedia CDs to helping build a Business Immigration Tracking System for the BC government. Oscar joins fellow newbies Tyson and Alain in the training trenches, and will hopefully be emerging soon to help you with your tech support issues. He only has to fully familiarize himself with BCD's suite of a dozen or so products, as well as everything iSeries, so it shouldn't be too long ;-).
Oscar has been enduring Victoria's bland food, weather and sports for 10 years now; prior to moving here, he grew up in Mexico where the weather is always awesome, the fajitas are served with genuine chimichurri and the national soccer team occasionally wins international matches against non-island republics.
When you have the opportunity to talk to Oscar, we would appreciate it if you'd take a second to chat and give him some feedback on how he's doing. As always, remember that if during Oscar's training period you at any time feel like you need to talk to one of our more senior staff members, you only need to ask for them.
Summary List of Recent Updates
WebSmart 5.11
- Build 8449 - 2005/06/06 - This update includes all previous fixes, as well as the following:
- Improved generation of structures
- Fix WCM problem with closing at inopportune times
- Fix JSE crash on cancel of connection request
- Fix problem with files with a number in the second position of the file name
- Improved handling of NULL characters by RDW
- Fix incorrect message on hex assignment
- Fix mislabeled global parms
- Improved validation of = vs = =
- Correct substring length validation
- Other small changes and fixes
- W510003P.EXE - 2005/06/06 - Includes all previous enhancements and fixes as well as the following:
- Fix for sendmailex with some mail servers Free Format generator changes:
- A fix for crtlike with 10 char field names
- A fix to timetoalpha
- A fix to the way setsmurf handled numeric fields
- A fix to the call and callb for problems with 10 char field names
- A fix to the translate function to default zero length correctly
Please visit the WebSmart Updates page for further information on the available updates.
ProGen Plus 8.03
These are the latest ProGen Plus updates:
- PG8R037 - 2005/06/23 - Requires OS/400 V5R1 or later. Fixed cursor positioning problem in ILE programs using windows
- PG8R036 - 2005/06/23 - Requires OS/400 V5R1 or later. Fixed modification log edits not being saved.
Please visit the ProGen Plus Updates page for further information on the available updates.
© 2005 ExcelSystems Software Development, Inc.
ProGen WebSmart and ProGen Plus are Registered Trademarks in the US and Canada, and Trademarks in all other countries.
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