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 WebSmart 6 Training Courses in Sarasota, FL and Sidney, BC
The first WebSmart Fundamentals class using WebSmart 6 is confirmed for the week of November 13-16 at a client location in Sarasota, FL. There are only 2 seats still available in this session, and we anticipate that they will fill up fast. So if you are interested in attending this class, or another later this fall, please fill out the Training Request form at our web site.
Sarasota is a short drive from Tampa, and a couple of hours from Orlando, so there are lots of flight options. This is a beautiful area to visit at this time of year, with dozens of nearby golf courses and fantastic beaches - one local beach is renown for having the finest white sand in the world.
The WebSmart Fundamentals class is a comprehensive course that will give you a working knowledge of all the key areas you need to be familiar with in order to begin developing applications with WebSmart. The course begins with an introduction to HTML (page structure elements, tables, images and links), then continues on to creating simple WebSmart programs. As you familiarize yourself with the tool, you'll add more features to your application: passing parameters between programs, customizing file access, and then prompting users for input and validating what they enter. The class concludes with some exercises in securing applications, using SQL, and using WebSmart’s Change Management interface. This class also includes new WebSmart 6 material, such as a session on the new interactive debugger.
WebSmart 6 Advanced Training
We have also received a request to host a WebSmart Advanced Training Seminar class at our location here in British Columbia, Canada. We plan to hold this class the week of December 11-16. If you are interested in joining us for it, please fill out the form above.
If you are interested in attending the advanced training class, our offices are located in Sidney, BC (airport code:YYJ). Sidney is a picturesque beach-front town in the Pacific Northwest, looking across the Juan de Fuca Strait towards the San Juan Islands. We are just a few minutes away from the world-famous Butchart's Gardens, open year-round, and a short drive from Victoria, which abounds with dining and recreational possibilities.
If you have any questions about the location, content or pre-requisites for these classes, please contact Tech Support.
WebSmart 6, Clover 1.5 and Nexus 3 In General Availability
At the recent COMMON conference in Miami BCD announced the General Availability of new releases of three of our most important products: WebSmart 6, Clover 1.5 and Nexus 3. Please visit our web site to download the latest versions of these tools.
 WebSmart 6 & Clover 1.5
In its latest release, WebSmart continues to solidify its leadership in the iSeries web application development market. WebSmart is a regular award-winner with both users and the press, and version 6 of WebSmart, along with Clover 1.5, includes many new features that expand the functionality of the tool in significant, useful ways. In addition to the features described in previous issues of this newsletter, during the beta period we also created three new template families for both WebSmart and Clover. These are described below.
Both products also include updated and expanded PDF documentation and help text. The printed versions of the guide will also be available soon.
Nexus 3
The latest version of Nexus represents a significant evolutionary leap from previous releases. The extensive new feature set required a complete re-write of the User Guide, which has also been expanded to include a robust tutorial section. Nexus 3 features have been profiled regularly in this newsletter over the last few months, and the April issue included writeups on both Nexus and SmartCharts.
To download WebSmart 6, Clover 1.5 and Nexus 3, please visit the Free Software Downloads page at the BCD web site.
Upcoming System i Network Web Cast:
How to Modernize RPG Applications using High Productivity System i Web Development Tools
October 18, 2006 12:30 PM Eastern (New York)
The System i is a technologically advanced, secure and reliable server that supports the most up-to-date database and Web capabilities. System i professionals also need to keep pace with these advances in technology. Paul Conte, Senior Technical Editor for System iNEWS, will discuss the need for fundamental skills such as SQL, modular programming with ILE, and Web technology. He’ll also discuss how it’s impossible to keep up with technology without using the appropriate tools to do the job. And, he'll compare fundamental tools such as WDSc and SCM to highly productive tools such as Web application generators.
During this Webcast you will also learn the answers to these questions:
- How can I easily modernize and transition existing System i green-screen applications to true Web applications?
- How can I reuse the valuable aspects of my existing RPG code base and business logic within Web applications?
- What is the best approach for quickly creating professional Web applications without being constrained by a limited development tool?
- How can I achieve success quickly in understanding and implementing Web applications?
- How can we have developers and 'end-users' easily create real-time System i Web based queries using a tool more powerful than Query/400?
- How can I make a strategic decision for my career and my enterprise that has both short and long-term benefits?
This Webcast includes a live demonstration of BCD's WebSmart System i Web application development tool, and Clover, BCD's integrated Web query tool. Learn how you can build a fully working Web application in minutes with no programming required. Also, learn how to easily integrate business rules from legacy RPG code, and how to use Clover to create powerful Web based queries, charts and graphs. Duncan Kenzie, President BCD Technical Services, presents this portion of the Webcast. Also, Susan DeFrance, Sr. Programmer/Lead Analyst with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America will share her experience in selecting and developing modernized Web applications using BCD's WebSmart.
This unique Webcast is offered as part of the RPG and Beyond Web conference.
A second Webcast, Better Than Green Screen: How You Can Use Next Generation Web Technologies To Become an iSeries IT Hero, will follow on October 24, 2006 12:30 PM Eastern (New York).
License Key Changes for BCD Products
We are proud to announce the general availability of WebSmart version 6 and Clover version 1.5. In conjunction with these releases, we've implemented a new license key system in these products that will make it easier for you to manage products you license from BCD, and make it possible for us to provide more flexible licensing options in the future. This new licensing scheme requires that we issue you new license keys for the WebSmart 6 family of products. This family includes WebSmart ILE, WebSmart JSE, RDW (RPG/DDS to Web conversion) and Clover. One advantage of the new scheme is that you will only need one license key for any combination of these products, per machine serial number and LPAR, whereas previously you needed a separate code per product.
To make the transition to the new licensing system as painless as possible, we've implemented the following procedures:
- We have created a new web site, www.mybcdsoftware.com where you can log in and manage your BCD product license keys online. This site also includes many other tools, such as easy product upgrades and other account management features such as bug/request reporting and status updates.
If you don't already have a MyBCDSoftware login, just send an email to excel@excelsystems.com with a subject of "myBCDsoftware Account Request" to request a login id and password for this site. [Make sure your email includes your name and company.] Then we'll hook you up to your customer account information that we have on file.
- We have sent out automated emails to all clients who have licenses for the WebSmart family of products to explain how you can download these products and get your new license keys. These emails were sent out Tuesday, October 10. If you didn't receive one, please feel free to call or email us for help.
- We've created a new iSeries command you can download and run that will display the necessary information about your system that is needed to generate a permanent license key. You can get this command from www.excelsystems.com/mybcd.htm.
- And finally, our technical support staff have been trained to provide specific, personalized support during the transition to the new license key system, so please don't hesitate to call if you have questions.
Please note that permanent license keys for WebSmart 6 are only available to clients who currently have active, paid-up maintenance contracts. If you do not, you can continue to use earlier versions of WebSmart. If your maintenance contracts have lapsed and you are interested in renewing them in order to use WebSmart 6, please contact our sales team at 630-986-0800 or at sales@bcdsoftware.com.
The new WebSmart 6 codes will not affect your WebSmart 5 applications which will continue to run as expected. However if you are transferring your license (along with a WebSmart 5 application) to a new machine, be aware that you will need new WebSmart 5 codes as well as a WebSmart 6 code.
If you have renewed your maintenance contract very recently, we may not have recorded this transaction in our files. If this is the case, and you did not receive an email for codes, or if the technical support staff cannot give you a license key over the phone without first verifying with the sales team, please accept our apologies. We assure you we will do our best to get you a permanent license key without delay.
We expect this new system to last for many years, as well as simplifying the process when BCD clients license multiple solutions.
Thank you for your cooperation and continued support.
Duncan Kenzie
President, ExcelSystems Software Development, Inc.
ProGen Plus 9 Beta Available
The beta version of ProGen Plus 9 is now available for download. ProGen Plus 9 contains improvements based on dozens of client requests and reported issues since the last release of the software.
If you use ProGen Plus regularly, and would like to participate in the version 9 beta, please visit our web site to sign up, and we'll contact you with download instructions.
ProGen Plus 9 includes changes and fixes to the following areas of the product, among others:
- The Z-Commands.
- Character type support.
- The Report Panel Design Aid.
- The definition activity/history log.
- Date conversions.
- Validation module selection.
- Work Fields.
- Free format conditions.
ProGen 9 is the result of years of improvements and ongoing fine-tuning, and is our most stable version ever. For this reason there is relatively little risk involved in getting the beta, and the significant benefit of having early access to all the improvements. You will also get prioritized attention for any issues you run into, and the developer's ear on any further suggestions you may have.
If you have any questions about the upcoming release please contact Technical Support.
WebSmart 6 Feature Profile: New Templates
One of our last objectives for WebSmart 6 was to create a new set of template families. These are available in WebSmart 6.02, now in GA.
The three brand new template families were created with the following objectives:
- To further streamline the code, particularly the HTML, making the programs run and load more efficiently.
- To provide higher quality designs, that you can easily merge into existing applications.
- To improve our usage of Cascading Style Sheets, making it easy to apply a total face-lift to your pages by changing one or two style sheets.
- File maintenance templates combine the Add and Change pages, making it easier to apply style changes to your programs.
- All templates use a single, consolidated JavaScript file, which again makes it easier to apply changes across many programs.
- The same set of new templates is available for both Clover and WebSmart, making it easy for you to merge both types of program in a single site.
This last feature particularly makes it very easy for you to transform the look of these templates to match your organization's existing web pages, or at the very least include your corporate logos. The Clover report templates reference two separate style sheets, one for screen and another for print, which allows you to set separate fonts and page margins that are appropriate for the target media.
If you have any questions about WebSmart internationalization, or further suggestions of features we could add to help address issues you have encountered in your particular environment, please contact Tech Support
BCD @ the IBM Technical Conference and Other Events
Representatives from the BCD sales and development teams will be attending the following events:
We will have booths where you can come by to have a chat about your current application development needs, or to request a product demo.
If you are planning to attend any of these events, we'll look forward to meeting you there.
New WebSmart Snapshots in Productivity Published
Visit the BCD web site to read the latest additions to our Snapshots in Productivity series. In these interviews with Susan DeFrance, Senior Programmer / Lead Analyst with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America and Michelle August, Information Management Systems Assistant Professor/Curriculum Coordinator of Moraine College, you'll learn why they selected WebSmart, how they are using it, and the particular advantages it has given them in their diverse environments.
 | | Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America, Inc. offers a complete line of light and medium-duty cab over trucks to the North American market. These products are sold through more than 170 dealers in the US and Canada. Mitsubishi Fuso’s IT infrastructure is supported by IBM iSeries hardware that runs internally developed business applications. |
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 | | Moraine Valley Community College is situated on a sprawling campus 23 miles southwest of Chicago’s Loop. Moraine Valley integrates instruction in computer technology and business to form classes in eCommerce. Moraine Valley is one of the leading colleges offering a System i curriculum. One of the IT courses they’ve offered for a few years teaches students how to build eBusiness Web sites using Moraine Valley’s IBM iSeries model 520 and BCD’s WebSmart, a popular iSeries Web Application Development solution.
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Moraine Valley Community College also recently won the IBM Innovation Award for Education Excellence for a System i Client or College.
Nexus 3 Feature Profile: SmartCharts
Among the many new features in Nexus 3 is the addition of a new portlet class that generates SmartCharts. You can use the Nexus SmartCharts portlet class to create several types of graph and KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) that you can add anywhere on your portal pages. These are useful for providing an immediate visual representation of any kind of data or trend relevant to you or your users. In an age where time is increasingly at a premium, we have come to rely on the ability to quickly grasp complex data and act upon it. SmartCharts graphs can enhance the quality of your Nexus portal dashboard by allowing you to link SQL queries to a graphical representation of the generated data. This allows you to easily monitor the status of any indicators recorded and updated in your database.
Sample Charts
Nexus 3 ships with one SmartCharts example, the first one illustrated in the top of the third column of the page illustrated below:
We have included this one instance with the product to help you easily understand how to create and configure your own portlet instances. To create a new instance, you simply add it to your portal page, and then edit the configuration options.
Nexus SmartCharts Portlet Configuration Options
Here is an illustration of the configuration options for the default instance:
As you can see, the instances are very easy to configure. All you need to do is code an SQL statement that returns the value you need, and select the attributes of the graph or chart you want to use. There are several other options available to enhance the quality of the chart, including the ability to update it in real time, and specify a time interval at which to track it. In the second chart illustrated above you can see an example of this; a value that is being updated every few minutes, allowing you to track the progress of any indicator you need to monitor.
SmartCharts is Part of Nexus, WebSmart and Clover
Nexus 3 ships with several different SmartChart styles to choose from. SmartCharts is also included with the WebSmart application development family, so you can also use WebSmart and Clover to create sophisticated programs that generate any of dozens of styles of charts and graphs. You can then add links to these programs to a Nexus Include instance, to display those in your pages. Between the SmartCharts features available in Nexus and those you can use in WebSmart/Clover, you have a wealth of possibilities available to you, for all different levels of programming competency.
Nexus 3 is now available for download from our web site.
New WebSmart Example Programs: PDA Detection and Custom Style Sheets
We recently completed a professional services contract with a client that needed a WebSmart application customized to be run on PDA's.
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New ProGen Plus KB Items
The list of ProGen Plus KB items is always growing, and over the last couple of weeks we've added a few items that highlight how you can use the Actions Editor to solve a variety of programming challenges.
Task 6331 came about as a result of a client needing to disable the Page Up key in a ProGen Plus program, to allow people to move forward through a list of records, but not backwards. By checking the *RESPONSE program field at the *KYCF program context we were able to block this action and issue an appropriate message.
In Task 6305 you can see an example of another way to use the *FILT and *AKYP contexts, this time to display a range of records. This KB entry was created as a result of a client needing to add two values to the subfile control, where the user would enter the upper and lower limits of a range.
If you have any questions about these Knowledge Base entries, please email tech support.
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From a financial standpoint, this project was disappointingly easy to do in WebSmart. However, it did result in two new WebSmart example programs that illustrate some of the techniques that we used in that project, combining JavaScript, Style Sheets, and other features in both HTML and WebSmart.
- Example 122 - PDA Detection by the Browser. This example program detects the media type and uses a different style sheet if the media type in the link tag is handheld.
- Example 121 - PDA Detection Using JavaScript. This example uses Javascript when the page loads to determine if the media being used to view this page is a hand-held device or a normal screen. The program then uses a specific Cascading Style Sheet depending on which media was used.
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.
Summary List of Recent Updates
Catapult 5.72
Catapult 5.72 is now available for download from our web site. Version 5.72 includes the following features and fixes:
- Added the ability to disable spool file viewing via the console. Please contact Tech Support for more details.
- The specified archive file name you provide when compressing a report will now be checked automatically for bad characters, making it easier to use with replacement values.
- You can now use Replacement values inside Title and Footer pages that you add to your documents.
- A problem involving imbedded font tags not displaying properly in documents generated as RTF has been resolved
- A problem involving viewing spool files has been fixed. This was causing the console to crash under certain circumstances when trying to view a spool file.
Please visit the Catapult updates page for further information.
© 2006 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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