7.0 is waiting in the wings.

Wow.

What a few months we have had in the Plex and 2E world since I last wrote a proper update.

The major piece of news from my perspective is the publication of the candidate features for the 7.0 release of Plex.  Yes, you heard me right!!  After talking up 6.5 in previous posts of mine and at the 2009 conference in Florida, CA have decided to skip to 7.0. 

Usually, an x.0 release number (increment) signifies a major release with some significant features.  Well it looks like 7.0 isn't going to disappoint us.  I personally can't wait to get involved and do some beta on .NET Client (WPF and XBAP) and the WCF Proxy for Cloud deployment.

For the full recorded presentation.  Visit this link.

Interesting times ahead.

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

Retro look back part II

Thanks to John Rhodes for the image of an old Obsydian diskette from the 1.0.3 release.  We are now at 6.1 and we have WCF, EJB, Java and .NET generation all being added since.  I really does show that MDD (Model Driven Development) can stand the test of time....

Personally, I see a marked 'upswell' in the desirability of code generation tools or at the least the concept of not writing all the CRUD stuff over and over again.

Time will tell.

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

p.s. Apologies for not keeping the blog up to date.  I have been working fulltime on a green field Plex project here in NZ.  I will try and summarise my findings in a future post.

Retro look back

I was trawling through my companies archives. 

You know what I mean.  I was actually rummaging through that pile of old CD-ROMs that had sat in the corner of the office for the last few years and I spotted this little gem.  I couldn't resist scanning it in and putting it up on the web for eternity.

If anyone else has some classic images they want loaded up I'd be happy to receive a scanned image.  This is for Obsydian version 2.5.  i.e. Pre patterns and many other cool enhancements that have been added over the years.  Anyone out there got a CD of KT!

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

Integration, Separation and CA Plex

Plex has always been a valuable tool for ISV’s or systems integrators. With the patterns, multi-platform code generation and dynamic application partitioning good integration and logical separation can be achieved very quickly out of the box.

Numerous technologies are supported to allow Plex to integrate/interoperate with other applications and platforms. See the main ones below.

• COM Connectors and COM Import
• ActiveX
• EJB Connectors
• .NET WCF Service generation
• Handcrafted Source Code Support
• Websydian TransactXML

Plex has always had the capability to separate the business, database and presentation logic aka a MVC pattern should you wish to implement your projects that way.

 

I have become aware of an exciting new development here in New Zealand where a project utilising the skills of ISA Ltd http://www.isa.co.nz/ for Plex consultancy coupled with an industry leading business rules engine from Idiom Software http://www.idiomsoftware.com/ to create a funds management application.

In summary Plex is being used to create the database, the UI and the database Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) logic. Idiom’s code generator is being used to implement the business rules. The synergy between Plex and Idiom is fantastic. Both support Java and .NET (C#).

 

Idioms’ principal focus is on the business rules that automate decision making. Many of us are aware of the effort required by developers to amend business rules in any application, and we know that Plex and 2E with their model based development paradigms makes this very easy. But it is still a developer task that involves changes inside the core application - that is, it is still a techie task that the business perceives to be 'over the wall'.

 

Now the fusion of these two technologies allows a developer to build the core application and the business consultant to build the key business rules.

 

Idiom offers something new - an ability for the business (or at least a business analyst/consultant) to take direct ownership and custody of this decision making logic. The IT developers lose a whole bunch of complexity and responsibility that significantly improves their productivity, while the business willingly takes on this load. The bottom line is that the business logic is now being managed as content within the IT managed core application. IT keeps the ultimate control and delegates out selected components for business control. The business delivers fully tested decision models to be called dynamically by the application.

 

It is a win-win.

At last, is this finally fulfillment of the original promise of CASE technology!!!!! IT developers AND business users creating the software. I am aware that the development of the application and rules are being done in parallel thus reducing the overall timeline to deliver the project.

However, enough from me. The guys at Idiom have decided to blog about their experiences using Plex as the application builder and Idiom for rules execution. The results make excellent reading and you can track their progress as they move through their project.

Part One

http://sales.idiomsoftware.com/Idiom/idiomblog.nsf/dx/08052010063840p.m.MNO9T9.htm

Part Two

http://sales.idiomsoftware.com/Idiom/idiomblog.nsf/dx/25052010045920p.m.MNO7V6.htm

Part Three

http://sales.idiomsoftware.com/Idiom/idiomblog.nsf/dx/13062010062150p.m.MNO9GQ.htm

 

Until next time.

 

Thanks for reading.

Lee.

Webcast Bonanza

Just a quick one today.

Many of you who use Plex will have heard of the guys at http://www.websydian.com/.

They have products like WebsydianDeveloper Patterns, TransacXML and in partnership with ADC Austin pioneered the WebsydianWebClient.  They also have other tools for 2E too.

Now they have done it again with an update to the Websydian patterns.

Join Anne-Marie and the team for this much anticiated technology preview/demonstration of the integration of Websydian patterns and the ExtJS library.  http://www.extjs.com/ or should I say www.sencha.com/ as they are now known (14th June 2010) - http://www.sencha.com/blog/2010/06/14/ext-js-jqtouch-raphael-sencha/ for more information on that merger.

To join this webcast follow the instructions found at this link.

http://www.websydian.com/wsyweb20/site/websydian

See you all there.

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

Anyone got a ROADMAP I can use?

CA Plex & CA 2E roadmaps published.

Great news!!! The latest roadmaps for CA 2E and CA Plex (dated May 2010) have been published on the CA website. The links are below:-

Note:- You may need to login into CA support to access these and if you haven’t got a support account it is relatively easy to register.

CA Plex:- https://support.ca.com/phpdocs/7/258/258_roadmap.pdf

CA 2E:- https://support.ca.com/phpdocs/7/1631/1631_roadmap.pdf

The key features as I see it are:-

CA Plex

• Further research and development for the .NET WPF and XBAP client technologies recently demonstrated at the May Mainframe Madness event and Ft Lauderdale in late 2009.
• Unicode support for IBM i DB2 database
• Improved JavaBeans support for the Java client generator
• Final version of the Code Library packaging wizard
• Continued enhancements to the base product and focus on improvements for each of the main generators.

CA 2E

• Improved Web Services support. I see this as meaning better WSDL naming and Result sets.
• More functions over *Arrays
• Logical deletion of functions in the model
• Web Option and base tool improvements.

The main message across both of these roadmaps was ‘Enhancement Requests’ and CA’s commitment to be lead by its customer requirements. We play our part by getting them created in the first instance. So if there is something you want to see in the product then get creating.

I would have preferred to have seen more firm commitments and dates but I guess this is a case of working through the detail and then publishing to the community.  So I keenly wait to hear more soon.

Thanks for reading.

Lee.

My top five enhancements for CA Plex.

We all know by now that CA Plex 6.5 is in the R&D phase and some technical previews have occurred with more planned. If you are short of knowledge in this area then take a look at Rob’s presentation at the CA Mainframe Madness Week. (www.ca.com/mmm).

I understand that Rob’s presentation has all anyone would need to convince your management about deploying your applications using .NET technologies and code generated by Plex. I have been snooping around (hassling Bill  :-)  ) and I am told that there are no less that four demonstrations for us to enjoy.

If it really floats your boat you can also look at the older presentations from Florida 2009 on the Plex wiki (see links on the side of my blog) which touch on Plex and 2E futures.

I though that I’d put it out there what my top 5 enhancements for the products could be and I tackle Plex first. I will tackle 2E another time.

Disclaimer: These are my opinions and I have been proven wrong on more than one occasion in my life. Just ask my wife (first wife) if you require additional information.

In no particular order.

One: New UI for the tool. I know that the tool is first class and that it enables hundreds of companies around the world to build first class enterprise systems. I feel that a little spruce up of the IDE Look ‘n’ Feel will go a long way to deter the doubters. A Ribbon bar here, a glass effect there and 64x64 icon in that corner, you get my drift, will go a long way. IMHO.

Two: Native XML Input/output. Pretty self-explanatory. I want to be able to choose how my service functions are called/exposed and how the data is passed.

Three: More native Action Diagram commands that replace the Technology API’s. i.e. Upper, Trim etc etc. I would prefer to have these as native action diagram commands rather than calls. I would like Plex to handle the new code when a new generator is released rather than me.  This will also help with my model management, especially when generating for multiple platforms which is one of the tools key differentiators.

Four: Visual Studio 2010. I want Plex to be aligned to the most recent releases of Microsoft’s leading IDE within 6-12 months. When I say that C++ generation needs 2005 for compliation I get shakes of the head from the MS 3GL guys at my shop.

Five: Patterns. The ultimate flexibility but somehow we seem to struggle to exchange these. Would be great if CA lead an initiative for pattern exchange and contribute by providing additional business solutions via a website on a regular basis.

Six: ‘Hey. You said five on your list.’ I know I did!!!! However.  I do like the idea of overhauling enhancing the diagramming and help editors with perhaps an automatic creation of diagrams from the model and easier editing and additional deployment options for generated help.

That’s my list for Plex. What do you want? Perhaps I can compose a blog of all your replies.

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

CA show strong commitment to Plex and 2E!

I blogged recently about the May Mainframe Madness and in this I referred to the realignment occurring within CA. 

I am happy to report that CA's plans for 2E and Plex are not affected and that new roadmaps (as I predicted) are imminent and will be published on CA support online in the coming weeks.

Extract from a recent communication for which I was a recipient.

"Following the email regarding the recent realignment at CA, please be advised that, for legal reasons, we are not in a position to provide further detailed information until after the end of May. We reaffirm that CA is committed to continuing to develop and support CA Plex and CA 2E; this realignment had no effect on our plans to continue these products forward.

We are in the process of publishing updated roadmap documents for CA Plex and CA 2E that will be available on CA Support Online in the coming weeks."

The key words above are reaffirm, committed, develop, support and no effect.  Being a 'Scrabbler' online, some of these words are worth more than others, but, all together they send a strong message.

All the legal stuff will be that there is an alignment process that needs to be adhered too.  Any product news positive or otherwise will be linked to the alignment process which is ongoing.  Once this is resolved I suggest it will be business as usual or BAU for us Three Letter Acronym freaks.

I'm happy. After all I am pushing for CA Plex to partner our CA 2E development at my employer.

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

CA Mainframe Madness

Hi,

Most people are aware that CA have decided to trim their staff and products and I must admit I had my heart in my mouth for a second as the Plex and 2E tools are very dear to my heart.

I am pleased to hear that my fears are unfounded.  Although, like most I am eager to hear from my friends at CA regarding product roadmaps for 2010.

However, we might get a little insight for what is next with these great tools at CA's mainframe madness event which is coming to an internet connection near you soon.

If you take a look on the CA Mainframe Madness website www.ca.com/mainframe/may you can see that the presentations will be available in a virtual environment for the whole of May.  There certainly looks like a few interesting presentations and I am so so so so eager to see how Rob Layzell and the team are getting on with the features for Plex 6.5.

There are a total of 23 sessions for us Plex and 2E users (fans) and some are even in Spanish.  You can click on here and view them - Mainframe Madness Sessions - Scroll down to the Modern Development Tools section and read away.

I am looking forward to seeing these. 
So enjoy and,

 "REMEMBER TO REGISTER". 

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

p.s. There are some PC prerequisites that you will need to adhere too so I suggest you do it ahead of time.

A GUI option for your CA:2E systems - Quickstep:2e

Shame on me I hear you all say!

How dare he use his personal blog for a product launch for his company.

Well, I can assure you I haven’t sold out, not in the slightest and I certainly haven’t been asked to do this. But I did state when I started this blog that I’d post the latest news as I heard it for both CA:2E and CA Plex.

Today the revised website for Quickstep:2e was launched by SASIT (www.sasit.co.nz) based in Auckland, New Zealand. Also, the latest build of the product (version 3.1) has been compatibility tested with CA:2E 8.5 and it works a treat.

Remembering that not every application in your armoury requires the total modernisation treatment. Quickstep:2e remains a viable alternative for organisations that are happy with their green screens productivity.  You are also happy with the CA:2E development environments rapid development capability but want to give a little extra functionality with the least possible expense.

Using Quickstep:2e is one of the easiest ways for you to create a GUI for your CA:2E applications.

Anyhow, don’t take my word for it.  Just visit the site, download and try for yourself.

www.quickstep.net.nz

Thanks for reading.
Lee.

Implementing a 'Generic' Data Driver File + Printing/Displaying Arrays in Subfiles (Part III)

Firstly.  Sorry for the delay in finishing off this series.  I have been away on holiday for 6 weeks and when I returned I have been in hospital having my knee operation.  I am now in recovery (bed rest) and finally have a little spare time to finish off the blog.

So let's do a little recap. 

In part one, I discussed the merits of a generic data driver file.  This is a different approach to normal 2E data driven programming but as indicated is particularly useful for implementing *Arrays for DSPFIL's or a PRTFIL or for merging head/footer details into one DSPFIL/PRTFIL.

http://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2009/11/implementing-generic-data-driver-file.html

In part two, I was merely trying to walk you through the solution I was required to provide for one of my customers.  These screenshots have been modified from their original form for confidentiality reasons but are posted with permission from my employer http://www.sasit.co.nz/.

http://leedare-plex2e.blogspot.com/2009/11/implementing-generic-data-driver-file_20.html

Today I am just going to do a quick walk through of what was required to create the solution.  With a little bit of effort (and luck) you should be in a position to work this out for yourself.  Of course, I am always happy to take questions and assist if neccessary.

Step 1.  Implement a Data Driver file.

A very simple file with one key.  I just made mine a simple numeric field.

Here are the field details

I just went with the default sizes for a NBR field.

Remember, once you have created this file you will need to populate it.  I simply populate this with two records 1 and 2 as the keys.  I have seen other implementations where people have put all 99,999 records in the file to make their programming a little easier.  I prefer a slightly different method of key jumping.  Explained a little later.

Step 2 - Some AD coding for the Super 14 table.

I have already computed my table placings based on the scores that have been entered into the system and the Array is keyed in position order.  In the AD below you will see that I set a counter.  This was initialised to 0 in the initialise program section.  The counter is there so I get the correct record for the correct position in the table as my data driven data only has two records.  If I wanted to, I could have populated more and had the counting already available in the DB1 context as I read each record. Personnal preferences here I guess.  I'd be interested in your viewpoints.

Next, I simply retrieve the data from the Array and do some populating of the fields in the subfile.  Now because I am reading down the data driver file and there are only two records I simply have to reset the cursor by doing a re-read of the first record if I think that there are other records to be displayed.  If not, the second record is read, not a lot happens and the subfile loading has done its job.

This is a screenshot of the device design for the Super14 table.

And the final table with 2009 results in place is as follows:-

That's it.   Simple.  If there are other areas in 2e you'd like me to cover.  Drop me a line.
Thanks for reading.
Lee.