Fix pack 7.5.1.4 is now available. It includes fixes in many areas of the
product, as well as significant runtime performance improvements in both Java and COBOL environments. Everyone using RBD 7.5.x should install it. See IBM Rational Business Developer 7.5.1.4 Release Information for more info, including installation instructions and the list of APARs which are fixed. The download instructions are here.

If you generate COBOL for System z, you should also install PTF UK51729.

Rational Business Developer version 7.5.1.4 includes these enhancements:

• Improvements in COBOL runtime performance affect the following kinds of processing:
  data-table access, dynamic-array access, assignments, SQL statements,
  exception handling, calls, string handling, and other memory usage. Consider re-generating existing applications, especially if they access SQL databases extensively or access data tables.
• Improvements in Java runtime performance affect the processing of system libraries
  sysVar, vgVar, and converseVar. Re-generate existing applications only
  if you notice a problem with performance.
• An EGL-generated Java wrapper can now call an EGL main program that is
  generated to Java and can share a database connection with that
  program.
• EGL-generated Java code and the EGL debugger can now access z/OS batch programs and DL/I databases.
• A new preference exists to change the behavior of SQL Retrieve at
  development time, so that you can define EGL fields of type CHAR in
  relation to SQL table columns that are of type DATE, TIME, or
  TIMESTAMP. The new preference is Use EGL type char for SQL date, time, and timestamp in SQL Retrieve.
• The sysvar.remoteSystemID function can be used to dynamically specify the
  system name of a remote program, data file, asynchronous transaction,
  or transient data queue. The function now supports 256 characters if
  the EGL code is generated to Java.
• In regard to COBOL or Java generation, the new blanksAsZero
  build descriptor option helps control the runtime behavior when a
  program assigns text to a numeric variable. The default value is NO,
  which matches the previous behavior for Java generation. If you
  generate COBOL and currently set v60NumWithCharBehavior to NO, you should also set blanksAsZero to YES if the program compares character data to numeric data.
• Several new COBOL symparms are in place; for example, WRITEFUNCTIONDETAILS and WRITESTATEMENTDETAILS support the debugging of EGL-generated CICS COBOL programs.
• The Rich UI widgets were upgraded to version 1.0.2 and now match those that became available in EGL Community Edition.
• JavaScript code is now compressed when you deploy Rich UI code in the Workbench. Re-deploying existing Rich UI applications significantly reduces the size of the application code.
• In relation to widget-type creation in Rich UI, the @VEWidget complex
  property now includes a field named container. If you create a widget
  type and indicate that it represents a container, an EGL developer can
  place a container on the Design surface, drag a widget of another type
  from the palette, and drop that widget into the container.
• An EGL-generated VG Web transaction can now call another with parameters,
  such that the called transaction can interact with the browser. This
  capability is available if the target for each Web transaction is a
  Java platform. Also, you can use a new program property, enableJ2ee, to
  specify whether a VG Web transaction that runs completely in a JEE
  application server uses these JEE capabilities: data sources rather
  than direct database connections, and the JEE deployment descriptor
  rather than a Java properties file.
• The JSONName property can be used to copy a JSON string to or from a
  record, when the JSON field name is an EGL-reserved word or is not
  valid in EGL. Similarly, the FormName property is available when you
  develop an Interface part for accessing a service and are prevented
  from sending form data to the service because a field name in the form
  is not valid in EGL.

I'm heading out on vacation, but before I leave I wanted to let everyone know that our next fix pack is almost ready. We're tying up a few loose ends, but we hope to make it available by the end of June.

7.5.1.3 contains lots of fixes in all areas of the product, so everyone using RBD 7.5.1.x should install it. It is based on RAD 7.5.3, which is also coming out shortly.

We also have a few enhancements for you, including the following:

• J2C support for IBM i
• RUI editor enhancements
• Debugger enhancements
  • Ability to update debug behavior mapping dynamically
  • Show variable value with mouse-over (hover)
• Remote VSAM access for VSE
• Form editor no longer requires consecutive numbering for validationOrder
• Performance improvements in debugger and runtime environments

Exciting happenings on the EGL Cafe and more
I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce myself...I’m Jennifer Polleck the new Program Director for Enterprise Tools. I’m happy to have the opportunity to collaborate with you and other community members using products such as Rational Business Developer (EGL), COBOL, PL/I, and Host Access Transformation Services (HATS). There’s a lot of new things going on that I am excited to share with you.

For the EGL Café, we’ve opened the EGL Gallery http://www-949.ibm.com/software/rational/cafe/community/egl/gallery where you can find sample applications and demos. Also, you can download and use the Dojo widget library for EGL Rich UI. We are hosting several EGL Distance Learning courses in 2009, so be sure to sign up now! http://www-949.ibm.com/software/rational/cafe/docs/DOC-3004

We’ve introduced the COBOL Café http://www-949.ibm.com/software/rational/cafe/community/cobol where folks using COBOL can learn best practices and share their experiences. There’s also a new HATS HotSpot http://www-949.ibm.com/software/rational/cafe/community/hats to learn HATS Tricks to help modernize your enterprise applications.

I’m also looking forward to the Rational Software Conference http://www-01.ibm.com/software/rational/rsdc/ being held May 31-June 4 in Orlando. The agenda is chocked full of great sessions, technical workshops, labs, and much more - including some time for food and fun. You still have time to register. I hope to see you there!

Jennifer

Fix pack 7.1.0.3 is now available. It includes fixes across all areas of the product, as well as COBOL runtime performance improvements. Everyone who is using RBD 7.1.x should install it.

See IBM Rational Business Developer Version 7.1.0.3 Release Information for more information, including installation instructions and the list of APARs that are fixed in this release. The download instructions are here

We've added a small enhancement for JSF applications, to allow you to specify whether a forward to URL statement with a relative URL is implemented as dispatch or redirect. This is described in the Release Information.

Also, we've addressed several issues for applications that have been migrated from VisualAge Generator, where EGL has had inconsistent behavior between V6 and V7. In this fix pack we have focused on two areas, to ensure that we have consistent behavior in debug, Java runtime, and COBOL runtime:

• SQL nullable
• converting between character and numeric data

We have added a couple of new annotations for these areas, to allow you to specify whether you prefer V6 (and VAGen) runtime behavior or V7 behavior. The defaults for these new annotations are determined by the setting of the vagCompatibility switch, so most people will not need to set them explicitly. Generally you will only need to worry about these new switches if you have a mixture of applications migrated from VAGen and new applications that depend on V7 behavior, and you've been getting unexpected results. You can read more about this in the Release Information.

So download this fix pack as soon as you get a chance - you'll be glad you did

Fix pack 7.5.1.1 is now available. It includes fixes across all areas of the product, so everyone who is using 7.5.x should install it.

You can read the release notes and download the code from IBM Rational Business Developer Version 7.5.1.1

With 7.5.1.1, RBD now supports zLinux as a Java-generation runtime platform. Both JSF and TUI applications are supported, equivalent to our other Java platforms. VAGen Web transactions and Informix CUI applications are not supported on this platform.

First let me introduce myself. My name is Lisa Lasher, and I have worked on EGL and its predecessor products all my life (well, it seems that way). For many years I was a developer, primarily working on the preprocessor and generator components back when our development environment was on VM and MVS. Now I am the project manager, which means that I am involved with plans, schedules, release coordination, beta programs, and general whip-cracking.

Now to the current topic. One thing that I will be posting in this blog will be information about maintenance updates. This will allow you to get automatic notification when new fix packs are available, if you request a Post RSS feed for this blog.

Back on June 27 we shipped fix pack 7.1.0.1. If you have not installed it yet, you can get it from the RBD support download page: Rational Business Developer, Version 7.1.0.1 . This fix pack contains a lot of fixes, especially in the areas of Java generation & runtime, COBOL generation, page handlers, and validation, so everyone should install it.

We also included several small enhancements in this fix pack, in response to some customer requirements that came in too late to be included in the 7.1 release:

• The limit for the number of parameters for external call on System is increased to 75.
• CurrentSchema is added to column names in every SQL statement
• Arbitrary length restrictions for the Text and Hex variable types have been removed.
• Allow the prep=yes process to be run in a batch mode
• Debugger should always be able to find Java runtime DLLs
• The D.A.A.W. tooling does not keep underscores in field names
• zOS build scripts should ignore return codes from some job steps
• EGL generate COBOL is issuing system getmain/freemains on each function invocation instead of using Runtime Services
• Allow for the you to specify the qualifier/currentSchema for unqualified tables at runtime
• Provide ability to provide simple HTTP header authentication (64-bit encryption
• Support for labels for EGL Loops and the ability to use them has been added.
• Removed morphing exceptions from locally called
  programs. Exceptions in remote programs continue to be morphed into
  InvocationExceptions when passed back to the invoking program.
• New checkIndices build descriptor added to
  allow for checking of array and substring indices to ensure they are in
  the range that is valid for the variable with which they are being used
  (index exception) and to ensure that dynamic array variables have been
  initialized (null value exception).
• New values added to the positiveSignIndicator
  build descriptor for the iSeries environments to improve performance.
  The New values (F-ALL and C-ALL) allow a developer to request that the
  value for positive sign associated with zoned and packed decimal types
  does not need to be enforced.
• Added the EGLPREP Batch Command Utility to
  monitor a folder and subfolders for any buildplan files generated into
  it by the COBOL generation. If it finds a new build plan file, it will
  start a new a thread which will launch the buildplan

We did have one glitch with this fix pack, which is that it has an install conflict with HATS. This issue was originally reported here in the EGL Cafe in the forum (thank you!). A fix is now available, so if you want to have RBD and HATS installed together, go to Interim Fix for Rational Business Developer, Version 7.1.0.1 and follow the instructions.

Welcome to the EGL Development Team blog! The EGL development team consists of the testers, developers, writers and architects who make the magic of EGL technology happen. This is a highly talented group of individuals who are dispersed around the world: North Carolina, US (our main site), Connecticut, US, Beijing, China and Toronto, Canada.

In this blog, you will hear from us what we are up to with driving our technology and products forward. Occasionally, you might even hear about what we are up to with our personal lives. We hope to develop a virtual connection with you, our users. Please give us feedback by commenting on our blog entries.

I am very excited about what we are doing and where we are headed with the product. My team and I look forward to sharing our excitement with you via this blog.

Wing Hong (Albert) Ho, Senior Manager, EGL & RBD Development