Easirun has announced the release of FlexGen version 5.4. This exciting new version of the product enhances the highly successful FlexGen Rapid Application Development (RAD) environment with ActiveX support. FlexGen 5.4 is currently the only product that provides total COBOL code generation for GUI with Active X controls.
"Release 5.4 of FlexGen, as with all past releases, continues to enhance the development environment for both programmers and end-users," said Johan Britz, EasiRun technical director. "However, the introduction of support for ActiveX controls makes this release stand out as one of the most significant yet. "
Support for ActiveX controls allows developers to reach beyond the use of standard graphical controls into the virtually unlimited world of highly sophisticated GUI objects. Coupled with this is the existing power of FlexGen`s application generation, a combination tough to beat in any development tool, COBOL or other."
Support for Active X controls within FlexGen provides COBOL application developers with a set of tools that will significantly increase productivity during modernisation of business-critical applications. ActiveX controls are open market components (or objects) that provide packaged functionality in already proven code and can be easily inserted into an application to improve it.
For example, some controls can be used to display data in ways other than text and tables, or add functionality such as calendars, charts, grid controls, tree controls, tool-bars and more.
This release of FlexGen also includes various other improved features, including:
Additional `User` definable function keys
Various enhancements to the window painter and FlexGen Editor, including alternate screen sizes
Improved external source control from within FlexGen
Support for dynamic update of Frontier clients
Alternate Screen Size
Reduced dimensions for the character display can now be configured for special circumstances, such as 35 columns by 15 lines on Radio Data Terminals. Even though FlexGen still runs on a `25 x 80` character screen, this new feature accommodates special devices with smaller screen sizes.
Extended Function keys FlexGen now provides for a new group of user definable function keys, allowing up to 99 extended function keys in Windows and DOS systems, and numerous extended keys for various Unix and COBOL systems.
Automatic FronTier Client Update FlexGen 5.4 will automatically update the FronTier Client when a new release is issued, thus removing the update burden from IS.
External Sources
An external source is a FlexGen program that doesn`t have a specific program flow like Forms or Queries. The user writes the control logic for the external source in COBOL, but FlexGen functions and other dictionary entities can be used as well. Additional features in this release also include the following:
Availability of FlexGen Frontier for RM Cobol version 7+ Unix users
Optional Unix logon security for Unix Frontier users
New `File Select Dialog` dialog for Unix Frontier users
`Message box` support from SCL
Support for file pathnames up to 256 bytes
Increased menu slot sizes to 80 bytes
Improved functionality in the Dictionary `text search` utility
Auto Termination of Entry fields - Windows Only
Developer access to `global data` information as well as Primary and Alternate key information stored in the Dictionary
Increased internal Query tables for support of larger Queries
Support for `Suppressed` and `Hide` Field Accept modes
Program access to Application name and Permissions
Share