System i application development tool provider Business Computer Design ( http://www.bcdsoftware.com ) yesterday revealed details of a new version of its WebSmart ILE web application development tool. BCD’s UK distributor is SoftLanding Europe ( http://softlandingeurope.com ).

In WebSmart ILE version 6.6, new built-in templates have been included that allow users to create programs that connect to either Microsoft SQL server databases or to MySQL databases that reside on Windows, Linux or Unix platforms, as well as DB2. This company regards this as this cross-platform capability as the updated product’s most significant feature.

Another new templates lets users define the JDBC database connection parameters -- IP address, user profile, password, etc., so this information can be encapsulated in one program and called by many.

The products features a new visual HTML editor with drag-and-drop design aids and there is a button to toggle between the HTML source code view and the visual design panel.

A new timesaving feature called Intelliprompting offers real-time prompting for PML names (PML being WebSmart’s programming language) as users work in the code editor. For example, if users type the letter ‘g’, all functions starting with that letter appear, along with a descriptive line for each function, showing any parameter types and return values. As users continue typing, the list is further subsetted. Typing ‘get’ shows a list of all functions starting with ‘get’, such as ‘getparm,’ ‘getrcd,’ etc.

New templates, available in all template families are included to create straight HTML web pages, JavaScript files, and CSS (cascading style sheets).

Other new features include: field renaming, open multiple definitions and files in the IDE; the ability to 'launch' HTML files; improved structure and simplification of ILE templates; support for the += operator for both alpha and numeric values; and an improved 'program attributes' screen design which is sensitive to CSS use.

Recently, BCD announced a new edition of WebSmart called WebSmart PHP for System i shops that want to develop in multi-platform, non-proprietary 100% PHP code. WebSmart ILE and WebSmart PHP share the same IDE, so users may choose to develop in the WebSmart ILE edition, WebSmart PHP edition or both.

Seamus Quinn