Release 7.8

19th June 2009

Release 7.8 is now available for download from the IET web site.

This release implements over 200 enhancements to GuardIEn, the Assistants, XOS, genIE, Object List+ and VerifIEr.

Most of these enhancements have been requested by customers and improve the products functionality, usability and performance.

Full details of the enhancements can be found in the Release Notes.

Highlights of this major new release include:

Code Review Notes

Code Review Notes allow the addition of notes to an action diagram which can be viewed from within the GuardIEn PAD Editor or via the Code Review Notes window. These notes are stored in the GuardIEn database rather than the model and therefore they provide a mechanism for annotations and other notes to be made to a Gen action diagram without needing to modify the PAD itself.

Notes that are added to a statement are displayed alongside the statement, and this makes it much easier to provide the context for a comment (for example following a peer code review) rather than having the comment detached from the PAD, for example, in an e-mail or other separate document.

In addition to being manually added, Code Review Notes can be automatically added by VerifIEr checks. This makes it easy to see the error reported by VerifIEr from within the PAD Editor.

Change Capture remembers failed captures

An enhancement has been made to change capture so that failure in the capture process are recorded against the CR. If any failures are left unaddressed, then the CR will not be allowed to move to a non 'can change' status, thus enforcing that you address such failures before the CR can move forward through the life-cycle.

New Quick Publish Function

The genIE 'Quick Publish' function has been developed to enable faster publications of ABs and PSteps and can be used instead of the GuardIEn spec migrate where the enabling objects already exist in the destination model.

Direct Property Updates via OL+

genIE Direct now allows you to directly update certain object properties using Object List+, for example, exit state message text.

Object List+ Enhancements

• Object List+ now supports searching and browsing of XOS external objects. You can also navigate associations between XOS and non-XOS objects.
• A Favourites option is provided in Object List+ whereby you can choose which Object Types appear in the Type drop-down. The Favourites will default to the Common types, but you can completely customise this Type list.
• A new 'type' is provided in the 'Common' and the 'Favourites' types to allow combined searching of both ABs and PSteps in a single search. This is particularly useful when searching on the contains property.
• Object List+ provides a new Impact Function which gives FULL USAGE (upwards) showing all calling chains above from a selected AB.
• You can now paste rows directly into Object List+, thus giving the ability to start your impact/browsing with any list of objects, scoped from any other window. For example, you could copy to clipboard from CR Content, or DU Content etc., then paste into Object List+.
• Object List+ now remembers what Type you last selected so that when you start a new instance of Object List+ you do not have to reselect it.
• A new function is available in Object List+ and also via PAD Viewer, where you can select any view (Group, Entity, Work or Attribute View) and report on where that view's data is populated from, and where it gets passed to. This allows you to more easily find out how data is passed around your action diagrams.
• Object List+ now allows a BETWEEN search condition to be used for text and numeric property searches.
• A new Custom Function is available in PlusPack for Window (WINPRIME) and Dialog Box (DLGBOX) object types, which reports the structure of the GUI design, showing controls, hierarchy where group boxes, toolbar, menu, status bar, bitmap usage etc.

Expression Builder as a genIE Plug-in

In GuardIEn 7.7, the Expression Builder was provided within genIE Direct to enable complex editing of expressions within statements. This tool enabled simple yet powerful editing of any element of group of elements of an expression, including easy replacement of function calls within a statement. This level of flexibility was never provided within the Gen Toolset, so the Expression Builder has been provided as a Plug-in from the Toolset allowing exactly the same powerful editing as genIE Direct.

New genIE 'Power' Functions

A number of useful power functions have been provided with genIE to help with common tasks. These are all available via the Object List+ genIE menu, and many are also available in the Toolset via the genIE Plug-in too:

• Substitute Work Set - The Substitute Work Set function is used to substitute all references to work set to a different work set. The most common reason for this is to consolidate references to automatically generated work sets like KEYPRESS.
• View Synchronise - The Synchronise Views function is used to compare the view structures between action diagrams where the view is passed using dialog flows or USE statements. If differences are found in the set of attributes or order of attributes, then these can be automatically corrected.
• Match View - The Match View function is used to ensure that all calling action blocks provide an import view or receive an export view.
• Create Operation Version - The Create Operation Version function is used to create a new version of an action block structure, typically a CBD Operation. It will copy the operation action blocks (i.e. Interface, Mapper & Logic) and substitute the USE statements so that the new versions call each other rather than the old versions.
• Substitute USE - The Substitute USE Statements function is used to substitute all USEs of one action block with another. A common reason for this, in CBD projects, is to replace the usage of one version of an operation with another.
• Bulk Change Owning Business System - choose one or more ABs, PSteps or Exit States, and use this function to change their owning Business System.

Fix errors found with VerifIEr using genIE Direct

If you are licensed to use genIE, you can now invoke logic to fix certain errors found in VerifIEr, using genIE Direct logic. This facility is available via the VerifIEr windows, and can be executed online, or in batch.

Release & Environment Preparation Wizard

A new wizard is provided in Project Admin to aide in preparing new Environments and Releases for control within GuardIEn. The new Release/Environment Setup Wizard steps you through creation of Models, Targets, Migration Rules, Initialisation, Linkage Update, XOs creation etc. activities which are required whenever you define a new Environment or Release.

Report Browser

A new reporting architecture enables you to store and report on the last 10 reports produced in GuardIEn. Previously you could only view the last report.