BCD Releases Beta of WebSmart ILE 6.5

Published: July 31, 2007

by Alex Woodie

Business Computer Design Int'l (BCD) last week released a beta of WebSmart ILE version 6.5, an update to its integrated development environment for the System i. WebSmart ILE 6.5 is based on the same underlying architecture as WebSmart PHP, which BCD announced in May and which is also undergoing beta tests. Both IDEs are expected to ship by the end of September.

WebSmart ILE is a development tool used for building CGI-based Web applications that compile as native System i objects and execute on the System i's built-in HTTP Server (the one "powered by Apache, of course). It is one of three versions of WebSmart sold by BCD, including WebSmart JSE, which generates Java Servlets and works with any Java-based application server (such as WebSphere or Tomcat), and the new WebSmart PHP that generates PHP script that also can run on multiple Web servers, including the System i.

When WebSmart ILE 6.5 ships, users will see a number of new features that BCD says will improve their application development, including a new visual HTML editor. In previous versions of WebSmart ILE, users had to provide their own HTML editor, such as Dreamweaver or Frontpage. With the upcoming version, a WYSIWYG editor has been built directly into the product, simplifying development of Web pages. A new preview feature will also keep developers in tune to what the final product will look like as they're working.

Another new feature added to the beta is a built-in FTP client. This will make it easier for developers to move test and production files from WebSmart ILE, which is a Windows application, to their servers.

Tabbed browsing is all the rage in Web browser development these days, and now tabbed development is coming to WebSmart. With WebSmart ILE 6.5's new tab capability, developers will be able to open multiple files, including definitions, CSS files, JavaScript files, and HTML files, in the same development tool.

Other assorted improvements that have found their way into version 6.5 include: support for editing JavaScript files in the IDE; complete color-coding and code indention support; improved "undo" functionality; faster generation times; improved templates; improved internationalization and support for multi-language applications; and support for Unicode data delivery.

Interested parties can download their own copy of the WebSmart ILE 6.5 beta at this Web page: esdi.excelsystems.com/iseries400apps/betareq.pgm?product=WEBSMT6.5.

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