Surround Tech Adds Goodies to .NET Development Tool for IBM i

May 22, 2012 Alex Woodie

Over the last few years, Surround Technologies has been building out its collection of Microsoft .NET-based user interface controls for applications that run on the IBM i server. At the recent COMMON conference held at Disneyland, Surround Tech displayed the latest new UI goodies that developers can play with.

Surround Tech’s flagship product, Accelerator for .NET, allows developers to create modern Windows, Web, and mobile interfaces for existing IBM i applications. The software, which functions as a plug-in to Microsoft Visual Studio, features a collection of pre-assembled components and wizard-driven code generators based on the latest user interface technologies, including Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Silverlight, HTML5, JavaScript, and REST-based Web services.

At COMMON, Surround Tech unveiled version 3.3 of Accelerator for .NET. This release brings enhancements in several areas. For starters, the software now enables users to view data from related modules in a tree view. Users can click to preview and double-click to edit various pieces of data displayed in the tree view, without requiring multiple windows to be open.

This release also brings a new auto refresh feature that uses a timer. This feature ensures that data is automatically refreshed at certain time intervals. Users can set their own timers, and the software will remember their preferences.

IBM i spool file functionality has also been added, giving users the capability to search, view, and export spool files from any Accelerator for .NET-generated user interface. A new remarks module, meanwhile, enables a user to attach notes or remarks to any record.

Version 3.3 brings better logging of user sessions. The capability to track sign-ons and sign-offs will ensure an organization knows exactly who had access to business records at certain times.

This release also introduces a new record locking function that automatically locks any record that can be edited upon opening. Other users who try to access the record while it is open elsewhere will either be denied access or given read-only access, depending on their security permissions.

Accelerator for .NET version 3.5 is available now. Licenses are $35,000 per development server and $3,500 per developer. For more information, see www.surroundtech.com.