• The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
Menu
  • The Four Hundred
  • Subscribe
  • Media Kit
  • Contributors
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • LANSA Shows Off Responsive Design Capabilities

    November 18, 2015 Dan Burger

    Designing Web pages that display on a desktop, a laptop, a tablet, or a mobile phone are no longer considered in terms of individual development efforts. That eats up too much time and often becomes an application maintenance nightmare. One development effort that results in user interfaces that correctly display regardless of the device is the new normal. Making the build process quick and the performance fast is the goal everyone is aiming for. LANSA is the latest option for making this happen.

    The process of building applications with interfaces that change depending on where they’re presented–desktop, laptop, tablet, or cell phone–is widely referred to as responsive design. LANSA’s development environment, known as Visual LANSA, has made responsive design the calling card of its latest release, which is version 14.

    There are two factors that make LANSA’s development efforts notable. The first is the use of a single programming language. The second is the capability for creating single-page applications (SPAs) used by both the both client and server sides. This builds on the cross-browser compatibility that matches IBM i with Microsoft Windows, a common pairing in most IBM midrange shops.

    The single programming language is LANSA’s proprietary 4GL called RDML. It’s used to create the UI design and the server code, as well as to access database information and the library of pre-built interface components. Although RDML has its own learning curve, it shields developers from learning other technologies such as JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5.

    The typical shops LANSA deals with are in the SMB category. “Some have state of the art developers using all the latest greatest open source frameworks,” says LANSA CEO Steve Gapp. “Whether that’s a good long term strategy on the basis that it takes more to maintain those apps than it does to build them, is a question they should be asking themselves.

    “More often, our SMB customers are struggling with Web development and the number of programming skills they have to learn. The average developer struggles to embrace the knowledge and all the trends on top of creating meaningful and well-presented webpages. And that doesn’t take into consideration creation of responsive applications.”

    An example of Visual LANSA’s responsive design.

    LANSA describes Visual LANSA as a tool to make custom applications without other languages and other frameworks and by remaining inside the LANSA environment, which keeps JavaScript, HTML, and CSS under the covers. But you can only go so far with other responsive design options and then you’ll need to get into HTML or JavaScript or CSS to change the way the app looks, says David Brault, LANSA’s product manager.

    “We will elevate the skills of developers who do not know HTML or JavaScript to the same level as someone who is an expert in those technologies,” he says.

    Producing Web applications that look and perform like desktop applications was one of the goals in the development of Visual LANSA, according to Gapp. “A desktop app requires multiple windows and the capability to deal with a higher volume of data,” Gapp says. “They’re built for office workers doing business transactions rather than a lightweight Web app used salesforces.”

    Brault suggested that Visual LANSA will be used to create single page applications (SPAs), technology “almost the equivalent of a client server app, but instead of a rich client interface talking to a server, it is running in the browser. Everything runs inside the client. It only goes to the server to grab data. This greatly reduces the traffic back and forth between the server and the client, increasing the performance of these new version 14 Web applications. There’s no waiting for the page to refresh. This is a super-fast desktop style application running in the browser.”

    Visual LANSA 14 becomes generally available December 1. The Visual LANSA Framework becomes available in early January. The framework will be a key element when working on back office business applications, but in the meantime Visual LANSA users can build B2B and B2C websites and order entry sites. LANSA customers on current maintenance contracts will receive the new release without charge.

    RELATED STORIES

    Chrono-Logic Offers Full Support for LANSA Version 13

    LANSA Guides Mobile, Portal, Integration Project To Success

    LANSA Bets On Windows Mobile Acceptability

    LANSA’s View Of Mobile Reality

    Mincron Goes GUI and Mobile with LANSA

    LANSA Adds Goodies to LongRange Mobile App

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Tags:

    Sponsored by
    WorksRight Software

    Do you need area code information?
    Do you need ZIP Code information?
    Do you need ZIP+4 information?
    Do you need city name information?
    Do you need county information?
    Do you need a nearest dealer locator system?

    We can HELP! We have affordable AS/400 software and data to do all of the above. Whether you need a simple city name retrieval system or a sophisticated CASS postal coding system, we have it for you!

    The ZIP/CITY system is based on 5-digit ZIP Codes. You can retrieve city names, state names, county names, area codes, time zones, latitude, longitude, and more just by knowing the ZIP Code. We supply information on all the latest area code changes. A nearest dealer locator function is also included. ZIP/CITY includes software, data, monthly updates, and unlimited support. The cost is $495 per year.

    PER/ZIP4 is a sophisticated CASS certified postal coding system for assigning ZIP Codes, ZIP+4, carrier route, and delivery point codes. PER/ZIP4 also provides county names and FIPS codes. PER/ZIP4 can be used interactively, in batch, and with callable programs. PER/ZIP4 includes software, data, monthly updates, and unlimited support. The cost is $3,900 for the first year, and $1,950 for renewal.

    Just call us and we’ll arrange for 30 days FREE use of either ZIP/CITY or PER/ZIP4.

    WorksRight Software, Inc.
    Phone: 601-856-8337
    Fax: 601-856-9432
    Email: software@worksright.com
    Website: www.worksright.com

    Share this:

    • Reddit
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Email

    Sponsored Links

    LaserVault:  FREE Webinar: Protect data while saving time and money. Nov. 19th, 2pm EST
    United Computer Group:  VAULT400 BaaS delivers secure cloud backup and DR solutions
    Cilasoft:  Stay on top of your most difficult IBM i security challenges with our Auditing and Security Suite.

    Data Scrubbing Functions In DB2 For i End of Year Feedback

    One thought on “LANSA Shows Off Responsive Design Capabilities”

    • Visual LANSA Goes Very low-Code With Significant Tech Update - Servers Maintenance says:
      August 16, 2018 at 2:31 am

      […] LANSA Demonstrates Off Responsive Style Capabilities […]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Volume 25, Number 59 -- November 18, 2015
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY:

Profound Logic Software
United Computer Group, Inc.
Cilasoft
LaserVault
Manta Technologies

Table of Contents

  • ERP Upgrades: Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em?
  • Townsend Security Turns Over a New LEEF
  • LANSA Shows Off Responsive Design Capabilities
  • IBM i Mobile Apps Made Easy
  • Vision Touts MIMIX Success Stories

Content archive

  • The Four Hundred
  • Four Hundred Stuff
  • Four Hundred Guru

Recent Posts

  • Liam Allan Shares What’s Coming Next With Code For IBM i
  • From Stable To Scalable: Visual LANSA 16 Powers IBM i Growth – Launching July 8
  • VS Code Will Be The Heart Of The Modern IBM i Platform
  • The AS/400: A 37-Year-Old Dog That Loves To Learn New Tricks
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 25
  • Meet The Next Gen Of IBMers Helping To Build IBM i
  • Looks Like IBM Is Building A Linux-Like PASE For IBM i After All
  • Will Independent IBM i Clouds Survive PowerVS?
  • Now, IBM Is Jacking Up Hardware Maintenance Prices
  • IBM i PTF Guide, Volume 27, Number 24

Subscribe

To get news from IT Jungle sent to your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Contributors
  • Four Hundred Monitor
  • IBM i PTF Guide
  • Media Kit
  • Subscribe

Search

Copyright © 2025 IT Jungle