ARCAD Hooks Cross-Reference Tool into LPEX Editor
August 19, 2020 Alex Woodie
IBM i developers won’t have to leave the comfort of RDi and the LPEX editor to engage in application cross-referencing tasks, thanks to the recent integration between the ARCAD Observer cross-referencing software with LPEX.
According to ARCAD Software, the new LPEX integration will bring “massive productivity benefits” to IBM i developers in the form of context-sensitive “where used” impact analysis, as well as dependency information, all delivered directly from within the LPEX editor.
LPEX integration is a new feature delivered in late June in ARCAD Observer version 12.1. The company, which has offices in France, New Hampshire and Chicago developed the new LPEX integration in collaboration with IBM’s RDi development team. The new feature was delivered in late June in ARCAD Observer version 12.1.
IBM i developers can how access ARCAD Observers’ cross-reference capabilities directly within the LPEX editor.
According to ARCAD, integrating the respective products “answers the need for a navigation tool to reveal the flow of information throughout the fields” that compose an IBM i application.
“Where RDi alone can provide local in-program information such as an outline view, ARCAD Observer adds an ‘application-wide’ dimension, placing developer actions such as where-used, check-out, and compile just a click away on the LPEX source code view,” the company says.
Users can pull up multi-level cross-reference views in their code by double-clicking on any text (such as fields, files, procedures, programs, data areas, and literals) inside of the LPEX editor. The functionality uses metadata that’s stored in an IBM i application knowledge base, which ARCAD says it generates in real time using its own proprietary parsing technology.
What differentiates ARCAD Observer from other analysis tools is the depth and scope of the cross-referencing provided, says ARCAD DevOps Product Manager Andrew Clark.
“Previously, to utilize the full power of this cross-reference metadata, developers needed to leave the LPEX editor and skip to a separate perspective,” Clark says in a press release. “Now, the new V12 TR1 release of Observer delivers dependency information right at the developer’s fingertips, while they are changing code, compiling, or debugging. The convenience and productivity gains for the developer are just enormous. ”
Observer can be used to:
- Show where a component is used, and which components it uses
- Display cross-reference dependency information for fields, data areas, binding directories, binder source, literals, display files
- View calling chains, ascending and descending
- Directly browse the source of the selected object
ARCAD’s software supports all native IBM i languages, including all variants of RPG (including fixed format and free format), COBOL, CL, SQL, and CA 2E. It also integrates with ARCAD Skipper to provide version control and checkout functionality.
Observer is one of many tools developed by ARCAD. It’s available as a stand-alone product, and it’s also bundled along in several suites, including ARCAD for Application Analysis and ARCAD for DevOps. For more information, see the company’s website at https://www.arcadsoftware.com/
RELATED STORIES
ARCAD Strengthens IBM i Modernization Portfolio
Attention Synon Users: You Can Automate Your Move To RPG Free Form And DevOps (Sponsored Content)
