CNX Releases Beta of Valence 6.0
September 2, 2020 Alex Woodie
CNX last week announced the beta release of Valence 6.0, the newest version of its Web development framework and portal for IBM i. Valence 6.0 brings a whole new look and feel to Web applications created with Valence, as well as updates to administrative functions, the data access layer, and more.
Valence is a set of tools for creating Web and mobile applications that run under IBM i’s Apache Web server and access existing RPG business logic. The product has several components, including a JavaScript library; a set of RPG procedures for integrating various JavaScript libraries (Ext JS, React, or Angular) with existing RPG business logic; and a Web portal framework that provides customers with pre-built navigation and security. CNX also offers several add-ons, such as the Nitro App Builder, Nitro iAdmin, Nitro File Editor, and a spool file viewer.
CNX says that Valence 6 brings “a brand new look and feel” and improvements to the Nitro App Builder “that make navigating your system and working with IBM i data more intuitive than ever.”
On the user interface front, Valence 6 introduces a new multi-select combo box filter that lets users select multiple values from drop-down filters. Developers will be able to update cells and rows directly in the grid through the grid widget editor, instead of going through a pop-up window, the company says. The form widget has been adapted to support varying font size, bold/italics, and other HTML markup.
Valence 6.0 introduces a brand new look and feel for GUI apps.
Users will have an easier time scrolling through and launching applications in the Valence 6 Portal, according to CNX. It also is launching a “dark mode” display option. Administrators will be able to see who is logged into Valence Portal with the Active Sessions App, and also see which specific applications users are running in real time, the company says.
Applications can automatically initiate specific behavior actions upon launch, the company says. There is also support for in-app variables, which will allow users to store and retrieve global variables within the application, CNX says. The variables are accessible and maintainable from the back-end RPG and the front-end code, it says.
On the data front, Valence 6.0 brings support for storing data as JSON tables. The company has also introduced SQL autocomplete to the data source editor. Users can now directly replace strings inside of SQL statements based on filter values set by the user.
Keyboard Mapping has been enhanced with this version, and users can now map host function keys, such as Field Exit and Enter in the Fusion5250 app, which was released as a beta last year with Valence 5.2+.
The error logging app has been updated with better viewing and filtering mechanisms. Finally, CNX has updated the RPG Toolkit with several new functions.
Valence 6.0 is still in beta and at this point is intended for existing customers to assist in tracking down bugs. Customers who are new to Valence are encouraged to try out a stable release. Last month, the company announced the release of a stable version of Valence 5.2+. For more information, go to www.cnxcorp.com.
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