Linoma Adds Function to Multi-Tool

January 11, 2011 Alex Woodie

Linoma Software recently shipped Surveyor/400, a Windows-based tool used for accessing and working with files on an IBM i server. With version 3.8, Linoma has added several new features, including a new screen for browsing IFS files, enhancements to wizards that are used for importing and exporting data, and better Excel integration, among others.

Surveyor/400 is a multi-talented tool that’s used for all sorts of data-, file-, and record-related tasks involving IBM i servers, including searching for, accessing, editing, and printing all types of data, including database records, spool files, and IFS entries. It can also be used to make changes to groups of files en masse, and it even has an un-delete function that wipes away those little oopsie-dos.

The new IFS Explorer headlines the version 3.8 release. Linoma says the new component enhances the user experience by providing a space for browsing IFS files that’s separate from Surveyor/400’s main window, allowing users to flip back and forth as needs demand. Users will find the layout of the IFS Explorer, including its forward and back buttons, filters, and drop-down location bar, similar to the product’s main interface. One IFS-related feature that’s new with the IFS Explorer is the capability to copy entire folders from the server to a user’s desktop, the vendor says.

Linoma has also added new capabilities to Surveyor/400’s Data Wizards feature. Data Wizards are actually scripts that are created using a standard wizard-driven process, and are designed to automate basic data movement tasks, such as importing and exporting IBM i data. With version 3.8, Linoma has added a new override option that gives users the option to change the source or destination without creating a new specification, Linoma says.

Browsing through entries in Surveryor/400’s File Editor should be easier now that Linoma has given users new color highlighting and filter options. When selected, the new color highlighting feature will affect every other row in a list, which should help users navigate. Also, new filtering options were added that allow users to locate particular fields or view field names as they are seen in the layout view, the vendor says.

Linoma also built on the product’s Excel downloading capabilities. With this release, Linoma enables users to export IBM i data to an existing Excel spreadsheet or have the data as a new sheet in an existing XLS file. Support for custom headers and footers has also been added.

Last but not least, Linoma tweaked Surveyor/400 3.8 to support IBM i 7.1 commands and the new XML data type. The new release also supports 128-character passwords when using FTP to send data to IBM i servers.