IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL

New features in Version 3.0

Since the launch of IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL 2.0 in 1997 we have been carefully listening to our customers and our application partners. We have listened to their observations, criticisms, and suggestions resulting from their use of IBM Cognos Axiant and IBM Cognos PowerHouse to build real-world business solutions. And we have acted upon their feedback. IBM Cognos Axiant has been under constant development to address their needs, and to enable it to cope with the 20 years of legacy IBM Cognos PowerHouse applications that have been written. This resulted in three further releases in the IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL 2.x series - versions 2.01, 2.02 and 2.03. We have continued making significant improvements to the product and have since released the IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL 3.x series.

Detailed below are just some of the features that you will find in IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL.

Runtime Events Deliver a Default Point-and-Click User Interface
IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL enables application designers to control the way in which certain Form, Field and Cluster events are handled - so that applications become more user-friendly and Windows-like. Events are user actions, such as the left mouse click, pressing the Return key, or pressing the Tab key, that can be programmed to behave in a specific manner at runtime. For example, it is possible to have a DESIGNER procedure execute when the user presses the Return key when being prompted in a specific Field.

This event-handling feature is implemented in the design environment using IBM Cognos Axiant's strong inheritance model, through a type of object known as an Event Section. Hence all of the default event handing for applications within a single repository can be defined once in an Event Section, which is then inherited by the IBM Cognos Axiant Screen Programs within each application. If the inherited event handling is not appropriate in a particular instance, the designer can specialize the handling for a specific program, or for a specific object within a program - or simply inherit from a different Event Section defined at some higher level within the development repository. The Default Event Section, populated into each new IBM Cognos Axiant repository, provides all of the event handling needed to implement a very usable point-and-click user interface that can equally be used for new applications and existing PowerHouse applications that are migrated into the IBM Cognos Axiant development environment.

This single feature is probably the one that contributes most to making the migration of existing terminal-based IBM Cognos PowerHouse applications into a thin-client client/server environment as painless as possible.

Mnemonic Label Shortcuts to Data Fields
While Windows users often start by using their mouse to navigate their applications, whether word processors, spreadsheets or databases, the power users will quickly seek out and find keyboard shortcuts that help them to get around the applications much more quickly and efficiently.

This feature enables the designer to define a keyboard shortcut in the form of a mnemonic Label for Commands, Menus and Menu Items, so that the user can directly access a data field at runtime without ever touching the mouse.

At runtime, when the user simultaneously presses the ALT or CTRL key (optionally with the SHIFT key) together with the underlined letter on a visible Label, the application passes control to the data Field associated with the Label. Using this feature, IBM Cognos Axiant applications can be navigated entirely without a mouse using only keyboard shortcuts. These applications still provide for the use of a mouse if that is the user's preference, or if they are still learning to navigate Windows using the keyboard shortcuts provided.

Context Sensitive Runtime Menus
Application designers can define a right-click event so that, at runtime, when the user right-clicks their mouse on a form, data field, or cluster, the context sensitive menu defined for that event is available to the user for selection. IBM Cognos Axiant provides default context sensitive menus such as Copy, Cut, Paste, and What's This? Designers can use these default menus or define their own. All context sensitive menus benefit from IBM Cognos Axiant's strong inheritance model.

User-defined Shortcut Keys
IBM Cognos Axiant Client has a menu entitled Tools, with a submenu of Shortcut Keys. This command opens a dialog box that enables the application user to define unique shortcut keys for commands in the application. Such user-defined shortcuts are valid in all IBM Cognos Axiant applications and, because they are stored in the Windows registry, different users using the same PC may each have their own user-defined shortcut keys.

Runtime Toolbars
This feature enables application designers to create and customize runtime toolbars for all applications within a repository. The default toolbars supplied contain the same commands as their respective menu counterparts. The most common toolbar items are visible by default, while others can be made visible or added through customization.

As with the existing implementation of Menus, all Toolbars benefit from IBM Cognos Axiant's strong inheritance model to improve consistency within and across applications and to minimize the effort needed to implement change. At runtime the application users can customize the toolbars, which can be floated or docked.

IBM Cognos PowerHouse Web Support
Several objects and properties have been added to IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL to implement support for IBM Cognos PowerHouse Web applications and the web-related syntax supported in IBM Cognos PowerHouse 4GL 8 series. These objects and properties enable the import of existing IBM Cognos PowerHouse Web syntax and the creation new web applications from scratch. If the HTML-related properties are specified, IBM Cognos Axiant 4GL can generate a PowerHouse Web HTML template for each IBM Cognos Axiant Screen Program. The HTML template files created can be deployed and run as HTML pages on a web browser using IBM Cognos PowerHouse Web.

Disabled Field Style
Using the Default Disabled Field Style in a library Style Section, the application designer can specify the default style for disabled Fields. The properties of a Disabled Field Style describe the default runtime appearance of Fields where the user is not permitted to enter or change data. For example, it is possible to specify the background fill color and shadow color of the disabled Fields using such a Style so that the application user can immediately see which data they are not able to modify.

Dynamic Field Disabling
This feature enables application designers to determine whether to use the Disabled Field Style in IBM Cognos Axiant Screen Programs at runtime. It also enables them to specify the context in which dynamic field disabling occurs - while waiting for the user to specify the next action to be performed (action mode), while prompting the user for new data (entry mode), or while displaying existing retrieved data to the user (find mode).

IBM Cognos Axiant Client Data Alignment
Using the Client Alignment property, designers can easily align the data displayed in GUI forms. It is possible to specify whether data is left justified, right justified or has no alignment. This is especially useful for displaying numeric data, particularly when a proportional font is being used.

CURSOR Support in the Screen Program Wizard
When application designers use the Screen Program wizard to create new IBM Cognos Axiant Screen Programs, they have the choice of whether to generate CURSOR or FILE objects for relational database tables accessed by the program. CURSORs support direct SQL substitution, for example to specify WHERE and ORDERBY clauses regardless of how else the data is to be accessed.

Built-in TWAIN support
IBM Cognos Axiant Client's built-in TWAIN support enables application users to select any TWAIN-compliant device from which to acquire images, which can then be inserted into image data fields in the current application form.

Development Repository Security
This feature enables repository security to be controlled through a Repository Manager. The Repository Manager controls repository user access to a Repository by granting or denying them privileges to perform activities such as view objects, update objects and break repository locks. Repository users can be grouped into classes and privileges can be controlled at this level for improved ease of management.

Development Repository Find and Replace Enhancements
The Find Object dialog box enables application designers to find and replace specific font names, styles, sizes and colors in any object contained within the repository - such as Styles, Labels, Titles, and Fields.

Customizable IBM Cognos Axiant Client Splash Screen
Axiant 4GL provides the ability for the designer to specify a customized splash screen to be displayed to the user when a deployed application is started, rather than using the standard IBM Cognos Axiant Client splash screen.

Remote QUIZ Report Viewer
If an IBM Cognos Axiant application is deployed in a thin-client environment, using IBM Cognos PowerHouse 4GL 8.x1 on a Windows server, users can view the results of QUIZ reports in IBM Cognos Axiant Client on their local desktop.

IBM Cognos Axiant Client Form Synchronization
Once an IBM Cognos Axiant application is deployed and installed on a user PC, form synchronization can be available in IBM Cognos Axiant Client to ease manageability and optimize performance. If synchronization is specified, compiled forms that the application calls are copied from the shared "Form Path" location, typically on a LAN, to the local "Cached Forms" location on the user's own PC. The compiled form files in the Cached Forms location are subsequently updated using one of the available synchronization methods.

The synchronization methods available include "Sync on Call" for each time the screen program is called, "Sync on Startup" for when the user first starts the application, or "Sync Cache Now" which manually forces an immediate update. When synchronization occurs, the timestamp of the compiled form file in the local cache is compared to the timestamp of the same file in the shared location. If the timestamp in the shared location is more recent, then the form file in the local location is overwritten, and if the form file no longer exists in the shared location then the local copy is deleted.

Silent Installation of Deployed Applications
It is possible to perform a silent installation of IBM Cognos Axiant Client and any IBM Cognos Axiant applications. With this option a response file is used to provide the input to the install process that a user would normally provide, and nothing is shown on the Windows desktop as the install progresses.

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