Transcript Web Enabling Natural Applicatins

Easily Web Enable your
Natural Applications
Tom Philpott
Senior Product Marketing Manager
Software AG USA Inc.
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Evolution of the Application –
Generation 1
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Evolution of the Application –
Generation 2
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Evolution of the Application –
Generation 3
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Evolution of the Application –
Generation X
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Evolution of the Application –
Generation N
etwork
Natural Network
Natural Application
Server
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Advantages to an XML-based Web
Enablement Approach
1.
2.
3.
4.
XML provides automated integration

with applications as well as screen presentation of data for users.
More of a complete solution.
XML offers flexibility

for message-based integration with many applications and
business partners
XML enables durable integration possibilities

compared to the brittleness of screen scraper connections (some
of which might be affected by changes in legacy green screens)
XML addresses emerging trends

new enterprise computing trends (Microsoft .NET and XML-based
messaging)
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Web Enablement
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Recommended Option for WebEnablement
Natural Engineer & WebStar
Transform existing Natural
Applications into NEW Web
Enabled Systems!
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How Natural Engineer can help!
 A workbench for Natural application maintenance, Natural Engineer
does:

Impact analysis - tells you what code to change and the impact on your
application.

Automatic modification - applies individual and pre-coded changes
automatically and keeps track of changes

Applies Coding standards - can change application code to have a
consistent appearance, rules, documentation

Modularization of Code - can extract program code to create
subprograms for specific functions (I/O related code, DB Access Code),
adding efficiency and reusability

Versioning - can tell you what code to change as you migrate to a new
version of Natural
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Pre-defined Processes
 Code beautification
 Code optimisation
 Version migration
 Application modularization
Any section  Subprogram
 INPUT MAP  Subprogram
 DB Access  Subprogram

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Subprograms for marked Code
Subprogram
…
For Index 1 To Table.Last-index
Table.Fld-type(Index)
Table.Fld-level(Index)
Table.Fld-name(Index)
Table.Fld-format(Index)
Table.Fld-length(Index)
Table.Fld-max-occurr(Index)
End-For
Table.Last-index
:= 0
Table.Level
:= 0
…
:= ' '
:= 0
:= ' '
:= ' '
:= ' '
:= ' '
Define Data
Parameter
…
Local
…
End-Define
For Index …
…
End-For
…
End
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Subprograms for User Interface Code
…
Input
// '-' (28) 'SchGen Experimental' '-'
(28)
// '-' Message (AD=O)
// 'Type "X" = Yes/True or " "
=No/False:’
True-or-false (AD=MT)
// '-' (78)
…
Subprogram
Define Data
Parameter
…
End-Define
Input …
…
End
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Subprograms for Database Access Code
Subprogram
…
Find MyView With
City = ‘Paris’ Where
Job-Title = ‘Ingenieur
Commercial’
…
Display …
…
End-Find
…
Define Data
Parameter
…
Local
…
End-Define
Find …
…
End-Find
…
End
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Benefits of Natural Engineer
 Natural Engineer saves you time and money on maintenance-
related activities:
 Quick: Scanning and changing of code is done quickly and
correctly by Natural Engineer
 Experienced: Natural Engineer knows the correct solution in
maintaining the code
 Thorough: Natural Engineer does an analysis of what is
needed, lets you make the final decision and keeps an audit log
of all code changes
 Easy: Natural Engineer GUI interface is easy to use and
navigate
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Natural Engineer & WebStar
 Basic idea
XSL-based presentation of XML data delivered by Natural.
 Principles (Highlights)
 Business logic of application remains the same
 Changed code is generated
 Application still functions as 3270 application
 Use of standards: XML and XSL
 Highly flexible presentation through XSL: HTML, PDF and more
 Works dynamically with multiple browsers.

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Natural Engineer WebStar Highlights
 During development: Generates
 XSL
sheet
: from Map definition
 XML template
: from Map definition
 Natural code
: from Input Using Map … Reinput
etc.
 At runtime
 Issues filled-in XML
 If necessary, applies XSL to XML
 Sends either HTML/XML to browser
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WebStar Benefits
 Automatically transforms terminal application into





Web application
Makes use of the Natural language, a language you
already know
Protects investment in current applications
Is compatible with componentization
Makes use of XML standards
Follows the approach of XML-supplied XSL clients
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How Natural Engineer’s WebStar works
Web Browser
HTML
Web Server
XML
HTTP Server
XSL Processor
XSL Processor
Server Ext’ion
XML
HTML Editor
XSL
XSL
HTML
Presentation
layout
XSL Editor
XSL
Presentation
code
(referenced from
XML via URL)
Natural Server
NAT
Application
that
creates
XML data &
3270
Data Screen
XML
Data to be
presented
(referencing
XSL via URL)
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Thank You!
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Developing Natural Web
Applications with
Spectrum .NET
Mark Barnard
R&D Manager – Construct/Spectrum
Software AG
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Presentation Agenda
 What is Spectrum?
 What are Web Services?
 Spectrum implementation of Web Services
 Spectrum
.NET
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What is Spectrum?
 Built to provide access to Natural from Windows
 Leverages the power of EntireX
 COM/ActiveX based technology on the client
 Includes complete application generation for:
 Traditional
Client/Server applications
 Web applications (HTML based)
 Tiered architecture
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Spectrum Features
 COM component which accesses Natural




subprograms via EntireX ACI
Uses familiar concepts and terms; Data Areas,
CallNat
Code generation technology on the client
Includes two application frameworks
 Client/Server
 Web
Construct Windows Interface written using
Spectrum
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Current Spectrum Architecture
CST431
SPE431
NEXT
Web
Microsoft
Windows
Natural
App. Server
Forms
Spectrum
Dispatch Client
Maint.
Subprogram
Browse
Subprogram
Any
Subprogram
Spectrum
Proxy
Spectrum
Proxy
Spectrum
Proxy
EntireX Message
Broker
Spectrum
Dispatch Server
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Web Application Framework
 Web Interfaces:
 Generation of Client Components
 HTML, ASP,
Visual Basic
 Easy to customize
 Template based
 Application templates
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What are Web Services?
 Programmatic Interfaces available over the web
 Uses XML standards
– Simple Object Access Protocol
 UDDI – Universal Description, Discovery and
Integration
 WSDL – Web Services Definition Language
 Benefits
 Allows different systems/languages to interact
 Standards adopted by many
 SOAP
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Web Services continued
 SOAP
 XML
protocol for information exchange
 Contains the message, bindings, rules…
 Usually functions over HTTP
 WSDL
 Format for describing the network end-points and
their messages
 UDDI
 Registry containing available web services
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Spectrum .NET
 Spectrum .NET will be composed of these
components:
 Web Services generation for Natural objects
 Web Application framework for quick development
 Generation tools and services for developers
 Existing Spectrum middleware
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Spectrum .NET Web Services
 Can be generated against any existing or new
Natural Subprogram
 Parameter data areas are represented as XML for
the message
 Spectrum .NET Server will process messages
 No extra coding required
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Spectrum .NET Web Service
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Web Services Demo
 DEMO!
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Web Application Framework
 New Application framework using the .NET
development platform
 Based on existing Spectrum 431/441 Web SDK
 Communications with new Web Services and/or
existing Spectrum components
 No Visual Basic or .NET coding required
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Web Application Demo
 DEMO!
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Thank You!
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