In today’s dynamic environment, information systems play an increasingly crucial role in an organization’s ability to succeed. Competitive business demands are driving constant change in existing information systems, as well as accelerating requirements for new applications. Today’s information systems professionals require a development environment that is flexible, highly productive, and crafted for rapidly changing client/server world.
VMARK’s Object Studio provides a complete, object-oriented, rapid application development (RAD) environment for designing, developing, and running Windows-, OS/2-, and UNIX-based client/server applications.
Application Building Blocks
Object Studio is a true object-oriented development environment. It allows developers to create application building blocks that are representations of real world entities, such as purchase orders or customer accounts.
These building blocks, or objects, are defined once, in a hierarchical structure. They can be shared and built upon (through inheritance) across the enterprise, providing a dramatic increase in productivity. Application maintenance is simplified because any change to an object definition is automatically reflected in every use of that definition. These benefits enable a company to significantly reduce the time required to deliver business-critical applications.
Object Studio implements the proposed ANSI-standard Smalltalk language, which is rapidly becoming the object-oriented language of choice among corporate application developers. Developers find Smalltalk is easy to learn and extremely powerful—requiring less coding than other programming languages. Smalltalk enforces the object-oriented programming paradigm, ensuring developers embrace its tenets and achieve the resultant benefits.
Tiered Development Model
Object Studio is based on a three-tiered model for application development. To implement an application using this model, the developer:
Integrated Suite of Tools
Object Studio uniquely provides an integrated suite of development tools that significantly reduces time to market. This suite includes ENFIN Smalltalk, the Synchronicity Business Object Modeling and Persistent Object Mapping Tools, and ENFIN TeamBuilder. With Object Studio, the developer starts a project by creating a high-level business design, or model, using the Modeling Tool. No effort is required to move back and forth between the design and implementation environments, promoting a highly productive, iterative development style.
Information entered in one tool is always available in, and synchronized with the other tools. A common architectural core allows the tools to interact—enabling automatic code generation, reverse engineering, and other unique capabilities. Because the Object Studio tools are integrated, the developer is provided with a consistent, highly visual look and feel, with no need to struggle to integrate separate tools from different vendors.
ENFIN Smalltalk
ENFIN Smalltalk is a comprehensive object-oriented development environment that forms the foundation of Object Studio. It includes the Smalltalk language, Class Browser, complete debugging facilities, GUI Designer, connectivity tools, and a variety of business tools. Each of these tools can be customized by a developer and new tools can be integrated at any time.
Powerful Development Tools
The Class Browser provides easy access to existing object, or class, definitions. It offers navigation facilities, editing and testing, and full method search capabilities.
Developers simply scroll through the list of available classes, which can be displayed alphabetically or hierarchically, click to expand or collapse the hierarchy, edit a class with a full-featured text editor, or test associated source code. The list displayed by the Class Browser includes developer-created classes, as well as hundreds of classes supplied with Object Studio. Multiple browsers can be opened simultaneously speeding development on complex projects.
The integrated test environment provides rapid application testing. Debugging features include code tracing, break point facilities, and the ability to inspect and modify the contents of an object. Application performance can be tuned with tools that profile code and memory utilization.
Easy-to-Use GUI Builders
The GUI Designer allows fast interface prototyping and construction. Developers select from an extensive set of predefined graphical items, such as dynamic toolbars, list boxes, notebooks, and status line entry fields, then drag-and-drop them onto the interface. Developers can also associate program responses to user interactions or events (e.g., click, double click, set focus, lose focus, open, close) through a point-and-click Event Editor.
Accelerated development cycles can be realized by creating and saving interface components for use in other user interface screens (windows). Similarly, screens can be structured hierarchically to achieve GUI reuse. A generic screen can be defined which includes common GUI items. Subclasses of that screen can be created which automatically inherit the common items. Changes need only be made to the top level screen to effect all subclasses.
All Object Studio-developed applications automatically offer a native look and feel on all platforms because the Designer always invokes native GUI widgets.
Open Architecture
Object Studio utilizes an open architecture to enable easy integration with other applications. Object Studio supports Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) between OLE-enabled applications and Dynamic Link Libraries to access custom code written in other languages. Object Studio also implements Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) to allow applications to share data with other DDE-capable applications.
Comprehensive Database Support
ENFIN provides rapid access to the databases developers need during development and at runtime through the industry’s broadest, native, relational database support. Gateway support enables access to non-relational databases such as IMS, DL/1, and IDMS. Object Studio’s database support covers a variety of features, including stored procedures and database cursors.
Mainframe Integration
An easy-to-use visual tool provides integration with mainframe legacy applications. Developers can incorporate 3270 or 5250 host sessions into Object Studio applications using EHLLAPI. In addition, APPC (LU6.2) support provides peer-to-peer communications. These capabilities offer a graceful path for migrating legacy applications to a client/server architecture.
Broad Business Tool Support
Easy creation of SQL queries is provided through the point-and-click interface of the SQL Editor. Queries can immediately be tested against a target database and saved as objects for reuse in any number of applications.
A Report Editor allows easy creation of free-form reports. Reports can include nested queries and embedded calculations which are easily integrated into applications.
The Mathematical Editor provides support for the creation of complex financial and mathematical scenarios. It enables the developer to specify relationships between variables, link the variables to user interfaces, and access spreadsheet functionality.
Here's what's new with ENFIN 4.1...
1. Major upgrade to ENFIN Designer tool
2. New User-Configurable Text Editor
3. Other Functionality Enhancements
1. Major upgrade to ENFIN Designer Tool
The ENFIN Designer is a visual point-and-click tool that developers use to create a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for their applications. Prior to the release of ENFIN 4.1, there was functionality available with the Designer when accessed from Synchronicity that was not available when the Designer was accessed from ENFIN. These included things such as group select, Event Editors, etc. ENFIN and Synchronicity now have an integrated Designer. Users of ENFIN will notice many enhancements to the Designer.
Users of both Synchronicity and ENFIN will be glad they are integrated! Enhancements over the old ENFIN Designer include the following:
FORM ITEMS
ENFIN provides a rich set of GUI objects that can be seen graphically on the Designer Palette. ENFIN 4.1 introduces several new form items:
EVENT EDITOR
The Event Editor allows a developer to use the event model to respond to user interaction. This means that a developer can now use a point-and-click interface to develop a reaction to an event that occurs on the screen. For example, to open the customer detail screen when a user clicks on a pushbutton.
INTERFACE COMPONENTS
An ENFIN developer can now create a commonly used interface component and then recall that into new applications.
CREATE AN INTERFACE BASED ON ANOTHER INTERFACE
Prior to this release, each interface screen had to be recreated from scratch. With ENFIN 4.1, an ENFIN developer will have the ability to inherit existing controllers as a starting point for creating new controllers. The user will have a choice as to whether the form items are copied (and the behavior inherited) or to specify that the forms are actually inherited.
For example, if all screens contain a company logo in the right hand side of the screen along with a Cancel pushbutton, a developer may choose to create a 'base' screen that contains just these two form items. All 'subscreens' will automatically have these two items by default. Maintenance becomes easier because if the developer chooses to move the logo to the left bottom portion of the screen, he changes only the base screen-- all subscreens pick up this change--- INHERITANCE!
However, this may not always be desirable. Therefore, the developer has the option when creating subscreens to 'copy' the base screen. Any changes made at the subscreen level only effect that screen-- SUBCLASSING! Interface development support with ENFIN 4.1 is truly Object Oriented.
MULTI-FORM SELECT
This gives the ENFIN developer the ability to group select multiple form items so that an action can be performed on them at once.
METHOD EDITOR
ENFIN developers will notice a new Method Editor that allows developers to edit source code or method references and to easily insert objects and methods into the text.
ALIGNMENT TOOL BAR
The Alignment tool bar allows ENFIN developers to align and resize groups of form items.
STATUS LINE
The Status Line gives information about the selected form item or about the state of the Designer.
IMPROVED FACILITY FOR CREATING CASCADED MENUS
IMPROVED FACILITY FOR SAVING DESIGNER WORK AND EXITING
ENFIN Developers will now notice a full-featured ASCII Text Editor that is integrated into several ENFIN tools. An ENFIN developer can also use it like a form item to include it into ENFIN applications. The Text Editor allows ENFIN developers to inspect, execute, and load method source code. Other features include unlimited undo and search and replace, including regular expression searching (the ability to include wildcard characters). New enhancements include:
SEARCH FACILITY
The Search Facility includes regular expressions.
3. Other Functionality Enhancements
LOGIC FUNCTIONALITY EXCEPTION HANDLING
Two methods that allow you to implement exception handling have been added to ENFIN. You can use these methods to create an exception handling facility that is appropriate for your application.
Exception handling is a way for an application to know automatically what to do when something out of the ordinary happens without the developer having to check for it each time. For example, opening files is a common task a developer does when developing applications. Sometimes, there is an error when a developer tries to open the file. Rather than the developer having to check to see if there was error each time a file is opened, he or she can create an exception handler that knows automatically what to do anytime an error is encountered opening a file.
Of course, an exception handling may be created for any condition-- not just opening files. However, this capability can make a developers day!
ENFIN WORKSPACE
ENFIN 4.1 has a new Workspace that is based on the new Text Editor. Developers will notice a new tool bar incorporating the new features of the text editor. Developers will also notice a status line that will tell them the current row and column of the cursor in the edit area, whether or not the text in the edit area has been modified since the file was last saved as well as the name of the last file that was saved. A pop-up menu will allow developers to UNDO previous editing changes, repeat inserts, cut, copy, insert, outdent, indent, search, and execute Smalltalk code.
STRING FINDER
ENFIN 4.1 now includes a String Finder tool, based on the search capabilities of the Text Editor. This allows a developer to search multiple classes for specific words.
SMALL PROGRAM GENERATOR
The more sophisticated ENFIN users will be able to build an ENFIN image file that is as small as possible. Prior to this release, all classes necessary to run any ENFIN applications were included within the ENFIN image. This might have included classes that a developer's application never made use of. Developers wishing to use the Small Program Generator will find that with ENFIN 4.1, a file is provided listing all classes that would be necessary to execute any application developed within ENFIN; however, each one is commented out. It is up to the developer to indicate which classes that his application will use. Unless a developer has chosen to use the Small Program Generator, the image file will be created as done previously.
CLASS BROWSER
The Class Browser now incorporates the new Text Editor so that a developer can edit method source code and method references. ENFIN contains improved method references for many of the system methods. ENFIN now contains class reference material for many of the base classes in the system. The Class and Method Reference Tool is now based on the Text Editor. The Class Browser now stays updated with modifications to the ENFIN class hierarchy. All Class Browsers, including customized ones, reflect deleted and changed classes. The standard Class Browser also reflects classes that are loaded into the system.
TRANSCRIPT WINDOW
The Transcript Windows has a new menu, Transcript, with one menu item, Clear. [I can hear the screams of excitement now!] If you select Transcript > Clear, the system erases the Transcript Window. You cannot retrieve text that you have cleared from the Transcript Window. In OS/2, the Transcript Window now has a vertical scroll bar.
ODBC SUPPORT FOR WINDOWS
ENFIN now contains a class library that implements the complete Microsoft ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) Version 1.0 application programming interface.
TCP/IP
ENFIN now includes networking via TCP/IP. TCP/IP is supported across OS/2, Windows, and UNIX. ENFIN now has a Socket class and implements the TCP/IP socket Application Programming Interface. You can think of network communication as a conversation between two partners. One partner takes the role of the client and the other takes the role of the server. The clients and servers establish the conversation by creating sockets, which are the conversation endpoints.
NAMED PIPES SUPPORT FOR OS/2
ENFIN now provides class that supports Named Pipes communication in OS/2. Named Pipes is an interprocess communication (IPC) protocol that is controlled by the operating system. There are two types of Named Pipes. Local Pipes set up communication on one machine. Remote Pipes allow communication between two machines. ENFIN supports both Local and Remote Named Pipes. A Named Pipe allows communication between the processes at either end. The server is the process that creates and owns the pipe. The client is the process that connects to an existing pipe. ENFIN can implement both server and client processes. As well, either the server or the client can be created in ENFIN and used to connect to either a client or server developed by any other application that supports Named Pipes.
Database Support for OS/2 Sybase Open Client Version 4.6 (32-bit)
Previously ENFIN supported 16-bit Open Client Version 4.2. There is now support for dBase for OS/2. The interface is the same as for the Windows version of ENFIN. This will allow access to dBase files and MDX and NDX indices to be used in single-user mode.
DOCUMENTATION: USING ENFIN TOOLS
Using ENFIN Tools has been reorganized into four parts. It includes the following new material: A Getting Started chapter. Five chapters about using the Designer and programming user interfaces One chapter about the new Text Editor
ODBC SUPPORT
There is a new book, ODBC Support, which describes the ODBC application programming interface.
Synchronicity Business Object Modeling Tool
A model is a collection of classes, attributes (data), methods (procedures), and relationships that together provide a complete description of a business application. The Synchronicity Modeling Tool is a powerful and versatile visual tool for building object-oriented business models that can be incorporated directly into the ENFIN work environment.
Improved Application Design
To create the business model, a developer drags-and-drops from a palette of class, attribute, method, and relationship icons. Each of the classes and their relationships can be displayed using one of several modeling notations, including Rumbaugh and Coad/Yourdon.
Creating a structured visual representation of an application encourages a developer to build an optimal design before beginning implementation.
End-User Participation
Since a model is a visual description of a business, end users are able to participate in the design of an application. Early involvement with end users ensures acceptance of Object Studio applications.
Automated Code Generation
The Modeling Tool generates code for the models that are built. Once generated, class source code is readily available to the ENFIN development environment. This means an application moves from the design stage to completion much faster than with traditional tools.
The code generator creates the necessary access and maintenance methods for all classes and their relationships. This leaves developers free to focus on the implementation of the business logic that is unique to a specific application.
A developer always has the option to specify exactly which Smalltalk methods are automatically generated. In addition, any generated code may be modified.
Automated Model Generation
Not only are the classes generated by the Modeling Tool readily available to ENFIN, but the Modeling Tool can also take code written within ENFIN and represent it in a business model. This provides round trip engineering between the Modeling Tool and ENFIN. Any changes to the model are automatically reflected in the code and changes to the code are automatically reflected in the model; the model and code are always synchronized.
The Modeling Tool can also import Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERD). This gives developers a basic model with which to start a design, and provides a rapid migration path to object-oriented program development. Support is provided for Sterling’s (formally KnowledgeWare) Application Workbench (ADW) tool and CSA’s SILVERRUN.
Faster Development
With the Modeling Tool, developers are able to modify and maintain applications much more quickly and easily because class hierarchies and object relationships can be rearranged graphically, without doing any coding. Simply make the changes to the model in the Modeling Tool, then let Synchronicity re-generate and re-export the code to ENFIN. Modeling also maximizes the potential for object reuse by visually representing a business as objects that have understandable, recognizable and, therefore, reusable roles.
Cross-Platform Portability
Cross-platform portability is integral to Object Studio and all the Object Studio tools. Generated Smalltalk code is portable across all supported operating systems, providing an open, platform-independent environment.
The Synchronicity Mapping Tool provides visual, drag-and-drop tools for integrating the objects in the business model to tables in a relational database.
Simplified Database Access
The Mapping Tool allows the developer to visually define how their business objects are stored in a relational database. These object mapping definitions are used by the Mapping Tool’s Business Object Request Broker to make applications appear to be connected to an object database, without requiring the developer to hard-wire any SQL code into an application.
The Business Object Request Broker, which is embedded within the Mapping Tool, handles all the mechanics of storing and retrieving data from the external database and provides that data to the Object Studio application in object form. This means the developer can concentrate on objects, without worrying about the details of the database implementation.
The Mapping Tool is designed with complex object models and real-world relational database schemas in mind. The product is designed to solve all of the common object-to-data mapping problems. For example, the Mapping Tool can map single classes to multiple tables, many-to-many object associations to tables, generalization-specialization relationships across multiple tables, and so forth.
The Mapping Tool provides automatic handling of concurrence and transaction management, providing the error-free operation demanded by business-critical applications. Concurrency management of objects at runtime is also provided.
An Object Query Builder enables interactive building, testing, and saving of database queries in the form of objects. Queries created with the Query Builder can be saved as Smalltalk methods within a class for reuse elsewhere.
Flexible Database Mapping
The Mapping Tool’s capabilities can be applied in three ways: to generate relational database schemas that reflect the objects and relationships defined in a business model; to create a business model from database schema definitions; and to map existing business models to existing relational tables through generated SQL code. All three scenarios result in significant time savings.
Insulated Database Changes
The need to develop data access code for each new application is eliminated through the use of the Mapping Tool. The necessary mapping objects for a business model are created simply by dragging objects from the model and dropping them on the appropriate table. They can then be reused any number of times.
The Mapping Tool insulates the business model layer from changes made in the database by storing the mapping objects in an "atlas". When changes are made, the atlas is simply refreshed with the new mappings, thus reducing the maintenance cost of an application.
Overview
TeamBuilder allows application developers to perform all of the essential source code control operations on ENFIN classes, from within the Class Browser. Developers can get, put, lock, and unlock source code classes, view the status of a class, or determine if another user has locked a particular class.
Integrated With PVCS
To enable additional functionality, TeamBuilder can seamlessly integrate with INTERSOLV’s PVCS Version Manager. This enables archiving, class revision labeling, and comparison reporting. Classes can be grouped together into projects, each class having a separate revision level, date-stamp, and label.
With TeamBuilder, developers can reuse and build upon each others’ classes, maximizing team productivity. By removing undesirable barriers, the cost and time of integrating after the fact is eliminated.
Synchronicity ADW Importer allows entity-relationship models developed in KnowledgeWare Application Development Workbench (ADW) CASE Tool to be imported into the business object management environment of Synchronicity. ADW Importer leverages an IS organization's investment in CASE as they move forward into object technology. With ADW Importer, entity-relationship models are transformed into object models, the basis for building scalable, maintainable object-oriented systems.
Object technology delivers on the promises made by CASE. CASE tools transform business models into procedural subroutines and data structures. This underlying mismatch in the models makes it impossible to keep the analysis and design reflective of the implementation.
With object technology the models produced throughout the analysis and design phases are based on the same constructs used during implementation, objects. This consistency allows for the implementation of systems which remain synchronized with the analysis and design models.
Conceptual similarities between entity-relationship models and object models provide IS organizations invested in CASE the opportunity to "fast forward" into object technology. ADW Importer generates an object model in Synchronicity - a member of VMARK Software's Object Studio product family - from ADW export files.
ADW Importer is capable of importing the following constructs from ADW into Synchronicity; entity model, subject area, entity, relationship, supertype/subtype association, attribute, information type, information subtype, value set, and value restriction.
The similarities which make it possible to leverage entity-relationship models also ease the transition of moving IS developers into object technology. IS developers familiar with the techniques of entity-relationship modeling are well on their way to becoming effective object-oriented application developers.
VMARK Software's Object Studio product family bi-directionally automates the synchronization of analysis, design, and implementation and delivers the benefits of object technology to IS organizations today.
The Object Studio SILVERRUN Bridge provides a bi-directional link between Computer Systems Advisers' SILVERRUN modeling hub and the business object management environment of Synchronicity. The Object Studio - SILVERRUN Bridge allows an IS organization to leverage their current investment in relational or object technology as they build industrial-strength client/server solutions with both technologies. With the Object Studio - SILVERRUN Bridge the productivity benefits of object technology are complemented by robust relational database management tools.
Bi-directional Bridge
The bi-directional bridge allows data models created in SILVERRUN-Relational Data Modeler (RDM) to be converted into object models and imported into the Synchronicity Business Object Modeling tool. Similarly, an object model in Synchronicity can be converted into a data model and imported into SILVERRUN-RDM.
Build a Solid Client/server Infrastructure
Conceptual similarities between data models and object models allow work to be migrated from one environment to the other. The Object Studio - SILVERRUN Bridge paves the way to a sound client/server infrastructure while maximizing reuse of the semantic knowledge of the problem domain. The following conceptual mapping is used to exchange models between the tools:
Deliver high quality client/server applications with an integrated approach to the design and development of both the client and server components with the Object Studio - SILVERRUN Bridge.
Formal Training
All of our courses use a variety of effective teaching techniques, including lecture, discussion, demonstration, and hands-on exercises. Our lab exercises are designed to reinforce the materials presented in lecture. Students leave with real-world object-oriented development experience they can apply immediately to their projects.
On-site and Regional Training
If you have a number of developers to train, you may want to bring one of our instructors on-site. We can teach any of our courses at your site. To serve our customers across the country, we also teach courses on regionally.
Consulting Services
The Object Studio consulting department provides both on-site and off-site support to help you develop successful Object Studio projects. We can assist you by providing strategic guidance, experienced development resources, and proven development tools.
Through years of experience, our consultants have developed a number of effective standards and proven methodologies for designing and developing graphical client/server applications. We bring code examples and program templates that incorporate this knowledge into your organization during our consulting engagements. This set of tools often provides significant time and cost savings at all stages of the development cycle. These tools include:
Strategic Guidance
The key to a successful application lies in its planning and design. We specialize in teaching and guiding the design of your Object Studio program architecture, overall system architecture, and graphical user interface. We also conduct periodic code reviews to improve code modularity, application performance and efficiency, and application architecture.Our close alliance with product development uniquely enables us to directly influence product direction and enhancements. This relationship also allows us to help you take advantage of our latest product features and ensure the best architecture that takes these enhancements into consideration.
Experienced Application Development Resources
We have highly trained consultants who can provide technical leadership and implementation resources on your application development team. The VMARK consulting staff provides the most extensive knowledge in the industry about all aspects of developing applications with our products. Our consultants work with your team through the analysis, design, development, and testing of demos, prototypes, and large scale applications. Our expertise goes far beyond knowledge of just our own products. Other areas of expertise include:
Project Leadership
Successful application development requires coordination of training, analysis, design, implementation, and testing activities. We have the project management experience, product knowledge, and technical leadership needed to manage these activities for your projects and guide your team in making the most effective decisions.
Technical Support
Technical Support can assist you throughout the development life cycle to understand and properly use our products and the environment in which they work. We offer Object Studio support through a variety of channels to make our support easy to access.
Technical Support Hotline
Our primary support vehicle is a technical support hotline. To speak directly with our technical support staff, simply call us at (508) 366-3888. Our normal hours of operation are: Monday - Thursday, 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. EST Friday, 9 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. EST We use a sophisticated call distribution system to help us answer your calls. When you call, you are immediately directed to a member of our technical support staff. If no support representatives are currently available, our system gives you the options to hold or leave a message in our voice mail queue. If you are working with a particualr representative on an issue, you can request to be transferred directly to that representative without having to hold.In addition to our call distribution system, we have a customer service database to record all customer contacts. This application enables us to draw on our experiences with past callers. It also gives us a history of the calls and research associated with your issues.
CompuServe Bulletin Board
The Easel Exchange, a CompuServe electronic bulletin board, is available to all VMARK customers currently on our maintenance program. Through Easel Exchange, you can direct questions to the VMARK staff and Object Studio developers from other companies, or download information and sample code from our library of technical information. To access the forum, simply type GO EASEL at any CompuServe prompt.
For more information, send email to info@vmark.com, or call 1-800-OBJECTS.