ProductWriter News
1st July 2008 |
Release 19.00 is here
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The annual release of
ProductWriter and the Run Time Environment is now available. It brings a number of enhancements to
ProductWriter and the Run Time Environment.
Some of the main improvements are described below: |
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ProductWriter
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Repository Support for Schema Based
Products The
Repository has been updated to support the storage and control of the
following items: ·
Schema Based
Products ·
Schema Based
Dictionaries ·
XML Schema ·
Long Lists This
brings control and tracking to schema based products and dictionaries in a
similar manner to that already available for schemes on traditional
dictionaries. Import/Export Text in Tables Storing
text in tables has proved a very valuable addition to ProductWriter since its
introduction in Release 16.00. Larger
amounts of text are now being stored in tables and to support this it will be
possible to export and import these text values. External tools such as Microsoft Excel can
then be used to edit and maintain the text. Interactive Debugger The Interactive Debugger will be enhanced to remember
additional settings when closing and reopening. These include window
positions, breakpoints and watch windows selections. Support for Windows ProductWriter
installation and editors will have been upgraded to work with Windows Vista
Business edition. Full instructions
for installing ProductWriter on Windows Vista will be provided on the Polaris
website. DB2 Express C Edition v9.1 ProductWriter
will be able to use the free version of DB2.
This means that there will no longer be a requirement to buy DB2
licences for each user of ProductWriter. Pointers within Loops When
writing rules there is often a requirement to loop through the populated
instances of an object using a pointer.
This functionality is often required when working with schema based
dictionaries. In these dictionaries
the output object structure often mirrors the input object structure and
values need to be copied from one to the other. Currently
it is necessary to write rules to count through the instances to avoid errors
when trying to assign the next instance.
A new ‘Assign to instance 0’ statement will simplify this process
meaning loops are easier to write and maintain. Full examples will be provided in the user
guide. Viewing Read-only Schemes It
is now possible to see which properties are used to access table dimensions
on schemes and products that are marked as read only. This can be used for reviewing dictionary
level rule sets and schemes that cannot be modified. Resizable Dialogs A number of dialogs within the rules editor will be updated to allow them to be resized and to remember their position and size. This is particularly useful when working with object names within Schema Based Dictionaries. User Guide Further information for Release 19.00 changes will be found in the ProductWriter User Guide. The User Guide is distributed as part of the ProductWriter release. |
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Run Time Environment (RTE)
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Upgrading to Release 19.00 Advice
on how to upgrade to Release 19.00 RTE within an
integration is provided with the release. Release 19.00 of the RTE is backwards
compatible with schemes developed at Release 18.01 and all earlier
ProductWriter releases. XML-RTE Demo The
XML-RTE demonstration program has been upgraded to support schema based
dictionaries. Additional documentation
will be provided on the website to give detailed instructions on how to use
the demo to perform useful tasks. One
example is how to convert an XML request message to a ProductWriter test
case. |
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General Information
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Effect on Existing Products and
Dictionaries Existing
products are not affected by this release and will operate as they do
now. The look and feel of
ProductWriter is largely unchanged, however a number of usability
enhancements have been made throughout. Where new functionality has been
added, care has been taken to ensure that the user interface remains
consistent. Dictionaries
produced from now until the end of the year can be used on Release 18.00 or
Release 19.00. New dictionaries from
January 2009 onwards will be distributed in Release 19.00 format. It will be necessary to upgrade to Release
19.00 by this date in order to use these dictionaries. |
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ProductWriter Release 19.00
Training We
are currently assessing demand for a special training course for using new
functionality in Release 19.00. This one day workshop will cover all
enhancements made to Release 19.00. Please contact the service desk should
you be interested in such a course. |
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Contact us For
any questions please contact the service desk on 0845 456 1956 or email Polaris_uk@logica.com. |
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