George James Software

V  C  /  m 3.0
The Force of Change

Release Notes

1.         Web Browser User Interface

The underlying architecture of the web-browser user interface has been extended to provide more modularity and scalability.  Common features have been re-factored and can be made available generically across the whole UI.

The following specific architectural changes have been made:

• User definable folders in left hand panel. Includes user based access control, ability to embed user defined custom forms and methods.
• Menu controls are now context sensitive and are automatically enabled/disabled based on the current context.
• The Transfer menu is now configurable using the normal menu maintenance tools.  It is no longer necessary to manually set entries in ^%vctr(function).
• Column headings are now synchronized when the main window is scrolled horizontally.
• The contents of the main panel and the audit trail panel can now be printed or print-previewed at any time.
• The left hand folder window can now be scrolled when using drag'n'drop.
• Increased accessibility with keyboard shortcuts for many operations that were previously only possible using the mouse.
• The ability to resize and/or hide the navigation panel and audit trail panel.

The following specific functional changes have been made:

• Color coded filter buttons on the select toolbar to provide a more intuitive way of selecting items by status. An additional filter allows selection by highest version.
• Location folders are now color coded to indicate whether they are a library (dark-blue) or a regular location (yellow).  Single and multi-version locations are also differentiated by the use of multi-tabbed folder icon for multi-version locations. 
• Improvements to the web-based security features to restrict the ability for authenticated users to connect using another user's credentials. Session logging also records all successful and failed log in attempts.
• The selection filters for each location and component type are now persisted allowing views of specific locations to be retained from session to session.
• Cancel. You are now able to  cancel a checked-out object and reinstate its predecessors using the web-browser UI.  The Cancel function also includes the ability to cancel all the objects in a change request as a single operation.
• Merge.  Concurrent versions can be merged via the web-browser UI.  A graphical ancestry tree and improved validation makes this process more intuitive for the user.
• Setup folder.  A setup folder allows all configuration tables to be configured using the web-browser UI.  The following tables can be configured:
  • Setup Properties
  • Users
  • Change Request Types
  • Systems
  • Locations
  • Location Classes
  • Transfer Routes
  • Physical Addresses
  • Menu Functions
  • Menus
  • Printers
  • Devices
  • JavaScript Files
• Object Folder.  A new folder provides a view of all object versions registered to VC/m.  Within this folder each object contains sub-folders listing its change requests, its audit trail and its components at each active location.
• Change Request Folder.  A new folder provides a global view of all change requests.  Each change request contains sub-folders listing the object versions belonging to that change request in the same format as the object folder.
• Location Class Folder.  A new folder lists locations within a location class.  These locations are valid drop targets for transfer operations.  Locations in these folders are listed in a user specified sort order that is defined in the Location Class setup.
• Components Folder.  The components sub-folder within Locations has been brought up a level to reduce the number of key clicks required to access it, especially when there is only one component mask for a location.
• Sub-folders in the Object view provide access to each version's audit trail and easy browsing of the same version in other locations.
• JavaScript Files.  It is now possible to specify, in the JavaScript File table, one or more JavaScript files that should be included as part of the main VC/m application window.  This enables user written functionality to be incorporated within VC/m, providing further scope for extensibility of the product.
• System menu.  A new top level menu contains a number of new system management functions.  These include license view/edit, connect as a different user, purge session logs and a number of other functions.  It is recommended that access to the options in this menu be restricted.
• User locales.  A locale setting may now be specified for each user.  In this release this specifically affects the format of date/time entry, either DD/MM/YY or MM/DD/YY.  In future releases it may be extended to have addition effects.
• Menus Customization.  Web menus may now be overridden at any level, it is no longer necessary to override mnuMain in order to have it call a custom sub-menu.  A sub-menu can be overridden and all calls to that menu in any context will use the specified custom menu.  Menus can be overridden on a system-wide basis or for a specific user.  The specific user override is generally intended to enable custom menus to be developed and tested without impacting other users of the system.
• Location Deltas.  A new report allows the difference between two locations to be viewed in terms of versions or change requests. 

2.         Support for Beyond Compare

Objects and Components accessible through VC/m can be compared graphically using Beyond Compare 2.  Beyond Compare is a low priced, market leading, visual compare tool.

VC/m provides an FTP based service for integration with Beyond Compare.  Other tools that use FTP services may be able to use this service, however Beyond Compare is the only service that is officially supported with this version of VC/m.

George James Software is an approved reseller of Beyond Compare.  Orders can be placed by sending details of your requirements to admin@georgejames.com.

3.         XML Based Configuration

VC/m configurations can be defined completely using XML formatted configuration files. Infrastructure has also been implemented to allow elements of a configuration to be abstracted using XSL, making it easy to define templates that represent sandbox configurations etc.

The following configuration tables can be maintained using the XML configuration file:

• User
• Physical location
• Logical location
• Location
• Location Class
• Transfer Route
• System

4.       XML File Interchange

A new location storage format (FX) allows Cache 5 format XML import/export files to be used instead of routine save, global save and CDL file format for sequential transfers.

5.       Web-Browser User Interface Keyboard Shortcuts

The following keyboard shortcuts can be used to navigate within the web-browser UI:

F1	Help
F3	Toggle debug window
F5	Refresh the selection using the current filter settings
F6	Toggle focus between the main panel and the folder panel
<Tab>	Move from one selected item to the next within the main panel and folder panel
+	Open/Close a folder
<Space>	Open a selected folder
<Enter>	Refresh the selection using the current filter settings
<Del>	Delete (or un-register) the selected item
Alt+1	Toggle display of the folder panel
Alt+2	Toggle display of the audit trail panel
Ctrl+C	Copy selected item to the work list
Ctrl+V	Paste the work list contents to the selected item
Ctrl+N	Create a new instance of the selected item type
Ctrl+O	Open the selected item

6.       De-supported Platforms

With effect from this version of VC/m support for the following platforms will no longer be maintained:

• ISM
• DTM

7.       Upgrade steps

Follow the normal installation procedure.  Be sure to run ^%vcins as this performs two file conversion operations:

• Locations within a Location Class are assigned a display order sequence number
• A new audit trail by date index resolves a sorting issue

The names of all of the server side methods for the web interface have changed in this release.  This will affect access security settings for menu and function access, it may also affect custom menus.  These settings should be reviewed on completion of installation.  The following table lists the old method names and the corresponding new name.  Note that in some cases there may not be a direct one-to-one equivalence.

VC/m 2.4	VC/m 3.0
fnAbout()	VCm.fnAbout
fnChangeRequestDelete()	ChangeRequest.fnDelete
fnChangeRequestNew()	ChangeRequest.fnNew
fnChangeRequestOpen()	ChangeRequest.fnOpen
fnComponentDelete()	Component.fnUnregister Component.fnDelete
fnConnect()	Connect.fnConnect Connect.fnConnectAs
fnDisabled()	n/a
fnDisconnect()	Connect.fnDisconnect
fnExit()	fnExit
fnHelp()	VCm.fnHelp
fnMainRun('','')	fnRunWindow
fnMenuRun("%vc361")	fnRunWindow
fnMenuRun("%vc561")	fnRunWindow
fnMenuRun("%vc681")	fnRunWindow
fnMenuRun("%vc821")	fnRunWindow
fnMenuRun("<page>")	fnRunWindow
fnObjectRemove()	Object.fnRemoveFromChangeRequest
fnRefresh()	fnRefresh
fnTransfer("<function>","<toLocation>")	Transfer.fnTransfer
fnTransfer("IN","")	Transfer.fnTransfer
fnTransfer("OUT","")	Transfer.fnTransfer
fnTransfer("XFER","")	Transfer.fnTransfer
fnWorkListClear()	fnWorkListClear
fnWorkListCopy()	fnWorkListCopy
fnWorkListPaste()	fnWorkListPaste
mnuChangeRequest	mnuChangeRequest
mnuDisconnected	mnuDisconnected
mnuEdit	mnuEdit
mnuHelp	mnuHelp
mnuMain	mnuMain
mnuServer	mnuFile
mnuServerDisconnected	mnuServerDisconnected
mnuTransfer	mnuTransfer (see note below)
mnuView	mnuView

Note that mnuTransfer is now a conventional menu and is no longer driven by the contents of ^%vctr(function).  Custom transfer functions can be added to the Transfer menu by creating a custom menu called, say, MNUTRANSFER, containing the transfer functions you require.  You can then override the standard mnuTransfer menu with your custom menu.

8.         Bug Fixes

The following list is a summary of all bug fixes included in this release.  Many of these bug fixes will have been back-ported and been available as patches for the previous release of VC/m.

L2152	Allow @psa as first piece of remote:// address
L2364	Change request has wrong usernames
L2365	Fix bad link to manual
L2367	Fix browser error in component view where object name contains "
L2422	Task server fixes
L2426	Detect inaccessible ECP-connected namespaces on Cache 5
L2441	PgUp and PgDn take you out of the component list
L2444	Fix diff crash if one object has no components
L2449	Xfer between locations mapped to same physical was pre-deleting object
L2450	Some Caché 5 checks are triggered on Caché 4.1
L2454	Fix report bug
L2459	Fix display bugs
L2463	New editor interface for Cache
L2494	Del-key shortcut doesn't respect access code on menu options
L2501	Del key in Select textbox gives error
L2503	More intelligent defaults for system and variant
L2504	Allow selection by icon as well as by text
L2520	Lock not always released
L2522	Don't hang if nonexistent CR entered at object prompt
L2523	Release control sheet works incorrectly
L2539	Change to change request validation
L2556	Remove uppercase conversion in %vc9md18 so it works on Unix
L2572	getDtMod missing from %vc9fi17
L2585	Object list in web interface always shows obj desc, even if var desc exists
L2613	Expansion of CR with more than max number of obvs failed to display
L2622	<SUBSCRIPT>fetch+1^%vc574 in Menu Add/modify if eXit without choice after lookup
L2633	Speed up termination of ABC.X* selector
L2660	Cancel via Web UI
L2670	Swap back to home namespace afterwards
L2681	New report comparing contents of 2 locations
L2683	Component drivers need to use task server
L2691	exists^%vc9md must use task server
L2691a	Allow VC/m to work on a Cache system with UIC security enabled
L2692	Handle object, component names containing symbols (e.g. #)
L2702	Handle apostrophe in CR title on web i/f
L2708	Prevent Cancel from deleting components
L2715	Transfers very slow when DCP-accessed location is down
L2715a	When checking dependencies, defer test for offline as late as possible
L2717	Install objects in correct order
L2723	INT is not synonymous with R in some respects
L2727	To avoid STORE error, do not use local array to gather term compile errors
L2733	Handle task server addresses for CDL and CLS components
L2736	Permit component types to be disabled
L2740	Supply %usr to tasks, and set %msg=0
L2744	Cancel loops with <undef>k85+4^vc1xld if reinstating empty object
L2746	$$find function missing from %vc1seq1, breaking MINT driver
L2754	Absolute active location list detaches all components from object in destination
L2758	Block use of class as to-loc if route increments version
L2764	<UNDEFINED>home+1^%vc9md when using WLD component driver
L2768	Put space between diff command and any argument
L2771	Cache 5 templates don't load when vcm sub-directory doesn't already exist
L2777	Handle Cache systems where no <ENDOFFILE> error is signalled
L2779	Component view of library shows all unregistered
L2781	$$order^%vc9fi missing for Cache on UNIX
L2789	<UNDEFINED>delM+15
L2793	CLS components not loading from F-type location
L2797	auto entry point is not defaulting release date to today
L2802	Merge Versions in Web UI
L2802.3	Change Request Lookup Screen
L2802.3a	Supplemental changes for chref select screen
L2802/1	Change requests containing period cannot be searched in WebUI
L2804	Web transfer must lock before creating new version
L2814	Protect our %msg variable from the bad behaviour of $system.CSP.LoadPage
L2823	Changes to user authentication
L2827.1	Error if press work list button without selecting a change request
L2832	Bugs with location upgrade
L2840	status^%vc1edt should return 0, not -1, for no-master obv
L2873	Handle apostrophe in CR description
L2911	Enable text and bin drivers to work via local scratch file
L2929	Temp file not accessed via task server
L2971	Fix mkdir^%vc9fi on VMS
L2979	Protect obv during term processing
L2983	Require dates on CR Summary Report request
L2993	Location Copy was carrying over system codes between runs
L2994	Get from F-type location errors when component is exact multiple of 200 bytes
L3009	Delete from CRs even if not active anywhere
L3012	Encode data using UTF8 for XML forms
L3015	Web transfer must refine addr1() in the same way as addr2()
L3016	Cache 5.0.4 broke our Studio integration
L3019	Add task server locking to make it reliable on ECP
L3051	Refuse to run VC/m if in a transaction
L3074	Transmit messages back to task-server caller
L3083	Make CR transfer a single operation
L3109	Make "Access Denied" message more informative
L3114	Handle get from Ftype location of a 0-byte BIN component
L3119	By-date audit log records are not sequenced within the second
L3120	When web-registering component, don't offer existing object
L3126	Add a NewObject dependency function
L3140	When looking for default function, skip ones not web-enabled
L3146	Make component reads more failsafe
L3147	Number allocation is before validation
L3162	Avoid <UNDEFINED>k85+4^%vc1xld when no-component object transferred
L3195	Web xfer must check access on route sooner
L3195a	API xfer must check access on route
L3198	Merge needs to maintain both lines of ancestry
L3215	Also include in the checked-out report objects not associated with any CR
L3231	Per-Transfer Termination hook called prematurely by AUTOT
L3235	Let $$exists^%vc9md on Cache work with minimal delay when network is down
L3237	Release lock if ^%vcvc("changeRequestDelete") returns false
L3238	Make Studio 5 interface operate in a degraded mode when VC/m server unreachable
L3242	status^%vc1edt should report 2 for "unregistered here" rather than "anywhere"
L3271	Show all system codes
L3299	<PARAMETER>noBackslash^%vc335
L3300	Search for specific CR does not find it
L3303	Cant resize the change request screen
L3315	When an eligible AUTOT fails, report it
L3325	Rename the inc-page so it works on OpenVMS
L3326	Increase obv length from 40 to 60
L3340	Allow / in CR description and comments
L3346	Ignore attempt to filter on unknown component type
L3418	Input object description at registration
d0002	Load from Cache on Unix
d0003	VC/m configuration using xml
d0004	Add G to %vc413
d0005	FTP server for Beyond Compare
d0006	Further corrections to %vc413
d0007	Extensible Change Request Screen
d0008	Add and edit names of VC/m globals
d0009	New utility for adding system code
d0010	Text changes to web set-up screens
d0011	Add access codes to location classes
d0012	Max fields limits, esp change request
d0013	Make prompts on transfer dialog consistent
d0014	Add a way to set the title
d0017	VC/m 3.0 manual (version 0)
d0018	More tiding up of prompts
t48677	VC/m Version 3.0 Development
t48692	FX location driver
t48719	Avoid syntax error on GT.M
t48720	Upgrade Modifications
t48721	Disable auto-selection for bulk transfer
t48722	Insulate ISM and Cache 2.x from $ZU(140 calls, and eliminate $ZCVT()
t48723	Revise menu-component call that no longer worked in 2.x
t48724	Use md18 for Cache on VMS, not md14
t48725	Various installation bugs
t48726	More installation changes
t48728	Link to documentation has gone off
t48729	Remove restriction on brackets
t48730	<subscript>a720+4^%vc390
t48731	Fix typo causing UNDEF at exists7+14^%vc9md
t48732	Add example site-specific dependencies
t48733	Amending the setup and properties screens
t48734	Use $P before trying to send forced error info to screen
t48735	Insert missing ^%vcmnu subtree
t48736	Allow editing of own option after viewing of built-in one
t48737	Pass the CR list correctly
t48738	Cope with ' and " in object, CR, loc names
t48739	Manage worklist paste when attempted from new subtrees
t48740	Use correct case when installing Cache 5 stuff on Unix
t48741	Fixed for d0007 changes to CR editing
t48742	New revision-based locking scheme needs to handle old records
t48743	Prevent bulk load of uninstalled component type
t48744	Support Utility to Ping Physical Locations
t48745	User default and update change info
t48746	More intelligent defaulting of variant for new objects
t48747	Suppress display of deleted change requests
t48748	Extend chref_validate to work with Web UI
t48749	Exclusion of certain tables at take-on
t48750	Cannot take-on INTs if R type not installed
t48751	Capitalize menu options consistently
t48752	Some telnet clients require // after telnet:
t48753	Add new %AncestorVersion keyword
t48754	Display versions' tree-lines in the correct sequence
t48755	Studio "Status of Project" add-in description is incorrect
t48756	Put focus onto first field of login dialog
t48757	Allow more space for component masks on web tree
t48758	Show display-only web form fields more conventionally
t48759	Typo meant that vxfrom^%vc1xva may call $$validr on a location more than once
t48760	Typo - "Dependant" -> "Dependent"
t48761	If $-file at from-location, read it
t48762	Can't add component to object in web interface
t48763	<undef>getDtMod+2^%vc1xINT
t48764	<noline>chrefDelete+18^%vc335
t48765	Add ^%vcjs("JavaScript.js" component
t48766	Init meobv to fix crash at fileo+23^%vc202
t48767	Make Edit/Register option seek any to-location
t48768	Fix "it's" in cancel confirm
t48769	Give more info about non-existent route
t48770	<textarea> value attribute is superfluous
t48771	Web i/f loses first blank line of CR description, comments
t48772	Apply limit to length of new object name
t48773	Setup locking must be lower than ^%vcvc
t48774	Re-sequence the Properties menu for web
t48775	Keyfile path is maintained on License dialog
t48776	Remove redundant code
t48777	Don't file null CHUI menu overrides from web setup dialog
t48778	Allow for descenders on text in main-pane title
t48779	Make case of Object subnodes consistent
t48780	Sort out mnemonic chars on transfer dialog
t48781	Allow folder-specific folder images
t48782	Align prompts vertically
t48783	Sunken borders for web filter buttons, and Select vs Refresh caption
t48784	Vary location folder images
t48785	Hide h/* selector for single-version locations
t48786	Don't keep focus on filter buttons
t48787	When listing CRs at top level, don't offer Master filter
t48788	Make Studio 5 templates/add-ins work on VC/m 3.0
t48789	ToolbarSelect.xsl case sensitivity
t4901	Registering new components to dropdown menu

Copyright 1999,2004 George James Software
http://www.georgejames.com