Using an Exit Program with VVMAIL
If you're creating NAB forms or custom apps that send emails using the VVMAIL service program module, as demonstrated in the "Send Email" utility nested inside the Examples app, you can set up a back-end routine to globally intercept all outbound messages using an exit program. The exit program you create can be used to override the mechanism through which emails are sent, or to store pertinent details in a custom "outbound email log" for auditing purposes.
Integrating IFS images into your grid apps
In our previous newsletter tip we explored how to create an app in which users can upload files to specific locations on the IFS. Now we'll take a look at how to create a separate app that can put those uploaded files to use, in this case rendering them as thumbnail-size images inside a grid column.
Quickly create a file upload app
Even as companies move toward a more paperless workplace, printed documents and paperwork remain an inevitable part of doing business. Whether it be a supplier invoice, a bill of lading, a certificate of quality, a signed contract, a proof-of-delivery or what-have-you, many business transactions are still supplemented with a piece of paper somewhere.
Bringing 5250 access to a workforce suddenly stuck at home
The coronavirus pandemic and accompanying "social distancing" has created unique business challenges on many fronts. This is particularly true for companies who weren't already set up to support large swaths of employees suddenly looking to access their IBM i-based ERP systems from home.
Add intuitive action buttons to your grid rows
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more valuable is a button with an icon on it, compared to a string of words nested inside a row menu? While a thousand times valuation differential may be a stretch, there's no doubt that a visible action button on a grid row is going to be considerably more intuitive to users, particularly new users who are exploring apps for the first time. Such buttons also offer the added value of requiring one less click to trigger a row action.
Best Practices for Managing your Valence Instances
With the end of the year approaching, most companies find they have a rare opportunity to do some significant system maintenance as users go offline for the holidays. In addition to, say, upgrading to IBM i OS 7.4, this may also be a good opportunity to rearrange your Valence setup so it's following a "best practice" configuration. In a proper setup you can download and test new Valence builds without affecting any of your production or test instances.
Make Your Business Dates Come Alive with a Timeline
When creating an app to convey a typical collection of IBM i business data to users, the most common approach using Valence's Nitro App Builder tool is to build an SQL statement to pull in the pertinent information, pop the resulting rows into a multi-column grid, give the user a few filter options and call it a day.
Your users have a NEED for SPEED!
Just about every modern office job involves users interacting with a computer for the bulk of their work day. So excessive waiting for the computer to respond to actions can lead to both user frustration and decreased productivity.
In short, users like speed!
Introducing Valence Fusion5250 - Integrating Green Screen with Web
Since its introduction in 2008, Valence has helped countless IBM i developers create top-notch web and mobile apps using some of the slickest UI technology available. As the customer base grew, CNX introduced a number of additional development tools to Valence, including AutoCode and App Builder, to make the process of creating and deploying apps as easy as possible.
CNX Announces Release of Valence 5.2+
CNX Announces Major Update to Valence 5.2 at POWERUp 2019 Introduces an HTML5-based 5250 emulator along with other expanded functionality
May 20, 2019
Harness the power of PDF in your grid apps
The ability to download grid data into an Excel document has been a feature of Nitro App Builder for quite some time. Indeed, when someone wants to massage or analyze numbers in their own world, Excel is an ideal tool to accomplish that.
Convert your RPG-based reports into web apps
If your company's ERP system dates back to the AS/400 glory days, your users are likely accustomed to running programs that generate "old school" spool file output. While working with printed reports was quite common in the past, today most users prefer to work in a more paperless fashion, opting for on-screen apps or downloaded spreadsheets wherever possible.
Use tool tips to reduce congestion on your grids
Showcase Your Key Business Metrics Through a Kiosk-Style App
With the advent of low-cost "Smart TV" units — flat screen monitors with integrated web browsing capability — it's easier than ever (and cheaper) to adorn your company's front lobby, cafeteria, shop floor or other high-traffic areas with automatically-updating displays that depict important business metrics in real time. Using these TVs, or even "dumb" monitors attached to low-end PCs, key stats like sales numbers, inventory levels, picking performance, etc. can be shown to employees and guests without the old-school hassle of printing and replacing paper displays.
Speed Up Your Valence Instances with Apache Compression
A big tip-of-the-hat to Seiden Group's Alan Seiden for this month's highly useful Valence tip-of-the-month...
IBM i Developers: It's a Great Time to Embrace Low-Code App Builders
Recently I've had some fascinating conversations with people regarding Nitro App Builder, the low-code app builder included with Valence. In case you've never heard of it before, Nitro App Builder is a tool that's quickly taking over as the development method of choice for many apps that would have been coded manually in Valence just a year or two ago. It creates really useful apps by configuring them interactively, with little or no programming required.
The Wild Evolution of AS/400 to IBM i
With IBM i turning 30 I thought it would be fun to recap the evolution of this amazing operating system over the years from my perspective. The first system I ever worked on was a model B50 way back in 1991, and of course it was called AS/400 at the time. I thought the machine was pure magic with its tan towers and reel-to-reel tape drive (some of you may have to look that up).
CNX Turns 22 Today!
Twenty-two years ago today we officially registered CNX as an Illinois corporation (wow, that's a shocking thing for us to write), so we thought it might be fun to take a short trip down memory lane on this blog post. So much has transpired in those years that we could write a book, so we will necessarily need to keep it brief here — perhaps one of us will write that book later!
Anyway here it goes:
Bumping up the number of CGI jobs servicing your Valence apps
Your IBM i HTTP Server powered by Apache is a powerful web-serving system akin to a bank staffed with multiple fast-working tellers. The AJAX requests coming in from your front-end apps are like customers entering the bank to perform transactions. Each "customer" queues up in an orderly line on a first-in/first-out basis, and is serviced by the next available "teller" as soon as they're finished dealing with the prior customer.
Controlling the colors in your charts and graphs
Nitro Query apps containing charts or graphs can make conveying your company's business trends or performance metrics much more effective than showing raw numbers alone. It's particularly common (and easy) to create a dashboard app that includes a grid of monthly sales details supplemented by a chart showing month-to-month performance. This adds some great context to the lists of numbers.