Ever since the first release of Valence in 2008, the biggest issue for IBM i developers working with the framework has been learning how to manually code the user interface of an app with Ext JS (and later Sencha Touch for mobile apps). Over the years, as CNX released new and improved versions of the Valence Framework, simple tools to help developers with front-end app development were added.

Features Reengineered Portal and New Tools for Rapid App Development CHICAGO, IL. CNX announced today the general availability of version 4.0 of the Valence Framework for IBM i. Valence Framework 4.0 features a completely reengineered desktop browser portal as well as new tools for rapid web and mobile app development on IBM i. “This is without a doubt the biggest release of Valence Framework since version 1.0 was first announced nearly six years ago,” said Richard Milone, CNX Chief Technical Officer.

If you've been trialing Valence 3.2's Enterprise features, or using the Valence Framework under the free Community Developer license but considering upgrading to Valence Enterprise, here's one factor to keep in mind: In conjunction with the Valence 4.0 release and its myriad new features, the price for Valence Enterprise will essentially double, with additional costs for installing Valence Enterprise on multiple partitions.

We're just two weeks away from the official release of Valence 4.0 and we're super excited to introduce this new framework to the IBM i community!  Many thanks to the handful of Beta testers we've been working with over the past month to help ensure the installation and operation of Valence 4.0 is as smooth as it can possibly be. With the sizeable investment we've made in streamlining the user interface for this release, we believe you'll find Valence 4.0 to be a huge hit with your IBM i users as you roll it out.

As an IBM i developer using Valence you will often find opportunities to create apps containing grids with date columns.  In the RPG world, dates are typically stored in physical files using date-type fields with data in *ISO format.   So when it comes time to display those dates in your grid, it’s tempting and easy to leave them in that default format.  But not all users are as comfortable working with YYYY-MM-DD dates as we developers are, so transforming the dates into a format they’re more accustomed to may well be worth your time.

Take Sencha Architect for an early test drive on Valence 4.0! CNX will be presenting two brand new IBM i educational sessions at the WMCPA Confererence  in Delavan, Wisconsin, on March 12. Attendees will not only get a sneak peek of Valence 4.0 a week before its official release, but they'll also see how Sencha Architect can be used to create an IBM i-based web app from scratch in a matter of minutes.

How we extended our RPG business logic expertise to the Web 2.0 world IBM i developers face a myriad of options when looking for the best way to get their RPG applications to work effectively in a web browser. Just evaluating all the options (i.e., WebSphere, Java, EGL, JSP, third-party tools, etc.) can take months! It goes without saying that the technology supporting browser interfaces has evolved considerably over the years.

Leverage Valence to both add new functionality for your users AND put a new face on your existing IBM i applications! IT managers “in the know” are keenly aware that for heads-down, hard-core data entry, it’s tough to beat the speed of green screen (5250) programs. This is no surprise, as the 5250 interface was designed for just this purpose — to support the rapid-fire entry of relatively repetitive data by clerical personnel. That said, data entry is rarely confined to specialists working in dedicated data-entry departments anymore.

Don't settle for boring static HTML – build modern, dynamic web pages for IBM i with Valence By now you’ve certainly heard more than enough rumblings about needing to “modernize” your green screen programs to work in a more GUI-like fashion. If you’re like us, this talk may have even reached the point of becoming down-right annoying to you.

Achieves “Select Partner” Status for Ext JS, Sencha Touch Development

Includes all-new mobile app for administering IBM i while on-the-go

Chicago, IL Indigo Software Limited of Durham, U.K. has selected CNX Corporation’s Valence Framework as a core technology for new application development. The selection of Valence follows a long study by Indigo on possible directions for the future. “Valence allows us to leverage our experience with IBM i and RPG while at the same time providing a rich interface that the market demands,“ explains Peter McLane, Managing Director of Indigo.

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FORT WORTH, TX. CNX announced at the Spring RPG/DB2 Summit today the release of version 3.1 of the Valence Web Application Framework for IBM i. Valence 3.1 includes numerous browser component enhancements plus an exclusive new set of tools to help IBM i developers create desktop and mobile web apps with little or no programming. “The big news with this release is the Valence Nitro App Builder, which brings to Valence a whole new array of features supporting rapid web application development on IBM i,” said Richard Milone, CNX Chief Technical Officer.

Updates Framework for RPG-Centric Web Development on IBM iCHICAGO, IL. CNX announced today the first post-Beta release for version 3.0 of the Valence Web Application Framework for IBM i. Valence 3.0 includes numerous browser component enhancements and adds mobile device support to the package, providing state-of-the-art tools for IBM i programmers to create true Web 2.0-style applications for virtually any device with a browser.

by Alex Woodie IBM i shops that are looking for tools to create mobile interfaces for RPG applications should take a look at the latest release of Valence from CNX. The software company used the recent COMMON conference in Minneapolis as a venue for launching Valence 3.0, which adds the capability to create touch-driven user interfaces for mobile devices like the iPhone and Android phones.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN. CNX announced today at COMMON the first Beta release for version 3.0 of the Valence Web Application Framework for IBM i. This release includes numerous browser component enhancements and adds mobile device support to the Valence package, further empowering IBM i programmers to create true “Web 2.0” style applications for just about any computing device, all served through standard ILE RPG.

Alex Woodie, IT Jungle Old habits are hard to break. Just try to take away the green-screen applications and tools from an IBM i shop entrenched in this mode of operation, and you'll see sparks fly. But to be competitive in this world, IBM i shops must break the 5250 habit and develop for the Web. Luckily, IBM i Web development tools are maturing rapidly, and some of them, such as CNX's JavaScript-based toolkit, called Valence, are available under the free and open source distribution model.

CHAPEL HILL, NC. Symmetrical Solutions announced the next release of Protivity today at its annual user conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  The Wisconsin-based company has selected CNX Corporation’s Valence Framework to provide the core web technology for this next release of Protivity, currently in the final stages of product development.

BATH, UK. Dancerace plc announces today the selection of CNX Corporation's Valence Framework as the core web technology for the next version of C3.  The addition of the Valence Framework as a core technology to Dancerace’s C3 invoice finance management software will give the product a state-of-the art rich user interface.