We're long past the days where a single on-site server could handle all the IT needs of a typical business.  

The tried and true IBM i Query Utility (as accessed via STRQRY or WRKQRY) is mainstay in many IBM i shops.  But it goes without saying that the user interface associated with the configuration and the output of an IBM i Query leaves a bit to be desired. This is particularly true when users must navigate through the query's definition to change selection or sort criteria.

As we prepare for next month's release of Valence 5.1, we thought it'd be both interesting and useful to summarize some of the blog post contents in a single, categorized list.  From customizing the look and feel of the Valence Portal to tips on back-end and front-end development, there's likely to be at least one or two blog posts to pique your interest. Without further ado, here's a categorized breakdown of the more useful blog posts from the past few years: 

With every user action in the browser that results in a call to a Valence instance running on your IBM i Power Server, a wealth of data about the user's session is sent to the integrated Apache Server.  This information can be accessed by your back-end RPG programs to potentially alter how they respond to the front-end. Want to know what URL is on the user's browser page?  Or what type of browser is being used?

The Nitro Query app included with Valence is designed to quickly take large volumes of IBM i data and make it easily accessible to your users in the form of a dashboard or query.

The latest version of Valence 5 (5.0.20170120.0 as of this writing) makes it significantly easier and more convenient to develop Valence apps using Sencha Architect.  Specifically you can now:

In a typical Valence app you have a myriad of front-end UI logic working in tandem with back-end RPG programs that process AJAX calls and perform functions to retrieve or update IBM i data.  Whenever something goes wrong on the front-end, you can typically zero in on the issue by peering into the browser's console.

AutoCode apps generated with Valence 4.2 use Ext JS 4.2 -- the fact that these are the same version numbers iwherever possible it is recommended that you just regenerate the app using the new autocode that comes with valence 5.  However, if you've made enhancements to AutoCode apps generated in Valence 4.2 then regeneration from scratch isn't a very viable option.  

One of the most powerful widgets available in Nitro Query is the Edit Grid.  Traditionally queries are read-only, but with an Edit Grid you can actually allow users to update records in a single-file data source — right from within the query itself!  In some cases you may find you can simply create a query for data entry in lieu of coding an actual app, saving yourself a ton of time and effort.

In order to provide data to more intricate UI elements in Ext JS such as trees or collapsible grids with nested lists, you will often find it necessary for your RPG programs to create JSON strings containing arrays within arrays.