Key new features will give IBM i programmers even more options for delivering modern web applications.

BCD Software LLC., a Quadrant Software company and an IBM i industry leader for over 38 years, has announced the release of Presto 5.5, their rapid green screen and RPG application modernization tool. Highlights of this release include support for RPG Open Access (OA), new configurable navigation options for web-enabled screens, and a subfile option flyout menu.

According to Marcel Sarrasin, BCD’s Director of Corporate Marketing, “Each Presto release gives IBM i programmers more options for delivering professional, modern web GUIs. We’re particularly excited about Presto 5.5’s support for RPG OA because programmers now have the option to use OA and the 5250 datastream with a single license of Presto. This gives them the option to choose the approach that best meets their needs.”

RPG OA Support IBM i programmers can now give existing green screens and new RPG programs a modern web GUI with Presto. One of the key benefits of Presto’s support for RPG OA is the ability to turn subfiles into scrollable grids with sortable columns. Presto also automatically attaches datepickers to date fields on OA screens.

According to Eric Figura, BCD’s Chief Customer Advocate, “We hit the point where we had enough customer requests for scrollable grids so we felt this was the right time to add support for RPG OA, which makes it easier to do.”

Screens that are modernized with RPG OA can be seamlessly intermingled with screens that have been modernized in Presto using the 5250 datastream. RPG OA is included in Presto at no additional charge.

“We see RPG OA as another part of the modernization spectrum,” says Marcel. “With BCD, people can choose between using RPG OA, the 5250 datastream for refacing, or developing new stateless PHP or RPG web applications with WebSmart.” 2

New Navigation Options Presto 5.5’s new navigation options make screens much more intuitive, especially for new users. Presto now includes configurable navigation options that place function keys on the left-hand side of your screen, similar to a standard web application’s side menu. It also now automatically detects subfile options and places them in a clickable flyout menu that appears when a user hovers their mouse over subfile option input fields.

Maps, Mobile and Other Improvements Some of the other new features include:

 -  The Visual Editor now includes options to display the Google Map element in streetview and to make the map clickable so users can view the location via the Google Maps web page.

 - The mobile skin font has an updated font so it looks more modern.

 - The spool file viewing window (where you can open spool files as PDFs) includes some styling improvements.

 - The macro feature now allows you to save variables from one screen so they can be used on another screen.

About Presto

Presto is the fastest way to give your existing green screens and new RPG programs a modern web GUI that is accessible from browsers on PCs and mobile devices. It transforms all green screens (RPG and COBOL programs, menus, third party and system screens) to web pages without requiring any source code changes. Whether you use 5250 or RPG Open Access (OA), Presto gives you the most flexibility to add new functionality.

Watch a video or request a free trial of Presto 5.5: http://www.bcdsoftware.com/rpgoa.

BCD is a Quadrant Software company and one of the most successful software organizations in the IBM i marketplace. The companies have a combined 60 years in the IBM i marketplace and have successfully helped thousands of organizations worldwide modernize. Together, Quadrant and BCD help customers maximize their investment in IBM i with their industry leading web development, mobilization, spool file beautification and document distribution tools. Their customers and partners around the world are leaders in key markets such as finance, manufacturing, transportation, retail and healthcare.
Quadrant and BCD are part of the Quadrant group of companies that also includes Netlert, which develops an Avaya call center performance analysis solution, and SoftBase, which provides application testing and tuning solutions for IBM's DB2 database utilizing the OS/390 and z/OS operating systems.
For more information, please visit http://www.bcdsoftware.com and http://www.quadrantsoftware.com.