Genero Application Server 2.20 New Features

Features introduced with Genero Application Server 2.20.

Note: Links to outdated documentation pages have been removed. If you are using version 2.20, you may wish to view the documentation created for version 2.20.
Table 1. 2.20 New Features: Application Server
Overview Reference
Multi-threaded capabilities adapt the Genero Application Server daemon (gasd) capabilities to the Application Server demand. One gasd process will be able to adapt itself to the number of pending requests, providing better efficiency. The architecture of the Genero Application Server has since changed. See Architecture of the Genero Application Server.

The following improvements have been made in GAS 2.20:

  • New plug-able components (GAS Isapi and GAS FastCGI) are available for each targeted application server, providing a new connection architecture that adapts the external world model to the GAS model.

    ISAPI plugs into IIS, FastCGI plugs into CGI-based Web Server. Both then plug into GAS, which has one central GAS Core Reusable component.

    Figure 1. GAS Isapi and GAS FastCGI deployment diagram

  • A new generic resourceURI() function associated to the new PATH element definition allows you to specify multiple resource locations accessible from the browser on an application-level basis.
The architecture of the Genero Application Server has since changed. See Architecture of the Genero Application Server.

The GAS gives access to server and applications details through the "/monitor" URL. The monitor page exposes details about DVMs, Web applications, Web services, GDC applications, and GAS activity.


GAS Monitor screenshot

Figure 2. GAS Monitor

See Monitoring.
Table 2. 2.20 New Features: GDCAX management
Overview Reference
Protocol between GDC and the application server is no longer character-oriented; it is now binary-oriented. As such, the connection is more efficient. They now communicate on a unique URL, which improves the authenticated and secured connections. See Genero Desktop Client ActiveX.
Table 3. 2.20 New Features: Web application management (Genero Web Client)
Overview Reference
Tree views are fully supported by the Genero Web Client.

Screen shot of an application with a tree view, displayed using the AJAX theme.

Figure 3. Tree view rendered with the AJAX


Screen shot of an application with a tree view, displayed using the XUL theme.

Figure 4. Tree view rendered with XUL

N/A
The new XUL snippet set offers a desktop-like rendering. The XUL snippet set will be activated if you use a Prism user agent. You can also activate XUL snippet sets in any Firefox browser by using the DUA_XUL output map.

XUL snippet rendering screenshot

Figure 5. Comparison of AJAX and XUL look-and-feel

The supporting topic has been removed, as the XUL theme is deprecated.
A new GAS 2.20 framework allows JavaScript™ functions to handle the BDL frontCall function on the browser.

BDL 2.20 also introduces two new frontcall functions (launchUrl and feinfo/screenresolution)which are fully supported by the GWC.

 
Modern browsers fully support SVG and SWF. Image widget snippets create the correct HTML code so the browser will render images with the extension .svg or .swf.  
Select multiple rows using the usual key and mouse combination to enhance your Display Array.  

Enable Sorting in Input Array is now possible.

 
Hyperlinks in Label / TextEdit support: Add a <a href=...> tag in your LABEL or TextEdit and your application will be “link aware” ; the default handler (browser, mailer, and so on) will be automatically called by your 4GL program. You can also use any other HTML tag, since the all label is well-formed XML.  
Button type <<link>>: A classic 4GL button, but displayed as an hyperlink.