Announcing PowerHouse 4GL & PowerHouse Web 8.4xF and Axiant 3.4F

[Bob Deskin]

The above versions are now available to all supported customers. 
Conformance highlights include Vista and Oracle 11g support. The Supported 
Environments document is available on the Support site. Here's a summary 
of the new features. 


New Features and Changes in PowerHouse 4GL

Updated Documentation

The PowerHouse 4GL Reference books have been updated to incorporate the 
new features and additional information and corrections. The documentation 
is available on the Cognos PowerHouse 4GL Series 8 Books CD.

New Features in QKView (UNIX and Windows)

Java(tm) version of QKView

A Java version of QKView, available on UNIX, Linux, and Windows, extends 
the QKView QUICK client to non-Windows platforms. In addition, you can run 
the Java version as an applet in a Web browser and as a client to a QUICK 
server on another machine on the network. For more information, see QKView 
in Chapter 2, QUICK User Interface, in the QDESIGN Reference.

PowerHouse 4GL 8.4xF is the last release of the C++ version of QKView.

Ability to Save QKView Settings to a File

The C++ version of QKView saves many of its settings in the Registry. In 
order to eliminate the need to modify the Registry, the environment 
variable QKVIEW_INI can be used to specify the settings file. If 
QKVIEW_INI is specified, settings are written to and taken from the ini 
file rather than the Registry. The ini file is used in addition to the 
existing QKView configuration file.

The Java version of QKView does not use the Registry on Windows. The Java 
version of QKView uses a single configuration file with an extension of 
.qkv that incorporates all QKView settings. 
For more information, see QKView in Chapter 2, QUICK User Interface, in 
the QDESIGN Reference.

Underlined and Etched Fields in QKView

Although the Windows Command Console that QUICK runs in does not support 
underline highlighting, the Java version of QKView does support 
underlining. The HILITE statement's UNDERLINE option is now available in 
QDESIGN for Windows for use by QKView. The Java version of QKView on UNIX 
and Linux also picks up underline highlighting.

Field etching can also be used in QKView. A new ETCHED option is available 
on the HILITE statement. Since etching is only meaningful in QKView, the 
ETCHED keyword is specific to UNIX, Linux, and Windows. Due to internal 
limitations, underlining and etching are functionally mutually exclusive 
and result in the same escape sequence being sent to QKView. While 
underlining and etching are functionally mutually exclusive, the syntax 
will allow both. If both are specified, the standard conflicting 
specification message is issued.

Since UNDERLINE and ETCHED use the same escape sequence to QKView, they 
have the same effect. In the C++ version of QKView, specifying UNDERLINE 
or ETCHED results in etched fields. In the Java version of QKView, there 
is a setting in the configuration file and the Settings dialog that 
specifies whether underlining or etching is to be used.

For more information, see QKView in Chapter 2, QUICK User Interface, in 
the QDESIGN Reference.

Blinking Highlighting in QKView

Although the Windows Command Console that QUICK runs in does not support 
blinking highlighting, QKView does support blinking. The HILITE 
statement's BLINKING option is now available in QDESIGN for Windows for 
use by both the C++ and Java versions of QKView. The Java version of 
QKView on UNIX and Linux also picks up blinking highlighting. For more 
information, see the HILITE statement in Chapter 3, QDESIGN Statements, in 
the QDESIGN Reference.

Background Colors in QUICK for Windows and QKView

The HILITE color ON color syntax is now available in QUICK for Windows. 
The specification is passed on to QKView. The Java version of QKView on 
UNIX and Linux also picks up color highlighting. For more information, see 
the HILITE statement in Chapter 3, QDESIGN Statements, in the QDESIGN 
Reference.

Background Images in QKView

QKView now allows background images that appear behind the screen text. 
The C++ version of QKView supports .bmp images while the Java version 
supports .jpg images. A background transparency setting is available to 
lighten the image as required. For more information, see QKView in Chapter 
2, QUICK User Interface, in the QDESIGN Reference.

New Features in QUICK and QDESIGN

Dynamic Pop-Up Lists

Dynamic pop-up lists, already available in Axiant and PowerHouse Web, are 
now available in QUICK. The existing DYNAMICLIST option on the FIELD 
statement used for PowerHouse Web is used to specify dynamic lists for 
QUICK. Additional syntax is available to specify when the list should be 
automatically made available, should be loaded, and to specify dimensions. 
For more information, see the FIELD statement in Chapter 3, QDESIGN 
Statements, in the QDESIGN Reference.

REQUIRED for SECONDARY Files

The new REQUIRED option on an ACCESS statement for a SECONDARY file 
instructs QDESIGN not to generate the OPTIONAL keyword on the GET verb for 
the SECONDARY file in the FIND or DETAIL FIND procedures. The REQUIRED 
option is only valid for SECONDARY files.

Once OPTIONAL is not specified on the GET verb for the SECONDARY file, the 
GET becomes required and a failed retrieval becomes an error condition. In 
the FIND and DETAIL FIND procedures, an error condition causes a back up 
to the last GET for the PRIMARY or DETAIL file respectively. Therefore, if 
a SECONDARY record or row is not retrieved, the corresponding PRIMARY or 
DETAIL file record or row is bypassed.

For more information, see the ACCESS statement in Chapter 3, QDESIGN 
Statements, in the QDESIGN Reference.

FIELD statement NORECALL option

The NORECALL option on the FIELD statement is now available on all 
platforms. It was previously available only on OpenVMS. It specifies that 
the user cannot use the Recall command to retrieve the existing value of 
the data in a field. For more information, see the FIELD statement in 
Chapter 3, QDESIGN Statements, in the QDESIGN Reference.

Backout Command on Dynamic Function Keys in Panel Mode

If the Backout data context command is assigned to a dynamic function key, 
that command is now available in Panel mode. Previously, all data field 
commands were ignored in Panel mode. For more information, see Input Modes 
in Chapter 2, QUICK User Interface, in the QDESIGN Reference.

Implement K and KL Commands in QUICK for Windows

The K and KL commands are now available in QUICK for Windows. If Fixed 
Standard function keys are set, QUICK loads the appropriate commands and 
labels. For more information, see QUICK Screen Commands in Chapter 2, 
QUICK User Interface, in the QDESIGN Reference.

ENTERKEEPCURRENT Program Parameter

The new enterkeepcurrent program parameter specifies that the selectbox 
works like the new dynamic list where the first line is empty, returns a 
zero-length entry, and therefore retains the current value. The default is 
for the first line of the selectbox to hold the first value in the list. 
The equivalent Resource File entry is SELECTBOX ENTER KEEPS CURRENT. For 
more information, see the enterkeepcurrent program parameter in Chapter 2, 
Program Parameters, in the PowerHouse Rules.

ROLLBACKPENDING Predefined Condition

The new predefined condition ROLLBACKPENDING indicates whether or not 
QUICK is in a rollback-pending situation. For more information, see the 
ROLLBACKPENDING function in Chapter 6, Functions in PowerHouse, in the 
PowerHouse Rules.

New Procedures

PREPROMPT Procedure

The PREPROMPT procedure is part of the ACCEPT verb cycle for the ACCEPT, 
PROMPT, REQUEST, and SELECT verbs. It occurs after any field 
initialization and security, NOCHANGE, and NOCORRECT checking, and just 
before the field itself is prompted by QUICK. It can be used to set 
function keys and do additional checking. For more information, see the 
PREPROMPT procedure in Chapter 7, QDESIGN Procedures, in the QDESIGN 
Reference.

PREAPPEND Procedure

The PREAPPEND procedure can be used to check whether or not appending 
should proceed. It occurs immediately before the APPEND procedure. For 
more information, see the PREAPPEND procedure in Chapter 7, QDESIGN 
Procedures, in the QDESIGN Reference.

PREDELETE Procedure

The PREDELETE procedure can be used to check whether or not the delete 
should proceed. It occurs immediately before the DELETE procedure. For 
more information, see the PREDELETE procedure in Chapter 7, QDESIGN 
Procedures, in the QDESIGN Reference.

DETAIL PREDELETE Procedure

The DETAIL PREDELETE procedure can be used to check whether or not 
deleting DETAIL file records or rows should proceed. It occurs immediately 
before the DETAIL DELETE procedure. For more information, see the DETAIL 
PREDELETE procedure in Chapter 7, QDESIGN Procedures, in the QDESIGN 
Reference.

PREMODIFY Procedure

The PREMODIFY procedure can be used to check whether or not modifying 
should proceed. It occurs immediately before the MODIFY procedure in the 
same way as the PREENTRY occurs immediately before the ENTRY procedure. 
For more information, see the PREMODIFY procedure in Chapter 7, QDESIGN 
Procedures, in the QDESIGN Reference.

Additional Features

Date Parm Input Format System Option

A new system option in PDL, PHDPDL, and PHD, DATE PARM INHERIT, specifies 
that the default input date format and default separator are taken from 
the dictionary system options or from the element unless overridden on the 
DEFINE, CHOOSE, or GLOBAL TEMPORARY statement. The format applies to the 
PARM option on the CHOOSE and DEFINE statements in QUIZ and QTP. If the 
DATE PARM INHERIT option is not specified, the default format (YYYYMMDD or 
YYMMDD) is used. For more information, see the SYSTEM OPTIONS statement in 
Chapter 2, PDL Statements, in the PDL and Utilities Reference and the 
System Screen in Chapter 3, PHD Screen System Access - Application 
Manager, in the PHD Reference.

Stop QUIZ Processing on Parser Error

The new stoponerror|nostoponerror program parameter specifies whether or 
not QUIZ processing continues if there is a parser error. The equivalent 
Resource file statement is STOP ON ERROR ON|OFF. A SET statement option is 
available to provide a report-specific override. For more information, see 
the stoponerror program parameter in Chapter 2, Program Parameters, in the 
PowerHouse Rules.

QUIZ for Windows Printer Output Dialog

The new DIALOG option on the SET REPORT DEVICE PRINTER statement causes 
the standard Windows print dialog to open when the report output file is 
opened. This allows different printers to be specified as well as the 
number of copies. For more information, see the SET REPORT statement in 
Chapter 3, QUIZ Statements, in the QUIZ Reference.

The printdialog|noprintdialog program parameter is available to apply this 
feature to all reports. The equivalent Resource file entry is PRINT DIALOG 
ON|OFF. For more information, see the printdialog program parameter in 
Chapter 2, Program Parameters, in the PowerHouse Rules.


New Features and Changes in PowerHouse Web

Updated Documentation

The PowerHouse Web documentation has been updated to incorporate the new 
features and additional information and corrections. The documentation is 
available on the Cognos PowerHouse Web Administrator Installation CD.

Layout Features and Changes

Field Alignment

New FIELD and SET HTML statement options can be used to specify whether 
fields should be displayed left or right justified, or centered. The 
appropriate HTML attributes are generated in the HTML template for the 
alignment requested. For more information, see the FIELD and SET 
statements in Chapter 7, Syntax Reference, in the PowerHouse Web 
Developer’s Guide.

Cluster Headings

The new HEADING option on the COMMAND, REPORT, RUN, and SUBPAGE statements 
allows multi-line column headings to be specified in clusters. For more 
information, see the COMMAND, REPORT, RUN, and SUBPAGE statements in 
Chapter 7, Syntax Reference, in the PowerHouse Web Developer’s Guide.

Title Bar Text

The new HTMLBARTITLE option of the PAGE statement specifies the text to 
appear in the window title bar. For more information, see the PAGE 
statement in Chapter 7, Syntax Reference, in the PowerHouse Web 
Developer’s Guide.

Delete Checkbox Heading

The DELETEHEADING option of the SET HTML statement can be used to globally 
override the default delete checkbox heading rather than using the page 
specific DELETEHEADING option on the PAGE statement. For more information, 
see the SET statement in Chapter 7, Syntax Reference, in the PowerHouse 
Web Developer’s Guide.

Processing Features and Changes

TARGET Option for Linked Pages

The new TARGET option of the LINKPAGE and NEXTPAGE statements allow the 
linked page to be opened in a new window. The corresponding target 
attribute is generated in the HTML template. For more information, see the 
LINKPAGE and NEXTPAGE statements in Chapter 7, Syntax Reference, in the 
PowerHouse Web Developer’s Guide.

PowerHouse Web Administrator New Features and Changes

Administrator Configuration File Location

The -l program parameter specifies the location where the configuration 
file should be written. Not only does this provide for Vista compliance, 
but also allows multiple configuration files. For more information, see 
the PowerHouse Web Administrator Program Parameters in Chapter 5, 
Configuring PowerHouse Web Components, in PowerHouse Web Planning and 
Configuration.

Local Save Location

If Local Save is specified, and the PowerHouse Web Administrator -l 
program parameter is used, the phcgi.dat file is saved to the location in 
the -l program parameter.

PowerHouse Web Dispatcher New Features and Changes

DISPSLEEP Environment Variable

The DISPSLEEP environment variable is no longer needed.

PHCGI New Features and Changes

Web Server Environment Variables

Three additional Web server environment variables are passed in the 
request unless the DISABLE_REMOTE_VARS environment variable is set for the 
Dispatcher. They are:

HTTP_REFERER identifies where the request came from
REMOTE_ADDR is the IP address making the request
REMOTE_HOST is the host name making the request

For more information, see PowerHouse Web Administrator, PHCGI, and 
Dispatcher in Chapter 6, Running PowerHouse Web, in PowerHouse Web 
Planning and Configuration.


New Features and Changes in Axiant 4GL

Title icon, title, and splash screen customization

You can now modify the icon and text in the deployed application's window 
title bar as well as replace the Axiant 4GL splash screen with your own 
custom splash screen. The icon and splash screen are specified on the Run 
Profile's General tab. The Company Name in the Deployment tab of the 
Options dialog of the Tools menu specifies the default window title bar 
text. You can override the default Company Name on an application basis by 
changing the Company Name on the General tab of the Configure dialog of 
the File menu in the Axiant 4GL Client. The Company Name plus the 
Application Name form the text in the window title bar.

Context sensitive menus added

In the Object explorer, the context sensitive menus have been updated to 
include Cut, Copy, Download, Discard Changes, Lock, Unlock, Break Lock.

Required property of the access object

Setting the Required property to True tells Axiant 4GL not to generate the 
OPTIONAL keyword on the GET Verb for the secondary file in the FIND or 
DETAIL FIND procedures.

ROLLBACKPENDING predefined condition

Predefined condition indicates whether or not PowerHouse is in a 
rollback-pending situation.

New procedures

PREPROMPT Procedure
PREAPPEND Procedure
PREMODIFY Procedure
PREDELETE Procedure
DETAIL PREDELETE Procedure

PowerHouse 4GL syntax support

Stop QUIZ Processing on Parser Error
QUIZ for Windows Printer Output Dialog

PowerHouse Web syntax support

Browser Window Title Bar Text
HEADING on COMMAND and SUBPAGE
Field Alignment
LINKPAGE and NEXTPAGE can Target a New Window


Bob Deskin
Senior Product Manager
Cognos Application Development Tools
IBM Software Group, Information Management
IBM Canada
+1 613-738-1338 ext 7268
bob.deskin at ca.ibm.com
http://www.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/products/powerhouse/