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Versions:
4.2.20160330.0, released on March 30, 2016
4.2.20160215.0, released on February 15, 2016
4.2.20160126.0, released on January 26, 2016
4.2.20151218.0, released on December 18, 2015
4.2.20151123.0, released on November 23, 2015
4.2.20151020.0, released on October 20, 2015
About Release Notes:
These release notes are intended to document what has been added, changed and fixed in Valence Framework 4.2 since the last 4.1 release and provide general information about the Valence Framework.
Licensing:
By obtaining and using the Valence Framework, it is your responsibility to ensure that you and your company are following the proper licensing terms of the product. Be sure to review the licensing options in the Valence Store and also review the Licensing & Suport FAQs page before downloading and using the Valence Framework.
Installing This Release:
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20160330.0 Since the Previous Build:
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20160215.0 Since the Previous Build:
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20160126.0 Since the Previous Build:
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20151218.0 Since the Previous Build:
Change in Valence Framework 4.2.20151123.0 Since the Previous Build:
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20151020.0 Since the Last Build of Valence Framework 4.1:
System Requirements:
What is the Valence Framework?
The Valence Framework is an advanced web application development and runtime system for the IBM i. It includes these major components, all designed to work seamlessly and elegantly together:
The Valence Design Methodology:
CNX believes very strongly in our architecture of the Valence Framework. It uses 100% JavaScript in the browser where JavaScript takes over and manages the user experience entirely. This gives the user a "rich" interface similar to what they would have with advanced apps from Google and Facebook. The Valence Framework marries this advanced interface with ILE RPG on the back-end through IBM i's built-in Apache server. There are no external servers or other non-native components between the browser and RPG. This design purity leads to reliability, speed and elegance. If you are an RPG developer, using the Valence Framework will seem like a natural step on the path to your future and the future of the IBM i platform.
Valence Framework Next Steps:
Once you have Valence Framework 4.2 successfully installed on your IBM i, try these next steps:
Uninstalling Valence Framework 4.2:
Follow these instructions if you previously installed this release and would like to completely remove it from your system:
If you need assistance with installing this release or have other questions please email support@cnxcorp.com or call CNX at (312) 477-7450.
4.2.20160330.0, released on March 30, 2016
4.2.20160215.0, released on February 15, 2016
4.2.20160126.0, released on January 26, 2016
4.2.20151218.0, released on December 18, 2015
4.2.20151123.0, released on November 23, 2015
4.2.20151020.0, released on October 20, 2015
About Release Notes:
These release notes are intended to document what has been added, changed and fixed in Valence Framework 4.2 since the last 4.1 release and provide general information about the Valence Framework.
Licensing:
By obtaining and using the Valence Framework, it is your responsibility to ensure that you and your company are following the proper licensing terms of the product. Be sure to review the licensing options in the Valence Store and also review the Licensing & Suport FAQs page before downloading and using the Valence Framework.
Installing This Release:
- Go to the downloads page to see what releases are available. If this release is superseded by another release it may no longer be available.
- If this release is available for download then click the link to the download installation file. Be sure to download the correct version of the installer for your PC operating system and for your IBM i OS (V5R4, V6R1 or V7R1+).
- It is highly recommend that you perform the installation from a PC or Mac that is on the same internal network as your IBM i. Performing the installation through a slow WAN connection or via a VPN connection may work but can take many hours to install.
- The download is a zip file. To launch the installer extract the zip file and double click on the ValenceInstall.exe file on your Windows PC, or launch the ValenceInstall.app file on your Mac. Follow the prompts to install Valence Framework 4.2 onto your IBM i. Note that you may need administrative rights on your PC or Mac to launch the installer.
- It is highly recommended that you use QSECOFR to perform the installation to avoid permissions issues.
- This release will install to library VALENCE42 and ifs path /valence-4.2. It will also install an Apache server instance named VALENCE42.
- If you installed a previous beta version of Valence 4.2 you must first completely uninstall the previous version using the instructions in the section below entitled "Uninstalling Valence Framework 4.2." Once the previous version of Valence Framework 4.2 beta is uninstalled you can then run the installer to install the newer version.
- If you have Valence Framework versions 4.1 and prior installed on your system you may install this release without affecting those earlier versions.
- Once installed you can access the Valence Portal with the link http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:7042 where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address of your IBM i. Port 7042 is the default installation port for Valence Framework 4.2. You can use Advanced Settings to change the port number at installation time.
- The default user for administrative login to the portal after installation is vvadmin with password vvadmin. However you may also log in with any valid IBM i profile.
- If using the vvadmin profile, it is highly recommended that you go into the Portal Admin app in the Valence Portal and add an IBM i user cross reference to vvadmin with security officer authority (like QSECOFR) so you will not have permissions issues.
- To convert portal data from Valence 3.2 see Migrating from Valence 3.2 in the Valence Guides.
- To convert portal data from Valence 4.0/4.1 see Migrating from Valence 4.0 or 4.1 in the Valence Guides.
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20160330.0 Since the Previous Build:
- Valence RPG Toolkit - VVOUT: Corrected typo in XlsOpenWorksheet procedure.
- Valence RPG Toolkit - VVSSSTYLES: Added new program to assist with deriving numeric style IDs from .xlsx templates.
- Portal Admin: Corrected issue that was causing Internet Explorer to not allow spreadsheet downloads.
- Valence Portal: Adjusted logic so quotes in path do not result in an invalid JSON response (leading to a blank launchpad page upon login).
- Nitro iAdmin: Adjusted logic to support cases where user authority is granted through group profile membership.
- Nitro iAdmin: No longer necessary to have *ALLOBJ authority in order to look at lists of users or devices.
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20160215.0 Since the Previous Build:
- Valence Portal: Corrected typo in literals file that was causing failure in Japanese translation.
- RPG Toolkit - vvOut_writeSS: Corrected issue that could corrupt the Excel download when not outputting all fields in data structure.
- RPG Toolkit - vvOut_execSQLtoJSON: Corrected issue that was corrupting Excel download on CGI jobs running in a CCSID other than 37.
- RPG Toolkit - vvUtility_parse: Corrected issue that would cause varying length fields to not be processed properly under certain circumstances.
- RPG Toolkit - vvIn_file: Routine could send a JSON exception message when not requested. This has been corrected.
- Nitro iAdmin: Number of users that could be shown in list was limited to a maximum of 1057. This limit has been removed.
- Nitro Query: Corrected filename typos in import/export routines.
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20160126.0 Since the Previous Build:
- Valence Portal: logout exit program is now called prior to clean-up of locking matrix.
- Valence Portal: LDAP login now explicitly checks for missing password (rather than passing blank value to LDAP server).
- RPG Toolkit - xlsx spreadsheets: corrected issue with column widths being ignored.
- RPG Toolkit - xlsx spreadsheets: corrected issue with dates and timestamps being offset by a day.
- RPG Toolkit - xls spreadsheets: adjusted logic to be backward-compatible to Valence 4.1 (otherwise must recompile).
- RPG Toolkit - VVUPLOAD: corrected issue causing a memory allocation exception message in job log.
- Instance Manager: Corrected issue in which update routine would blank out Apache instance name in Settings.
- RPG Toolkit: VVCALL: Corrected issue in which a null response from the back-end could lead to a MSGW condition when logging responses.
IMPORTANT NOTE: After applying this update, any RPG programs that have been compiled over VVSRVPGM from a 4.2 release prior to 4.2.20151218.0 must be recompiled. This is to avoid a signature violation. If you are upgrading from 4.2.20151218.0 then there is no need to recompile.
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20151218.0 Since the Previous Build:
- IMPORTANT NOTE: After applying this update, any of your Valence RPG programs already using the Valence 4.2 VVSRVPGM must be recompiled.
Change in Valence Framework 4.2.20151123.0 Since the Previous Build:
- Valence Portal: LDAP login functionality now includes the ability to specify the full DN for the user.
- Valence Portal: Added missing Polish translations for app names and other portal objects.
- Portal Admin: When deleting environment in use by a dev token, was giving the wrong error message -- fixed.
- Portal Admin - Web Services: Fixed problem with grid not updating on save.
- RPG Toolkit: Changed compile options to ensure no Valence core modules or programs are initiating a Valence commitment control group.
- RPG Toolkit - vvUtility_parseIntoCharArray: added optional 6th parm to watch for quoted columns; if set to *on then quotes will not be included in parsed data.
- Instance Manager: Case sensitivity removed from name and library comparison test.
- Test Call: Renamed app Test RPG Call to Test Call (app is no longer RPG-specific since it can now call PHP scripts as well).
- Nitro AutoCode: Changed error messages on add window so they appear under the field in error instead of as a tooltip.
Changed in Valence Framework 4.2.20151020.0 Since the Last Build of Valence Framework 4.1:
- NEW: Valence PHP Toolkit - developers can now develop with RPG, PHP or a combination of both (see Setting Up PHP Integration for more information).
- NEW: Nitro iAdmin - New version of mobile app is included with the Valence Framework and runs within the Valence Portal for iOS (available on the Apple App Store).
- NEW: JSON Web Services - More easily allow external non-Valence apps to call Valence resources (see Setting Up JSON Web Services for more information).
- NEW: PKS eXcite Integration - See https://www.cnxcorp.com/2015/09/09/v...ut-of-the-bag/ for more information.
- Nitro Source Editor: Added context editing support for PHP.
- Nitro AutoCode: Updated to output code compatible with Sencha Architect 3.2.
- Nitro Query: Applied fixes to maintain sequence of files/columns in Data Sources.
- Portal Admin: Added Web Services setup.
- Portal Admin: Added PHP Integration tester.
- Portal Admin: Reengineered Excel generation to support .xlsx.
- Test Call: Added ability to test call PHP scripts.
- RPG Toolkit: vvOut - Added updated .xlsx support to all spreadsheet routines.
- Updated to Ext JS 5.0.2 to Ext JS 5.1.1.
- Valence Portal (desktop): Search filter now applies to categories as well as apps.
- Valence Portal (desktop): Vertical scrolling position of launchpad retained between app launches.
- Valence Portal (mobile): Added support for iOS9 Safari browser.
- Valence Portal (all): When an IBM i user logs in to Valence for first time, and the instance is configured to auto-create the user's Valence profile from template, the user name and email address are pulled from WRKDIRE data if available
- Valence Installer: Added Advanced Settings to allow override of port and initial startup.
- See http://service.cnxcorp.com/valence-4...ce012b_Changes for additional notes on what has changed since Valence Framework 4.1.
System Requirements:
- Any hardware running the IBM i operating system V5R4 or higher. For installation of Valence Framework 4.2 to your IBM i, a PC running any newer version of Windows or a Mac running any newer version of OS X is required.
- The client computer utilizing Valence apps can be Mac OS X, Windows, Unix, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry and virtually any hardware that has a compatible browser.
- A compatible browser on client computers. CNX recommends Google Chrome for the best development and user experience on the desktop, and iSafari or other integrated browsers on mobile devices. This version of Valence should work in newer versions of Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Internet Explorer as well as WebKit-based mobile device browsers like those on iPhone, iPad and Android.
What is the Valence Framework?
The Valence Framework is an advanced web application development and runtime system for the IBM i. It includes these major components, all designed to work seamlessly and elegantly together:
- Ext JS - a JavaScript framework for an advanced rich user interface in the desktop browser.
- Sencha Touch - a JavaScript framework for an advanced rich user interface on mobile devices.
- Valence RPG Toolkit - everything you need to make it easy for RPG on the IBM i work with the Ext JS JavaScript framework.
- Valence Portal - A browser-based login, session management and menu system for your IBM i. This essentially lets users log in and launch web applications designed with Valence or other systems. The Valence Portal has a "desktop" mode that is optimized for full-screen keyboard-based computers and a "touch" mode that is optimized for touch-based systems like iPhones, iPads and Android devices. The Valence Portal will automatically detect and adjust to the correct device type at login.
- Valence Native Portal for iOS - A free mobile app downloaded from the Apple App Store that performs the same functions as the base Valence Portal in a native way on the iOS device. Allow for convenient access to hardware like camera, GPS, etc.
- Valence Nitro - A set of features including the Source Editor, Query and File Editor to make it easy for developers to be successful at building advanced web applications for IBM i. Nitro also includes Nitro iAdmin for easily managing IBM i operations from mobile devices.
- Valence Examples - For those developers that like to have a starting point to copy-and-modify and learn Valence development, there are numerous example apps included with the Valence Portal.
The Valence Design Methodology:
CNX believes very strongly in our architecture of the Valence Framework. It uses 100% JavaScript in the browser where JavaScript takes over and manages the user experience entirely. This gives the user a "rich" interface similar to what they would have with advanced apps from Google and Facebook. The Valence Framework marries this advanced interface with ILE RPG on the back-end through IBM i's built-in Apache server. There are no external servers or other non-native components between the browser and RPG. This design purity leads to reliability, speed and elegance. If you are an RPG developer, using the Valence Framework will seem like a natural step on the path to your future and the future of the IBM i platform.
Valence Framework Next Steps:
Once you have Valence Framework 4.2 successfully installed on your IBM i, try these next steps:
- Log into the Valence Portal with user vvadmin, password vvadmin (some systems require capital VVADMIN) and browse the many example apps. Try modifying some of the examples to work with your own IBM i physical files.
- Watch the many Valence Training Videos and check back frequently for more.
- Download Sencha Architect and review the videos for instructions on how to create an app.
- Read the Valence API Documentation and Valence Guides.
- Consider attending Valence Training classes at the CNX Training Center in Chicago. With formal training by CNX there will be no limit to the kinds of apps you can create with Valence for your IBM i users and customers.
Uninstalling Valence Framework 4.2:
Follow these instructions if you previously installed this release and would like to completely remove it from your system:
- Log onto a 5250 session as QSECOFR or another profile with security officer authority.
- End the VALENCE42 Apache server instance with command "ENDTCPSVR SERVER(*HTTP) HTTPSVR(VALENCE42)".
- Before continuing, be certain there are no users and/or developers with a lock on the VALENCE42 library with command "WRKOBJLCK OBJ(VALENCE42) OBJTYPE(*LIB)". If there are any jobs listed, cancel them or ask the users/developers to exit.
- Delete the VALENCE42 library with command "DLTLIB LIB(VALENCE42)".
- Delete the IFS folder named /valence-4.2 and all subfolders and files. The easiest way to do this is to start with command "WRKLNK /" then use option 2 against the root folder, then option 9 (recursive delete) against the /valence-4.2 folder.
- Delete the VALENCE42 Apache server instance by navigating with your browser to http://
If you need assistance with installing this release or have other questions please email support@cnxcorp.com or call CNX at (312) 477-7450.
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