Features Added in Enterprise Developer 2.3 Update 1

This release provides enhancements in the following areas:

Integration with Eclipse

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This release provides enhancements in the following areas:

Editors:

  • COBOL editor:
    • You can now specify the increment for the COBOL and the standard line numbering from Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > COBOL > Editor > Line numbering.
    • You can now toggle single or multiple lines between commented and uncommented states.
  • JCL editor - the Unnumber and Renumber commands are now supported for the JCL editor. You can specify the line number increments from the IDE preferences in Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > JCL > Editor > Line numbering.
  • PL/I editor:
    • The Unnumber and Renumber commands are now supported for the PL/I editor. You can specify the line number increments from the IDE preferences in Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > PL/I > Editor > Line numbering.
    • You can now toggle single or multiple lines between commented and uncommented states.

Building applications:

  • Environment variables - a new page, Build Environment, in the project's properties enables you to specify environment variables for your applications. You can also specify environment variables that only apply at run time on the run or debug configuration for the application.

See Related Information at the end of this topic.

Application Workflow Manager

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New features and enhancements are available in the following areas:

  • AWM modelling:
    • It is now possible to associate keyboard shortcuts with modeled actions. The key sequence is displayed in the corresponding context menu at run time.

      Currently, it is not possible to persistently overwrite any modelled key bindings with user key bindings.

    • Support is provided for table row updates in modeled AWM dialogs - it is now possible to use table row actions in in the modeled AWM dialogs to modify table rows similarly to how this is done in the Team Developer Tree or in the Table views. The supported modifications are copy, delete, insert and update of selected rows.
    • It is now possible to hide element properties in an AWM element's property view using the "Element Type has Property" condition.
    • The "Get Children" attribute of an element type has been replaced by the "Element Type has Get Children Action" relationship between an element type and an action descriptor which enables you to check whether an AWM container element can be expanded.
  • Full support and a seamless integration is now available in the IDE for the AWM SCM models for ChangeMan, Endevor and SCLM. You can now check out sources from the SCM system directly into your COBOL or PL/I projects in the IDE and vice versa.
  • AWM Run-Time:
    • A single port for server connection - starting with this release you now only need to specify one port, the Mainframe Access (MFA) server port, for the Micro Focus z/Server connection type in the Remote System view. All other required ports are configured centrally in the server configuration on the mainframe. You must install the latest version of z/Server.

      It is still possible to connect to an earlier supported version of z/Server. There is a backward compatibility flag that must be enabled to be able to specify the three ports that are required with the earlier z/Server version.

    • SSL support - it is now possible to specify a SSL/TLS configuration when defining a new Micro Focus z/Server connection in the Remote System view. The client then uses the configured SSL/TLS certificates for the communication with the server. The mainframe must support SSL/TLS tunneling (such as AT-TLS from IBM).
    • RACF passticket support - AWM clients now include an extension point which you can use to provide user credentials from an external application. When connecting to a Micro Focus mainframe server system (either MFA or z/Server), the password dialog is then bypassed. This enhancement enables you to integrate a login mechanism that uses RACF passtickets instead of RACF passwords.
    • Support for binary download and upload of files - it is now possible to specify a Transfer Mode (either text or binary) in the file mapping dialog of the File Mappings view when transferring files between the mainframe and the local machine such as when editing files or during a drag and drop operation:
      • Text - the configured code pages are respected.
      • Binary - no code page translation is applied. You must use binary mode when transferring mainframe load modules.
    • The SVN attachment is now an integrated part of the Enterprise Developer and is installed as part of the product. This enables you to use the tools from the SVN function package in an AWM model. For example, you can extend an existing model by adding the check-in and check-out functions for sources in an SVN repository. A sample model that includes a full integration of SVN support in the Enterprise Development Project model is available.
    • A new AWM "MVS Projects Sample Application" is available with the installation of z/Server. The application uses the tools from the MVS and ISPF function package and is designed as a template AWM application for project-based access to MVS data.
  • The AWM Enterprise Development Projects Application now provides the following enhancements:
    • Web Services support for COBOL applications in the Team Developer perspective.
    • Context menu commands for performing code analysis on demand of the sources in your projects from the Team Developer Tree and Table views.
    • An Open in context action for COBOL copybooks in the Team Developer Tree and Table views.
    • An Import and Export are wizards from the context menus of the Team Developer Tree and Table views.
    • Error markers in the Team Developer Tree and Table view on project, folder and file level when the sources compile with errors.
    • A "Link with Editor" function in the Team Developer Tree view for such files that you viewed when you expanded the tree view.
    • Support for using filters (using Customize View > Filters) in the Team Developer Tree and Table views to specify what entries should be displayed.
    • An improved support for drag and drop between the Team Developer Tree and Table view and the standard Eclipse views (such as Project Explorer and the Navigator view), the Remote Systems view (from the local and the Micro Focus z/Server connections), and Microsoft's Windows Explorer.
  • The product help now includes a new section, AWM API Programming and Extension Points, that describes the published AWM API classes and interfaces and the extension points provided by the AWM client. Use cases for the usage of the AWM API and extension points and a detailed tutorial showing how to extend the main AWM extension point, com.microfocus.awm.model.extension, are also available.

See Related Information at the end of this topic.

Application Server JCA support for Enterprise Server

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This release provides support for:

  • Automatic connection recovery to an active Java application server when an enterprise server region is restarted. This applies to:
    • COBOL resource adapters
    • CICS resource adapters
    • All CICS API based programs
  • The IBM implementation of CICS resource adapter for WebSphere 8.5 and JBoss 7.1.1.

AppMaster Builder

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This release provides an additional AppMaster Builder Output preference, Use default APRPROG if none found, that creates a temporary APRPROG file during program generation in the case where no APRPROG file is found.

Code analysis

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This release provides support for performing code analysis at the command line using Ant which enables the integration of code analysis in CI frameworks. Features include:

  • Support for performing code analysis at the command line using the project's .cobolBuild Ant script and specifying a target.
  • New Ant targets for code analysis - analyze and build.and.analyze. These enable you to only run analysis and produce analysis data or to build and produce build artifacts as well as analysis data.
  • New Micro Focus Ant task, analysis, for the .cobolBuild file. A parameter for this task enables you to specify whether the build fails or continues when code analysis results are received.
  • New parameters for code analysis for the cobol Ant task - analysisData, analysisDataDir.
  • New Ant type, ruleList, for the .cobolBuild file - enables you to specify the rules to execute.
  • Support for running analysis using a custom .cobolBuild file from outside of the project directory or the workspace.

See the Micro Focus Ant User Manual in the Micro Focus Infocenter for more details on the new task, types and parameters.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Code coverage

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The code coverage reports are now integrated with the IDE and with the editor. Features include:

  • A new Code Coverage view (Eclipse) showing the statistics of what percentage of the code has executed.
  • Navigation from the Code Coverage view (Eclipse) to the missed and covered blocks in the editor.
  • Colorization in the editor of blocks that were executed (covered blocks) or not (missed blocks).

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Compiler directives

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The following Compiler directives contain new parameters in this release:

  • ILMAIN - you now specify the main entry point for the executable program, which can be specified either as class-name::method-name, or just as method-name. For example, ILMAIN"classA::methodB" or ILMAIN"methodB". The first format can be used to distinguish between multiple methods with the same name in different classes.

    This directive is now available for JVM COBOL.

  • OOCTRL - a new parameter, +/-A, as been added. Set this parameter to -A to allow ActiveX controls in your COBOL application to use classes and methods in the OLE class library. The default is +A, which does not allow it.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Data File Tools

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This release provides improved security and increased support for more file types. Features include:

  • Certain aspects of Enterprise Server security are honored when you attempt to access data sets. If the Enterprise Server region has security enabled, logon details must be authenticated before you can access the data set. If the details are unable to be authenticated, access is denied.
  • When using a record layout, certain data is now validated at field level (to ensure the contents is compatible with its picture string ) and record level (to ensure the record length matches the layout size).
  • Full editing support has been added for variable block sequential files and relative files. Full editing is also available for line sequential files, as long as they do not contain any binary data.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Database Access - HCO for SQL Server

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This release provides the following new features:
  • End-to-end demonstrations that show several methods for submitting a JCL batch job that calls COBOL stored procedures. To view these demos, see the SQL demonstrations in the Mainframe Samples browser.
  • The SPCALLLOCAL SQL compiler directive option, used to convert an EXEC SQL CALL into a call to a local COBOL subroutine instead of a call to a SQL Server SQLCLR stored procedure.
  • Extended support for conversion of the DB2 CONCAT function.

Database Access - Mainframe Batch Database Tools (MBDT)

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Note: This is a technology preview feature only. It is being made available to allow you to test and provide feedback on this new capability; however, this feature is not intended for production use and it is not supported as such.

This release provides MBDT support for DB2 LUW partitioned tables.

It also provides support for 32-bit MBDT for use with DB2 LUW on the following platforms:

  • IBM System p running AIX
  • x86-64 running SUSE Linux
  • x86-64 running Red Hat Linux

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Database Access - SQL Option for DB2

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This release provides the following new features:

  • Import/export of XML with SQLWizard/DSNUTILB(XUTLB)
  • New XDBSetup utility for TS/Citrix environments
  • Using Migrate to move XML tables from z/OS DB2 to XDB
  • Support for Temporal Tables

Drag and Drop

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  • The Drag and Drop command line utility contains new syntax that enables you to perform the following:
    • Retrieve current enqueue information for a PDS or QSAM data set; see Retrieving Enqueue Information.
    • Unlock resources that are currently locked under your user name; see Unlocking Resources.

Eclipse editor coding assistance

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This release includes various improvements in the Content Assist support for COBOL in the following areas:

  • Native COBOL - support is now available for OCCURS statements
  • Managed COBOL - suggestions are now available in the working storage section and in the following scenarios:
    • Arithmetic expressions in method arguments
    • Casting variables and some expressions
    • Creating arrays using the TABLE OF expression and indexers
    • Generics
    • Implements and inherits
    • Javadoc comments are now displayed (Eclipse)
    • Type name filtering in constructs and attributes
    • Managed type headers, method heathers and index headers.
    • Nested types
    • SIZE OF expressions
    • String concatenations
    • TYPE OF constructs
    • Unqualified members access - using the SELF:: or SUPER:: syntax
  • Support for float literals has been enhanced.
  • Suggestions are now available for more COBOL verbs such as TRY and RAISE (in managed COBOL) and EXAMINE, INSPECT, SEARCH, GO TO, INITIALIZE, INVOKE, and UNLOCK (in native COBOL).
  • There are new IDE configuration settings for inserting suggestions and for case handling.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Enterprise COBOL 5.2

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With the introduction of Enterprise COBOL 5.2, the following features are supported:

  • The VOLATILE keyword is supported within the data entry description; although, this is treated as documentary. It has also become a reserved word when under the ENTCOBOL dialect.
  • Format 2 of the SORT statement no longer treats the COLLATING SEQUENCE clause as documentary-only.
  • The SUPPRESS clause of the XML GENERATE statement has been enhanced.
  • The IBM z/OS JSON parser API, as documented for the IBM z/OS client web enablement toolkit.

Enterprise Server

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This release provides support for the SO_RCVTIMEO and SO_SNDTIMEO timeout options of EZASOKET support that help reduce the risk of applications becoming unresponsive due to EZASOKET APIs not completing.

File Handling

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The following enhancements have been made to file handling processes:
  • A new indexed file format, IDXFORMAT12, has been introduced to improve file maintenance and recovery procedures when using the rebuild utility. This file format is similar in structure and use to IDXFORMAT8. Where the two formats differ is that an IDXFORMAT12 file has an accompanying side file (.idx file) containing the indexed key information.

    You can use this type of file with the new rebuild /q option. This rebuild process is considerably quicker than other rebuild processes such as a data scrape or rebuild /p.

  • Faster SORT operations for fixed block records - when using the DFSORT emulation, the performance when sorting fixed block records has greatly improved.

iFileshare - Fileshare support under Enterprise Server (Early Adopter Product)

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Attention: This feature is in Early Adopter Product (EAP) release status. We intend to provide the finalized feature in a future release. Please contact Micro Focus SupportLine if you require further clarification.

You can configure iFileshare to offer enhanced availability for mission critical files by configuring a high availability group, consisting of a primary iFileshare server and a number of stand-by servers.

Files that are critical to your application can be replicated from a primary server onto the stand-by servers. Should the primary server fail, you have up-to-date data (minus any in-flight transactions) available.

If Enterprise Server work is being hosted on the primary region within the group, the setup must be consistent on all standby Fileshare hosting regions so that work can continue in the event of a failover.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Library routines

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The following library routines are new in this release:

  • CBL_CODESET_SET_MAPPING - enables you to change the codeset in effect.
  • CBL_RUNTIME_ERROR - forces an application to terminate with a run-time error condition.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Mainframe support and emulation

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This release provides the following enhancements:
  • Enterprise Developer includes a new utility, MFJPTPCH, that emulates the IEBPTPCH mainframe utility for printing or punching datasets.
  • Support for using multiple catalog files (up to 32).
  • Support for storing the spool files in a location that differs from the location of the catalog file.
  • Enhanced support for searching the catalog using wildcards.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Micro Focus Unit Testing Framework

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This release provides the following enhancements:

  • Updates to the test runner command line options:
    • Using the -testcases: option, you can now specify a list of test cases to execute.
    • The new -report:markdown option enables you to produce test reports in github style markdown format (.md).

      You can use various Third-Party utilities such as pandoc to convert .md files into HTML or PDF format.

  • Support for running test suites using dynamic metadata - you use an entry point in the test case and, when it is called during the preparation stage of the test case, you can change various fields exposed through mfunit.cpy to update the metadata of the test case.

    This is an alternative to specifying metadata for a test case in the text fixture file (.mfu).

  • Support is now available for creating and debugging test cases written in procedural managed COBOL (procedural code compiled as managed). The following new test runners are supplied:
    • mfurunil, for .NET COBOL code
    • mfurunj (Windows) and cobmfurunj (UNIX) for JVM COBOL code.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Managed COBOL syntax

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The following enhancements have been made to the managed COBOL syntax:

  • A new command line utility, mfjarprogmap, is available to allow you to create the necessary Java property file when calling COBOL programs that have been compiled as part of a package.
  • You can now create generic iterators.
  • You can now use the Profiler utility to obtain detailed statistics on the run-time performance of managed COBOL applications.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Native COBOL Syntax

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The following items are new features of the native COBOL syntax:

Class condition tests
New and updated class condition tests are available for DBCS, KANJI, and JAPANESE.

PL/I support

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Support is available for the following features:

  • FIXED BIN(63) data type - PL/I programs that utilize FIXED BIN data types that are larger than FIXED BIN(31) are now supported which enables you to migrate such programs more easily to distributed platforms.
  • TRIM() built-in functions - the Open PL/I macro preprocessor now supports the TRIM() built-in function.
  • A 64-bit Open PL/I peephole optimizer - when compiling 64-bit Open PL/I programs optimization for speed, a peephole optimizer is now run against the intermediate code to improve your applications' performance. Any code which has attributes that benefit from peephole optimizations will then run faster.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

Rosetta Stone for COBOL, .NET and Java Developers

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The product Help now includes a quick and easy to use syntax guide for developers who need to learn OO COBOL syntax when modernizing COBOL applications for the Java or .NET platforms. The guide includes side-by-side equivalent syntax for COBOL, C#, VB and Java.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

SourceConnect

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It is now possible to use SourceConnect to link to mainframe locations and to define mainframe datasets and members. The datasets and members then appear in your project's directory structure within the IDE.

For more information see Related Information at the end of this topic.

z/Server

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The z/Server Configuration Utility is now installed as part of Enterprise Server and is not a Technology Preview download. The user interface has been streamlined for the creation of a default working configuration.

Parent topic: New Features
Related reference
COBOL Editor
Code Analysis
Code Coverage
Comparison of COBOL with Other Managed Languages
Compiling JVM COBOL Applications
Compiler Directives
Data File Tools
IFileshare
JCL Editor
Library Routines
Mainframe Batch Database Tools (MBDT)
Micro Focus Unit Testing Framework
MFJPTPCH Utility
Setting Environment Variables in the Build Environment
SourceConnect
PL/I Editor
PL/I Programming
z/Server Configuration Utility