Features Added in Enterprise Developer 2.2

COBOL copybook project types

You can use the COBOL Copybook and Remote COBOL Copybook project types to create project that hold several copybook files. In these projects you can only create new or add existing .cpy and .cbl files but files with the .cbl extension are treated as copybooks.

You can then add these projects as dependent projects to the build path of other projects that include the source files. Copybook projects are not compiled, thus saving processing time and resources.

COBOL Source Information (CSI)

COBOL Source Information (CSI) provides a quick and easy way of providing you with information about your program when you are working on it. You enter a query in the Quick Browse dialog box and CSI returns the results of the query in the Search view.

Consolidated copybook paths dialog box

You now set the paths for COBOL, IMS, and PL/I copybooks (where available for the project type) in a single Dependency Paths page of the project properties dialog box.

Documentation

The following guide is now available, among other updates to the product help for this release:

Object-Oriented Programming

A guide that provides a basic introduction to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) for COBOL developers, An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming for COBOL Developers, is now available from the Product Documentation section on the Micro Focus SupportLine Web site - click here to download it.

Eclipse 3.8

Enterprise Developer is shipped with Eclipse 3.8, and can also be installed in existing instances of Eclipse 3.7 and 3.8.

Enhanced Enterprise Server integration with the IDE

This release provides the following enhancements:

• Creating a server from a template directly from the Server Explorer window.
• Automatically starting the associated server and enabling dynamic debugging for it when you start debugging.
• Showing the spool and the catalog of the associated server from the context menu for the project in COBOL Explorer.
• Debugging applications using a temporary server when the project has no association with any of the existing enterprise servers.

File Handling

New features include:

• The DATEDIFF function as part of the DFSORT emulation. There are some limitations of its use in Enterprise Developer.
• Converting and editing Vision and RM/COBOL indexed data files using the Data File tools.
• Access to data files (either sequential or indexed) through AcuServer.
• Access to Vision and RM/COBOL indexed data files through Enterprise Server.

HCO for SQL Server (HCOSS)

IMTK

Improved IMTK usability

The Interface Mapping Toolkit (IMTK) perspective and associated views and commands have been removed and the functionality integrated into the COBOL perspective.

EJB transactions

Enterprise Developer now supports EJB services that execute as a transaction.

IMS

Database recovery

IMS database recovery using the new IMS Database Forward Recovery and Backward Recovery features is available. These consist of a set of backup and restore utilities that enable you to restore your IMS database complete with the most recent updates.

Locking improvements

Internal Resource Lock Manager (IRLM) support has been added to provide more granular locking capabilities, allowing for increased sharing and decreased contention and deadlock risk.

Java Web services support

Enterprise Developer supports the development, compilation, debugging, and deployment of JVM COBOL web archives to JVM servlet APIs and common Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) application servers.

JVM COBOL Web services support

Support for calling COBOL programs from JSPs and servlets has been expanded to offer more COBOL features, improved IDE tools, and more runtime support.

Mainframe Access Drag and Drop

This release provides the integrated Drag and Drop utility - based on the traditional standalone version of Drag and Drop, you can now transfer files to and from the mainframe from within the IDE using the Micro Focus Mainframe Explorer. This version also enables you to view and edit mainframe files.

The standalone version can no longer be invoked using the command line command mfdasmx2; use the command mfdasmx instead.

Mainframe snippets

A number of code snippets for inserting EXEC CICS and EXEC DLI statements in the code are now available for Mainframe Subsystem applications. You can insert code snippets from the context menu in the editor or by pressing Control + Space and selecting a keyword. You can modify the keywords for the mainframe snippets in the IDE from Window > Preferences > Micro Focus > COBOL > Editor > Templates.

Mainframe Subsystem Support

JCL System Catalog

You can now use in-stream data for DDs within JCL procedures. This change is to maintain compatibility with mainframe JCL processing which recently introduced the same change.

JCL Public Catalog API

You can now access and update JES Catalog information.

IMS database utilities

The database utilities commands Zeroload, Load, Unload and Add are now available from the context help menu for .dbd files in COBOL Explorer.

CICS External Call Interface (ECI)

Micro Focus proprietary support for the CICS External Call Interface (ECI) has been enhanced. ECI uses the Micro Focus BINP protocol, thus eliminating the need for third-party middleware. Additional features include support for extended LUW (logical unit of work) and new support for Java clients. For more information, see IBM External Call Interface (ECI) and External Presentation Interface (EPI).

Managed COBOL

Named and optional parameters

Two new types of parameter have been introduced for use during method invocation:

Named parameters

As part of the invocation expression, you can define a value for a parameter named in the method definition. The named argument must be specified after any positional arguments, and must not correspond to any of those preceding arguments.

Optional parameters

Optional parameters are parameters defined with a default value in the procedure division header of the invoked method. If none of the arguments passed in during invocation correspond to this parameter, the default value is used in the method; if an argument does correspond, the value that was passed in is used.

Delegates and events

A number of new features have been added that relate to delegates and events:

Note: Some of these features were also available in previous versions of Enterprise Developer.

The ATTACH and DETACH statements

Use these statements to attach or detach a delegate, method group or an anonymous method to or from an event.

The RUN statement

Use this statement to invoke a delegate once it has been created.

Combining delegates

Use the '+' operator to add a method group, anonymous method or another delegate to a delegate, and use the '-' operator to remove a method or another delegate from a delegate.

Method groups conversions

Use the METHOD keyword to specify a compatible method from a method group, and convert it to a delegate.

PL/I Parsing Editor (Early Adopter Program) - available with Enterprise Developer 2.2 HotFix 3 (January 2014)

With the Enterprise Developer Connect and Enterprise Developer licensing options, you now receive a new and enhanced PL/I Parsing Editor alongside the standard PL/I editor. The new editor is designed for editing remote mainframe programs and enables you to perform syntax check of the code before it is compiled on the mainframe.

To invoke the new editor to edit your sources – in the IDE, right-click a PL/I program in your project, and click Open With > PL/I Parsing Editor (Early Adopter).

Features of the PL/I Parsing Editor include:

• Colorization - you can configure the print margins, syntax colorization or the code snippet templates to use in the editor in the IDE from Windows > Preferences > Micro Focus > Early Adopter Program > PL/I Parser Editor.
• Syntax checking support – use the PL/I local syntax check context menu command to start a syntax check of the PL/I sources.
• Navigation in the PL/I sources using:
  • The PL/I jump to procedure (or F10) context menu command on CALL statements in the code to navigate to the place in the code where the procedure in the CALL statement is defined.
  • The Outline view shows the structure of the PL/I source that you are currently editing.

The PL/I Parsing editor is a work-in-progress and might change in future releases of the product.

PL/I support

• EBCDIC support
• Support for XML (using XMLCHAR, PLISAXA, PLISAXB, and PLISAXC)
• Preprocessor support for programs written using EXEC DLI
• Support for PL/I programs running WebSphere MQ
• Support for Open PL/I programs running as DB2 stored procedures

Problems view

The Problems view now has a 'Program' column that displays the name of the program in which the problem occurred. Click this column heading to sort the errors by program.

If the column is not present in the view by default, you can add it through the Configure Columns dialog box in the View Menu.

Quickfix for missing copybooks

When paths containing copybooks are added to a project, they are not automatically added to the copypath. This can cause confusion when a copybook is in the project but the program is not compiling. The Eclipse Quickfix feature now hints how to resolve the problem, and offers a solution (which is to add the path onto the copypath).

SQL

Eclipse IDE

SQL tooling has been integrated into the Eclipse IDE:

• HCO for SQL Server tools
• OpenESQL Assistant
• Options for the level of background parsing for DB2, XDB, and OpenESQL statements

EXEC SQL GET DIAGNOSTICS Statement

Enables you to get diagnostic information for the last OpenESQL statement executed.

External Compiler Modules (ECM)

ECM support has been expanded and includes OpenESQL, HCO for DB2 LUW, and XDB.

OPTION compiler directive option

New parameters have been added to handle additional host variable types.

SQL Option for DB2

Several updates have been made to the XDB tools:

• Initial delivery of z/OS DB2 10 emulation engine:
  • A new XDB location version has been implemented
  • Support has been added for TIMESTAMP with TIME ZONE data type
• Online analytical processing (OLAP) specifications support has been added for XDB V9 and V10 emulation
• XDB Link has been updated to support the DRDA Version 5 architecture using SQL Application Manager DDM Level 10

XA switch modules

This release includes support for XA switch modules that enable CICS- and JES-initiated transactions to run under Microsoft SQL Server using different user credentials than those specified within the XA open string.

Viewing copybook dependencies

By expanding a source file node in COBOL Explorer, you can see a list of all copybooks referenced in the source code, and nested within them any other copybooks referenced by those copybooks.

You can also use the Copybook Dependency view to show where in the source file's structure the COPY statements appear, and which copybooks they reference.

Click a copybook reference in the Copybook Dependency view to open the file containing the associated COPY statement at the appropriate line.

Double-click a copybook reference in COBOL Explorer or Copybook Dependency view to open the copybook file.

XML Extensions

You can now use XML Extensions in your managed COBOL projects.