BCD Software, now Fresche Solutions, a Quadrant Software company and an IBM i industry leader for over 38 years, has announced the release of WebSmart 10.6, BCD’s rapid IBM i and multi-platform desktop and mobile web application development tool.
Highlights of this release include Zend Framework 2 (ZF2) and PHP Data Object (PDO) templates to meet different PHP project needs and improved compatibility with jQuery UI themes for customising WebSmart templates.
According to Marcel Sarrasin, BCD’s Director of Marketing:
“We released WebSmart PHP in 2007. Since then, our PHP customer base has grown year after year and we’ve seen their web development experience advance. Programmers who are new to web development can use our original templates to get started with PHP, while the new ZF2 and PDO templates are a great fit for more experienced PHP programmers. We have templates for every level of PHP developer so WebSmart grows with your PHP skills.
WebSmart’s templates give IBM i programmers the jumpstart they need, but programmers need more than a jumpstart. WebSmart includes a productive IDE with a mature set of features that continue to evolve with technology. For example, the IDE’s syntax checker now supports HTML5.”
Zend Framework 2 PHP Templates
BCD, a Zend partner, selected ZF2 as WebSmart’s framework for its new Model-View-Controller (MVC) IBM i DB2 PHP templates. ZF2 is a PHP framework for deploying modular, extensible, secure and high-performance PHP applications.
These templates create separate files for each part of MVC, all contained within a single composite document in WebSmart. The ZF2 framework is ideal for larger projects. It also makes maintaining applications and reusing code much easier.
PHP Data Objects Templates
WebSmart’s new PHP Data Objects templates provide a database abstraction layer that makes it easier to access MySQL and IBM i DB2 or to switch an application from one database to another.
Programmers should consider using these templates if they want the flexibility to change databases or host their applications on another platform.
These templates use a more object-oriented approach than WebSmart’s standard DB2 and MySQL templates. They also provide implicit protection against SQL injection.
Improved Compatibility with Custom jQuery UI Themes
WebSmart’s templates are completely customisable and built on jQuery UI, which gives them a modern look and feel. It’s now easier to customize the look of WebSmart templates because programmers can easily plug-and-play new jQuery UI themes. The code generated by WebSmart’s templates has always been completely customizable.
HTML Validation Engine Validates HTML5
Programmers can now validate HTML5 in the WebSmart IDE, which helps identify and fix syntax problems more efficiently.
New Composite Document
WebSmart now includes a composite document type that enables programmers to better organise projects by opening and closing associated files and programs together. For example, you can automatically open or close CSS or JavaScript files when you open or close a WebSmart program file. You can also open and close related programs (like non-CGI WebSmart programs) as a single unit.
Other Key New Features
Some of the other new features include:
- The PHP debugger now supports PHP 5.4 and 5.5
- JavaScript (instead of Flash) is now the default for SmartCharts
Posted by Paul on 9th December 2014.