Developer Product Briefs

BA Architect, More

Take a look at the latest product updates, plus a new data management tool for developers working with ADO.NET compatible data sources.

• By Editors Visual Studio Magazine
• 02/01/2006

p>BA Architect
BA Architect is a new data management tool for developers working with ADO.NET compatible data sources, including MS Access, MS SQL Server, and Oracle. BA Architect has a set of RAD procedures for the creation and integration of database applications into existing data management architecture. You build an application visually with the program's GUI, and then add event handlers and customer Visual Basic.NET scripts. You can also create display forms and edit screens automatically at runtime. Placing the BA Architect tier between the presentation level and the data access level transfers the application configuration between different data sources without changing its code and eliminates the need to couple the data access semantics with presentation semantics. It also enables you to maintain them jointly. BA Architect features include: the ability to create a GUI for databases or database applications using RAD tools; a unified application platform; realtime updates for display and edit forms; migrating applications to a new data source; on-line analysis and graphical tools (OLAP cube); and three authorization types (database server authorization, integrated authorization and application server authorization). $149.
DM Automation
Web: www.dmautomation.com

Updates:

ADXSTUDIO CMS 2005
ADXSTUDIO CMS 2005 is a content management system (CMS) built with the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and used to host a content-managed ASP.NET website. ADXSTUDIO uses Microsoft Active Directory for all user authentication and authorization, and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 (or 2000) for its database layer. Developers can use the ADXSTUDIO class framework to build or extend custom websites ASP.NET that are built on a content-management model, while still using the Microsoft .Net Class Framework. The new version of the product is integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2000/2005, Active Directory, IIS, and Index Server. CMS 2005 includes several enhancements: server controls, master page support, and output caching with custom cache dependencies. Starting price for a single server license is $3,950; a corporate site license starts at $19,950.
ADXSTUDIO
Web: www.adxstudio.com
Phone: 800-508-7811; 306-569-6500

Digipede Network 1.2
Digipede Network parcels out computing jobs within a department or across a network by allocating dedicated and idle computing resources. The Digipede Network has three parts: Digipede Agents manage the individual desktops, servers, or cluster nodes and the tasks that run on them; the Digipede Server is responsible for managing the workflow through the system; and the Digipede Workbench lets users define and run jobs. Each Agent gathers information about the computer on which it runs, including hardware, software, and data resources available locally. It then chooses the best work for that computer. Digipede Network Version 1.2 features full support for .NET 2.0, Visual Studio 2005, and the SQL Server 2005 database. The Digipede Framework API ships with support for .NET 1.1, .NET 2.0, and COM. It also allows developers to use the Visual Studio environment for distributed applications. Digipede Network Team Edition for small departments of 20 computers or less starts at $995. The Professional Edition starts at $4,000.
Digipede Technologies
Web: www.digipede.net

dtSearch .NET Spider API
The dtSearch Spider provides support for public sites, secure-content HTTPS, password-accessible sites, and forms-based authentication. It also searches Web-based content to specified levels of horizontal or vertical depth, and supports dynamic and static content. Version 7.2 of the product has added a .NET Spider API for the dtSearch Engine for Win & .NET, and updates the dtSearch Engine for Linux to the "terabyte indexer" code base. Indexed search time is typically less than a second across terabytes of data. The new release also adds OpenOffice to the list of supported file types. Prices for various editions of the dtSearch product—from Desktop to Network, Web and Publish—range from $199 to $2,500.
dtSearch
Web: www.dtsearch.com
Phone: 800-483-4637; 301-263-0731

FLEXnet InstallShield Collaboration
FLEXnet InstallShield Collaboration is a collaborative design tool for development managers to improve team communication by capturing, testing, tracking, and using installation requirements as application code is written. FLEXnet InstallShield Collaboration is included in FLEXnet InstallShield 11.5, and creates a central file for installation accessible through the development cycle. The tool integrates with Visual Studio and Eclipse, and creates an engine-independent XML file. You can use this XML file to create a setup for MSI and Java-based installations. Developers create installation requirements as they write the application code, which allows the development team to communicate changes to the installation developer. FLEXnet InstallShield Collaboration is a new element in Macrovision's FLEXnet SVM platform and is sold as an add-on module to FLEXnet InstallShield 11.5. Pricing starts at $449.
Macrovision
Web: www.macrovision.com
Phone: 800-809-5659

List & Label 11
List & Label is a database-independent development tool for Web reporting, and printing reports, labels, and forms. The products supports VS.NET 2004 and Delphi .NET, and List & Label 11 now supports Visual Studio 2005. The new component is a plain recompile for the Framework 2.0 and makes use of the new options available in the Microsoft development environment. For example, the new Nullable types in Framework version 2.0 are detected and passed type safe, either as value or Null, in Version 11. The DebuggerDisplay attribute is declared for some of the classes, so designer functions and objects are displayed with their name in the Debugger. Other new features in List & Label 11 include a simplified Designer, support for multiple tables in design and print, whether as sub-reports or independent tables, and enhancements in the .NET component for example databinding and support for relational structures. Prices start at $479.
combit
Web: www.combit.net
Phone: +49 (0)7531-90 60-10

NetAdvantage 2005 Volume 3
NetAdvantage 2005 is a toolset for building the presentation layer of commercial class Windows Forms, ASP.NET, and Tablet PC applications. The Windows Forms and ASP.NET controls are written in C# and allow the developer to customize user action, as well as keyboard, mouse, and selection choices, as needed. The NetAdvantage 2005 Volume 3 release integrates into the Visual Studio 2005 toolbox, extends the functionality of the Visual Studio 2005 Framework, and migrates existing NetAdvantage applications to Visual Studio 2005. New features include the ability to perform calculations with in-box controls and to apply Excel-style calculation to any in-box control that accepts input, including the ability to extend the columns in the Microsoft Windows Forms grid. All Javascript and image files for each tool are packaged together, so it's not necessary to create virtual directories or make any modifications to the developer's Web server. Also, the design surface interacts directly with NetAdvantage 2005, It is not necessary to leave the Visual Studio designer window to use the tool, including the Smart Tag feature. There is also new support in this release for databinding, and for base lines and snap lines. Pricing starts at $495.
Infragistics
Web: www.infragistics.com
Phone: 800-231-8588

Qt 4.1
Qt is a C++ application development framework, which includes a class-library and tools for cross-platform development and internationalization. Qt API and tools are consistent across all supported platforms. Qt 4.1 includes various new features: integrated support for rendering scalable vector graphics (SVG) drawings and animations, a PDF backend to the Qt printing system, a lightweight unit testing framework, an interactive menu, a syntax-highlighting class added to the Qt text rendering framework, and support for OLE verbs and MIME data handling in ActiveQt. Qt 4.1 also includes new proxy models using the SOCKS5 protocol for view-specific sorting and filtering of data displayed using item views, and improved integration with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, including binaries for Visual Studio .NET 2005. Contact vendor for pricing.
TrollTech
Web: www.trolltech.com
Phone: 650-813-1676; +47 21 60 48 00

VBdocman .NET 2.2
VBdocman .NET generates comments and technical documentation from Visual Basic .NET and ASP.NET project source code files. VBdocman parses the source code files and creates the table of contents, the index, topics, cross-reference, IntelliSense information, and context-sensitive help from the structure of symbols it finds there. VBdocman also adds C# XML or JavaDoc comments to the source code, and complies customizable HTML Help, MS Help 2, HTML, an RTF document, or an XML file. The new release supports Visual Studio 2005, enables additional consistency in documentation, and allows a single source to translate to multiple formats. Pricing starts at $229.
Helixoft
Web: www.helixoft.com