Developer Product Briefs

CodeRush 2, More

The latest products for VSM readers.

• By Editors Visual Studio Magazine
• 09/01/2006

CodeRush 2
CodeRush for Visual Studio .NET from Developer Express helps you create code blocks quickly, and extend code templates instantly. CodeRush completes identifiers as you type, and expands or contracts selections logically. It helps you place, instantly, selected code inside Try/Catch blocks, Regions, and your own custom wrappers. You can also reverse the logic of selected code, revisit important points within your code, and swap between locations as well. CodeRush for Visual Studio .NET is 100-percent managed code and fully integrated within the IDE. Every feature in the product is implemented as a plug-in using Visual Studio's form designer and property browser. CodeRush 2 includes an easier learning curve and productivity upgrades, such as: a training panel and tool window that lets you to see new context-sensitive hints for navigating through code, and selecting code blocks and types; dynamic templates that include most templates from the previous release, but have been decoupled from the type mnemonics; new verbs and native support for generics, arrays, and nullable types that have been fused into the shipping template language. CodeRush 2 templates cover all code bits, not only cover declarations, but also cover structural elements like loops, conditional statements, exception handling, and attributes. Also, CodeRush 2 includes a text-fields feature that allows you to smooth out the rough edges of text expansion that have more than one bit that is likely to change. These text fields allow you to focus on typing, while navigating between entry points is automatic. CodeRush 2 also lets you register any type including your own custom data types, to allow them to participate fully with the CodeRush templates. The new release includes an improved embedding engine to allow you to create totally custom embeddings, add new embedding to your list, or delete existing ones. Pricing starts at $249.
Developer Express
Web: www.devexpress.com
Phone: 702-262-0609

DeKlarit 4.0
DeKlarit from ARTech is a model-driven tool that enables you to concurrently generate and maintain the database schema, the data access, and the business-logic layers of your .NET-connected applications. It allows you to declare de-normalized, hierarchical structures, to leverage the use of DataSets to handle complex data structures, and to declare business rules. The principle enhancement in DeKlarit 4.0 is total integration with Visual Studio 2005; the new release makes it easy to use the new runtime and design time databinding features in .NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005. And along with other upgrades in version 4.0, the complete list of supported databases in DeKalrit now includes Access, DB/2, DB/2 for iSeries, Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and SQL Server Mobile. With regards to other upgrades, DeKlarit 4.0 now includes additional declarative power and richer metadata, so that generated applications are more powerful and easier to maintain. Also, the layout editor included in the new version is platform independent; it allows you to design your UI forms regardless of your target platform (Windows or Web). Other new features in DeKlarit 4.0 include: integration with Enterprise Library 2.0 and Composite Application Block; support for the .NET 2.0 Membership and Role API, support for Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0; and a redesigning ASP.NET code. Too, DeKlarit 4.0 takes full advantage of Microsoft's Patterns & Practices group Enterprise Library 2.0 and the Composite Application Block. $899.
ARTech
Web: www.deklarit.com
Phone: 866-245-4353

Doc-To-Help 2006 v2
Doc-To-Help from ComponentOne allows you to create HTML or Microsoft Word content, and convert it to all commonly used Help file formats, including Web-based Help, WinHelp, Help 2.0, HTML Help, JavaHelp, and printed documentation. ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2006 v2 is a new release designed to further enhance your Help authoring experience by providing new features based on feedback from customers. The new release includes: improvements in efficiency in the tool; more linking options, which allow you to choose more specific targets for topic links such as bookmarks and document names; better command-line support, so you can execute a variety of tasks from the common line, as well as schedule builds; more flexible publishing, which allows you to specify any location as the output folder of a Help target; improved search results in NetHelp that now highlight search terms; the ability to use your own XML tags in comments when automatically generating .NET reference documents; and the ability to create output that meets Section 508 Federal compliance regulations. Current Doc-To-Help subscribers will receive all of these new features and enhancements as part of their annual subscription. For new subscribers, ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 2006 v2 is available in two versions: Doc-To-Help Enterprise and Doc-To-Help for Word, priced $995 and $749 respectively.
ComponentOne
Web: www.componentone.com
Phone: 800-858-2739

Dr.Explain 2.0
Dr.Explain from Indigo Byte Systems is a Help-authoring tool for rapid creation of Help files and user guides. It is designed for software developers, ISV, micro ISV, and technical writers, and includes auto-capture and annotation technology that allows you to document your software interfaces easily. Dr.Explain parses a live application and automatically produces screenshots of its windows, along with a sequence of callouts for each window control. You only have to add some description to each callout as needed. Dr.Explain can output the results as a set of HTML pages, a CHM Help file, or a rich-text format document. The results include screenshots, cross-references, menus, and an index page. Dr.Explain 2.0 includes a number of enhancements and additions including: the ability to create Help documentation at any level of complexity using a new, multi-tier document structure; pages in the Help file can have hyperlinks of any description, which is useful for creating cross-references; and an enhanced spell-check feature. Also, there are new visual themes to help you adjust the document look-and-feel, plus custom CSS setup capabilities that allow you to apply your corporate style to the document, and arrange bullets in an optimal way on the Help page. Version 2.0 can also parse standard toolbars, so they can be captured and documented. $125.
Indigo Byte Systems
Web: www.indigobyte.com

LEADTOOLS Multimedia Version 15
The LEADTOOLS collection of Multimedia SDKs allows you to create professional multimedia applications with a range of features that include audio/video capture (including DV), playback and convert (using LEADTOOLS' DirectShow technologies), DVD image creation, video on demand, and custom video conferencing capabilities. Version 15 of the tool collection includes these new features and updates: new DVD burning, authoring, and conversion capabilities; menu support for DVD authoring; support for ISO, and MPEG-2 DICOM formats; support for PSP thumbnail, still-image format; and the ability to retrieve and point to a target format object (including mux, sink, and compressor). Version 15 also supports more flexible conversion, including pause, run, preview, still shots, and logging, and the ability to retrieve the estimated output size for capturing and conversion. Among the new filters included in the product are LEAD AAC encoder/decoder and LEAD AC3 encoder. Pricing starts at $595.
LEAD Technologies
Web: www.leadtools.com
Phone: 1-800-637-4699

MadCap Flare
MadCap Flare from MadCap Software is a Help-authoring tool that generates cross-browser, cross-platform Help, and also generates a new Help format designed specifically for .NET application developers, Microsoft's new Help format for Windows Vista (when released by Microsoft), Microsoft HTML Help (CHM), and printed documentation. In addition to its visual editor, MadCap Flare also includes features to help you customize your authoring environment by giving you the ability to open multiple documents simultaneously for easy cross-editing. The product also lets you design browse sequences visually with a simple drag-and-drop, lets you use the command line to compile your output, and allows you to take advantage of auto-numbering. MadCap Flare's new interface designs also allows you to access the underlying XML structure of your documents in a WYSIWYG environment, plus import legacy content from a variety of sources including: MS Word documents, HTML documents, RoboHelp projects, and HTML Help projects. MadCap Flare converts them all to an XML format, including direct HTML-to-XHTML conversions. $799.
MadCap Software
Web: www.madcapsoftware.com
Phone: 858-320-0387

SmartScan Xpress Barcode v4 SDK upgrade
SmartScan Xpress Barcode from Pegasus Imaging is a managed-.NET control and COM component that accurately reads and writes common industry barcodes. Overall, the SmartScan Express Barcode toolkit finds barcodes located anywhere on a page, and reports confidence values for detected barcodes. Customers use this technology for document capture, indexing, archiving, and process automation application development. Pegasus' image cleanup technology increases recognition of noisy, hard-to-read barcodes on scanned documents. It also includes a set of mathematical algorithms used in its barcode detection, which extend the process used to refine and verify candidate barcodes. In addition, configurable speed settings are available to suit various application and budget requirements. The version 4 upgrade now includes a 2D barcode creation edition of the product that allows you to add PDF417 and DataMatrix barcode creation to your document capture and archival applications. Licensed users will benefit because 2D PDF417 and DataMatrix barcodes hold more data than 1D barcodes. The 2D-write functionality places the barcode technology at the beginning of the document lifecycle, in addition to the existing archiving and indexing stage. Pricing starts at $799.
Pegasus Imaging
Web: www.pegasusimaging.com
Phone: 813-875-7575

VSdocman 3.0
The VSdocman auto-documentation and commenting tool from Helixoft is an add-in for Visual Studio .NET that automatically generates documentation directly from source code. VSdocman parses the source and generates customizable MSDN-like documentation with a table of contents, index, search, cross-references, IntelliSense, and F1 context sensitive help, straight from the class structure and comments it finds there. VSdocman supports XML and JavaDoc comments, and has a WYSIWYG comment editor with tables, lists, pictures, and links. It outputs documents from a single source into HTML, HTML Help (CHM), Help 2 (HxS), RTF, and XML formats. VSdocman was originally introduced as a tool for VB .NET; version 3.0 now supports C#, and also includes other additional enhancements. The new release provides localized output in several languages, including English, German, French, Spanish and Slovak. Also, all links now can point to framework members, members declaration is shown in VB .NET, C#, C++ and JScript, and types inside are shown as links. Other improvements in 3.0 include: the ability not to list member attributes in declaration syntax section; the ability to display all super classes (even those outside the project) in an inheritance tree; and an improved HTML output for better cross-browser compatibility and enhanced processing speed. $229.
Helixoft
Web: www.helixoft.com