New in StyleVision v2010

Over fifteen new features, and they're not small ones either, they're the kind that a Marketing Manager has to write about. Several months ago I was groaning (inwardly, of course) about this. But the v2010 release is out, the StyleVision v2010 feature descriptions are written, and now I am genuinely excited to share with all of you the powerful functionality in the "Most Wanted" release. All of these features, I remind you, were directly requested by our customers either in person at the Altova tradeshow booth, or online via our Support Center or user forums - so please keep them coming!

I will briefly outline some of the new functionality in StyleVision v2010 below, and make sure you look out for future posts where we will be highlighting specific features in all of the MissionKit tools in more detail. The best news of all though, is that we've just released the updated StyleVision online training that covers many of the new features in v2010.

StyleVision is a unique tool for designing stylesheets and building reports based on XML and database data and simultaneously publishing them in HTML, RTF, PDF, Word 2007, and/or Authentic e-Forms.

Completely new design paradigm

To call this a "feature" simply doesn't do it justice. The StyleVision user interface has been redesigned to give you an alternative method for how you structure your templates. Current users do not panic, this is just an option and you will still be able to use StyleVision in the way that you have learned to love. The rest of you, however, can now approach StyleVision in the same way you do common desktop applications, adding style first and content afterward.

Templates can now be created within layout containers, and an optional blueprint image can be inserted as a design guide.

Layout containers can:

· Be inserted within document templates or encompass the entire document.

· Inherit the dimensions of the document section or have user-defined dimensions.

· Be assigned any number of style properties (borders, background color, font, etc.).

· Contain a blueprint image to serve as a reference template for the design.

True electronic form design through absolute positioning

Absolute positioning in StyleVision coupled with the new design paradigm mentioned above lets you easily and precisely design templates for electronic forms. You can insert design elements like lines, boxes, text, etc. by specifying their x and y coordinates in the document section. Take a look at the example below - an I-9 form template based on an imported blueprint image - to see how this works.

Support for multiple page layouts in the same document

This is an extremely important feature for anyone working with print formats in StyleVision where it is not uncommon to find pages with many different requirements in the same document. For example, you may need to intersperse pages of different sizes, landscape and portrait modes, different headers and/or footers, etc. You can now use document sections to specify different layout properties for your templates.

Column formatting for print output formats

Another great new feature for print output in StyleVision is the ability to add automatically formatted columns in template designs - columns that flow content from the bottom of one column to the top of the next.

Inline HTML, XSLT, XSL:FO processing commands

And now let's delve a little into the more technical new features in StyleVision… You can now insert processing commands at virtually any point in your design templates. This gives you the flexibility to call upon functionality that is not necessarily natively supported in StyleVision.

Ability to import external XSLT files

StyleVision now also allows you to import external XSLT files as part of their template designs. This adds an xsl:import statement to the StyleVision stylesheet and enables you to add your hard coded XSLT files to styles and other integrated features from the StyleVision design interface.

Extension templates based on any XPath

StyleVision now also supports the use of XPath wildcards: (*, node(), etc.) and the | operator, for example, can now be used for user-designed templates that can output a wide range of variable data based on the referenced XML source code. This allows for full flexibility in selecting nodes and values from any XML location and in any combination within your document(s).

Additional new features in StyleVision v2010

That is a brief list of my favorite new features from the StyleVision v2010 "Most Wanted" release, but we have also included many others such as:

· Ability to print design templates

· XHTML output option

· Disable-output-escaping function

· Ability to modify output DPI

· Support for variables in design

· Native code calls (.NET, Java, JavaScript, etc.) in XPath statements

 

Download a free trial of StyleVision v2010 - or if you have active SMP, download your upgrade today!

Altova at Microsoft PDC

The Altova road trip continues as we head west to Microsoft PDC in Los Angeles from November 17-19 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

If you’ll be attending PDC, make sure to stop by and meet with the Altova team at booth 517. We’ll be demonstrating all the Most Wanted features of Version 2010, our latest software release that includes XBRL enhancements in XMLSpy, support for WSDL 2.0 in XMLSpy and MapForce, a new absolute positioning design paradigm in StyleVision, database schema conversion in DatabaseSpy, and much more.

With the new emphasis on software modeling in Microsoft development tools, you’ll want to check out SysML and all the other new functionality in UModel 2010.

We love L.A., but if you’re not going to PDC this year, be sure to check the Altova blog again later for updates about the event and more details about Version 2010.

Just-in-Time StyleVision Training

Multiple new features and usability enhancements have been added to StyleVision® 2010 based on customer requests, and Altova Online Training has updated all StyleVision modules to help you take advantage of these improvements.  

The beginner and intermediate level course begins with an introduction to the StyleVision interface and functionality as well as interactive tutorials for transforming XML and database content into eye-catching HTML pages, RTF documents, PDF reports, Word 2007 (OOXML) docs, and intuitive Authentic® forms. 

Module 2 builds on this foundation and provides detailed tutorials that will help you create an effective SPS file, design print output, use absolutely positioned layout modules, and create Authentic documents for users who would benefit from updating XML documents without seeing the underlying XML syntax.

Module 3 introduces more advanced topics and includes step-by-step instructions on inserting auto-calculations, outputting XHTML, importing XSLT, disabling output escaping, setting DPI conversion factors, and using variables and user-defined templates and elements. 

Access the free StyleVision Course now.

MapForce v2010 - “Most Wanted”

As a frequent attendee at the Altova booth at tradeshows, I have to say that this v2010 "Most Wanted" release has been one of my favorites since I've been with the company. Rather than centering the release around a marquee technology like we have in the past with XBRL, OOXML, etc., this time we have added to the MissionKit a collection of over 70 (not a typo) of the features that our customers have requested the most. Many of these requests have come directly from the tradeshow floor, and some I even recall scribbling down myself. Others have come from through our Support Center, and still more from Altova's online user forums. So keep those requests coming, and we'll keep on listening!

In this post I'll outline a few of the new features added to MapForce below, and be sure to look out for our future posts where we will spotlight individual features in more detail.

Processing data from/into multiple files

MapForce users have always been able to map data explicitly to and from many different components at the same time. This feature takes that ability much further, letting you implicitly process files, for example to/from a file collection or directory using a variety of different methods including wildcard values, database tables, auto-number sequences, and more.

For example, the screenshot below shows files from a directory being mapped into a single target file using a wildcard (?) value.

The output file generated from this mapping can be saved to any location from the Output Preview window.

If you'd rather separate the output results into two separate XML files, you can just add a connection between the two file items at the top of each mapping component.

Using file names as parameters

As a complement to this functionality, you can now use file names as parameters in your mappings - an extremely useful feature for real-time transformations when this information may not be known until run time. In the example below, this is accomplished using an input parameter and connecting it to the file item node in the source mapping component.

Support for WSDL 2.0

Like XMLSpy, MapForce v2010 has added support for Web services based on WSDL 2.0 in addition to WSDL 1.1. When you are building or connecting to Web services, MapForce automatically recognizes the syntax of WSDL 2.0 documents and applies appropriate processing rules.

This feature gives MapForce users the flexibility to work with either version of the W3C format.

A number of other features have been added to the "Most Wanted" release of MapForce including:

· Support for xsi:type in XML Schema

· EDI file validation in generated code

· Support for additional EDIFACT messages

So… be sure to download a free trial of MapForce v2010 - or if you have active SMP, download your upgrade today!

Altova Online Training is Out of Beta

After completely redesigning our training program based on customer feedback, we are excited to announce that Altova Online Training is out of beta! 

With over 50 chapters of interactive, video-enhanced  lessons, our library of courses offers beginners and advanced users free tutorials in the MissionKit: XBRL, XMLSpy, MapForce, and StyleVision. Learn about a specific topic or take a whole course, study at your own pace, and pick up where you left off.  Each course includes step-by-step video tutorials, technical notes, interactive quizzes, and links to important resources. Altova Online Training courses allow you to easily learn about the topics that are important to you.

User feedback has been essential in improving our courses, and we welcome your continued feedback on our training!

Visit Altova at DevConnections

The Altova team is gearing up for Microsoft DevConnections 2009 next week! Beginning November 10, you can find us in booth #329 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Want to know more about our recently released "Most Wanted" Software Version 2010? Stop by the booth for a demo of all the latest product updates. We’ll be happy to show you support for additional technologies, such as WSDL 2.0 support in XMLSpy and MapForce, JSON editing and conversion in XMLSpy, and SysML support in UModel. The new version also delivers enhanced support for technologies like XBRL, offers a completely new design paradigm that gives StyleVision users a new option for creating stylesheets and electronic forms, and much more.

Viva Las Vegas!

 

Oh, and if you don't happen to be attending DevConnections, you can catch us the following week at PDC in LA.

XMLSpy's Most Wanted

When we announced that Altova Software Version 2010 included over 70 of the features most requested by our customers, we weren't talking about little tweaks and enhancements, but major new functionality! To show you we mean business, I'll outline some of the most requested features added to XMLSpy 2010 here.

WSDL 2.0 Support

In response to requests from from Web services developers, the graphical WSDL editor in XMLSpy 2010 now supports the latest version of the WSDL standard, WSDL 2.0. This adds to existing support for WSDL 1.1, giving you the choice of which version of the standard to work with. The WSDL editor automatically provides the correct editing environment for the version currently being utilized, and XMLSpy even provides one-step conversion capabilities for migration between WSDL 1.1 and 2.0.

Since the XMLSpy WSDL editor uses a graphical interface (you can, of course, also work in Text View if you wish), you can easily visualize the structure of your WSDL document and edit it using drag-and-drop functionality and context-sensitive entry helpers, which offer the relevant choices based on the selected WSDL version.

Enhanced XBRL Functionality

Since we added support for XBRL validation and XBRL taxonomy editing in XMLSpy 2009, we've received excellent feedback from customers, including some feature requests that we were able to address in v2010.

The new XBRL documentation generation capabilities of XMLSpy 2010 make it easy to generate comprehensive documentation - in RTF, MS Word, or HTML - for your XBRL taxonomies. Multiple options let you choose exactly what to include in the documentation, and the resulting output (snippet shown below) includes hyperlinked components for easy navigation.

Another option for documentation is to print the graphical representation of your taxonomy as it is shown in XMLSpy's graphical XBRL view.

XMLSpy 2010 also includes the new XBRL Taxonomy Wizard to give you a head start when creating a taxonomy. Simply enter the company name, ticker, or other identifier for your XBRL taxonomy, and then select the base taxonomy to extend (if any).

XMLSpy creates the required taxonomy files and prompts you to select the entry points of the base taxonomy. Once you click finish, XMLSpy 2010 displays the newly created XBRL taxonomy files in the graphical XBRL Taxonomy Editor, where you can continue editing and refining the taxonomy in a visual manner.

The new Find in XBRL and XBRL Sort options in XMLSpy 2010 meet customers' requests for quick, easy ways to find data in and navigate through large, complex XBRL taxonomies.

JSON Editor

We've recently heard from a lot of developers working on Web 2.0 and Web services apps in XMLSpy who also use JSON - so we decided to add a JSON editor in XMLSpy 2010. You can compose JSON strings in Text View or Grid View, and even convert between XML and JSON.

In Text View, the JSON editor provides syntax coloring, line numbering, source folding, bookmarking, and more, making it easy to comprehend and navigate your JSON code, and find and edit strings. Intelligent JSON editing populates the Elements entry helper window with a dynamically built list of the elements present in your JSON file, which you can insert with a double-click.

Intelligent JSON editing is also available in Grid View, which provides graphical representation that shows the structure / outline of a JSON document through a set of nested containers. These can be easily expanded and collapsed to get a clear picture of the document's tree structure, and drag-and-drop editing is supported.

A final must-have feature for working with JSON is the JSON <=> XML converter in XMLSpy 2010. One click lets you, for example,  convert an XML file to JSON for transport with JavaScript, or convert data received in JSON format to valid XML. No more JSON vs. XML arguments - XMLSpy gives you the best of both worlds.

Redesigned Scripting Environment & Forms Editor

XMLSpy includes an integrated scripting environment and forms editor that has been redesigned for this latest release. Scripts can be written in JScript or VBScript to access and interact with the XMLSpy API, allowing you to modify and add functionality to your installation of XMLSpy 2010. Improvements and optimizations in Version 2010 include:

• Access to most of the .NET framework
• New form editor controls
• Testing & debugging of macros directly in the scripting editor
• Execution of macros directly through XMLSpy menus
• Improved entry-helpers & auto-completion in the scripting editor

 

Read more about the "most wanted" features in XMLSpy and the rest of the Altova MissionKit.

Please be sure to let us know your most wanted features, either by commenting here on the blog or entering a feature request.

Altova’s Most Wanted Edition – Version 2010 Announced

 

We are excited to have launched the MOST WANTED edition of the Altova MissionKit today! The MissionKit 2010 represents the most wanted functionality as requested by you - our customers. We’ve wrangled over 70 new features into this version of Altova’s XML, database, and UML product line to deliver on your list of demands.

Check out the highlights for each product included in the MissionKit 2010 tool suite below; subsequent posts will cover the new features in each product in greater detail.

WSDL 2.0

One of the features most often requested by our customers is support for the latest version of WSDL: WSDL 2.0. In addition to existing WSDL 1.1 editing and validation capabilities, XMLSpy now supports WSDL 2.0 in the  graphical WSDL editor. It also allows one-click conversion between WSDL 1.1 and 2.0 files.

 

WSDL 2.0 support has also been added to version 2010 of the MapForce data mapping tool, allowing you to connect to WSDL 2.0 (or 1.1) Web services and integrate their functionality into mappings of  XML, databases, flat file, EDI, Excel 2007, and XBRL data. You can also use MapForce to build new Web services based on WSDL 2.0 definitions.

MapForce 2010 delivers a number of other enhancements for data mapping, conversion, and integration.

XBRL Enhancements

Several new features for working with XBRL have been added in version 2010. XMLSpy includes a new XBRL Taxonomy Wizard for getting a head start creating taxonomies in the graphical XBRL Taxonomy Editor.

You can also now generate comprehensive documentation for your XBRL taxonomies, or simply print the graphical XBRL representation. Find and sort capabilities let you work more easily with large, complex taxonomies.

If you’re not familiar with the extensive support for working with XBRL in the Altova MissionKit, check out the XBRL Solutions Center page.

JSON Support

With more and more developers working with JSON in the XML, AJAX, and Web services apps they’ve created in XMLSpy, we’ve received a lot of requests for JSON support. Now you can edit your JSON files directly in XMLSpy, using Text View or the graphical Grid / Tree View with intelligent JSON entry helpers. XMLSpy even supports one-click JSON <=> XML conversion.

Check out the rest of the features most requested by XMLSpy users.

New Design Paradigm in StyleVision

The StyleVision graphical stylesheet design / single source publishing tool now gives you a new, flexible option for designing stylesheets and electronic forms. The new design paradigm lets you create templates within layout containers, and even optionally upload a blueprint image on which to base your design. This way, you can specify your design first and add XML and/or database content after.

This new form-based design option is made possible by new support for absolute positioning in design layouts. Instead of having content and layout elements flow on the page automatically, like a typical web page layout, you can now specify exact X and Y coordinates for each element to absolutely position it on a page.

This feature gives you more control over form design in the manner of desktop publishing applications, but also adds the powerful single source publishing capabilities for XML, XBRL, and database data that have always been present in StyleVision.

Read about the numerous other enhancements in StyleVision 2010.

Authentic 2010 users will directly benefit from many of the new StyleVision features for true electronic forms design described above. The sophisticated e-Forms created in StyleVision 2010 are presented in Authentic's WYSIWYG-interface for XML and database content editing by non-technical business users.

In addition, with the release of Version 2010, Authentic is now offered in Enterprise and Community Editions, both of which are available as either as a desktop application or browser plug-in. The new Authentic 2010 Enterprise Edition requires a paid license and provides advanced features for WYSIWYG XML and database content editing. Authentic 2010 Browser Plug-in Enterprise Edition is offered on a 12 month license term basis. Authentic 2010 Community Edition is available under a free license and is also offered in desktop and browser plug-in versions.

SysML Support

Altova’s affordable UML modeling tool has become even more robust with support for SysML, which is related to UML but optimized for designing software to operate and control embedded systems and other complex devices. UModel 2010 supports all SysML v1.1 diagram types and elements with all the same productivity-enhancing features available for UML and BPNM modeling, including code generation in Java, C#, and Visual Basic.

 

Read about all the new features in UModel 2010.

 

New Diff/Merge Capabilities

Both DatabaseSpy and DiffDog have received some exciting and oft-requested new diff/merge features in version 2010.

DatabaseSpy, the highly-affordable, multi-database query, design, and comparison tool now allows you to compare and merge database schemas between databases of the same type or across different database types (all major relational databases are supported). DatabaseSpy displays differences between database schemas in a graphical manner, and you can generate a change script to merge changes in either direction.

DatabaseSpy 2010 also adds the ability to convert database structures between different database types, for example, to migrate from MySQL® to Oracle® or SQL Server®.

Version 2010 of the DiffDog diff/merge tool for files, directories, and databases includes functionality similar to DatabaseSpy for comparing and merging database schemas, and it also provides the most wanted XML Schema diff feature.

Since XML Schemas are ever-evolving as requirements change, existing XML files often also need to be updated to remain valid. You can now compare two XML Schemas graphically in DiffDog 2010, and then DiffDog will generate an XSLT file to transform any related instance documents according to the new schema. Alternatively, you can choose to generate an Altova MapForce mapping file based on the DiffDog comparison to further refine the transformation between schemas.

Check out all the most wanted features in DatabaseSpy 2010 and DiffDog 2010.

 

Mentioned above are just a few of the more than 70 most wanted features added to the Altova MissionKit 2010. Follow the links to learn more, and stay tuned to this blog for more details in the coming days!

Collect your Handsome Reward

If you’re an Altova customer with active Support and Maintenance Package, simply download and install version 2010, and your existing key code will activate the new version.

New customers can download a free, fully-functional 30-day trial to start working with all these new features today.

What to Do On a Rainy Day in San Francisco?

That was the question for 30,000-plus attendees at Oracle OpenWorld 2009 last week, when weather forecasters were predicting the remnants of a Pacific typhoon would hit San Francisco with winds up to 60 miles per hour and drop rainfall measuring multiple inches.

Fortunately, the best attractions were all indoors. Oracle OpenWorld is one of the largest events held each year at the Moscone Convention Center. The keynote speeches, conference seminars, and partner exhibitions fill all three buildings. Even Howard Street between the North and South halls is closed for an entire block to create room for the lunch pavilion. Oracle OpenWorld is the best place to come for face-to-face education and interaction on all subjects related to every facet of the Oracle ecosystem.

Altova is an Oracle Partner and this is an event we look forward to every year. The Altova MissionKit provides extensive support for database management, query, and design; database integration; database differencing; and database content editing.

We love to meet users whose Oracle databases contain XML and show off features like support for Oracle XML DB data modeling, and the XQuery editor, debugger, and profiler in XMLSpy. We love to talk to users whose Oracle databases don’t contain XML yet, so we can demonstrate how to derive an XML Schema from the tables and relationships in a non-XML database. We also like to meet users who sometimes interact with databases other than Oracle, since the database functionality in Altova tools is never restricted to a single database technology. Due to the Oracle acquisition of Sun this year, MySQL was a popular subject. Our DatabaseSpy demo in the Altova booth highlighted simultaneous connections to Oracle and MySQL databases with interactive functionality to compare and merge data between tables in different database types.

With convenient shuttle service from all the area hotels to Moscone, the question became not “What to do in the rain?”, but “What to do first?”

Conference sessions covered every topic from databases to applications, to middleware, to specialized industry topics, and even XBRL. In Moscone West the Oracle Demo Grounds were always busy, with dozens of individual stations simultaneously active. The Altova booth was a popular spot, as were displays by other Oracle partners, including Amazon, Salesforce, and many more.

To refresh and recharge, there were lots of fun things to do too. We even saw evidence that Paul and Ringo might have been there.

Best yet, when we stepped outside after a long, productive day, the rain had stopped and we were presented with a warm San Francisco night.

Check out our Oracle Openworld 2009 video slideshow on YouTube to see more:

Visit Altova at Oracle OpenWorld

If you're attending Oracle OpenWorld 2009 in San Francisco this week, be sure to stop by and say hello to the Altova team at booth #3750 in Moscone West. We'd love to hear about what you're working on and what you think of the show so far.

You can also enter our raffle for a chance to win a license for one of Altova's XML, database, and data integration tools that supports  Oracle, MySQL, and other relational databases.

The XML Aficionado is attending this year and has shared some of his early impressions of the show over on his blog.