JSON Conversions

So, I am integrating a provided web page into a Manage 2000 site and I need to supply this external page with a JSON array of data on the querystring based on the contents of a Manage 2000 TM Table.

How to get a JSON serialization out to the client world?

There is a very nice little namespace that I have not previously run across, System.Web.Script.Serialization. And in it you will find a JavaScriptSerializer class (read JSON serializer!).

With the JavaScriptSerializer you can convert a .Net Hash to or from a JSON object, or a .Net System.Array to or from a JSON array, or a bunch of other mappings including your own.

In my case I want to end up with a JSON array of elements with each element comprised of an array of code description pairs.

Private Function GetTMTableAsJSONArray(ByVal TableNbr As String) As System.Text.StringBuilder

Dim result As New System.Text.StringBuilder

Dim TM As New System.Collections.Generic.List(Of Array)

Dim ds As New ROISystems.Components.roiDataSet

ds = TableMaster.GetTable(TableNbr)

For Each entry As DataRow In ds.Tables("VALIDATION_Validation_Info").Rows

Dim row() As String = {"", ""}

row(0) = entry.Item("Code")

row(1) = entry.Item("Desc")

TM.Add(row)

Next

Dim JSONSerializer As New System.Web.Script.Serialization.JavaScriptSerializer

result.Append(JSONSerializer.Serialize(TM))

Return result

End Function

Yes, the JavaScriptSerializer is my new favorite toy for transforming data during client side AJAX activity.

Hyper Activity

A recent treasure from our 1st live Manage 2000 7.3 site led me back to researching performance issues in the Pegged Detail page of ItemActivity. This has been a long standing issue in the field for certain customers on certain parts under certain circumstances.

Previous optimizations have included converting dynamic arrays to dimensioned arrays when handling the TD_ITEM_PEG_ACT_RESULT file items. But even with attributes stored in separate dimensioned elements the immense number of values that may be generated in the real world overwhelm the UniData box and then moving the gigantic business object to the web server overwhelms that box. The resulting user experience "just sucks".

The real detail work of analyzing pegged detail is done in SUB.BUILD.ITEM.ACT.PEGGED, and entails building a number of attributes for each detail and sorting by date and by a peculiar transaction type order. And there is no good way of separating the selection and sorting of keys from generation of detail data as described in the PAGED.BTO document because the whole point is to keep a running total of availability and a number of calculated and summarized values.

To meet these requirements and scale to many thousands of lines of detail I created a process work file keyed by date and by sequence number and wrote simple flat records for each detail. Then SSELECT the work file and update the small simple records with the running total fields. This replaces a LOCATE and INSERT loop that hockey sticks as the the value count exceeds a thousand. And finally write the results in pages to the WEB_COOKIE_DATA file where each page record only contains, say 25 (users current items per page preference) values for each attribute.

The business object returns only the 1st page of pegged detail and the cookie where the rest of the pages may be found. The web page may then use another business object to read any page of the result the user wishes to view.

Where the business object is handling 3000-4000 details the whole-view multi-valued set approach was taking 6+ seconds on a modern Itanium UNIX box. The work file approach reduced this to less than 1/2 second. And testing shows a performance curve up to 20,000 details running at about 7,000 details per second on our development box.

On the web side the performance improvement is even more dramatic as the dataset and grid processing on large local datasets just overwhelms the web server processor. Eliminating the large business object result, and asking the web server to only create objects representing a single page of the pegged detail, results in near instantaneous page changes even with the trip back to the application server to pick up the page data.

Conventional wisdom says memory is fast, disk is slow. But in this particular scenario it is much more efficient to create a work file, populate it, SSELECT it and work with small flat dynamic arrays than to follow the standard path and attempt in memory sorting of large deep dynamic arrays.

Sub Valued Level Prompting Details

How do you fixup the screen and do cross referencing and other validations when you use SUB.VALUE.PROMPTING on a SUB.MT500 screen?

Here is an example where we want to prompt for multiple file names and within each file for multiple item ids.

Instead of calling SUB.VALUE.PROMPTING directly from the SCREEN, call your subroutine which in turn will call SUB.VALUE.PROMPTING.

Remember to add right justified fields using the PWS screen in SCREEN.BUILD if you want the count of sub-valued items to line up nicely.

You can add logic to execute only at the sub-valued level by checking X_Data_2 for the FROM.SCROLL.MAINT flag.

*

2200* Before prompt logic for Item_Attachments

*

IF INDEX(Prompt.X_Data_2, 'FROM.SCROLL.MAINT', 1) > 0 THEN

* Handle inner event from SUB.VALUE.PROMPTING execution of SCROLL.MAINT

* Reset SIP.VAL.FILE to enable cross referencing

FILE.VALUE = FIELD(Prompt.Display_Text_2, ",", 2)

FILE.LIST = MAIL.FILE.File_Attachments

CURRENT.FILE = FILE.LIST<1,FILE.VALUE>

CALL GET.DB.FILE(SIP.VAL.FILE, CURRENT.FILE)

ERROR = 0

RETURN

END

* Handle MAILBOX.ATT prompt event

GOSUB 2210;* Fixup Prompt Label with SUB.VALUE level display text

* Setup XREF stuff

Prompt.Conversions_Edits = '0X':@SVM:Prompt.Conversions_Edits

* remove compiled edits to force recompile

Prompt.Conversions_Edits = FIELD(Prompt.Conversions_Edits,roiDataMark4,1)

CALL GET.DB.FILE(SIP.VAL.FILE, CURRENT.FILE)

CALL SUB.VALUE.PROMPTING(ANSWER,SUB.DATA,P.NBR,PMT,SAVE.FN,VALUE)

END

*

RETURN

If you want to fix up details like the screen labels and prompt text while at the sub-valued level you can do this sort thing:

*

2210* Display SubValue Level Label Text

*

SET.NBR = Prompt.Scroll_Field_Type[2,2]

LOCATE SET.NBR IN SCROLL.DATA<9,1> SETTING PRIMARY.IDX ELSE RETURN

PRIMARY.PMT.NBR = SCROLL.DATA<1,PRIMARY.IDX>

PRIMARY.PMT = PID(PRIMARY.PMT.NBR)

STARTING.ROW = PRIMARY.PMT<1,7>

HEAD.ROW = STARTING.ROW-1

DISP.MASK = "L#":Prompt.Display_Length

ID.LABEL = XLATE("DICT ":CURRENT.FILE, "F0", 61, "X")

IF ID.LABEL = "" THEN ID.LABEL = "Item Id"

LABEL.TEXT = FMT(P.NBR,"2\0R"):".":VALUE:' ':ID.LABEL

Prompt.Text = "Enter ":ID.LABEL

REDIS.MISC<10> = L(HEAD.ROW):C(PMT<1,6>):LABEL.TEXT DISP.MASK

PRINT REDIS.MISC<10>:

RETURN

For Validation after prompting you can check the X_DATA_2 flag again and if you are at the multi-valued level simply request a repaint with ERROR=1000, but at the sub-valued level actually carry out input validations programmatically. Remember that your sub-valued level validation logic is being called from SCROLL.MAINT so do not use ERROR codes like 200, 1000 as you would for SUB.MT500, simply 0 or 1.

*

3200* After prompt logic for Item_Attachments

*

IF INDEX(Prompt.X_Data_2, 'FROM.SCROLL.MAINT', 1) = 0 THEN

* Remove SV Label Text

REDIS.MISC<10> = ''

ERROR = 1000

END ELSE

IF NOT(SIPDATA) THEN RETURN

FILE.VALUE = FIELD(Prompt.Display_Text_2, ",", 2)

FILE.LIST = MAIL.FILE.File_Attachments

CURRENT.FILE = FILE.LIST<1,FILE.VALUE>

REC = XLATE(CURRENT.FILE, ANSWER, -1, 'X')

IF REC = '' THEN

* Message 502: %1 item %2 not on file

CALL SCREEN.MSG(GetMessageText(502,CURRENT.FILE:@VM:ANSWER,0):";H;#M446065")

ERROR = 1

END

END

RETURN

7.3 sp1 GA Cutoff Week

Well midnight Thursday is the end of the line for 7.3 sp1 development. I've been cleaning and testing and sweeping up crumbs. My latest clean-up binge has been the DEMO.DATA. The lack of examples of web feeds has been bothering me for the last couple of years, so I bit the bullet and started creating a series of example web feeds for customers, and sales reps, and executives. It's not the end-all and be-all of demo material, but at least it will be there in the SSP account. And it has brought out a number crumbs to clean up :)

I've got one or two more bugs (legitimately called treasures if I can fix them prior to them getting to the field) to clean up before the Thursday cutoff. But I am feeling really good about the Manage-2000 7.3 release. It just has a ton of good stuff.

The Wonderful World of Wizards

It has been an exhilarating and somewhat exhausting spring here in Minneapolis; from 2+ feet of snow pack to clear yards and 60 degree sunshine in 2-3 weeks. Getting beta's underway has not been fast enough or clean enough for my impatient expectations. But that's why you have betas to find the stumbling blocks. While waiting to enhance as-yet unidentified pre-enhancement conditions, I have been working on a pet project to create web function wizards with more specific generation capabilities.

My first re-visitation to IWizard has resulted in a modest little wizard that will help you generate a HyperQuery web function. The HyperQuery control allows configuration of a REPORT.BUILD like query based web function.

The second undertaking turned out to be a lot more interesting and a lot more work. The BTO Inquiry Wizard allows you to select a business object, select from its available fields and generate a working inquiry with all the data access components and controls configured, and with a FormView containing single valued fields labels and textboxes, and GridView controls for each set.

The great part about wizards is, of course, that you can take the results and enhance the heck out of them. They provide RAD starts to developing your own web functions while still leaving you in total control.

Twas The Night Before Cutoff

Twas The Night Before Cutoff

Twas the night before cutoff, when all through the house,

Not a programmer was keying, nor clicking their mouse.
The updates all filed into StarTeam with care,
In hopes that Seven_Three soon would be there.

Customers all nestled, snug in releases,
While palmtops and I-Phones sat dark in valises.
And Jimmy in his whites, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the Net there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my twitter to see what was the matter.
Away from my Windows I crept like a gnome,
Searched through my desktop and opened up Chrome.

The Graphic in the heading of the new-painted page
Gave mirth to results there listed by age.
When, what should appear down the page not too far,
But a Manage 2000 and 5 rating gold stars.

With data entry screens, so lively and quick,
I knew without thinking it started on PICK.
On UniData it thrives with GFE-free frames,
And whistles, and whirrs, and remembers their names

"Now Namer! now Schoolboy! now Farmboy and Widget!
On Motor Mouth! On Cheese Head! on Professor and Gidget!
To EDX, to SCREEN.BUILD, to BX REBUILD ALL

Now dot away! Dot away! Dot away all!"

The founder with his satchel all stuffed full of papers.

The performer and painter both cooking up capers.

The young black bird that had grown up so tall,

Leading us onward from the end of the hall.

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.

So with hope of happy havens away they all flew,
Leaving a product full of toys, and Last Keys support too.

And then from the Palace, gave we measured lecture,
With summary and bullet of each treasured feature.
As I drew in my head, with my neck like a crane,
Down the cat-5 a new release came.

It spoke not a word, but went straight to its work,
And filled all the data, then re-painted with perk.
And laying a finger on top of my mouse,
I attached on my portal a jpg'ed house!

And then on a lark in a moment of need,

I dialed in from home to setup a Feed.

It summarized sales figures and displayed on my mobile,

It remembered my context and let me go global.

Saved out on disk, Install Shield's new folder,
Languishing there whilest the weather grows colder.
I heard it exclaim, ‘ere it shrank out of sight,
"Happy upgrade to all, and to all a good-night!"

- with inspiration from the Sniggletter

- and with apologies to Clement Clark Moore and Henry Livingston

Whats It All About ... Alpha

The alpha test cycle of Manage 2000 release 7.3 is complete. Time to send it through the car wash and prepare for delivery to our beta sites. Lane and Alky will have a busy January getting a clean release ready for Tina, Mark, and Mike. I have to bite my development tongue and stop trying to sneak one more feature into the web tools. Time to get busy on the component and control documentation and the web course-ware instead, to catch it up to the VS2008 world.

Can't stop thinking about the impact of all the development work from over the past two years for Manage 2000 sites going to 7.3.