1. Provides a highly-evolved, more powerful RPG language
AVR for .NET adds many facilities to RPG. These facilities power-up RPG to enable it to work well in browser and traditional Windows client environments. While it sounds a little daunting, AVR for .NET is a fully object-oriented language—capable of inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation (all hallmarks of true object oriented programming). However, while AVR for .NET is objected oriented, the beginning AVR for .NET programmers can safely defer those languages features until they are ready to tackle them. Developers need not be OO experts to write great programs with AVR for .NET, the facility is available and provides skills growth for all RPG programmers.
2. Improves programmer productivity
AVR for .NET snaps inside Microsoft's Visual Studio, giving RPG programmers access to the world-class Visual Studio edit-compile-debug-test cycle. AVR for .NET also works intrinsically with software development add-ons such as Microsoft's Source Safe (application versioning control).
3. Substantially reduces the code required to build iSeries-powered Web sites and browser-based applications
Developers worldwide have found that it requires substantially less code to create browser-based apps (for hosting on either your local intranet or the Internet) with AVR for .NET over many other methods. Benchmarks suggest that what once took about 1400 of lines of code to perform, can now be performed with about 10% of that, or about 140 lines of code. Not only does this make writing browser-based applications faster, it makes maintaining them much easier. In addition to less code, despite the added features and power of both the AVR language and development environment, browser-based programming tasks can be learned in about 1/3 the time over traditional COM models.
4. Provides more than twice the number of Windows user interface controls provided by AVR Classic
AVR for .NET includes a vast array of user traditional Windows client user interface controls, currently at more than 50 (with more on the way!). This means that AVR for .NET substantially reduces dependency on third-party controls for enterprise applications. For example, AVR for .NET includes a tabbed user interface control, a date-time selector, a calendar-based date selector, and a rich text IO field. Beyond intrinsically including these controls, AVR for .NET boasts very high fidelity with third-party .NET controls. Gone are the days of selectively cooperative ActiveX controls (where control behavior mystery changes depending on the language using the control). .NET provides one, and only one, way for all languages to consume controls.
5. Applications are much easier to deploy
.NET dispenses with the old COM-imposed rule that DLLs and controls be registered before your applications can use them. This is a boon to application deployment—especially for sophisticated fat Windows client deployment with extensive DLL and control dependencies. .NET removes the need to register DLLs and controls and lets you easily host multiple versions of the same DLL on a target machine.
6. Supports advanced technologies such as hand-held devices, Web services, SOAP and XML
With AVR for .NET, RPG programmers can quickly build browser-based and traditional Windows applications. AVR for .NET also enables contemporary development using RPG. For example, publishing and subscribing to Web services using industry standards such as SOAP and XML. Development teams using AVR will also be able to put RPG skills to work creating applications that run on tablet and hand-held PCs.
7. System i (formerly known as iSeries, AS/400) program transformation
Because many enterprises have an important asset in System i RPG source code, AVR for .NET has a companion product called Monarch that will automatically migrate ILE RPG and RPG/400 directly into AVR for .NET. Click here to read more about Monarch.
8. Streamlined control and class creation
AVR for .NET makes creating custom controls, for either Windows or Web development, a very simply task. The AVR for .NET native implementation of inheritance makes building custom enterprise solutions simple and fast. For example, imagine needing a user interface component that enables a special customer search routine; with AVR for .NET, it's a snap to package a reusable, customized component to do just what stakeholders need. Programmers can then easily reuse the component in many other programs. Beyond controls, this same concept of easy reuse applies to the business logic pieces programmers create. AVR for .NET puts facilities at RPG programmer’s fingertips to build reusable application components; speeding the time to application delivery and reducing the need to constantly reinvent the wheel.
9. Improved application development lifecycle and team-building capabilities
“Green-screen RPG programs were built in a monolithic, linear fashion, making it difficult to maintain and enhance older programs. The AVR for .NET application development model not only supports, but also encourages, a more modular, reusable approach. The modern application development foundation that AVR for .NET provides plays right into the needs of today's team development needs.
Development projects undertaken with AVR.NET are managed as Visual Studio projects allowing RPG developers to work side by side with other Visual Studio developers using Visual C# or similarly compatible development tools.
10. Support for SQL Server
Although the System i provides the database of choice for many environments, Microsoft's SQL Server enjoys wide use in many organizations. Beyond that, some enterprises are undertaking to move their existing System i RPG applications completely over to the Web or Windows and connect to SQL Server. AVR for NET offers seamless application connectivity to either the System i or Microsoft SQL Server—without programming changes to the application. Any investment in the RPG file IO is preserved, and all the typical RPG file IO operations work directly against SQL Server—effectively presenting SQL Server to the AVR for .NET application as though it were a virtual System i database. This facility enables the simple and transparent shift of applications from one enterprise database platform to the other, as well supporting applications that concurrently connect (using RPG syntax) to both the System i and SQL Server.