IBM VisualAge Smalltalk Readme


Contents

Welcome to VisualAge Version 6.0


Welcome to VisualAge Version 6.0

.

Late-breaking news, technical tips, and product updates

Please refer to the VisualAge Smalltalk web page for technical information, including tips, and product updates made after this product release. The web page also includes information about Education, Services, and Support as well as hints and tips for using VisualAge Smalltalk. You can also link to the ftp site for product updates from the Support section. You can also get to the VisualAge Smalltalk web pages by going to the IBM web page and searching for "VisualAge Smalltalk" in document titles.

You can download the latest product updates from the VisualAge Smalltalk service ftp site.

Version 6.0 files and installation

Installing VisualAge Smalltalk

For installation information, see cd_m\doc\instgd.htm or cd_c\doc\instgd.htm in the CD drive or the temporary directory where you extracted the manager or client installation files. To install VisualAge Smalltalk, follow the instructions for your specific platform.

. Before installing Version 5.5.2, follow these steps:

  1. If EMSRV is running from the directory to be updated, stop EMSRV prior to installing..
  2. Stop any running VisualAge Smalltalk images.

VisualAge Smalltalk Migration Guide

If you have a version prior to VisualAge Smalltalk Version 6.0 installed, please refer to the Migration Guide for important information before using VisualAge Smalltalk Version 6.0. The Migration Guide can be installed with the VisualAge Smalltalk Client by selecting the "VisualAge Smalltalk Documentation" feature. It is also available in PDF format on the VisualAge Smalltalk web page.

Additional sources of information

VisualAge Resource Catalog : REWORK THIS. NO OC, NEW WEB PAGE etc TODO

The following applies to VisualAge Smalltalk Version 5.0 and later. The VisualAge Partner Catalog describes VisualAge product offerings available from IBM and IBM Business Partners participating in the IBM VisualAge Object Connection Partners in Development program. The VisualAge Partner Catalog includes links to Object Connection partner companies home pages, so you can find out the details of their VisualAge-enabled products. Bookmark this valuable web site and visit often to see the latest offerings from Object Connection members. The VisualAge Smalltalk Partner Catalog can be linked to at http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/visage/rc/ . You can also access it from the Help menu of the VisualAge Smalltalk System Transcript or Organizer.



Components and Features

The following sections list some important information about some of the components and features. For the latest product information, please refer to the VisualAge Smalltalk web page.

APARs

Product Enhancements in VAST V6.0

TODO ITEM :
Blah Blah Blah.
The goal is a short list of the enhancments for V6.0. For 5.5.2 we had ULC, EMSRV 7.0 and RMI 1.3.
1. Web Services support
2. SSL
3. Removal of
4. Obsolete of

APARs fixed in Version 6.0

APAR Component Description
PQ55555 Wizard Framework Incomplete support for DBCS languages
14032 Web Connection Running out of sockets on Windows

Application Builder

OnAIX, turn NumLock off when dropping parts

Be sure that your numlock key is turned off if you are using the composition editor. The numlock will prevent parts from being dropped on the Composition Editor.

Setting your monetary symbols in UNIX

On UNIX, make sure your LC_MONETARY locale setting contains a non-empty mon_decimal_point entry. On some machines, mon_decimal_point may be empty for the "C" locale. For example, if you wish to change to the en_US locale, set your LANG environment variable to en_US before starting VA Smalltalk with the ksh command:
export LANG=en_US

You can check the value of mon_decimal_point with the command:
locale -k LC_MONETARY

The output should look like:
int_curr_symbol="USD "
currency_symbol="$"
mon_decimal_point="."
mon_grouping="3"
mon_thousands_sep=","
positive_sign=""
negative_sign="-"
int_frac_digits=2
frac_digits=2
p_cs_precedes=1
p_sep_by_space=0
n_cs_precedes=1
n_sep_by_space=0
p_sign_posn=1
n_sign_posn=1
debit_sign="DB"
credit_sign="CR"
left_parenthesis="("
right_parenthesis=")"

On UNIX, "X Error: BadWindow" message appears for Slider part

Each time the Slider part is repainted the "X Error: BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)" message is printed in the xterm window which VisualAge Smalltalk was launched.

The Slider part still functions normally.

Base

Add-on products fail to load because they define Object>>#->

The Object>>#-> method has been added as a convenience for constructing instances of Associations (for example, evaluating the expression 'upperLeft' -> (0@0) will answer anAssociation with 'upperLeft' as the key and 0@0 as the value). Some add-on products have extended Object with this same method. One such product is the RefactoringBrowser. Attempting to load such a product will cause a conflict and result in a load failure with a message similar to the following:
Error: 330 Cannot complete the load because Object>>#-> is defined by RBParserVAApp and CLDT
NOTE: The method collisions will be resolved if you reload after executing:
EmImageBuilder cancelIfMethodsCollide: false

Following the suggested course of action will allow the add-on product to load correctly.

Filed in Applications must be versioned before packaged

Applications that have been Filed in instead of imported, need to be versioned before they are packaged. If not some required applications will be packaged out.

DO NOT INCLUDE : for more details see defect 14434

System transcript is off the screen when starting the IDE under Linux

Using Red Hat Linux 7.1, I found that whenever I started the IDE, the System transcript was located off the screen. I am using the Gnome desktop with the Enlightenment window manager. When I switched to a different window manager (inadvertently), and then switched back to Enlightenment, it seemed to work OK after that. Not sure what is really happening.

ANSI Smalltalk support

Support for ANSI Smalltalk (see ANSI/NCITS 319-1998 Smalltalk Programming Language, available in PDF format from http://www.cssinfo.com/ncitsgate.html) is included in this release of VisualAge Smalltalk Enterprise. This support greatly enhances the portability of Smalltalk applications between different Smalltalk implementations that provide ANSI Smalltalk support.

All methods supporting the ANSI Smalltalk protocol are categorized as ANSI-API. Methods associated with ANSI Smalltalk function that is not complete in this release are categorized as ANSI-Unimplemented.

The following restrictions with respect to ANSI Smalltalk are in force for this release:
The following Exception methods are not functional
isNested
outer
pass
resignalAs:
retry
retryUsing:

The MessageNotUnderstood exception class is provided, but is not signaled by the standard #doesNotUnderstand: method.

The ZeroDivide exception class is provided, but is not signaled when a divide by zero occurs.

On MVS, INIs are optional for packaged applications. All other platforms, INIs are required for packaged applications

On MVS, an .ini file is optional. On all other platforms, an .ini file is required. The .ini file may have the same name and be in the same directory as
your executable (on Unix, the executable is es or esnx). The .ini file can also have the same name and be in the same directory as your .icx or .ic
file.

In addition, you can specify your .ini file as a command line parameter. For example, you can launch your program by typing the following:

abt -imyapp.icx -ini:c:\any.ini

HTML Help TCP/IP requirements

The HTML Help subsystem requires that TCP/IP be configured and functional. HTML Help will function with or without a network
adapter as long as TCP/IP is configured properly.

Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows ME, and Windows 2000

For Windows platforms, configure TCP/IP according to your adapter configuration:

1.If you are using a LAN adapter configuration, ensure the following:
You must have DNS enabled with a valid host and domain name.
Your LAN DNS must resolve localhost to 127.0.0.1
You must run connected with the LAN adapter configuration.
2.If you are using a Dial-Up Adapter configuration, ensure the following:
You must have DNS disabled.
Your TCP/IP Address must be obtained automatically.
Note:
These configuration options will apply to all TCP/IP adapters even though they have only been changed for this
particular Dial-Up adapter. You will not be able to use both LAN and Dial-Up unless you reconfigure.
3.If you are running standalone, you can enable the MS Loopback Adapter without enabling the other two adapters.

OS/2

For OS/2, configure TCP/IP as follows:

1.Enable local loopback by performing the following steps:
a.Open the OS/2 TCP/IP folder.
b.Open the TCP/IP Configuration notebook..
c.View the Network page.
d.In the listbox labelled Interface to Configure, highlight the item labelled loopback interface.
e.Verify that the checkbox on the right labelled Enable interface is checked.
f.With loopback interface still highlighted, verify that the entry field for IP address is 127.0.0.1 and that the Subnet
Mask is empty.
2.Verify that localhost is enabled on your system by doing the following:
a.On any OS/2 command line enter ping localhost. This command should return some data back rather than just
hang. If it hangs, or if it returns localhost unknown, then localhost has not been enabled on your system. If you are
on a network, then make sure loopback is enabled. If you are not on a network, enable localhost by performing the
following steps:
i.Adding the following line after other ifconfig lines in the MPTN\BIN\setup.cmd command file:

ifconfig lo 127.0.0.1

ii.In the TCP/IP configuration:
1.Go to the Configure Name Resolution Services page (page 2 of Hostnames).
2.Add an entry to the table titled Hostname configuration without a Nameserver. Set the IP
Address to 127.0.0.1 and the Hostname to localhost. If you have a host name specified for your machine
on page 1 of "Hostnames" (titled Configure LAN Name Resolution Services), then you must add
this host name as an alias while you are setting the IP Address 127.0.0.1 to localhost.
3.Check the check box underneath the table labeled: "Look through HOSTS list before going to
nameserver." This will enable localhost to bypass any nameserver to resolve the name.
4.Close TCP/IP Configuration and reboot and the system.
5.You should be able to ping localhost without being connected to any network. If ping localhost
still hangs, remove any nameservers from the TCP/IP configuration so that name resolution can be done
only by looking at the HOSTS list.
3.Verify that your hostname is correct by doing the following:
From an OS/2 command line, enter hostname.
Verify that the hostname returned is the same as the one listed in the TCP/IP Configuration notebook on the
Hostnames page and verify that the hostname is less than 32 characters.
4.If any TCP/IP settings were changed, be sure to reboot OS/2 and restart TCP/IP.

HTML Help browser setup

Set up the HTML help browser setup according to your browser type:

If you use Internet Explorer or Netscape with a firewall (proxies enabled), then you must modify the default settings for help to work
properly.

Windows -- Internet Explorer 5

Set up Internet Explorer 5 as follows:

1.Select Tools... Internet Options.
2.Select the Connection tab.
3.Click LAN Settings.
4.Select the Bypass proxy server for local addresses checkbox.
Note:
This checkbox is only available if you are using a proxy or socks connection and have selected the "Use a proxy
server" checkbox.
5.Select the Advanced button.
6.Type localhost:49213 in the Exceptions... Do not use proxy servers for addresses beginning with box. If you have
other entries here, separate the new entry with a semi-colon.
7.Click OK, then click OK again to exit the LAN Settings dialog, and click OK again to exit the Internet Options dialog.

Windows -- Netscape 4 (Navigator)

Set up Netscape 4 (Navigator) as follows:

1.Select Edit... Preferences...
2.Double-click Advanced in the Category tree.
3.Click Proxies in the Advanced subtree.
4.Click View at the Manual Proxy Configuration selection.
5.Type localhost:49213 in the Exceptions... Do not use proxy servers for addresses beginning with box. If you have
other entries here, separate the new entry with a comma.
6.Click OK, then click OK again to exit the Preferences window.

If you are using a SOCKS client, be sure that 127.0.0.1 is accessed directly and not resolved by the SOCKS server. You can tell if
your SOCKS client needs to be configured by using FTP. Try to FTP to localhost or to 127.0.0.1. If you cannot FTP, then your
SOCKS client may need configuring. For example, the Hummingbird SOCKS client uses a configuration file to determine IP
addresses that should be accessed directly. You must update this file so that 127.0.0.1 is not passed to the SOCKS server. To
update the Hummingbird SOCKS configuration:

1.Edit the Hummingbird configuration file SOCKS.CNF
2.Add the line:

DIRECT 127.0.0.1 255.255.255.255

3.Save the file.

Depending on your SOCKS client, you may need to restart your system for the new settings to take effect.

OS/2

Set up OS/2 as follows:

1.If you are using a SOCKS client, be sure that 127.0.0.1 is accessed directly and not resolved by the SOCKS server.
2.You can tell if your SOCKS client needs to be configured by using FTP. Try to FTP to localhost or to 127.0.0.1. If you
cannot FTP, then your SOCKS client may need to be reconfigured. You must also have the LoopbackAdapter enabled (see
HTML Help TCP/IP requirements.)
3.Depending on your SOCKS client, you may need to restart your system for the new settings to take effect.




Database

On HP and Solaris, Library path not set up properly for DB2

On HP and Solaris, the abt script file attempts to set up the shared library path to include DB2 if DB2 is detected. However, the Korn shell on HP and Solaris does not always evaluate the tilde character (~) so that VisualAge can set up the shared library path to include DB2. This causes the libraries for DB2 to not be added to the path correctly.

To workaround this problem, you must add the DB2 libraries. You may want to add the one of the following examples to your profile.

HP: export SHLIB_PATH=/home/db2inst1/sqllib/lib:$SHLIB_PATH
Solaris: export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/home/db2inst1/sqllib/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Get schema function on Stored Procedure Specification Settings

When using stored procedures with the new Oracle 8 database connection, the Get schema function on the Stored Procedure Specification Settings view only works for procedures that are not contained in packages. Users must manually define host variables for procedures that are contained in packages.

Running Oracle samples

To create the stored procedure used in the Oracle sample, logon to SQL*PLUS and use the file found in your vast\samples\oracle.

1 Logon to SQL*PLUS
sqlplus scott/tiger
2 Execute the file
SQL> @vast\samples\oracle\sample.sql

ODBC Drivers are no longer shipped with VisualAge Smalltalk

ODBC drivers are not shipped with VisualAge for Smalltalk V5.5 as they were with some previous versions. The drivers in previous versions were provided by MERANT (formerly INTERSOLV Inc.). If you need to obtain ODBC drivers, the DataDirect product is still available directly from MERANT. For more information call 800-876-3101 or visit http://www.merant.com/datadirect

You can also check your DBRM for ODBC drivers. Most, if not all, major DBRMs now ship with ODBC drivers.

On AIX, database features require extracting shared library

Before you can run the database features on AIX, you must extract a shared object from the appropriate archive file. This is true for IBM DB2, ODBC, and Oracle databases.

IBM DB2
For IBM DB2, extract the file from $DB2INSTANCE/sqllib/lib/libdb2.a by performing the following steps:
1.Extract the shared object
ar -x libdb2.a
2.Rename the extracted file libdb2.so
mv shr.o libdb2.so

ODBC
For ODBC, extract from your libodbc.a file by performing the following steps:
1.Extract the shared object
ar -x libodbc.a
2.Rename the extracted file libodbc.so
mv libodbc.o libodbc.so

Oracle
For ORACLE, extract from your libclntsh.a file by perform the following steps:
1.Extract the shared object
ar -x libclntsh.a
2.Rename the extracted file libclntsh.so
mv clntsh.o libclntsh.so

Note:
For each of these databases, the resulting .so file must be in the library path (LIBPATH) in order to be located by VisualAge.

Prerequisite AbtRecordStructureApp in Database Applications

Some database applications will need to add a prerequisite for the AbtRecordStructureApp application. Applications that use Database Parts will NOT need to add this prerequisite because the parts will include the AbtRecordStructureApp application. If an application manipulates instances of any of the subclasses of AbtRow, they will probably need to add this prerequisite.

If you package your application and get the error The attribute Pub does not exist at runtime, you need to include the AbtRecordStructureApp application.

On Unix, running Database Features

On Unix, if you are using database features and experience a core dump when exiting VisualAge, comment out the
PlatformLibrary>>shutDown method. An alternative solution for your packaged application is to execute the following code
when exiting:

System primitiveExit

DBCS

DBCS Notes on installing VisualAge Smalltalk

When installing on a DBCS machine please remember the following:

1.If you are using OS/2 Warp 4.0J, you must apply Warp J4 Fixpack FX00004 before using VisualAge Smalltalk.
2.If you are using a DBCS version of OS/2 Warp 4.0, other than OS/2 Warp 4.0J, IBM VisualAge Smalltalk Enterprise requires the equivalent to Warp 4.0J Fixpack FX00004.
3.If you are using IBM VisualAge Smalltalk Enterprise on a DBCS system, you must use the ABTRULES.DBC file instead of the default US-English ABTRULES.NLS provided by the system. The ABTRULES.DBC file contains additional codepage conversion tables needed for the DBCS environment. You can find this file in your VisualAge NLS directory. Back up the ABTRULES.NLS file to ABTRULES.BAK, then rename ABTRULES.DBC to ABTRULES.NLS.

Using an English version of Lotus Notes

The NLS versions of Lotus Notes must be installed on the native Operating System (OS) platforms, in order for Notes to work. If a US-English version of Lotus Notes is installed on the native OS, then the user will not be able to input either SBCS or DBCS characters correctly. This is a restriction with Lotus Notes.

Web Connection does not support DBCS char for Cookies

DBCS cookies are not supported using the Servlet Interface. This is a limitation of the HTTP Server.

Display Resolution for DBCS machines

To ensure all information is displyed on your computer, we encourage you to use the highest resolution offered by your display terminal.

User-Supplied Code Page Conversion

A hook has been added to the VisualAge for Smalltalk codepage conversion support which allows the programmer to substitute a custom code page conversion routine in place of the VisualAge default routine. This capability is particularly useful for Windows programmers who write programs that require translation from DBCS ASCII to DBCS EBCDIC because the code page conversion support for Windows does not support this task.

Please refer to our web page located at http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/smalltalk/downloads/vacodepage.html for a Windows-only example which demonstrates usage of a custom code page routine.

Documentation

Link to the VisualAge Resource Catalog

05/5/99 (jok) The following applies to V5 and later

The VisualAge Partner Catalog describes VisualAge product offerings available from IBM and IBM Business Partners
participating in the IBM VisualAge Object Connection Partners in Development program. The Resource Catalog includes links
to Object Connection partner companies home pages, so you can find out the details of their VisualAge-enabled products. Bookmark
this valuable web site and visit often to see the latest offerings from Object Connection members. The VisualAge Smalltalk Partner
Catalog can be linked to at http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/visage/rc/rcst5.html. You can also access it from the Help menu of the
VisualAge Smalltalk System Transcript or Organizer.

This is the 4.5 text

The VisualAge Resource Catalog describes VisualAge product offerings available from IBM and IBM Business Partners
participating in the IBM VisualAge Object Connection Partners in Development program. The Resource Catalog includes links
to Object Connection partner companies home pages, so you can find out the details of their VisualAge-enabled products. Bookmark
this valuable web site and visit often to see the latest offerings from Object Connection members. The Resource Catalog can be linked to
at http://www.software.ibm.com/ad/visage/rc/.

Documentation and Helps

Documentation Changes

Do we REALLY need to list out all the books we changed or the fact that there is a new book? Come on just use the product!!
Ginny votes this item will be removed however it is a place holder to get John and other's to comment!!

How Help Dir is Found

OS/2: helploc is not in ini/reg. [Bootdisk]:\vasthelp.ini

[helpdir]
6.0=d:\vast\help

Win_Registry....\6.0\HLP\HELP_DOC_ROOT

Unix - in fixed location /opt/IBMvast/6.0/help

On UNIX, Netscape 4.7

On the UNIX platform, if you use Netscape 4.7, VisualAge Smalltalk may not be able to bring up Netscape when you try to access the help system. To workaround this problem on HP and SUN, bring up Netscape manually before accessing the VisualAge Smalltalk Help. On AIX, bring up Netscape manually and type in the following URL :

http: //localhost:49213/cgi-bin/abtwebx.exe/en_US/q/Extract/5.5/abtzva55/vast.htm

EMSRV

On OS/2, STARTing EMSRV

In an OS/2 environment, if EMSRV is installed under a directory name that contains spaces (e.g. x:\VAST55 MG\bin), attempting to invoke EMSRV via an OS/2 START command may fail with a SYS1041 message. For example, when issued from the varoot\bin directory, the following command:

START EMSRV -u

may get the message SYS1041: The name EMSRV is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. To bypass this problem, issue the command sequence without the START:

EMSRV -u

Using the Manager file

Be sure to use the following good development practices with EMSRV:

Backup the manager file regularly.
Run library statistics utilities on a regular basis to ensure the integrity of the manager file.
Protect the manager file.

Install

Select Features Screen in UNIX Installs

On some Unix platforms, problems have been reported on the Select Features screen. After
selecting a new feature to install, sometimes the Next button is not enabled due to an error in
synchronization of the features. To correct this problem, select the Back button and then on
the License Agreement screen, select the Accept button. The Next button on the Select
Features screen should then be enabled.

On AIX, create a Journaled File System before Installing Smalltalk

On an AIX machine, before installing Smalltalk for the first time, use Smitty or Smit to create a Journalled File System.

On AIX, increasing disk space for Smalltalk installation

On an AIX machine, before installing base Smalltalk for the first time, use Smitty or Smit to increase the disk size to 200 Megabytes.

Accessing the Smalltalk newsgroup using Netscape

If you are attempting to access the VisualAge Smalltalk newsgroup news://news.software.ibm.com/ibm.software.vasmalltalk) using a Netscape browser, you must choose one of the following items in the Netscape browser's
Edit->Preferences->Advanced->Proxies menu:

Direct connection to the Internet
Manual proxy

If you have selected an autoproxy from this menu, your attempt to access the VisualAge Smalltalk newsgroup will fail.

OLE

Copying from Windows Explorer into an OLE Client part

Use copy and paste to share OLE objects between the Windows Explorer and an OLE Client part. Dropping an OLE object that was dragged from the Windows Explorer onto an OLE Client part does not work.

Packaging

XD packaging of non-MVS leaf ICs which use MPRs at runtime

Using the Packager UI (Modifiy Instructions :: Applications and ICs), you must manually add AbtNlsCfsSupportApp to the image
that you are packaging as follows:

1.Select AbtNlsCfsSupportApp in the left pane.
2.Press the >> button. (It will be highlighted. There are two of these buttons. You want to press the one on the left that is below
the left and/or center panes).

Server

On MVS, SST/RMI is not supported

SST RMI facilities are not supported for the MVS platform.

SST IIOP Support is Obsolete

CORBA IIOP facilities provided by SST in previous releases are obsolete as of this release. The implementation provided in previous releases continues to be shipped with this release, but all methods have been recategorized as 'OBSOLETE'. There will be no further developement or enhancement of these facilities, and they may be removed from the product in a future release.

Customer applications which made use of these facilities in a previous release will continue to be supported as they are migrated to this current release.

Customers are advised to make use of Web Services technologies, such as XML and WSDL, for future interoperability strategies.

Performance improvement in writing walkback log

In previous releases of VisualAge Smalltalk Server Runtime, only one method of logging a simple walkback was provided. When an error occurred, the walkback information was written to TranscriptTTY. This caused the walkback information to be written to the console (Unix) or to a log file identified by the -l commandline option. Since TranscriptTTY does unbuffered character-at-a-time output, it can be very time consuming to write the walkback information.

For VA ST 5.5.2 and later, an alternative output mechanism is provided. When it is enabled, this mechanism writes the walkback information to a file stream just as would be done for a Reduced Runtime image. This is a buffered operation which can be more than an order of magnitude faster than writing to TranscriptTTY.

To enable writing the walkback information to a file stream, you must provide the startUp class with the filename of the file to be associated with the file stream. For example, to see the difference in behavior, create an XD image and load the HelloWorld application. Then package it specifying AbtHeadlessRuntimeStartUp as the image startup class. If you specify HelloWorld haltHelloWorld as the application entry point, the walkback will be written to TranscriptTTY (you need to specify the -l commandline switch at runtime to see this output on Windows and OS/2); if you specify System image startUpClass walkbackFileName: 'runtimeWB.log'. HelloWorld haltHelloWorld as the application entry point, the walkback will be written to the runtimeWB.log file.

Support for JDK 1.3 using RMI

The RMI in Server Smalltalk will run under JDK 1.3, using the same techniques that were required for JDK 1.2.

IIOP PingPong examples fails with an object other than a String.

When running the IIOP PingPong examples you must pass a type that conforms to the CORBA Any type interface. Typically,
Strings are used as the argument representing @anAnyType when sending the method SstPingPongIIOP>>start: @anInteger
with: @anAnyTYpe. Passing Smalltalk Integers and Floats as arguments will cause the example to fail because CORBA does not represent these as objects, and therefore, they do not conform to the Any interface.

Using XD Interactive Debugger over TCP/IP with no nameserver

When trying to use the interactive debugger, if you are getting the error EHOSTNOTFOUND or EADDRNOTAVAIL on the runtime side, the problem may be that your runtime machine cannot resolve the dotted TCP/IP address of your development machine. You can work around this problem by adding an entry to the hosts file on the runtime machine for your development machine.

5.0 RMI Wizard considerations

The RMI Wizard adds the following instance methods to all mapped classes:

sstRmiClassName
Answers the Java class name the receiver is mapped to.

sstIsRmiSerializable
Answers true if the receiver is serializable (passed by value).

sstIsRmiRemotable
Answers true if the receiver is remotable (passed by reference).

The above methods, along with the class mapping definitions (added to the application class), are used by SST to enable instances
of the class for use with RMI. There may be some cases where you want to enable the class itself (versus instances of the class) for
use with RMI. For example, you might want to have a Java client send messages to a Smalltalk class. If this is the case, you'll need
to add the above methods as class methods.

On AIX, SST using MQ requires threaded versions of MQ library

On AIX, some SST applications that use the MQ transport layer will fail when using the unthreaded versions of the AIX MQ
libraries. If you are getting the error MqCallInProgress, this may be the cause.

By default, Smalltalk MQ calls will use the unthreaded libraries. To switch to the threaded libraries, before making your first MQ
call, execute the call AbtMQSeriesBaseUnixSubApp threaded.

Web Connection

Debugging Web Connection applications using interactive debugger

It is not currently possible to use the interactive debugger facility of an XD image to debug a Web Connection application. In order to debug a Web Connection application (or an XML application that uses the Web Server Interface), perform the following steps:

1.In the AbtWebServerInterfaceBaseApp>>AbtWsiConnection>>#handleTransaction: method, change the ExAll
exception reference to ExError.
2.In the AbtWebServerInterfaceBaseApp>>Block>>#abtWsiAtEndOrWhenExceptionDo: method, replace the code with
the following:

abtWsiAtEndOrWhenExceptionDo: completionBlock
" Code hacked to enable debugging in XD runtime image via
the interactive debugger "

self value.
completionBlock value


After making the above changes, package the application and execute it as usual.
Note:
Be sure to load the original code prior to packaging the application for production.

On OS/2, starting SST-HTTP server hangs

On OS/2, attempting to start a WSI Server with transport type sst-http causes Smalltalk to hang if TCP/IP loopback is not
enabled.

Eventually, a Smalltalk debugger appears with the following error message: Could not create socket pair: ETIMEDOUT
(10060): Connection timed out. To correct this problem, enable loopback on OS/2 by performing the following steps:

1.Open TCP/IP Configuration windows.
2.Select loopback interface from the Interface to Configure list box.
3.Select the Enable interface check box.
4.Close the TCP/IP Configuration window.

To determine if the loopback interface is working properly, type the following from an OS/2 command prompt:

ping 127.0.0.1

If loopback is properly configured, a series of messages will be written to the OS/2 session indicating that the target address for the ping was successfully contacted. Press ctrl-c to terminate the ping operation.

After successfully configuring loopback, you should be able to use the sst-http interface from OS/2.

Packaging an image with Web Connection image components

To package your Web Connection application so that it utilizes the Web Connection image components, you must implement a
packager method to force inclusion of your web parts in the packaged image.

For example, implement the following method as a class method of the application containing your web connection parts.

packagerIncludeClassNames

^self defined collect: [:i | i name ]

#selectionType for table column gives confusing error message in properties

When a Table part is dropped onto an Html Page, the #selectionType attribute for a table column contains the following selections in the properties table:




These messages are a bit confusing. The #selectionType attribute is only valid for tables that are dropped onto an Html Form part.

Including the Web Server Interface Monitor in packaged applications

The Web Server Interface Monitor is no longer included, by default, in the prerequisites for Web applications. In order to include the monitor in a packaged application, users should modify the prerequisites for web applications to include theAbtRunHtmlPageApp application. Alternatively, users can package their web applications using the Tools->Browse Packaged Images option. You can add the AbtRunHtmlPageApp application to the packaged image from the Package Control Panel without modifying application prerequisites. This approach is necessary for Web applications that must be loaded into an XD image
because the AbtRunHtmlPageApp application will not load into an XD image.

For example, the sample application AbtWebSamplesApp is now headless by default because it does not include the prerequisite AbtRunHtmlPageApp. When the packaged image for this sample is started, no windows will open. The application AbtWebSamplesApp can be loaded into a passive XD image and packaged if desired.

The application AbtWebSamplesWithMonitorUIApp contains prerequisites to include the Web Server Interface Monitor as well as all the sample parts from AbtWebSamplesApp. This application cannot be loaded into an XD passive image.

Note:
Applications constructed before v4.5 already include the prerequisite AbtRunHtmlPageApp, so no special action is necessary.

XML

XML subelement mapping changes

Mapping of XML subelements is more restrictive in Version 6.0. For versions prior to 6.0, an XML subelement mapping could be defined to reference any subelement in it's entire tree of subelements. This behavior causes problems when the same subelement exists with different parents in the DOM element tree.

Consider the example below:

000004
25000


SUNW

100
100.01
2000-07-13-17.24.25.000000
1999





ie) In V5.5, the XML subelement 'Holding' could be mapped as using an AttributeMapping like that shown below:

Holding


Notice that the 'Holding' subelement is not a direct child of the 'Portfolio' element. It is actually a child of the 'Holdings' subelement. In V5.5, the 'Holding' attribute (a collection in this case) is mapped into the #holdings attribute of the target object.

For V6.0, the above mapping will not work. Instead, it is necessary to use a 'subelement attribute' mapping as shown below. The subelement attribute mapping maps the 'Holding' subelement of the 'Holdings' element into the #holdings attribute of the target object.


Holdings
Holding


Using the XML server examples

To try out the XML server samples, perform the following steps:

Testing XML request handlers over HTTP
1.From the VisualAge Organizer, select the AbtXmlServerSamplesUIApp application.
2.Select the AbtXmlSampleHttpClientTesterView part.
3.Enter an XML string or a piece of code that evaluates to an XML string

AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequest xmlTestString1
AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequest xmlTestString2

4.From the Actions menu, select the Open WSI monitor option to bring up the Web Server Interface monitor. Follow the instructions in the Web Connection User's Guide to start a WSI server with transport type wsi-tcp
5.Specifiy the URL that will handle the request:

http://myserver/cgi-bin/abtwsac.exe/AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequestHandler

6.Enable the Options->Inspect result option so that you can view the returned XML response string
7.Select the code string in the text box, and select the Actions->Evaluate and send menu option (or use pop-up menu for text box).

After the command is processed, an inspector should open to display an XML string that contains the results.

Testing XML request handlers over sockets (very similar to the steps for testing over HTTP)
1.From the VisualAge Organizer, select the AbtXmlServerSamplesUIApp application.
2.Select the AbtXmlSampleSocketClientTesterView part.
3.Enter an XML string or a piece of code that evaluates to an XML string

AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequest xmlTestString1
AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequest xmlTestString2

4.From the Actions menu, select the Open WSI monitor option to bring up the Web Server Interface monitor. Start a WSI server with transport type xml-tcp and select the request handler class that you wish to use for handling incoming requests on the socket. For example:

AbtXmlSampleCustomerSaxRequestWsiHandler

5.From the XML socket client tester view, specify the server and port number for the request that is to be made (the same server and port from step #4 above).
6.Enable the Options->Inspect result option so that you can view the returned XML response string.
7.Select the code string in the text box, and select the Actions->Evaluate and send menu option (or use pop-up menu for text box).

After the command is processed, an inspector should open to display an XML string that contains the results.

On Unix, testing the XML server sample AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequestHandler

The XML server sample named AbtXmlSampleCustomerRequestHandler contains code with hard coded directory references that do not resolve properly. If you would like to test this sample, you must first do the following:

1.Create a subdirectory named xml from your VisualAge base client directory. For example:

mkdir xml

2.Copy the xml files from the directory /opt/IBMvast/5.5/xml to the newly created xml directory. For example:

cd /xml
cp /opt/IBMvast/5.5/xml/*.* .

Packaged image with XML image components

If you wish to package your XML application so that it utilizes the XML image components, you must implement a packager method to force inclusion of your XML request handler parts in the packaged image. For example, you can implement the following method as a class method of the application containing your XML request handler parts:

packagerIncludeClassNames
| handlers |
handlers := AbtXmlServerSamplesApp defined select: [:aClass |
aClass inheritsFrom: AbtXmlWsiHandler ].
^handlers collect: [:aClass | aClass name ]

For reduced runtime images that are packaged without the XML image components, all XML request handlers are automatically included in the packaged image.

Packaging considerations when using XML input serialization

If the input serialization functionality of the XML feature is used to map incoming XML requests into Smalltalk business objects, the packager will exclude classes that are not specifically referenced in code. The specific sequence of events that may cause packaging concerns is as follows:

1.Parse an XML file to construct a DOM (document object model).
2.Send the #mapUsing: method to the DOM and pass it a valid instance of the AbtXmlMappingSpec class.

The #mapUsing: API uses the passed mapping specification to build an object from the contents of the DOM. However, the steps above do not cause any actual references to the class name of the constructed instance. Therefore, packaging rules must be used to instruct the packager that unreferenced classes should be included in the packaged image.

For example, the #packagerIncludeClassNames packager method (a class method) can be implemented in the application class. For example, if MyModel1 and MyModel2' are classes in MyApplication, then the method below should be implemented as a class method in MyApplication.

packagerIncludeClassNames
" Include class names that might be constructed via XML mapping "

^#(MyModel1 MyModel2)

XML code page conversion (unsupported encodings)

The XML parser automatically performs code page conversion before attempting to parse an XML stream. Many code pages are handled seamlessly using the default code page conversion routine of the runtime operating system. However, there are some character encodings that cannot be converted. Unsupported code page conversions cause walkbacks at execution time.

The following code pages are not supported:

* EUC_JP conversion is not properly supported by native Windows code page routines. A Windows implementation of ICONV supports EUC_JP. To download ICONV, see http://www.ibm.com/software/ad/smalltalk/downloads/vacodepage.html Using the ICONV support, additional code pages, including EUC_JP, can be supported.
* The code page ISO-2022-JP is not supported by native routines or by ICONV.

The VisualAge XML support attempts to map XML character set encodings to valid code pages. The default mappings can be overridden using the API shown in the following example:

AbtXmlStreamConverter mapEncoding: 'UTF-8' toCodePage: 65001.

VisualAge uses the code page conversion support APIs that are built in to each of the supported platforms. Therefore, code page mappings may be different for different operating systems. If you encounter a debugger with the following message it is likely that you have encountered an unmapped or mismapped encoding.

Abt.Nls.160.e: Conversion from code page to code page is not supported.



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