I know there are things that many of you using Maintain would like to see. In the past couple of weeks we have gotten options like Google Maps, Multi-line HTMLTable Headings and Time out warnings to work seemlessly with Maintain. Some of these features will be included in the next release of WebFOCUS. Others can be done with JavaScript techniques available right now. We have enhanced the Maintain demo launch form to include new options like running without tool bars.

Just this week I got filtered list boxes (with JavaScript) to work. Filtering either on contains or starting with. If you would like to be among the first to add that to your application, send me an e-mail and I will send you the code

Let me know what in Maintain would make your life easier. I cannot promise we will address all New Feature requests, but your requests help drive our development.

Sincerely,
Mark Derwin
Mark_Derwin@ibi.com

Mark,

I'm surprised you haven't gotten more response to this request - maybe you caught most of the interested parties on vacation...

My Maintain future 'wish-list':

In the MDE, when a .mnt is run, make the 'Close' button the default one, so one can exit the deploy window easier, and get on with testing faster !!!

Retain the form XML code in .mnt files when deployed, to reduce the possibility of this source code getting lost.

A new Grid control that isn't tied to Microsoft.

Better documentation, especially of odd stuff like IWC.GetAppCgiValue, GetHTMLField, the mntstkz library, maintain and SU, maintain and MRE/Dashboard, clean closing of a mnt app, form description XML

Hey Dave
A lot of requests have come to me directly. I love the idea of making the CLOSE button the default. I will open a NFR for that right now.

You will be happy to know that the "Retain XML" feature is in the 7.6 release of the MDE. It is the default and there is a check box to turn it off. It is in 7.66.

We are working on the JavaScript Grid. There have been a couple of setbacks but it is in the process. The trick is keeping all the functionality from the Active-X grid and add more!

As for the documentation of obscure features, most of that does come from articles and tech documents. However, we are talking about release a new directory containing JS functions and libraries. I will make sure each of those techniques are fully documented.

Mark

Dave - Could I ask you to open an NFR with Customer Support to change the default from Detail to Close? There is a better chance of it getting done!

Mark

Mark,

Done. Case number is #52522016.

Mark,

I'm glad there is work being done on a JS grid control. I inherited an application that is packed full of the ActiveX grid control. It really pains me to force users into IE. I would take great joy in redeveloping the application with a non-MS grid control.

My other request, and I wish I could provide better details, would be to improve the stability of the MDE in general. I've had the MDE crash on me too many times to count. It's happened on 7.6.2 and 7.6.9 and on different workstations, so I'm reasonably sure it isn't a problem with just my instance of Maintain. The crash doesn't even produce the Windows "Maintain has encountered an error and needs to close" message, it just disappears. Poof!

Another MDE issue is when I'm testing/debugging and doing lots of deploys in a short period of time. The CDE.exe process starts to chew up large amounts of RAM and never seems to release it. Eventually my page file blows up to 1.5gb and my workstation comes to screeching halt. My only option is to close Maintain and open it again to get any sort of performance back.

I'm glad your seeking feedback. I enjoy working with maintain, and would love to see it get better.

Bryan

A stackrow-to-stackrow comparison function would be really sweet, as would a stack-to-stack comparison function.

Maybe a bit late, but I just thought of some items:
- have a 'test-run' option. This option would not scan the entire gfa file to see if everything is in place, and should not parse and process each and every maintain present in the folder. It should just pay attention to the one maintain that is being run. And if that maintain is not complete - so be it - developers error, maintain does not have to flag that up front.
- have the possibility to do a 'OR' type of selection with the 'for all next' statement. Currently only AND is supported.
- support for text fields. I have a number of maintains that would greatly benefit from the product supporting clob or tx fields. Currently I have to work around these things to be able to process texts in any kind of volume.