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WorkStation Manager

VIP4™ Product Suite
4.10 Release Notes


The following is a summary of enhancements and fixes for the 4.10 release. This release includes an updated set of manuals for the VIP product suite. Please refer to those manuals for detailed documentation and examples.

Software Enhancements

WorkStation Manager [up]

Please refer to the WorkStation Manager 4.10 manual for details.
  1. The WorkStation Manager
    Options Dialog has been revised. In addition to several new options, options that were previously only accessible by manually editing the Tbred.ini file are now available from the Options Dialog. To accommodate the increased number of options the Options Dialog has been reorganized. Several new tabs have been implemented and some older options have been moved to different tabs.
  2. Reference: Message Trace
    All debug trace options are now available from the WorkStation Manager. Please note that enabling the OCX (run time screens) will slow down screen processing dramatically. All the message trace options should be disabled and only enabled upon the request of Thoroughbred Support.

TbredComm [up]

Please refer to the TbredComm 4.10 manual for details.
  1. Reference: MouseAware General
    TbredComm mouse aware has been enhanced to include:

    * Support for multiple control key values.
    * Support for mouse click visuals.

    The mouse options are set in the WorkStation Manager Options (Mouse Controls tab). In addition the 8.5.1 release of OPENworkshop and IDOL-IV is fully mouse aware.
  2. Reference: Copy & Paste
    The TbredComm Copy & Paste feature has been enhanced to include "Smart Copy." This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (Mouse Controls tab).
  3. Reference: Copy & Paste
    TbredComm now supports Paste. This feature allows you to paste the contents of the clipboard into the current Basic window.
  4. Reference: Copy & Paste
    The color used when highlighting text for copy can be set in the Workstation Manager, Options (TbredComm tab).
  5. Reference: File Open and Execute
    TbredComm now supports two new mnemonics: "OB" Open Begin and "OE" Open End. These mnemonics allow any file on the client that can be executed from the Windows Run window to be opened and executed from within TbredComm. For example these mnemonics would allow host code to open a Word document on the client or display an image file on the client.
  6. Reference: Overflow Col
    TbredComm now supports defining an Overflow color. When resizing the TbredComm window, the Basic window "region" is resized based on the current font and point size. It is possible to expand the TbredComm window beyond the region defined by Basic. The OverflowColor defines the color to be used for that area of the TbredComm window. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (TbredComm tab).
  7. Reference: Maximize Button
    TbredComm now supports an option to enable or disable the Maximize button in the main TbredComm window. By default this button is not enabled. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (TbredComm tab).
  8. Reference: Close Button
    TbredComm now supports an option to enable or disable the Close button in the main TbredComm window. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (TbredComm tab).
  9. Reference: Scrolling TbredComm
    The TbredComm window now supports scrolling. The scroll bar allows you to scroll back through the last 100 lines of history in the telnet window.
  10. Reference: Print Screen
    An option to print the TbredComm screen has been added. This will print the current TbredComm screen including the last 100 lines of history. From the TbredComm menu bar select "System", then select "Print Screen."
  11. Reference: QueueSize
    An option to control the Queue Size parameter has been added to the WorkStation Manager. The queue size defines the size (in kb) of the inbound message queue used by both TbredComm and VIP. In previous releases the queue size was 8kb. In this release the default size has been increased to 64kb. The larger queue size and managing the queue size should resolve several problems including problems when printing very large print jobs to a slave printer. If you have a slow network connection try decreasing this value. This parameter is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (TbredComm tab).
  12. Reference: Slave Printing Print Dialog
    An option has been added to display or not display the Print Dialog (printer selection) when doing slave printing. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (TbredComm tab).

VIP General [up]

Please refer to the VIP for Dictionary-IV 4.10 manual for details.
  1. Reference: QueueSize
    Please refer to the TbredComm release notes above for details.
  2. Reference: Upload Message Size
    An option to control the Upload Message Size has been added to the WorkStation Manager. This parameter defines the size (in kb) of the messages sent from the client to the host. The new default value is 16kb. Most host bound messages are very small; however, communication from the client to the host, when saving a GUI screen definition back to the host, does communicate large blocks of data. The larger Upload Message Size size improves performance when uploading GUI screen definitions. Slow network connections may experience problems with large message blocks. This parameter is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (VIP tab).
  3. Reference: Close Button
    VIP now supports and option to disable the "close" button. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (VIP tab).
  4. Reference: Background Image
    VIP4 now supports using either .jpg or .bmp file as a background image for the main VIP window. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (VIP tab).
  5. Reference: Clear Buffer
    A new VIP message, XG18 has been added to clear the input buffer. Because VIP4 supports type ahead, it is possible to have keystrokes buffered in the queue that are no longer appropriate for the application logic. The clear input buffer message can be used to resolve this problem. This message will be implemented throughout the IDOL-IV and OPENworkshop products where appropriate. Care should be taken when using this message in your application. The buffer may contain keystrokes critical to your application logic. To clear the input buffer:
    CALL "VIPCOM","XG18"
  6. Reference: Enable/Disable keyboard and mouse
    A new VIP message to enable/disable the keyboard and the mouse has been implemented. Implementing VIP messages in your application code should always been done with care. Issuing messages incorrectly or at an inappropriate point in application logic can create, conflicts for IDOL-IV and OPENworkshop.
    CALL "VIPCOM","XG190" disable the keyboard and mouse.
    CALL "VIPCOM","XG191" enabled the keyboard and mouse.
  7. Reference: Slave Printing
    VIP4 now supports slave printing.
  8. Reference: VIP Window Title
    An option to set the main VIP window title has been added. This option is set in the WorkStation Manager, Options (VIP tab).

VIP Screens [up]

  1. Reference: Host/Dictionary-IV GUI Screen Storage
    VIP graphical screens and templates are now saved on the host in a GUI Dictionary (IDDBB). A utility to import your existing VIP 4.03 and 4.031 screens has been provided. This enhancement is complex, affecting various aspects of the Dictionary-IV product. Please be sure to review the details covered in the VIP for Dictionary-IV manual (version 4.10) before using this feature.
    Note: If you experience problems editing large GUI screen definitions or editing GUI screen definitions on a slow network try adjusting both the Upload Message Size and the QueueSize. See the TbredComm and VIP sections for details.
  2. Reference: GUI Screen Special Field Colors
    Screens now support an option to control the foreground and background color for formula fields, security fields, and current field. When enabled these colors are applied at run time and take precedence over colors saved with the GUI screen definition. These color options are set in the WorkStation Manager, Option (Special Field Colors tab).
  3. Reference: GUI Screen Editor
    The GUI Screen editor is now invoked from Dictionary-IV Screen Definition Maintenance. Please see Host/Dictionary-IV GUI Screen Storage above.
  4. Reference: GUI Screen Editor
    An option to start the screen editor with the ToolBox, PropertyList, and Grid Control windows opened has been added to the screen editor options dialog. From the menu bar select "Edit," select "Options," then click on the "General" tab control to enable or disable these options. By default these windows are not opened.

VIP Views [up]

  1. Reference: Dynamic View Headings
    GUI Views now support dynamic view headings. At run time when doing a CONNECT VIEW column headings can be supplied. This feature is also supported when using CONNECT VIEW to emulate a PRINT VIEW. Column headings are passed by the application to view processing in VIEW$[28]. Please refer to the OPENworkshop CONNECT VIEW (View Array) for more detailed documentation.
  2. Reference: Full Row Cursor with Locked Columns
    PRINT VIEW will now support a full row cursor with locked columns. In the past it appeared that PRINT VIEW supported locked columns but was not working properly. By design PRINT VIEW was not intended to support locked columns but under the certain circumstances it would give the appearance that locked columns were supported. That problem has been corrected and support of locked columns with a full row cursor for PRINT VIEW has been implemented in VIP4. This feature has not yet been implemented with character PRINT VIEWS but will be addressed in a future release.
  3. Reference: Column Padding Rules
    A new option for view column padding as been added. Previously data was centered in a column. Masking data to the defined column width would result in the data being either left or right justified. Depending upon the maximum data width, the column width, the optional column mask, and the view fonts this behavior may or may not of been obvious. With this release an option has been added to pad data using the old rules or using the new rules:
    • All date fields, all numeric fields and all fields where the padding types are 1 or 3 will be right justified.
    • All other field types and padding types will be left justified.
    The View padding rule is selected in the WorkStation Manager, Options (VIP tab).
  4. Reference: View SetColor
    Views now support SetColor syntax and a SetColor Method. These can be used to dynamically change the foreground and background colors of a row, a column or a cell. The SetColor syntax supplied in the View array is a solution for common and simple color rules. The SetColor Method (name supplied in the View array) is a solution for more complex color rules. Please refer to the on line CONNECT VIEW (View Array) help for detailed documentation.

Software Changes

VIP General [up]

  1. Reference: Valid Values
    VIP4 MISC 0177

    Several problems where Valid Values were not being processed correctly have been fixed. This would have affected both Views and Screens. In some cases fields that should be displayed as valid values were at times displayed as standard input fields. In some cases entering a valid value would be rejected as an invalid selection. In some cases default values for Valid Value lists were not processed correctly. In some cases the entire field of a Valid Value was not cleared.
  2. Reference: Start up
    HOST MISC 0040

    VIP was not always checking the terminal type for non-window operating systems. This would allow the user to incorrectly select VIP ON when not configured for a TbredComm terminal type. For telnet sessions the recommended terminal table is the 8.5.1 TBREDCON. For local windows host connections the recommended terminal table is the 8.5.1 WINNTCON
  3. Reference: Start up
    A problem where VIP would hang on start up when running on a windows host has been corrected.
  4. Reference: Start up
    VIP4 MISC 0154

    During the VIP start up logic, any input from either the keyboard or the mouse is ignored until the client/host handshaking is complete. This will eliminate several issues associated with input conflicts and collisions during the start up process.
  5. Reference: Start up
    VIP4 MISC 0153 VIP4 MISC 0170

    A problem where downloading the updated Message Pool file would cause the file to become corrupt has been corrected. A corrupt Message Pool file would prevent VIP from starting correctly and was responsible for various error messages during the start up process. Typically but, not exclusively, the error message was "No Active Server for the command received."
  6. Reference: Multi-Language
    V410 CLNT 0007

    A problem where Set Message (Message Pool file) was not honoring the current language has been corrected.
  7. Reference: Shut down
    VIP4 TBC 0156

    A Null window handler error when closing the VIP window has been corrected.
  8. Reference: Shut down
    VIP4 TBC 0157

    An error closing the VIP window and canceling the option to terminate TbredComm has been corrected.
  9. Reference: Shut down
    VIP4 TBC 0158

    A hang in TbredComm when clicking the log in Cancel button has been corrected.
  10. Reference: Messages
    V410 CLNT 0003

    A problem where prompt messages (P,n) were not always cleared has been corrected.
  11. Reference: Source-IV™
    V410 HOST 0004

    An error in VIP has been corrected where compiling source would produce an ERR=42 Line 1500 of VIPCOM.
  12. Reference: Source-IV
    V410 HOST 0025

    A problem where selecting a Source-IV module for editing would cause VIP to crash has been corrected.
    Note: Source editing is not graphical, the main Basic (character) window will be displayed when editing source.
  13. Reference: IDMAIL
    A problem where IDMAIL did not work with VIP on has been corrected.
  14. Reference: Pop up menu
    V410 CLNT 0030

    A problem where pop up menus did not always receive the focus has been corrected.
  15. Reference: Pop up menu
    V410 CLNT 0041

    A problem with Pop Up Menus removing leading spaces in the selection text has been corrected.
  16. Reference: Text Editing
    VIP4 TEDT 0001

    A problem where not all cursor control keys worked while editing a text field or help has been corrected.
  17. Reference: F16 Print Screen
    VIP4 MISC 0162

    Problems with F16 to print the current screen or window that contained graphic characters has been corrected. For graphic characters to display correctly you must use a font that supports these characters. For example the Tbred font or the IBMPCDOS font.
  18. Reference: Tool Bars
    VIP4 MISC 0155

    A problem where not all control keys defined in a tool bar were being processed has been corrected. This could be duplicated using the Tab and BackTab keys but was not limited to them. This has been corrected in both the TbredComm tool bar and the VIP tool bar.
  19. Reference: Tool Bars
    VIP4 MISC 0158

    A problem where CTL-P and CTL-F did not work from either the WorkStation Manager tool bar or the VIP tool bar has been corrected
  20. Reference: V410 HOST OO34
    The 8.5.1 host requires a VIP 4.10 client. A problem has been fixed where VIP would not start and appear to hang when attempting to connect to an 8.5.1 host with a VIP 4.031 client. After a time out, the host will revert back to character mode and report the version conflict. Related to this, the VIP start up logic will now print a character message "Starting VIP, please wait."
  21. Reference: VIP4 MISC 0150
    A problem where VIP would hang when a screen lost the focus has been addressed. When a GUI screen has the focus, then the user clicks on some other object such as a view, VIP would appear to hang if keystrokes were entered before setting the focus back to the screen. With this release when the user clicks off of a screen object, VIP will queue all keystrokes until the user clicks on the screen. At that time, the queued keystrokes will be sent back to the host. The standard host code will process those keystrokes accordingly. For example if string data is returned to the host while the screen is sitting on a numeric field, the appropriate error message will be reported to the user. While it is not possible for VIP to know when it is valid or invalid for the user to click off the screen, it can manage the "orphaned" keystrokes.

VIP Help [up]

  1. Reference: Saved Location
    VIP4 HELP 0023, 0024

    A problem where the saved help location was not being honored has been corrected. In some cases, this same problem might also cause VIP to crash.
  2. VIP4 HELP 0017, 0018, 0019, 0020, 0021
    Various problems with displaying and editing help text have been corrected. Please note that when displaying help containing graphic characters a fixed font must be used. Also when editing help text a fixed font must be used. In both cases the Tbred font will be used since it is guaranteed to be installed on the client.
  3. Reference: Fonts
    VIP4 HELP 0019

    A problem where help would sometimes be displayed with a very large font has been corrected.
  4. Reference: Location
    VIP4 HELP 0022

    A problem where help would sometimes be displayed off the visible screen and could only be viewed by scrolling the VIP window has been corrected.

VIP Screens [up]

  1. Reference: Calculated/Security Fields
    V410 CLNT 0014,
    VIP4 SCRN 0123

    A problem where the user could click on formula (calculated) fields and security fields has been corrected.
  2. Reference: Padding
    V410 CLNT 0028

    A problem where string formulas were right justified has been corrected. For example /FIELD(40) = #OEFCUST.CUST-NAME would be right justified. This may or may not correct all string formula alignment issues.
  3. Reference: Ballon Help
    VIP4 MISC 0157

    A problem where balloon help defined in picture box and image box controls was not displayed has been corrected.
  4. Reference: Field Edit Clear
    VIP4 SCRN 0108

    A problem with Field Edit Clear not clearing the entire input control has been corrected.
  5. Reference: Lookup
    VIP4 SCRN 0109

    A problem with SPACEOK not accepting a space(s) has been corrected.
  6. Reference: Valid Values
    VIP4 SCRN 0114

    A problem with the display and input of Valid Value lists with default has been fixed. For example, a valid input of "BBB" might display as "BBBA" where "AAAA" is a default value.
  7. Reference: Valid Values
    VIP4 SCRN 0131, 0132

    A problem with the display and input of Valid Value lists that contain numeric data has been fixed. For example, a Valid Value list of 0,AA,B1,CC or 0,11,22,CC now inputs correctly.
  8. Reference: Date Fields
    VIP4 MISC 0160

    A problem where date type 2 fields with IM=DDMMYY mask accepting 8 bytes of data during input has been corrected.
  9. Reference: F10 GOTO
    A hang with F10 GOTO FIELD from INPUT SCREEN has been corrected.
  10. Reference: 8OPENS/8PRINT
    VIP4 SCRN 0111

    A problem where GUI screens were not being cleaned up with 8OPENS and 8PRINT has been corrected.
  11. eference: Security Fields
    VIP4 SCRN 0124

    A problem where pressing the Enter key on a 3,0 field type would cause the hourglass to display and VIP to "hang" has been corrected.
  12. Reference: Security Fields
    VIP4 SCRN 0090

    A problem where password type fields (0,2) displayed input has been corrected.
  13. Reference: Valid Values
    VIP4 SCRN 0136

    A problem where Valid Value fields remain highlighted after moving to the next field has been corrected.
  14. Reference: Screen Editor Templates
    V410 CLNT 0013

    A problem where editing templates and adding or deleting panels could cause the editor to crash has been corrected.
  15. Reference: Screen Editor Labels
    V410 CLNT 0047

    A problem where the Screen Editor would replace the text "True" with "-1" and the text "False" with "0" has been corrected.
  16. Reference: Screen Editor Panels
    VIP4 SCRN 0135

    A problem where deleting a panel would also delete all the controls contained by that panel has been corrected.
  17. Reference: Screen Editor Panels
    VIP4 SEDT 0103

    A problem where moving a control off the parent panel could cause a warning message to display or the editor to crash has been corrected. Controls can now be off the parent panel.
  18. Reference: Screen Editor Color
    VIP4 SCRN 0106

    A problem where certain colors could not be applied to a control has been corrected. For example dark yellow could not be applied.

VIP Views [up]

  1. Reference: Headings
    V410 CLNT 0008

    A problem where view headings changed through a script are lost and the view reverts to the defaults has been corrected. See V410 CLNT 0015.
  2. Reference: Caching
    V410 CLNT 0009

    A problem where selected data elements were not displayed in a view has been corrected. This is related to V410 CLNT 0015.
  3. Reference: Caching
    V410 CLNT 0015

    Several problems where the correct view was not always being displayed have been corrected. In all cases the View saved in cache was being rendered rather than the current View from the host.
  4. Reference: Duplicate Keys
    VHST VIEW 0003

    A problem where duplicate keys in a view would cause VIP to crash has been corrected.
  5. Reference: Hang
    VHST VIEW 0004

    A problem where entering data in a column of a view without first pressing Enter to trigger field edit mode would cause a hang has been corrected.
  6. Reference: View Prompt Messages
    VIP4 VIEW 0095

    A problem where view prompt messages (VP[]) were being displayed when processing a PRINT VIEW has been corrected.
  7. Reference: Alignment/Padding
    VIP4 VIEW 0101

    A problem with numeric field alignment in a view has been corrected. At least one extra space was added to the end of a numeric field causing the data to shift left. This has been corrected. If the column width is greater than the data mask width, the data is centered in the view. This behavior is consistent with character views. When defining Views where the numeric data width is less than the column width, define a view column mask to insure proper alignment or use the new View padding rules to control padding. See VIP Enhancements for information on the new View padding rules.
  8. Reference: Locked Columns
    VIP4 VIEW 0106

    A problem with CONNECT VIEW locked columns where the BackTab key did not work has been corrected.
  9. Reference: Full Row Cursor
    VIP4 VIEW 0107

    A problem with CONNECT VIEW and the full row cursorn option has been corrected. Using the Right Arrow key to move off the first field in a view and then arrow back to the first field would cause the full row cursor to clear.
  10. Reference: Line Insert
    VIP4 VIEW 0108

    A problem where inserting a row at the bottom of a view would cause an error has been corrected.
  11. Reference: LookUp
    VIP4 MISC 00159

    A problem in LookUp views where the hourglass cursor was not cleared has been corrected.
  12. Reference: View Screen Prompt Messages
    VIP4 VIEW 0095

    A problem where VP[] and SP[] messages were displayed when doing a PRINT VIEW has been corrected.
  13. Reference: Locked Columns
    VIP4 VIEW 0096

    A problem where VIP was not honoring locked columns with PRINT VIEW has been corrected.
  14. Reference: Line Delete
    V410 CLNT 0035

    A problem where deleting a row could create a blank row at the end of the view has been fixed.
  15. Reference: Cursor Positioning
    V410 CLNT 0046, VIEW 0099

    Several problems where the cursor would incorrectly be positioned at the last column of the first row have been corrected.
  16. Reference: Cursor Positioning
    VIP4 VIEW 0098

    A problem where the cursor would incorrectly be positioned at the first column of the first row after exiting the F8 command window has been corrected.
  17. Reference: Line Insert VIP4 VIEW 0097
    A problem adding lines to a view containing system generated fields has been corrected.

Query-IV [up]

  1. Reference: Rows Where
    VHST QRY4 0002

    A problem where the Rows Where option would cause VIP to crash has been corrected.
  2. Reference: EQL
    A problem where EQL was not supported with VIP ON has been corrected.
  3. Reference: General
    A problem where the cursor was not positioned correctly in the Rows Where and EQL windows has been corrected.
  4. Reference: General
    Various minor bug fixes have been made to Query-IV with VIP enabled.

TbredComm [up]

  1. Reference: Mouse Aware
    VHST MISC 0007

    Several problems with the character mouse aware in IDOL/OPENworkshop environments have been correct.
  2. Reference: Fonts
    V410 CLNT 0037

    Several problems with font sizing and saving have been corrected.
  3. Reference: Scripts
    VIP4 TBC 0167

    A problem has been corrected where TbredComm would crash if an autlogon script referenced a script file that was deleted.

TS ReportServer [up]

  1. Reference: Large Reports
    RPSV MISC 0077

    A problem where printing large reports would cause TS ReportServer to crash has been fixed. This problem could be reproduced by printing large Source-IV listings. Also see Enhancements, TbredComm, QueueSize.
  2. Reference: Large Reports
    RPSV MISC 0087

    A problem where large reports would generate an Err 43 at line 1800 in VIPCOM has been corrected.
  3. Reference: Scrolling
    VIP4 RPSV 0003

    A problem where the displayed page number would eventually revert back to 1 when scrolling through very large reports has been corrected.
  4. Reference: Print Preview
    V410 CLNT 0020

    A problem where print preview does not display the page correctly has been corrected.

WorkStation Manager [up]

  1. Reference: Fonts
    V410 CLNT 0024, 0025

    A problem where font settings were lost or set to an invalid value has been corrected. This would result in either an incorrect or bad point size being used when displaying help and generating default screens.
  2. Reference: Menus
    VIP4 WSM 0093

    A problem where deleted Workstation menus were not being cleared from Tbred.ini has been corrected.