The following Xafari Framework versions will be released:
- 13.2.x06
- 14.1.x06
The release is expected in late September 2014.
Extension of the functionality and enhancements of performance, scalability, and ergonomics of the XAF applications, especially in the Web-interface, are main objectives of the new version.
Functional modules
Support of Branches
It is possible to keep data of multiple separate companies in one database or configuration of the application solution after connecting the module. It is possible to configure, which entities and reference information items are common, and which ones belong to the branches. Access to certain branches can be configured for each user. This functionality was tested in our application systems Galaktika EAM and Galaktika ERP.
Audit
The Audit module is a replacement for the ordinary XAF Audit Trail module. The Audit module offers extended functionality and substantially increased scalability and performance with large data volumes.
Report Server
The following functionality has been implemented:
- Asynchronous/postponed report generation in the server or in the client application
- Operation of the report server as a XAF/Xafari application
- Complete support of the XAF application security model
- Generating reports in the servers, thus saving the client resources
- Storing the ready reports in the database
- Scalability
- Generating reports on schedule
- Distributing notifications
In addition to the report server proper, the Xafari Message Queue service XafariMQ has been implemented. After the trial operation in the х06 version, we are planning to release a report server /calculation server based on this service in future.
Task List
In the context of release of new Docflow and Workflow modules, a common service for task list management is necessary. This service must be generally usable and applicable for most application tasks.
The service would allow:
- Generate tasks
- Obtain the list of tasks assigned to an executor
- Manage tasks
Starting with version x06, the Docflow module will use the common Task List module.
Analysis Report Template
The following report templates are available in the current version: XtraReport, Excel, File
In the next release, we will add the Analysis template, which allows generating reports based on the XtraPivotGrid.
The reports based on the Analysis template can be used for analysis of various business information. The report presents the data as an interactive pivot grid.
The Analysis report template allows the user to form the desired data presentation intuitively while using multiple possibilities to configure the presentation.
The functionality of the Analysis report template is implemented for the Win and Web modules.
Any field of the report data source, that is a collection, can be used as data source for the pivot grid in the Analysis report. The collection item type must be defined in the business model of the application.
In the Win version, the Pivot Grid Designer is available for editing the template.
Export / Import Module
Enhancements to the module which improve the end user functionality will be included in the х06 version:
- Detailed information on which errors occurred in the course of import or export
- Determining the default values
- Use of calculated fields
- The possibility to import and export the many-to-many relations was added
- A mechanism for analysis of the existing initial data in the database in the course of import was added
- Support for import and export of images
Interface features and modules
MVC Web Module
In addition to two possible types of the client, the WinForm and the ASP.NET- WebForm, we developed a new type of the XAF client application, which is the ASP.NET-MVC type.
The new MVC client creates substantially less load on the server and improves the scalability of the XAF-based WEB applications (supporting up to 100 concurrently working users). The response time improves by more than 3 times, which significantly improves overall ergonomics of the web applications.
A provisional trial version (covering the standard functionality of the XAF MainDemo and CRM) will be included in the х06 version release; we plan to release the final solution by the end of year 2014.
Improved Multiple Lookup
Initially, our visual control Xafari Multiple Lookup Property Editor kept the selected values. It proved not convenient for generating queries. Besides, it affected performance when creating multiple filters. In the forthcoming release, substantial enhancements are included, and the process architecture has been changed. Now the selected values are stored in an internal table, and the JOIN operator is used for application of the filters. It is also possible to create the reusable selection of values, which are available in different forms in the application. A special data type and a special editor were developed in order to support this functionality. This change allowed to improve the performance of filters with large data volumes by an order of magnitude (response time less than 1 second, compared to a few minutes previously).
Templates for the WEB Application
We implemented the possibility to use templates for the visual controls assigned to the fields of the business objects. It is possible to created templates for each field separately or for a group of fields. The groups of fields can be determined using various factors: the type, the editor, the view displaying the field, etc.
This functionality allows adapting the standard WEB XAF interface to the client's corporate standards and requirements.
Strategies for Generating Forms
The strategy for generation of forms, in which all new fields that exist in the BOM model, are presented in the forms by default. While it is convenient for prototypes, this strategy can be unacceptable for the series products that are intended for the client's adaptation (including the addition of new properties to the Business Object Metadata (BOM) model) as there can be situations where the added fields interfere with the preconfigured forms.
In the new release, we implemented the possibility to control the form generation process based on the description of the applicable client's strategy. The Xafari strategy, which controls the content of the forms, generation of the views, combining properties into groups, and other parameters in the code at the time of describing the business object, has been implemented for the new release.
Profiling and performance
When preparing this release, much attention was paid to the matters of performance and scalability of the integrated mechanisms. A test bench was created, and a technology allowing to obtain reproducible test results under the multiple user load was determined.
They helped to detect and eliminate many issues and problems occurring at multiple user load (over 5 concurrent users) for the Win-ASP client.
Documentation and examples
Documentation will be substantially improved in the forthcoming release. We also plan to develop new demo applications.
We also plan to release documentation on common data with this version.
Licensing Xafari
If will be the first version with the integrated license control. The license control mechanism will operate both at the installation time and in the runtime.