ASNA Delivers New Version of Popular RPG Compiler; ASNA Visual RPG 7.2 for .NET Delivers Robust New Compatibility and Print Engine Enhancements for Developers Seeking to Easily Extend Valuable RPG Code Used on IBM iSeries Systems

Business Wire, Oct 18, 2005

SAN ANTONIO -- ASNA (Amalgamated Software of North America), a developer of innovative software solutions that allow developers to easily evolve IBM iSeries(R) systems, today announced availability of a new version of its popular .NET RPG compiler that creates .NET assemblies for Microsoft Windows(R) and Web applications.

The new compiler, ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) 7.2 for .NET, can connect to either the iSeries or Microsoft's SQL Server with ASNA DataGate(R) technology. The new version is available now.

"AVR 7.2 is a major step forward, particularly for those interested in continuing to extend or migrate code," said Anne Ferguson, president and co-founder of ASNA. "Its report printing engine brings superb Windows printing to AVR for .NET applications. We're very excited about AVR 7.2 and its synchronicity with ASNA Monarch 2.0."

Many of AVR 7.2's enhancements are designed for increased compatibility with iSeries RPG (both RPG/400 and ILE RPG) and with ASNA's own Visual RPG for COM. Some of the new features of AVR 7.2 include adding support for more than 21 additional ILE RPG Built-In Functions (BIFs). AVR 7.2 also adds the ability to declare subfields from input fields. Keyed file I/O commands (such as CHAIN and SETLL, among others) have been enhanced to use an inline list of keys in lieu of a conventional key list.

To help improve migration from AVR for COM to AVR for .NET, AVR 7.2 includes a new Subfile control. This Windows client control serves as an alternative to the .NET framework's Windows Data Grid control, and emulates many of the properties, methods, and events of the AVR for COM Subfile control.

A major new feature of AVR 7.2 is its new report printing engine, which vastly improves printing capabilities. AVR 7.2 offers a Visual Studio-hosted Print File Designer with which to design print files. These Windows-based print files are used in AVR for .NET Windows and Web applications to create effective reports. AVR 7.2 reports can be printed on any Windows network printer and support fonts and images. The output medium from AVR's new reporting engine is XML -- and in addition to being rendered with AVR 7.2's native printer engine, that report output could also easily be rendered with reporting products such as Crystal Reports.

About ASNA

ASNA has been developing visual programming and systems software for the midrange community since 1982. ASNA Web and Windows development products include ASNA Visual RPG for .NET, DataGate, ASNA DataGate Component Suite, and ASNA Monarch. ASNA is an IBM Tools Network Partner, an Advanced Tier Member of IBM's PartnerWorld for Developers, a Microsoft Visual Studio Industry Partner and a Managed Microsoft Certified Partner. ASNA is also a founding member of the Midrange Alliance Program (MAP) and the only member to be both IBM ServerProven and Microsoft .NET compliant. Business applications developed with ASNA Visual RPG (AVR) and DataGate are used by more than 750,000 end-users across many thousands of companies worldwide. Based in San Antonio, Texas, ASNA also has offices in Europe (Guildford, UK) and 30 international distributors.