Web developers can easily incorporate mainframe 3270 screens into Cold Fusion development environment and deliver robust HTML-based business applications
BURLINGTON, Mass.- -- iE, a leading provider of powerful web solutions, today announced it will provide the company's new Screensurfer Web development tool as the 3270-to-Web solution for Allaire Cold Fusion developers.
Introduced to market last month, Screensurfer is the first 3270 solution available to developers as a free Web download from http://www.inventu.com. Allaire Cold Fusion is a rapid application development system that provides the fastest way to build and deploy scalable Web applications that integrate browser, server and database technologies.
The integration of Screensurfer and Cold Fusion enables Web developers to easily incorporate information from 3270 screens directly into the Cold Fusion development and run-time environments through a Screensurfer Cold Fusion extension (CFX). Fleet Credit Card Services will be one of the first businesses to develop and deploy business applications using the combined product offering.
"The Screensurfer integration with our Cold Fusion development system is significant for our large community of Web developers," said Jeremy Allaire, co-founder and vice president of technology strategy for Allaire. "There are more legacy-to-Web initiatives being undertaken today than ever before as companies seek to unlock corporate data and improve information flow among employees, customers and business partners. This integration of Screensurfer and the Cold Fusion development system supports our goals of enhancing programmer productivity and maximizing the potential of the Web as a platform for business computing."
Fleet Credit Card Services is currently undertaking a large Web-to-host project utilizing Screensurfer and Cold Fusion. The system integration department is creating data entry and extraction applications that will link directly to the mainframe data stored at the company's service bureau, First Data.
"By creating applications that communicate in real-time with First Data, we will eliminate time-consuming batch transfers back and forth," says Craig White, lead software engineer for Fleet Bank Credit Card Services. "Our developers are very proficient with Cold Fusion, so being able to incorporate the 3270 data screens into that environment automatically solves an important issue and gives us the ability to deliver intuitive and powerful applications to the end user."
Bill Thorne, Screensurfer VP, says Screensurfer is ideal for the Cold Fusion developers because it utilizes HTML in the same way as Cold Fusion, limiting the learning curve for integrating legacy data into Web applications. The CFX for Screensurfer enables Cold Fusion to treat screen contents like any other data source rather than requiring the direct manipulation of the contents of 3270 screens. Direct handling of the 3270 screens is done through Screensurfer with its wizards and HTML templates that are very similar to Cold Fusion.
How Screensurfer works with Cold Fusion
Screensurfer is fully compatible with the Cold Fusion development system.
Screensurfer has a dynamic remote procedure call capability that enables Screensurfer developers to define callable "transactions" that can read named input parameters from the caller, interact with host 3270 applications and return named values from one or more host screens to the caller. The CFX for Screensurfer leverages this architecture, enabling Cold Fusion developers to easily call defined Screensurfer transactions and incorporate any returned data into their CFML template(s). As a result, Cold Fusion developers gain immediate access to host applications without touching the mainframe programs.
Pricing, Platform and Availability
The Screensurfer developer download is available for free via the Web at www.inventu.com. Screensurfer CFX tags and the developer download will also be available to developers on the Allaire Web site at www.allaire.com. Using little more than one megabyte, Screensurfer can be downloaded quickly. Screensurfer runs on Windows/NT 4.0 and supports SNA Server and Internet standard TN3270 host connections. Product and support is available via the Web.
About Screensurfer
Screensurfer is a general purpose Web gateway for screen-based host applications that allows developers to quickly and easily re-package 3270-based screens and information as enhanced HTML pages. Using Screensurfer, organizations can easily provide access to 3270-based screens and information from any standard Web browser. A free developer download of Screensurfer is available at www.inventu.com.
Screensurfer provides immediate web browser support for 3270 screens through on-the-fly 3270 to HTML protocol conversion with session and state management.
Extensive customization capabilities are available through HTML templates and JavaScript based wizards. Screensurfer supports both TN3270 and SNA through Microsoft SNA Server or IBM Communications Server.
About iE
iE (http://www.ie.com) provides solutions that enable its customers to gain advantage from information assets via Web technology.
iE Integrator, Screensurfer, and advanced technology services have enabled clients in financial services, government, telecommunications, utilities, manufacturing, distribution, travel, and retail industries to deploy business critical applications through the power of the Internet, Java, and object technology. From headquarters in Burlington, Mass. and London, UK, the company distributes its products in 20 countries, and has sold over 10,000 licenses worldwide. Founded in 1985, iE is a public company, quoted on the London Stock Exchange (AIM) as IEN.
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Screensurfer and iE Integrator are trademarks of iE. All other trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are properties of their respective holders.