UX: How do you export components from one environment to another?

I have a couple of software development life cycle (SDLC) questions about Perceptive apps using the TRIRIGA UX Framework:

• How do you export changes to Perceptive app components from one environment to another, without exporting the whole application? Example components include web view files and data sources. Currently, if we only change and test a data source or web view in Dev, we cannot figure out how to export them from the Dev environment and import them into the system integration testing (SIT) environment.
• How do you add an existing data source to an existing model? We only found an Add button to add a new data source. We would like to associate a pre-defined data source to a model.

TRIRIGA currently supports exporting of the whole app, so you cannot export only a data source. For web view files, you have the option to use the WebViewSync tool to pull the files from one environment and push them into another.

About adding an existing data source, the data sources were designed to be part of a model and that’s why there is no button to add an existing data source to a model. However, you can manually associate them by using the Association tab.

[Admin: To see other related posts, use the UX Framework tag.]

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What is the IBM TRIRIGA compatibility with Apple iPads?

I’m not sure if the supported OS list includes iOS officially. With the advent of iPad Pro devices, the line between iPhone-like devices and computers gets further blurred. After all, an iPad Pro begins to feel a lot like a MacBook Air. There is support for Safari on a computer as well, and generally the move is to become device-agnostic.

But I need to put forth some guidance about iPad Pro devices and TRIRIGA. My initial observation is that some basic functions don’t work correctly, perhaps HTML5 related? For example, rendering the portal. The page starts loading correctly, then the screen jiggers a bit and seems to stabilize, but scroll bars never appear and the user cannot move up or down. I’ve tested in both Safari and Chrome.

Official support of IBM TRIRIGA on iPad is limited to the IBM TRIRIGA UX Framework and Perceptive Applications. Traditional TRIRIGA, portal, and non-UX applications are only supported on Windows and Mac OS X operating systems when running Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or IE11. Although a lot of non-UX TRIRIGA will load on an iPad, you will run into some limitations as you have noted above…

UX: How do you “vulcanize” your UX application?

[Updated 08.07.17 for TRIRIGA 3.5.3 and 10.5.3]

A typical TRIRIGA UX application will initially load hundreds of resource files which translate to the same number of HTTP requests from the server to the browser. This remains true in the succeeding requests of these resources even if they are already cached by the browser. The browser still makes the same number of HTTP requests to the server then waits for the server response to either load it from the cache or from the latest version from the server. This great number of HTTP requests is costly and can affect the performance of your application. One way of cutting down this cost is to concatenate these web resources into a single file through the Vulcanize build tool created by the Google Polymer team.

The TRIRIGA team developed a tool called tri-vulcanize that specifically vulcanizes TRIRIGA UX component files. It pulls the component files from the TRIRIGA server based on the given view to vulcanize, then uses the Google Vulcanize build tool to concatenate these files into a single file.

Prerequisites:

1. Upgrade TRIRIGA Platform version 3.5.2 to be able to vulcanize UX applications.
2. Upgrade TRIRIGA Application version 10.5.2 to get the vulcanized Perceptive applications.
3. Download the tools here.
4. For version 3.5.2 and 10.5.2, follow the steps here in setting up the UX metadata: Setup the UX metadata for 3.5.2 and 10.5.2 for customized and new UX applications.
5. For version 3.5.3 and 10.5.3 and later, follow the steps here in setting up the UX metadata: How to vulcanize your UX application starting 3.5.3, 10.5.3 and later for customized and new UX applications.

When do I vulcanize my UX Application?

You will need to vulcanize your UX application whenever there are changes to your view files or platform component files. These usually happen when a developer has updated your view files or from application OMs and platform upgrades. It is best to re-vulcanize your UX applications when any of these changes occurred, even if you are not sure that there were UX component and application files getting updated in the upgrade…

UX: What is the best practice for adding other Polymer elements?

On page 16 of the Implementing UX document, it states that it is possible to include existing Polymer components to further enhance capabilities. Is there a best practice or recommended method for adding existing Polymer elements to a TRIRIGA Perceptive app? For local projects, I have been using bower install –save…

As it stands for UX projects, I am downloading the Polymer component from Git and copying/pasting the directory into my TRIRIGA view. Is this recommended?

We’re looking at strategies for allowing users to upgrade Polymer between TRIRIGA releases. Until we have something for allowing that, I think adding it to your view files is the best practice.

UX: Does anyone have success with WebViewSync for UX apps?

Has anybody had any success with WebViewSync for the new UX/Perceptive apps? Unless I run it on the server, it connects successfully, but then fails on the [Retrieving Paths] stage for every view… I have checked the Java versions (they are the same as the server) and tried on the local network with firewalls temporarily disabled on both the client and server machines. Is it supposed to work on a client machine or only as localhost?

It should work with a client machine. Make sure you have using the fully qualified domain name (FQDN). Can you create a forum post on the UX Framework forum? Please post a screenshot or copy of the console commands you are inputting, and any errors if any. Thanks!

[Admin: The same question is also posted in the UX Framework forum and WebViewSync.jar page.]

UX: Is there a way to deploy apps to mobile devices without a URL?

Without opening up a web browser and directing to a URL, is there an elegant way to deploy the TRIRIGA UX solution as a mobile application for the client?

Mobile devices generally support creating an “app” on your home screen that is really just a URL. So when you open the app, it launches the installed browser to the URL specified. For example, go to a website on Safari in iOS, then tap the bottom center icon (box with an up arrow) and select Add to Home Screen. A mobile device management (MDM) solution should be able to deploy apps backed by URLs globally.

Where is the latest on IBM TRIRIGA compatibility with browsers?

As of 04.07.16, here are the TRIRIGA “Desktop Client Compatibility” requirements for the following desktop browsers. See the wiki page for the latest requirements.

Third Party Browser	Supported Version	Notes
Microsoft Internet Explorer	11	See the same note below.
Microsoft Edge	20	See the same note below.
Mozilla Firefox	ESR 38.4	See the same note below.
Apple Safari	9.0.1	See the same note below.
Google Chrome	47	See the same note below.
		These versions are the minimum versions that are supported for each browser. IBM TRIRIGA will support future versions of a vendor’s browsers if the vendor does not remove, or explicitly or inadvertently disable, functionality that IBM TRIRIGA products rely on. Although future versions are supported, any issue that is introduced as a result of a browser upgrade might require an IBM TRIRIGA Platform fix pack or IBM TRIRIGA Platform upgrade to be fully supported. Edge and Chrome do not support the NPAPI plugin, which prevents Applets from loading. This prevents the Gantt, Availability, and Stacking sections from rendering in IBM TRIRIGA applications. [Unlike classic IBM TRIRIGA applications,] Perceptive Applications require the support of modern web specifications to function optimally. Only evergreen browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari) are supported when using Perceptive Applications or creating custom Views in UX Framework. Internet Explorer 11 [IE11] is not supported.

[Admin: This post is related to the 11.14.14 post about the latest compatibility matrix (updated 12.11.15).]