What is LongRange?
LongRange consists of a server-side management service (LongRange Server) and an app that runs natively on a mobile device (LongRange mobile app). Users download the app to their mobile device, connect to the server and are ready to use the business applications.
When a user of a mobile device invokes a form view in the LongRange mobile app, the action sends a request to the LongRange Server, which calls the associated LANSA program. These programs can also call other LANSA, RPG, COBOL or CL programs, web services, message queues etc. The program performs its processing and issues a send screen command. The LongRange Server sends the screen to the app and it presents the screen on the mobile device. The LongRange mobile app is faster than browser-based mobile apps when rendering screens and responding to user actions.
What does a LongRange app look like?
LongRange is a native mobile app that provides the infrastructure of a business application on a mobile device. Developers create programs and add them into the application schema using LongRange Studio. The LongRange app processes input and output from IBM i (System i, iSeries, AS/400) programs with a significantly enhanced user interface on Apple and Android phones and tablets as well as Windows 10/8.1 tablets and PCs.
Key features are:
- The user interface is extended with touch and enhanced visually for use on mobile devices.
- Apps can send and receive files between a mobile device and a server.
- LANSA programs can use capabilities provided by mobile devices, including the camera and geo-location services.
The LongRange screen layout comprises panes for navigation, tabs, commands and a content area where developers add form views (screens generated by LANSA programs), HTML applications (pages and sites) and document views.
- Navigation is the equivalent of menus and shows options accessible from the mobile device.
- Tabs provide concurrent views of information from multiple programs and allow users to quickly switch between views.
- Commands are user actions, for example save and cancel.
- Form views are screens generated by LANSA programs that are rendered in the LongRange native app.
- Web views are HTML applications, web pages or sites.
- Document views show document files and folders either on the mobile device or on a remote server.
Developers can build business applications using only a LANSA program in a form view, or composite business applications using combinations of form views, web views and document views.
Application schemas
An application schema defines the static parts of a business application, including menus (captions and icons of the menu items), form views (tabs), web views, document views and the program to call when a user selects a menu item or requests an action.
Screen management
Visual LANSA provides the screen layout and data content that the LongRange mobile app displays on a mobile device. Screen layouts adapt from portrait to landscape and landscape to portrait as the mobile device changes orientation. Screen layouts and content adjust when displayed on small (phone) or large (tablet) screen sizes. Developers do not need to design screen layouts and content for each screen size.
Form views
Form views are typical forms that contain data and labels (text describing the data).
The form views are screens generated by LANSA programs.
Web views
Using web views developers can include HTML applications, pages and sites as part of a composite application.
Document views
Document views show documents and files in folders on a mobile device or on a server. Users can take photos and store them in folders, and accept documents from other apps on the mobile device and save them in folders on the device or a server.
Developer tools
Developers can use their existing LANSA development tools with LongRange Studio to develop business applications for use on mobile devices. The programs can also call other programs, use data queues, interact with the database, etc. From a developer's perspective the programs are just like any other LANSA program.
LongRange expands the capabilities of LANSA programs beyond the information displayable on a screen. With access to mobile device features including the camera, geo-location services, and files stored on the mobile device, LANSA programs can capture, manage and display not only screens but also photos, documents, maps, and mobile device geo-location information.
For example, a business requirement of an insurance claim system is a photo of a damaged motor vehicle. An assessor with a mobile device can take photos then use the app to save the photos in the database on a server, or save the files in a folder on the server's file system.
Using LongRange, LANSA programs can also send files to a mobile device from the server.
Visual LANSA
Developers require Visual LANSA, a developer workstation and LongRange Studio.
Developers also need an iPhone/iPad or Android device to test their programs.
LongRange Studio
Use LongRange Studio to define the static parts of an application, such as the menus, the captions and menu item icons, form captions, which program to call when a menu is selected, etc.
Application schemas can include:
- Navigation - menu structure hierarchy and menu item icons.
- Form views - typical forms showing visual controls like labels and text boxes that present information to users.
- Web views - HTML, CSS and JavaScript pages.
- Document views - file and folder explorers showing lists of files and folders that contain documents, presentations, images photos, movies (videos) associated with the application.
- Commands - actions available to users such as save or cancel.
Sample applications and templates
LongRange includes an extensive collection of sample business applications and program templates. The sample applications range from the introductory "Hello World" style of application to fully functional applications.
Debugging
Developers can use their existing debugging tools. Therefore, finding and debugging errors in programs developed for LongRange is no different to finding and debugging errors in any other LANSA programs.
To assist developers find errors LongRange provides two levels of tracing, one at the program level and a second at the system level. Developers can use tracing during testing or debugging to track activity of individual programs. System level tracing has a wider scope and produces much more trace data than program level tracing.
Deployment
Deploying the LongRange mobile app is as simple as downloading the app from an app store and configuring communications with a server.
Updating the mobile app is the same as enhancing and maintaining any LANSA program. Once you deploy program updates to your production system they are immediately available to users of the LongRange mobile app, without having to download or update anything on the mobile device.
Prototyping and agile development
Use LongRange Studio to rapidly create a business application prototype to demonstrate to users. Building a prototype will help to define the required programs, estimate the size of the project, and also identify functionality missing from the design.
Developers build the business application a program at a time, adding each completed program into the prototype and gradually turning it into a working application. This development methodology is agile and evolutionary. Users do not wait for months or years to work with a completed application. Instead they see an application that grows and adapts quickly to changing requirements.