VC/m 5.0 Release Notes


Version 5.0 was released on 7th May 2015.

Pre-Upgrade Steps


There are no pre-upgrade steps required by this release.

Post-Upgrade Steps


The following should be performed after the upgrade has completed:

  1. All VC/m users should turn off Internet Explorer's Compatibility View for the website hosting the VC/m user interface. If Compatibility View remains enabled, the VC/m UI will misbehave in subtle ways. For example, certain dialogs will require additional confirmation when closing.
  2. If you have overridden the mnuTransfer menu with your own custom menu(s) to match your site's transfer functions you must amend the "Method and argument" values of the custom menu entries to use a new syntax required by version 5.0. Consult the standard mnuTransfer menu for examples of what your custom entries need to look like.
  3. If you have customized the Change Request dialog to add your own tabs and data fields you must amend the JavaScript that is embedded in the XSL file pointed to by the global node ^%vcvc("changeRequestForm") to use a new syntax required by version 5.0. Consult the file Sample_ChangeRequest.xsl to see an example of the new notation. Specifically:
    • function Custom() {} becomes Custom = {}
    • function Custom.fnArguments() { becomes Custom.fnArguments = function() {
  4. If you have customized the Change Request Find dialog to add your own search fields you must amend the JavaScript that is embedded in the XSL file pointed to by the global node ^%vcvc("changeRequestSelectForm") to use a new syntax required by version 5.0. Consult the file Sample_ChangeRequestSelect.xsl to see an example of the new notation. Specifically:
    • function Custom() {} becomes Custom = {}
    • function Custom.fnArguments() { becomes Custom.fnArguments = function() {
    • function Custom.fnClear() { becomes Custom.fnClear = function() {

Enhancements


Additional browser support (P1715)

VC/m's browser interface can now be accessed from browsers other than Internet Explorer. Supported browsers are:

  • Apple Safari
  • Google Chrome
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 9 or later)
  • Mozilla Firefox

Object and CR audit rows can be expanded (VCM-D-0397)

Where appropriate the owner of the audit message can be drilled into for further information.

Allow multiselect removal of objects or CRs from a CR (VCM-D-0404)

Other UI improvements

  • Depressed toolbar buttons are more obvious (VCM-D-0374)
  • Wider range of folder icons is used (VCM-D-0398)
  • Warn user when selecting with no colour buttons down (GJL706758)

Control Ensemble production changes made through Portal (VCM-D-0368, GJL707088)

More information is here.

Implement batch auto-transfers (VCM-D-0341)

The existing auto-transfer mechanism (AUTOF and AUTOT routes) operates on each object immediately after it has undergone the user-initiated transfer. When user-initiated transfer is for multiple objects (e.g. a by-CR transfer) batch auto-transfers occur after all the user-initiated transfers have happened. This brings the following benefits:

  • Inter-object dependencies on auto-transfers can work (e.g. auto-forward only if every member of the object's CR is either already at %TO or is at %FROM)
  • Batch auto-transfers to F-format and FX-format storage generate a single file. Non-batch ones produce one file per object.

Batch routes are denoted by function codes beginning "AUTOF*" or "AUTOT*".

Take advantage of Beyond Compare 4 three-way folder merge (VCM-D-0391)

Where Beyond Compare version 4 is available, a diff of a multi-component object launched from VC/m's Merge dialog can use BC4's new folder merge feature. To enable this on an existing site SET ^%vcvc("ftpServer","clientBCversion")=4 but note that this will cause VC/m's BC launcher to expect all users' BC client to be version 4 and installed in C:\Program Files\Beyond Compare 4\ on 32-bit workstations or in C:\Program Files (x86)\Beyond Compare 4\ on 64-bit ones. The client launch path can be overridden globally by setting the full name of the BC executable (including path) into ^%vcvc("ftpServer","clientBCexe")

Permit routes that ignore normal version-sequencing rules (VCM-D-0386)

A new checkbox on the Advanced tab of route definition means that routes can be permitted to overwrite a later version with an earlier one. This simplifies some rollback workflows.

Add functions Object.fnTransfer, Fileset.fnTransfer, Component.fnRegister (GJL706252)

Addition of these dedicated functions allows their use to be controlled with access rights.

Enhance Compare Locations report with option to pick all objects from either location (GJL706936)

Where appropriate the owner of the audit message can be drilled into for further information.

Implement WLD component browsing (GJL705117)

$$crstmod^%vcapi improvements (GJL706357)

This API function now files a changed CR status, and no longer requires deprecated arguments.

Add validation callouts for changes to content of CRs (VCM-D-0346)

This page documents the new options.

Add checksumming of task server payload global to detect lost data (VCM-D-0375)

Data transferred via task server is now validated using a checksum to protect against undetected data loss.

Detect unreachable task-server nodes earlier in transfer (VCM-D-0373)

Transfers requiring a task server will detect sooner if that task server is not running.

Improve Studio configuration dialog

  • Reduce "this location" list to M-mapped ones (VCM-D-0359)
  • Allow Check Out to be configured to a location other than "here" (VCM-D-0385)
  • Exclude template locations and transfer functions from lists (VCM-R-0218)

Corrections


Avoid creating multiple psa records with same address when filing location template (GJL705716)

Change Request view of F or FX locations could fail (GJL706345)

For example, with MAC-bearing objects.

PRJ component driver interacted poorly with Best Available dependency check type (GJL706466)

getDtMod of bin and text location drivers didn't handle remote:// protocol (VCM-R-0206)

getDtMod^%vc9fi on Cache returned bad value for non-existent file (VCM-R-0207)

Variables definition dialog was prompting for permission to close (VCM-R-0213)

Extend post-transfer task server timeouts to handle large compile sets (VCM-R-0223)

Checkout of CLS, DFI or HL7 did not trigger Studio reload (VCM-R-0229)

This bug meant that, for example, Studio didn't reload a class with the new VC/m comment headers.

CSR components failed to enumerate on OpenVMS (VCM-R-0234)

Make CLS driver reload class definition object when adding comment block (VCM-R-0240)

This change ensures that if the VC/m transfer is called from Ensemble production settings change saving in Portal using a reflexive SNAP route we correctly remove the previous VC/m comment headers before adding new ones.