yanaframework.net

[admin]

I currently review the code, already finished some important parts and (so far) ran into no difficulties. Some parts of the code will need a refactoring, but this won't be much of a problem.

In the meantime I would like to find out if we needto support a PHP4-version any longer. So here is the call:

IF YOU ARE STILL RUNNING ON PHP4, please let me know. Tell me when you plan to move to PHP5, so we get an idea of how long a PHP4 branch should be supported.

If no one stands up, support for PHP4 will be dropped in version 3.1 definitely and there will be no bug-fixes for PHP4 users anymore.
Otherwise I will add a 3.0.x branch for PHP4 users, to provide fixes for existing installations. However: having another branch consumes time that otherwise could also be invested in a further development of new features.

I could live with either decision.
This means: It's your choice - so speak up.

[admin]

I've successfully updated the code to PHP5 and added some changes to improve usability for developers. These will be named in the change-log.

In addition I tried some changes to improve the over-all performance and removed backups that were meant for PHP4 only. The impact was however small, yet this is just a start.

A re-design of the virtual directories (vDrives) is next, that should make them more usable.

Then I will look further into the event subscription and distribution methods. Namely I will change the subscription groups. So you no longer need to subscribe to 1 group only, but instead may subscribe to as many or as few event types as you see fit.

I plan to have a look at the language settings as well. Not sure if I will do this in version 3.1 yet. Maybe it will have to wait for 3.2 - we'll see.

Anyway: version 3.1 is on a good way now and will come with a load full of improvements for developers.

[admin]

I found some time to dig deeper into the VFS implementation and have made a complete redesign. It now comes with XML + DTD, so you can now do syntax checks and edit it with auto-suggest and auto-complete in any schema-aware XML editor.

Now I will clean the stuff up and export some code to a external parser class and a abstraction class, to keep up a high level of transparency in the code. A How-To will be added to the manual when it's done.

A graphical editor might be added some time too, but this is currently not high on the agenda.

I have been contacted by two guys who gave some input on aspects they found not easy to understand. I will change the standard configuration on the mentionend issues and provide additional links and info to hidden configuration items to aid administrators and make things easier for beginners.

Usability always has very high priority with this framework and improvements, which really help users, will be done ASAP.

[admin]

Today I finished work on the code rework for PHP5 and the initial reporting mechanism.

Reporting is now completely based on XML. This means, Yana now is able to check and report it's own status and return it as a XML report file. The reporting plug-in holds a default XSL file to transform this output to standard XHTML so you can read it in your browser.

I wrote a DTD, so you can check the reports, if you like. Also I added an API for the XML file and an Interface for your class files, so you can write you own reportable classes, too.

The XML reports are meant to: 1) enable you as an administrator to remotely check your Yana installations for common problems 2) enable build&deployment scripts to automatically check if the installation of your application on a system has been successful.

As mentioned before, work on the new virtual file system and virtual drives is done already. I just added some Interfaces so you will be able write your own file types and add them to your virtual drives.

I will now finish the documentation for some of the new features. You may expect a new alpha version to be released soon.

[admin]

Excuse my recent absence. I have moved to a new location.

Good news is, I know work in a company that fully supports the further development of the Yana Framework. They will not only develop own commercial software using it, but also drive the work on the platform itself.

The core elements will be enhanced very fast and you will see a lot of great features in the upcoming releases.

Version 3.1 will be a real gain for any developer. Stay tuned for more details.

[admin]

Currently working on implementing Unicode support. Nearly done with it, but still needs some testing.

[admin]

FYI: since its already been a year since the final release of Yana Framework 3.0 and so much of the code has changed we finally decided to skip 3.1 and name the new upcoming version Yana Framework 4.0.

So the next official release will be named Yana 4.0 beta 1.

We implemented several new features including:
- full Unicode support
- built-in support for JQuery
- improved AJAX capability
- easier to write plug-ins
- reliable PHPUnit-tested code
- new Database abstraction layer: XDDL
- new XML-based definition files for virtual drives
- support for UTF8 Translations using OASIS Standard XML Language Interchange File Format (XLIFF)
- improved skin-support
- new automatic navigation menu (no further need to write your own)
- new automatic quick-link bar
- new and improved user rights management

The main aspect of our work on this version is: ease of development. I sure do believe that developers will be pleased by the results as it really saves them a lot of time, stripping a majority of efforts from your projects.

We are currently working on an automated form-generator that automatically creates AND maintains CRUD pages, applying database changes on the fly.
It uses JQuery and other optional GUI improvements. The form-generator will also allow nested form-definitions with sub-forms. You will also be able to edit datasets, that are scattered among multiple tables within one form.
We also already implemented 5 layouts for CRUD pages from which you may choose and also changed them on the fly. And of course: all open source and fully customizable.

When its done (hopefully some time around April) we will come up with the first Beta release.

Sounds good? So stay tuned.

[admin]

I'm done with the new SQL parser and a new form-generator, based on XDDL.

Next I will be updating the SDK and release the 1st Beta.

Note: This is not feature-complete yet.
Missing features that the final release will have:

- import/export of DbDesigner and Pear MDB2-Schema files
- support for MSSQL, Oracle, DB2 and PostgreSQL
- SQL-Generator for DbUpdates
- support for database functions and views plus live-simulation without active database
- updated documentation and tutorials
- new installation wizard