Dyalog V12 !!
Now with Unicode, Conga and much, much more
It gives us great pleasure to announce the commercial availability of Dyalog Version 12.0.1 for Windows/32. From February 29th, 2008 onwards, Dyalog Version 12.0.1 for Windows/32 has been available as a download for DSS subscribers. If you are not a DSS subscriber, but still feel you need Version 12.0.1 for Windows/32 immediately, please contact us with your request.
Support for Unicode character data
Version 12.0 allows applications to store and manipulate Unicode character data. Applications can now accept entry of data in any of the worlds writing systems – from Amharic over APL, Chinese and Tolkien's Elfish Runes to Zulu. All components of Dyalog support Unicode: The Development Environment itself, the Dyalog language and file systems, built-in GUI objects, and interfaces to COM/OLE, Microsoft.NET and ODBC.
The adoption of Unicode also means that data is no longer translated as it enters and leaves the Dyalog interpreter. APL source code can be stored in Unicode text files and edited using any editor which supports these files. A simple source code management system and an interface to the popular SubVersion system are included.
Outside of Unicode we have included a number of additional features aimed at making you more productive.
Conga – designed for Simplified Communications
Conga is a mechanism for developing client and server components which communicate with other web or network components. Conga supports client/server programming, and includes sample code to implement web clients and servers. From version 12.0.3 (August), Conga will include support for Secure communications using the Secure Socket Layer (SSL). We have included a more technical article on Conga in this issue of Dyalogue which you will find here.
Other new features
Built-in Charting: Well, we're happy to tell you that Version 12.0 includes the Causeway product series: RainPro – including the .NET version, SharpPlot for high quality Business Graphics, and NewLeaf for reporting and typesetting. You can produce a graphical representation of numerical data in seconds by clicking on a chart icon whilst running your session – or write your own APL scripts to produce high quality reports with integrated business graphics.
Journaling Component Files: The built-in array file system is now a journaling file system, which means that component files can no longer be damaged by network failures or system crashes which occur in the middle of a file update.
Language bar: All APL symbols are presented in a Language Bar in the session, with tips to remind you of the definition of each – and a link to comprehensive on-line help. The language bar can be completely configured to provide help for your own functions.
On-Screen Keyboard (Microsoft Windows only): Hold the Control, Alt or AltGr key down for a split-second, and you will be presented with a pop-up keyboard which shows the location of APL symbols on your keyboard, and allows you to pick them off using the mouse. Dyalog version 12.0 comes with standard Windows APL keyboards for a dozen languages – and you can easily edit your own keyboards using the Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator.
Unicode & Classic editions
When converting existing applications to use Unicode character data, some code conversion may be required. For many applications, the required changes may be trivial; some applications will run without any changes. However, large applications with many interfaces to external data may require significant work – if for no other reason than that the external databases and interfaces need to be upgraded in order to store Unicode data. Users who have developed Auxiliary Processors and Dynamic Link Libraries will need to be upgraded these to handle Unicode data.
For this reason, version 12.0 and the next several versions of Dyalog will be available in two variants: A Unicode edition which uses Unicode for all external interfaces, and a Classic edition which uses the same interfaces and translate tables as 11.0 and earlier versions of Dyalog.
Workspaces and Files can be shared between the Unicode and Classic editions. Both editions also provide extensive inter-operability with earlier versions. Component files can be shared with old versions subject to certain limitations (for example, the files must contain data which can be represented in the old systems).
New online libraries for help and documentation
In connection with Version 12.0 we have created 2 new online libraries which are now publicly available via the website. The Help library is created as a very structured topic tree which you can expand. There is also a search function where you can either select from a menu or type in your search criteria.
The documentation section contains all the available documentation and this section will be updated on a regular basis as and when new manuals and training materials becomes available. In connection with the Platinum release of Version 12 all the manuals will further be available as PDF downloads as well as print-on-demand via LuLu. You can peruse the new libraries by clicking on the buttons below.
Platinum release – Version 12.0.2 for all platforms will be available in April 2008.
- Download Dyalog Version 12.0 Windows/32 bit
- Download the Release Notes