Visual LANSA
Rapid development of portable applications
Visual LANSA provides a comprehensive Windows-based development environment. You can deploy applications to many platforms including Windows, System i, UNIX, Linux and Wireless devices. Visual LANSA uses LANSA’s Meta Data Repository and RDML (Rapid Development & Maintenance Language) to develop both client and server programs. You only need one set of easy-to-learn skills to rapidly develop highly graphical browser and client/server applications.
Advanced development made simple
Visual LANSA is a development tool tightly focused on just one thing — rapidly creating high quality commercial applications. But it is not simply a more productive Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Visual LANSA’s platform independent Meta Data Repository and high-level business-focused 4GL lets you develop 5250, Web and Windows rich client programs — from a single code base.
You can develop and deploy highly graphical Windows and Web applications with native/seamless access to System i and ODBC-compliant databases — utilizing LANSA’s powerful and proven Meta Data Repository technology and fast open middleware. Anyone who understands the essentials of fields, files and programs can rapidly develop flexible ebusiness and client/server applications with Visual LANSA.
The simplicity and power of the LANSA RDML is portable and you can centralize common application intelligence in Visual LANSA’s portable distributed Meta Data Repository. You gain the native performance benefit of compiled C/C++ but you debug at the LANSA RDML level.
New and existing LANSA developers will enjoy all the productivity benefits a Windows development environment brings: Point-and-click to select fields and files, cut-and-paste to rapidly edit and debug and a powerful forms painter lets you design graphical applications.
Test and deploy to multiple platforms with ease

With the Visual LANSA Framework you can
rapidly prototype, develop and deploy
applications to the Web and Windows —
from a single code base
You can develop for a single system such as the System i or Windows today, then split and move programs and data — without changing source code — to a mixture of System i, Windows, Web, UNIX and Linux platforms tomorrow.
You can support Windows XP/Vista and System i from a single set of LANSA source code. You can even deploy to Wireless devices. You test on a simple, single Windows system and then deploy to whatever mixture of platforms you require. Visual LANSA also provides an online client and remote server RDML level debugger.
Productive System i/5250, Windows and Web development
You can dramatically improve developer productivity by using Visual LANSA to create 5250 and Web applications for your System i. LANSA’s key differentiator is that existing 3GL and green screen developers (RPG or COBOL) can learn the product and be more productive in a very short time — typically one to three months. The Visual LANSA IDE also allows an easy transition for new, non-iSeries developers.
Even moving your LANSA development team from the iSeries to Visual LANSA provides a 25 percent increase in developer productivity. You have one screen to view field and file definitions, validations, relationships, programs and the source editor and can take on Web, wireless and modernization projects and leverage the LANSA Repository. Plus graphical Data modeling for existing databases and new development.
Advanced desktop integration
LANSA is renowned for easily integrating with existing System i applications. It comes as no surprise that Visual LANSA integrates easily with Windows applications and Microsoft Office. You can use Microsoft Word as a print engine and easily create a telemarketing mailer from System i data.
Visual application development framework

Visual LANSA’s IDE lets you view file and
field definitions, validations, relationships,
programs and the source editor from a
single screen
The Visual LANSA Framework allows developers to prototype commercial applications rapidly without coding. It generates high quality Web and Windows programs with a consistent look and behavior. It’s like having an experienced mentor sitting next to your developers.
Programmers with classic System i (iSeries and AS/400) skills – like writing procedural RPG code or arranging a 5250 terminal screen – can struggle with key GUI design concepts and often miss the mark with their first Windows or Web application. The LANSA visual application development framework has been used by developers of many different kinds of applications to ensure a ‘right first time’ result. These resulting applications are already in use today by millions of users around the world.
Shipped as part of the Visual LANSA IDE, the Visual LANSA Framework is a design framework that empowers business focused developers and designers to create highly graphical robust Windows and Web applications or a combination of both. The learning curve is short, productivity is high and the applications are world class. You can prototype the application and user interface design at the same time and use the same design for both Windows and Web deployment.
Features:
Visual LANSA Options
- Advanced visual development environment
- Component-based OO development
- Dynamic multi-tier client and server partitioning
- LANSA’s fast and scalable middleware
- Deployment tool for rapid just-in-time deployment
- Microsoft Visio integration via LANSA Visual Modeler
- Integrated Adaptive Server Anywhere database for development and testing
- Integrated Microsoft C/C++ compiler
- Internet, Intranet and Wireless applications
- A2A and B2B integration through XML and Java services with LANSA Integrator
- Code-free BPI with LANSA Composer
- .NET integration with LANSA Open for .NET
Visual LANSA Framework
- Rapidly prototype commercial applications without coding
- MS Outlook-style user interface
- Framework Code Assistant
- Generate Web or Windows applications
- Optional RAMP tools for rapid modernization of legacy applications
Development Environment
- Independent or team
- Windows XP/Vista using Adaptive Server Anywhere, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle
Deployment Platforms
- Deploy to single- or multi-tier System i, Windows, UNIX and Linux servers
- Use Windows XP/Vista clients
DBMS Support
- IBM DB2 on System i servers
- Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere, Microsoft SQLServer and Oracle on Windows
- Oracle on UNIX and Linux
Standard LANSA Features
- Comprehensive portable 4GL (RDMLX)
- Promptable syntax experts
- Programable templates
- Portable distributed Meta Data Repository
- Portable Database triggers and business rules
- Automatic screen generation
- Multilingual and DBCS language support
- Online client and remote server RDML debugger
- Configuration management