October 1, 2002

UPDATED PLANS FOR SYNERGY/DE RELEASES
Previous Synergy/DE release plans included a version 7.5.3 release in November and a version 8.1 release in the second quarter of 2003. Synergy/DE 7.5.3 was going to include Synergy/DE xfNetLink .NET, an XML API, and other enhancements. Synergy/DE 8.1 was going to include Synergy object support and HTTPS support. Through early customer adoption of the Synergy/DE 7.5.3 and 8.1 features, we have determined that:

a) We need to implement additional requirements in order to successfully launch the 7.5.3 features. (For example, we need to remove the existing 64K limit on the size of xfServerPlus arguments to ensure that customers can transport XML documents successfully.)

b) The Synergy object support will require an extended customer review period. (This powerful new feature is just starting to peak the interest of our early-adopters. To make sure our implementation meets the needs of our customer base, we need to give our early-adopters more time to use it and evaluate it.)

We will still release xfNetLink .NET in November, but for the reasons stated above, we have decided to combine the rest of the Synergy/DE 7.5.3 features with the HTTPS support, and release this as version 8.1 in February. We will also release patches in October and November to ensure that customers requiring fixes are not impacted. The release schedule is as follows.

Oct. 4:             7.5.1e patch on Windows
Oct. 18:           xfNetLink .NET 7.5.3 on Windows 2000 / XP
Nov. 29:           7.5.1f patch on all platforms
Feb. 14, 2003:  Synergy/DE 8.1

The 7.5.1e and 7.5.1f patches will contain miscellaneous fixes. For information about xfNetLink .NET 7.5.3, Synergy/DE 8.1, or Synergy object support, see the updated Roadmap to Synergy/DE Versions. Note: We will define a new release target for Synergy object support and announce it in a future Synerg-E-News.

If you are interested in obtaining a pre-release version of Synergy/DE 8.1 (to get a jump on your development), or if you are interested in being an early adopter of Synergy objects, let us know.

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SYNERGY/DE TECHNOLOGY CENTER
Web Services: An Overview

Promising a new level of compatibility across multiple technology platforms, Web services enable you to build more powerful applications by allowing you to integrate with third-party vendors in real time.

Web services are based on XML, which provides a "least common denominator" method for different systems to talk to each other. XML can be used to create a set of industry standard protocols for finding companies, describing and exchanging information, and handling transactions between companies.

Web services range from major services such as customer relationship management (CRM), to more limited services such as the checking of bids for an auction item. Using multiple vendors' Web services, one can simultaneously communicate with a vendor for the latest price of an item, submit an order, and track the order until it has been received. Future Web services will allow further integration, such as the ability to schedule appointments with other exposed calendars online.

A client program can communicate to a Web service using the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP). SOAP requests are specially formatted XML documents that request some functionality from a Web service over HTTP.

With Synergy/DE's introduction of the HTTP API in version 7.5.1 and the upcoming XML API in 8.1, it will be possible for your Synergy program to make SOAP requests of Web services and process the responses.

Get more information on Synergy/DE 7.5.1 and the HTTP API.

Get more information on Synergy/DE 8.1 and the XML API.

If you are interested in obtaining a prerelease version of Synergy/DE 8.1 (to get a jump on your XML development), let us know.

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SYNERGY/DE CUSTOMER COMPUTERS UNLIMITED, WITH OVER 18,000 SESSIONS RUNNING FOR HOME MEDICAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDERS AND WELDING SUPPLY DISTRIBUTORS, SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES THEIR MIGRATION TO WINDOWS USING SYNERGY/DE TOOLS
Computers Unlimited, a leading provider of business software solutions for the gas and welding supply, home medical equipment, and home infusion pharmacy industries, announced the release of TIMS® 3.0 For Windows®, which includes a new user-friendly interface and numerous functionality enhancements. Based on Synergy/DE™—a full suite of advanced cross-platform software tools from Synergex®—TIMS For Windows is a complete business management package serving two distinct industries: the industrial gas marketplace, which includes welding supply distributors; and the home medical equipment (HME) marketplace, including companies that provide oxygen therapy in the home, and sell and rent medical equipment.

Read the entire press release…

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SUPPORT TECH TIP: USEFUL PROFESSIONAL SERIES WORKBENCH COMMANDS
In Synergy/DE 7.3, the following commands were added to Workbench:

syn_set
syn_set_synergy_ini

syn_set sets an environment variable at the project level. It overrides any variable set globally, at a DOS prompt, or in synergy.ini while the current project is active. For example, to set RPSMFIL for a project, use syn_set RPSMFIL=DAT:mymain.ism.

Syn_set_synergy_ini tells Workbench to load the environment variables from within the [synergy] section of the synergy.ini file when Workbench reaches that line in the project open command. For example, if you have a synergy.ini that has specific logicals for a project, you can use 'syn_set_synergy_ini'. You can pass a parameter to 'syn_set_synergy_ini', which will be interpreted as the name of the directory that contains the synergy.ini file you want to use for the project. SFWINIPATH will be set to that directory within the project's environment. If you do not call syn_set_synergy_ini from the project open command of a Synergy project, Workbench will call it automatically. Workbench does not call syn_set_synergy_ini by default if the project is not a Synergy project.

If you intend to override a variable found in synergy.ini or use a variable from synergy.ini in your project open command, you must call syn_set_synergy_ini before the corresponding syn_set call in your project open command.

These settings will apply while the projects are active. They can be run either from the Visual SlickEdit command window or when a project is opened. Note that when you add a syn_set or syn_set_synergy_ini to a project open command, you will need to close the workspace and reopen it for the changes to take effect.

For more information on using these settings, refer to the Setting Environment Variables in Workbench section in the Getting Started with Synergy/DE manual on page 2-7.
(HelpDesk customers only. Password required.)

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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS SYNERGY/DE NOW?
Ever wonder how a church tracks its members' involvement and manages finances? Thanks to Synergy/DE, some churches view and manage their data through "stained glass" Windows! One such church, Brentwood Presbyterian Church near Los Angeles, uses RDS Publishing's Synergy/DE-based RDS Advantage application to manage various records for their 1,400-plus members.

A few years ago, Brentwood Presbyterian had a big problem, and it was getting bigger every day: tremendous growth! The good news is that the church was growing in membership and adding more activities and services-lifeblood to a robust ministry. However, keeping track of this growing community was becoming more and more difficult. Various records for the church's 1400 members were kept in three non-compatible databases, and maintaining them separately was a nightmare. After one of the church members tried unsuccessfully to combine the databases, the church decided to call in an expert. One of the church elders went online and discovered RDS Publishing and their premiere church management software-RDS Advantage.

"We are using RDS Advantage as a tool to get more members connected and involved," says Kathleen Guthrie, Director of Empowerment Ministries for Brentwood Presbyterian Church. "Now we can maintain and track our members' skills, involvement, gifts, and activities in one single database. Our children's ministry staff can use it for attendance and curriculum records, and it maintains all the church's financials as well."

For more information on Brentwood Presbyterian Church, visit their Web site today.

For details on RDS Advantage, visit RDS Publishing's Web site.

Have an interesting story about Synergy/DE? Tell us about it! Don't worry, we'll do all the writing—just send your ideas to Liz Marmins or give her a call at +1-800-366-3472 or at +1-916-635-7300. If your story is published in Synerg-E-News, you'll receive a Synergex golf shirt.

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SYNERGEX EDUCATION REMINDER…
There are still spots left in our Synergy/DE UI Toolkit Essentials class on October 14 - 18 in Gold River, California.

"Before attending the Synergy/DE UI Toolkit Essentials course, I had no experience with any type of process-driven programming. By the end of the class—only five days later—I couldn't believe how confident I was! I am ready to start planning some big improvements for my own company's computer system."

Jay Singleton
California Products Corporation

Register today!

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