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Hi,

This old tool of graphical design to make Cobol applications, in graphical environment in Windows, little has evolved since it was published with Net Express.

What we have NE projects that contain on average between 200-700 GS files per project and we want to continue in native environment, I ask if there is any alternative to DS in Visual Cobol, as a tool for graphic design of COBOL screens more complete.
Is there a tool to migrate from DS semi-automatic to another similar and more modern tool?

I have seen documents and examples of migration from DS screens to Forms, which requires adapting screen to screen and related source to source program, and this is a very laborious and tedious work,

Hi,

This old tool of graphical design to make Cobol applications, in graphical environment in Windows, little has evolved since it was published with Net Express.

What we have NE projects that contain on average between 200-700 GS files per project and we want to continue in native environment, I ask if there is any alternative to DS in Visual Cobol, as a tool for graphic design of COBOL screens more complete.
Is there a tool to migrate from DS semi-automatic to another similar and more modern tool?

I have seen documents and examples of migration from DS screens to Forms, which requires adapting screen to screen and related source to source program, and this is a very laborious and tedious work,

Dialog System is no longer being developed. The only alternative to Dialog System that is supported directly by Visual COBOL would be the Winform, WPF tools of Visual Studio. We have tried to create conversion tools in the past but to no avail. You can really write your UI in any language using any tool and it should integrate with Visual COBOL but as you mention it would be a lot of work.

I am hoping that someone who has been through this process before will chime in here with some advice... 

Hi,

This old tool of graphical design to make Cobol applications, in graphical environment in Windows, little has evolved since it was published with Net Express.

What we have NE projects that contain on average between 200-700 GS files per project and we want to continue in native environment, I ask if there is any alternative to DS in Visual Cobol, as a tool for graphic design of COBOL screens more complete.
Is there a tool to migrate from DS semi-automatic to another similar and more modern tool?

I have seen documents and examples of migration from DS screens to Forms, which requires adapting screen to screen and related source to source program, and this is a very laborious and tedious work,

Yes, a many customer and users of netexpress x.x wait of a wonder! A tool that convert gs-files in a modern and actual graphical tool other then vs wpf or Winform as managed code!
What had more future? Winforms, WPF

Will Eclipse be the solution, working on Windows and Linux!

Waiting to see what bring "Opentext" with the MF Products...

Have cobol a future? Old my old programmer friends have move to others language due to mf runtime license cost!

Dialog System is no longer being developed. The only alternative to Dialog System that is supported directly by Visual COBOL would be the Winform, WPF tools of Visual Studio. We have tried to create conversion tools in the past but to no avail. You can really write your UI in any language using any tool and it should integrate with Visual COBOL but as you mention it would be a lot of work.

I am hoping that someone who has been through this process before will chime in here with some advice... 

Thank you, Chris, for your response. It is what I expected, after more than 10 years that Visual Cobol replaced Net Express. Although DialogSystem is still included in VC, and you can still use COBOL developments with that tool in VC.
Do you know or recommend any third party tool, that improves and can replace DS, that allows to give an image of modernity and updated to the MF Cobol developments based on DS? even if it is to start from 0. Any example?

Thank you, Chris, for your response. It is what I expected, after more than 10 years that Visual Cobol replaced Net Express. Although DialogSystem is still included in VC, and you can still use COBOL developments with that tool in VC.
Do you know or recommend any third party tool, that improves and can replace DS, that allows to give an image of modernity and updated to the MF Cobol developments based on DS? even if it is to start from 0. Any example?

Hi garroyo 

Just in case you were unaware - there are now options in Dialog System to run using the latest Visual Style and fonts so it is possible to make an existing Dialog System application look more modern. There are also samples included with the product that show Dialog System being used with WinForms and WPF which demonstrate that there are possibilities that don't require starting from zero.

Gael  

Hi garroyo 

Just in case you were unaware - there are now options in Dialog System to run using the latest Visual Style and fonts so it is possible to make an existing Dialog System application look more modern. There are also samples included with the product that show Dialog System being used with WinForms and WPF which demonstrate that there are possibilities that don't require starting from zero.

Gael  

can you give us any examples for modern and professional dialog screen for DS being used with Winforms and WPF?

And what is better and had more future? Winforms or WPF? 

Hi garroyo 

Just in case you were unaware - there are now options in Dialog System to run using the latest Visual Style and fonts so it is possible to make an existing Dialog System application look more modern. There are also samples included with the product that show Dialog System being used with WinForms and WPF which demonstrate that there are possibilities that don't require starting from zero.

Gael  

I already use the latest DS sources and Visual Styles.

Using WinForms and WPF forces me to migrate the applications in native COBOL code in DS to code managed in .NET, and that already requires too much work and time to pass .NET, for someone who started with Cobol 1978, is already retired, and just trying to keep up with the changes in MF COBOL.

I already use the latest DS sources and Visual Styles.
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