Neoxen Visual Modus

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- Neoxen Visual Modus -
Technical Overview
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Company in Brief
Neoxen Systems is the most innovative Document
Management and Development Tool vendor in the
world. We are working closely with the worlds
leading technology providers in order to produce
value-adding 64-bit and 32-bit solutions for our
mutual customers.
"Neoxen Visual Modus has helped us to speed up
the development cycle of our mission critical
solutions to hospitals and health centers as well
as service flats, nursing homes and homes for the
elderly. The easy-to-adopt approach to process
improvement and quality assurance together with
the complete set of guided template libraries is
a perfect match to our needs." Jari
Kalpio CTO Miratel Oy
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Visual Modus - Product in Brief
Visual Modus is a sophisticated and versatile
solution for organizing and managing documents,
other valuable information assets, and
workspaces. Lack of information is not a
(typical) problem in organizations. Instead,
finding and accessing appropriate information in
varying contexts, when needed, is. VM provides an
answer to this problem in full compliance with
the leading Information Management tools and
existing business systems. Developed with Visual
Studio 2005

• Visual Sudio 2005 is a natural development
  environment for Visual Modus and underlying QX
  Framework.
• Visual Studio 2005 provides an ideal environment
  also for the complex product development, because
  of its fluent usability, efficiency, and a rich
  feature set (e.g. functional solution platforms
  and configurations, etc.)

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VM Environment - Backends
FrontPage Extensions RPC
QXMP
ODMA
File system
IWebBrowser2
ODBC, OLE DB, OCI, ...
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View - an information storage
Visual Modus manages various different kinds of
information as views.

• A view is a logical hiearachical structure that
  contains logical folders and elements from
  different backend systems. Elements can be
  ordered in each level.
• A view is stored as an XML file or by VM
  Application Servers in a database.
• Multiple different views can share same view
  objects. Consequently, multiple views can present
  the same information nodes arranged in
  alternative logical hieararchies.
• A view is associated with view attributes.
• Predefined operation set can be performed on view
  basis.
• System administrator can define additional view
  specific attributes and operations. (Upcoming
  releases)

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View Objects
Most view objects are physically stored by a
backend system

• A view object is associated with common object
  attributes, such as description file/site.
• A view object has additional backend system
  dependent attributes.
• Common operations can be performed to view
  objects. Actual execution may be backend system
  depedent.
• Backend system dependent operations extend the
  operation set available for an object.
• Backend system may define/extend access control
  for each individual view object.
• Some operations can be executed for multiple
  objects simultaniously. In addition, some
  operations can be performed recursively in view
  hierarchy.
• A backend system specific content or attributes
  of a view object are not duplicated, instead
  those are accessed through backend (with some
  natural exceptions, such as export, briefcase,
  etc).

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Architecture
VM Vertical Solutions
Desktop Applications
Object processors
VM Server Applications
VM Client Applications
OPEE
iMA Add-in
VM Client Libraries
VM Server Libraries
OPEE
iMA Add-in
OPEE
iMA Add-in
VM Core
QX Framework
Platform Layer (e.g. Windows API)
UI libs
BSIM
BSIM
BSIM
...
BSIM
Backend Systems
OPEE Object Processing Engine Extension
BSIM Backend System Integration Module
iMA Add-in iModus Application Add-in
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BSIM - SharePoint

• SharePoint document objects are accessed using
  FrontPage Extensions RPC (FPERPC).
• The FPERPC implementation uses WinHTTP which
  supports both encrypted (SSL/TLS) and cleartext
  connections.
• Each SharePoint document object refers to
  SharePoint documents using a full URL. This makes
  it possible to refer to documents on any number
  of SharePoint servers in the same view.
• The document properties and access control is
  maintained by the SharePoint server.
• Authentication to a SharePoint server supports
  domain login and the Credential Management API
  (the actual authentication process is handled by
  WinHTTP).
• Connections to SharePoint servers are made as
  needed. It is possible to use a view containing
  SharePoint document objects without access to the
  server but access to the actual documents will
  not be possible.

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BSIM - DMS

• DMS document objects are managed though ODMA
  (Open Document Management API)
• ODMA library is dynamically loaded on runtime.
  (if system does not contain ODMA, other than DMS
  relared operations are not disturbed)
• Authentication for each accssed DMS is performed
  once during the client applications running
  time.
• Individual DMS is not accessed before a document
  stored by it is accessed or other operation
  requiring authentication is performed.
• Documents from multible document management
  systems can be included to the same view and
  accessed simultaniouly.
• File(s), document properties, access control, and
  other relations and associations are maintained
  by originating DMS.
• Default DMS is configurable by the end user.
• Default DMS has affect on UI level when DMS
  document is added to a view. (Select Document
  dialog of the default DMS is displayed)

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BSIM DMS (2)

• Operations available for an individual document
  are determined by originating DMS. (open, view,
  show history, check out, check in, cancel
  checkout, document properties editing, etc.)
• DMS documents can be included to file based
  objects mass prosessing, such as sent to a local
  disk or server share, sent to email recipient,
  send to printer, OPEE invoked file content
  processing and properties modification, etc.
• End user can configure default behaviour for DMS
  documents participation to mass processing.
• Are modifications applied to DMS documents
• Is user interaction enabled
• Are document left as checked out, and are changes
  commited to DMS
• Should new version be created when changes are
  checked in
• Each DMS may restict affect of the configuration

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BSIM - Web Server

• URL objects are managed though IWebBrowser2
  interface
• Typically URL objects are sites or files managed
  by Web Serves
• URL object can be anything that is accessable
  with URL via Web Browser interface (for example a
  file or directory on local disk, document can be
  open as embedded to a client application, etc.)
• URL object has a boolean type of IsSticky
  attribute
• Non sticky object share the same browser page
  (typically used for occationally accessed files)
• Stiky URL object reserves a private browser page
  on open, and keeps ownership until the object is
  closed. (typically used for Web Sites where user
  has an open session)
• URL object is included as a URL link in a message
  body when it is sent to a mail recipient
• Command set available for ULR objects can be
  extended by customizations.

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BSIM File system

• File objects are accessed via file system.
• Typically related file is defined by UNC path on
  a Server share
• File objects on local disk are supported
• Executable object is a specialization of a file
  object
• On client application side for example file
  locating and icon determination are performed
  differerently (PATH environment variable and App
  Paths registry entires are checked as needed).
• Script files are examples of executable objects.
• Appropriate executable files are examples of
  execatable objects in a personalized or
  organization wide work space views.
• File properties are editable by the end user
  (depending on access rights)
• File content and attributes related mass
  operations can be performed for file objects.
• Available command set is dependent on whether the
  file object is a template.

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BSIM Data source

• DB objects access the targeted data source
  through ODBC, OLE DB, OCI, etc.
• In upcoming releases client application can
  access data source also through VM Application
  server.
• DB object has data source and SQL Script as
  attributes. Either one, or both, may be omitted.
• DB object has a boolean type of IsSticky
  attribute
• Non sticky object share the same DB page
• Stiky object reserves a private DB page on open,
  and keeps ownership until the object is closed.
• Each DB page has its own execution thread. Thus
  multiple SQL scripts can be executed
  simultaniously.
• Execution thread is created as needed.
• Query results and statement exection results are
  displayed separatelly. Both can be saved into a
  file.

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BSIM VM Application Server

• Visual Modus Application Server maintains views,
  view object elements, their relations and
  associations, view and view object attributes,
  client sessions, data source connections,
  authentication (may be configured to map to the
  system level authentication), access control,
  access to related files, etc.
• As a data storage the SQL Server 2005 is used as
  default.
• Communication between nodes (client server,
  server server) is via QX Messaging Protocol
  (QXMP).
• Message packages are managed using message buffer
  recycling. This increases performance and reduces
  memeory fragmentation.
• VM client may be connected to multiple VM
  Application servers simultaniously.
• Available in upcoming relases.

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Object Processing Engine
Object processing engine (OPE) manages loading
and execution of object processing engine
extensions (OPEE).

• OPE is part of a Visual Modus Core
• OPEE is an Add-in module that has a functionality
  to process content and/or attributes of a certain
  kind of view elements.
• Examples of OPEE are file content management,
  search functionality, attribute modification,
  etc.
• Microsoft Office documents can be mass modified
  through VM built in OPEE
• Document properties, including custom properties,
  can modified
• Logos can be replaced
• Predefined or self-written scripts can be
  executed
• File names of file based items can be mass
  modified on rule basis
• Output files the processing produces may be
  different that source files

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iMA Add-ins
iModus Office Add-in
Toolbar for quick access to Visual Modus views
and tools from Microsoft Office applications and
Visual Studio 2005. Implemented as an Office
COM Add-in using unmanaged code (implements
IDTExtensibility2). Uses Visual Modus Core
libraries to access views.
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iModus Office Add-in

• Architecture

iModus Office Add-in
VM Core
ATL
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Vertical Solutions

• Various different kinds of vertical solutions can
  be built upon Visual Modus (to fulfill the needs
  of different business areas, organizations,
  departments, environments, processes, working
  methods, etc.)
• Software Factory, a Visual Modus based vertical
  solution, is an environment targeted for Software
  Engineering organizations who are aware and
  interested about SW development processes and
  process improvement.
• Roles hierarchy according to MSF for CMMI Process
  Improvement

MSF Microsoft Solutions Framework CMMI
Capability Maturity Model Integration, from
Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
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Customization
Visual Modus can be customized in different levels

• End user can personalize the application instance
  (customize menus, toolbars, control positions,
  and create personal views).
• Menu commands and hierachies can be extended on
  installation basis
• Added commands may start a process with
  optionally defined command line arguments
• Added commands may perform a shell verb (for
  objects that can be accessed as files such as
  files, SharePoint documents, DMS documents, SQL
  scripts)
• Added commands may be executed in the Visual
  Modus client process (as a library function call)
• Application graphics, all the way up to the about
  box, can be replaced
• Application icons can be replaced
• Product names can be replaced
• Locale and terminology can be changed on runtime
  (UI adapts to locale changes), and additional
  locale packages added to an existing installation.

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Supported Platforms
Visual Modus 32-Bit Edition is available for

• Windows Server Enterprise 2003
• Windows Server Standard 2003
• Windows XP Home Edition
• Windows XP Professional
• Windows 2000

Visual Modus native 64-Bit Edition is available
for(32-Bit Edition is also applicable)

• Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition
• Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Upcoming
Windows Vista
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• Neoxen Systems
• Tykistokatu 4 B, 5th Floor
• FIN-20520 TURKU, Finland
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• http//www.neoxen.com

http//www.neoxen.com/neoxen/products/modus/visual
modus