Sacramento, California-based Unify Corp has introduced Unify Vision, its graphical object-oriented application development environment for Unix, Mac, and Microsoft Corp Windows NT. The product, originally codenamed Peacock, is based on Visix Software Inc’s Galaxy cross-development application programming environment and provides a system-, graphical user interface and database-independent framework, the company says. Unify Vision is a graphical, menu driven development environment. It is integrated with the firm’s existing portfolio of development tools, and compatibility with Unify’s Accell/4GL is ensured, the company says. It comes with a compiler and graphical debugger, which can be accessed from within the development environment, and a query report tool. Developers will be able to customise object functions of an application, the message handlers and toolbars. Unify Vision also enables developers to transport data, applications, and even parts of an application across different operating system environments via Dynamic Data Exchange and Dynamic Link Library interfaces. It will also enable users to generate forms automatically, with find, update, delete and add capabilities built in. All database transaction concurrency control can also be automatically applied. Unify Vision supports a variety of relational databases including the firm’s own Unify 2000, Sybase, Informix, Ingres, Oracle and IBM’s DB/2. Access to personal computer-based databases is provided via Microsoft’s ODBC drivers. The software is available now for Unix and Windows, and versions for Windows NT and Macintosh will follow by the end of the year, the company says. Unify Vision is priced at UKP3,500. Meanwhile, Unify will release a new version of Accell/4GL, its character-based application programming tool, with added support for Windows NT, OS/2 and Macintosh in the first quarter of 1994. Version 3.0 will provide migration paths to Unify Vision, which will enable users to import and enhance Accell/4GL-based applications within the Unify Vision framework, without modifying code, Unify says. Accell/4GL 3.0 will also support Open Data Base Connectivity drivers and the WinSoc application programming interface.
