This document summarizes new features in Accelrys AEP 9.0 including improvements to protocol database searching, protocol comparison, protocol linking via URLs, parameter initialization, promotion and metadata, autosave functionality, Pilotscript hashmaps, XML parsing, and Unicode support. It encourages providing feedback to help further develop the platform.

1. (ATS6-DEV01) What’s new for
Protocol and Component
Developers in AEP 9.0 Steven Bush
R&D, AEP Core Infrastructure
steven.bush@accelrys.com

2. The information on the roadmap and future software development efforts are
intended to outline general product direction and should not be relied on in making
a purchasing decision.

3. Content
• Protocol database searching
• Protocol comparison
• Changes to protocol links (launching protocols via URLs)
• Component icons
• Parameters
– Initialize using
– Metadata
– Promotion
• Autosave
• Pilotscript hashmap improvements
• XML and hierarchical data record parsing
• Unicode (International character encoding) updates

4. Protocol DB Searching
• More Information: (ATS6-PLAT02) Accelrys Catalog &
Protocol Validation
• Indexing runs periodically
– Components and protocols
– Usage information
• Configure schedule in Admin Portal
– Setup->Catalog Settings
– 1 am by default
– Disable if processing is too great

5. Protocol DB Searching Options
• Pro Client
– Text search in toolbar
– “Find Usage” right click option in Component/Protocols tabs
• Web Port
– Search for protocols
• Admin Portal
– Advanced searching
• Multiple servers
• Usage

6. Protocol Comparison
• Introduced in 8.5
• Allows visual comparison of
protocols versus older versions
of the same protocol
• Read-only view
• Changed components are
highlighted
• Text parameter changes can be
viewed in 3rd party text Diff
tool

7. Protocol Links
• REST interface for launching jobs/protocols
• /auth/launchjob
– Replacement for runjob.pl
• Same basic URL syntax
• Runjob.pl links still work
– Much faster
– Works with Kerberos
– Better non-blocking/asynchronous implementation
• Add ‘&progressmessage=<MESSAGE>’ to URL

8. Protocol Links: Streaming Data
• Stream data back without redirecting
– Allows bookmarking a query instead of the result
– ‘&_streamfile=<VALUE>‘
• Return a result file
• <VALUE>
– Empty or ‘?’: return first file found
– Specific filename: return the matching file
– Regular expression ‘/<REGEX>/’: return the first file matching the regex
– ‘&_streamdata=<VALUE>‘
• Return a set of result properties
• <VALUE>
– Empty or ‘?’: return only the first result property
– ‘*’: return all result properties
– Property name: return that property
– Regular Expression ‘/<REGEX>/’: return properties whose names match
• Optionally add &_format=<xml | json | html | text>

9. Component Icons
• New indicators for component parameter states
– RTC (Run to completion)
– Parallel Subprotocol
– Error Handling enabled

10. Initializing Parameter Values
• Initialize a parameter value based on a Data Property, Global
Property, or Pilotscript expression
• Replaces assigning data record properties to global properties
then use $(GlobalName)
– Cannot be used with some parameter types such as ExpressionType
• Can change your component to RTC (icon will be updated)

11. Parameter Promotion
• Directly links child parameter to its parent
• More efficient
• Can promote entire groups as a single unit
• Preserves type of parameter
– Array values
• No longer based on Global Data Properties
– Old method still works

12. Parameter Metadata
• Annotate parameters with
standard or custom
metadata
• In subprotocols, access via
MetaDataProperty() in
Pilotscript
• In Java/Perl/.Net
components, use Metadata
methods on Parameters

13. Autosave
• Saves protocols in progress to client temporary directory
• Every 5 minutes by default.
• Adjust time or turn off via Tools->Options
• Protocols recovered during restart

14. Hierarchical Improvements
• New components in Data Access and
Manipulation/Utilities/Data Tree Manipulators
– Allow direct manipulation of hierarchical data records
• XML Reader and Writer (Generic)
– New Pad and Flatten options
– Handling Text Content in XML documents
• Can now read XHTML documents
– Convert HTML to XHTML
– Use XML Reader
– Set “Element Names->Text Content” parameter

15. Pilotscript Hashmaps
• Use HashValueCreate() instead of HashCreate()
– No longer need to call HashDestroy()
– Other functions are same
– Old protocols will still work with the old implementation
• Works with
– Viewers
– Watch windows
– Data Record Tree Viewer
• Access from Perl/Java/.Net components
• No longer leaks memory
• Works with Cache Writers and checkpoints
• Cloned when splitting pipes
• Can copy to new properties
• Optionally use typed keys (default is string keys)

16. Pilotscript
• Array() function to quickly create an array property
– myArr := Array(1,2,3,4,5);
• Single line comments
– “// example comment”
• FOREACH item IN array
• Faster property manipulation
– Vastly improved performance of deleting and renaming properties
• Faster hierarchical property processing

17. Unicode and Readers
• Reader components can autodetect UTF-8 encoding.
– Previously relied on presence of Byte Order Mark (BOM)
– Caution: Some characters can confuse the detection
• Because of this, the default value is “false”

18. Unicode and HTTP
• HTTP Connector and Readers can pick up character encoding
from HTTP headers (Content-Type)
– From the body of the message for XML and HTML documents
– “Detect Character Encodings” in HTTP Connector
• Defaults to “True”
– UTF-8 Autodetect in other readers
• Defaults to “False”, can always switch on for HTTP URLs

19. Unicode and Pilotscript
• ConvertBytesToString and ConvertStringToBytes can
convert any character encoding
– Shift_JIS
– Big5
– Koi8-r
– Etc.

20. Summary
• New features in 9.0
– Making the platform the best that we possibly can
• Please tell us your suggestions
– We are as much users as we are developers