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New eFORMz adds XML, HTML for e-forms

Minisoft has released version 7.5 of its eFORMz software, a forms automator that including new capabilities to create HTML forms dynamically and accept XML data sources as input. It also integrates with Microsoft's RTF formats and can encrypt PDFs with a double password (user, plus creator) security.

PDF forms and files are also handled for HP 3000 customers by Hillary Software, whose byRequest software is in use to email and web-publish reports and files, too. Minisoft's eFORMz is Java-based, so Minisoft recommends that 3000 sites host the software on a non-3000 platform to avoid Java/iX performance issues. But it works with applications common to the HP 3000 community such as MANMAN or Ecometry/Escalate.

eFORMz 7.5 can add components such as paragraphs, boxes and tables to enhance data presentation. The vendor says its Dynamic Forms Technology can be integrated with an existing project without outside source technology. The new feature also enables a user to read-in multi-page PDFs or TIFF image files.

Minisoft's also added an emailing agent to its software, so a user could manage emails produced by eFORMz Direct. A three-page press release at the Minisoft website [PDF file] delivers more details.

The 7.5 version of the software now accepts XML input from database output, so an email to each customer can be triggered to review orders, for example. eFORMz also produces its own XML output to let one process feed another. A Conditional Logic Language uses conditions set on incoming data streams, spoolfiles or database queries; the new version adds an OR condition for forms.

Forms make up such a large part of the HP 3000 IT powers that vendors like Minisoft and Hillary are using their 3000 customer experience to design features that can then be deployed in other environments. Creating in common programs such as Microsoft Word, or capabilities to handle Excel files as byRequest does -- these are the features that extend the mission-critical data from the 3000 into a multiple-vendor environment.

 

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