15 March, 2013

March 15th, 2013 : Release of version 1.7.14 addresses a number of requests for further refinements to the code visualization powers of AgileJ StructureViews. In particular, users sited better line routing and image export in batches as the developments they would like to see next.

"This release has taken longer than anticipated, and that is because we have had to re-write the line routing engine. Since lines are at the core of class diagrams we figured that it was worth the extra time to make a significant improvement to line routing. Line routing is tricky, you can always see a better layout on a case-by-case basis, but coming up with a generalized algorithm which suits all situations is a lot harder. However, this new line routing is a significant improvement. We know that without good line routing we are sunk. The ability to filter class diagrams on-the-fly and generate them in batches by the tens of thousand relies on having the best line routing." said Paul Wells, CTO

15 October, 2012

AgileJ released version 1.7.12 in response to calls from its userbase to support vector graphics export of its class diagrams. This reflects the desire to combine speed and control of class diagram production with the ability to efficiently embed the results in technical documentation in a compact format.

"I'll admit that SVG wasn't on our shortlist, mainly because we had dabbled with it before and found it tricky to get working across a range of browsers. However, when we tried this time around we found that the SVG rendering engines out there had improved. The main thing you get with SVG of course is all the detail of a large class diagram at a fraction of the file size when compared with other image export formats." said Paul Wells, CTO

03 September, 2012

Version 1.7.11 takes batch production of class diagrams to new heights of speed and stability generating nearly 24 thousand class diagrams from the largest codebase we could get our hands on - the Eclipse platform - in under six hours. That's faster than one per second.

The Eclipse codebase is an exceptionally tough challenge as, due to its magnitude, it is unforgiving of any inefficiencies or defects in our batch class diagram generator. It is not anticipated that many of our customers will throw as large a project at us, but we have clearly demonstrated that we can still cope under extreme conditions. With scalability now secured we can continue to look for better ways to serve the code visualization needs of Java programmers.

29 June, 2012

The release of version 1.7.10 brings a 50% reduction in the deployable viewer file size. This makes the product quicker to install, quicker to deploy batch results, and most significantly of all, quicker for users of the HTML5 viewer to get to see their class diagrams.

The HTML5 viewer remains the main focus of AgileJ's development effort. This is a radically new approach to code structure visualization, geared to Java developers, and holding the needs of the Java developer above all other considerations. To that end, our class diagrams require zero effort to use - just point your browser at the results and explore your own code pictorially. A lot has been achieved in the last few months with the delivery of highly interactive Java-centric UML diagrams, but there are more exciting features in the pipeline including giving the Java programmer even more opportunity to tailor class diagrams to specific project profiles. In other words, shape your class diagrams to the specific libraries, patterns and architecture of your own project.

Version 1.7.10 has also been timed to coincide with the release of Eclipse Juno so that no one need run an old copy of Eclipse to remain compatible.

15 June, 2012

Braintags GmbH approached AgileJ Ltd last month to explore the possibility of using a customized version of AgileJ StructureViews to assist with the visualization of its extensive data models implemented in Java. These data models use a custom mechanism for the representation of relationships between entities and as such fall beneath the radar of most UML modeling tools rendering them unable to show the relationships between classes. AgileJ StructureViews is able to accommodate Braintags' custom mechanism through the exposure of an Eclipse extension point enabling any customer to intercept the standard representation of relationships and define their own convention for relationship type, cardinality and relationship description.

"For our eCommerce solutions based on NetRelay we need a very agile and flexible data model. AgileJ offers the availability to define a custom (Eclipse) plugin for the entity relation identification. With such a plugin we are able to create UML based data model diagrams that fulfills our needs. The possibility to export these diagrams as an interactive HTML5 web site is also very helpful for all non java developers." Claus Anderwald, Senior Software Engineer, Braintags GmbH

21 May, 2012

AgileJ StructureViews 1.7.9 released May 21st, 2012 is another significant step forward in the relentless drive towards optimal visibility of the implicit design, be it good, bad or ugly, within each Java codebase.

Version 1.7.8 brought about a reworking of how we filter class diagrams, with filter scripts already proving to be a hit with our customers.

With 1.7.9 we turned our attention back on the batch process, lowering the overheads of producing regular batch updates and hosting the results on intranet servers. In particular, we have achieved a 50% reduction in the server side memory requirements for hosting our HTML5 class diagrams. Through compression and chunking of large volumes of Java model data the batching process as well as the Java class diagram viewing experience have been streamlined.

March, 2012

With the release of version 1.7.7 of AgileJ StructureViews the agile Java community gains an in-browser class diagram visualizer built on HTML5 delivering the full benefits of increased code structure visualization with advanced navigation and filtering, all for zero developer effort.

Taking code structure visualization out of Eclipse and onto the browser removes the excuse that class diagrams are out-of-date, inaccessible or impractical. For the sake of less than one minute of developer time, any size of codebase can be analyzed, an array of class diagrams generated and the results made viewable by browser.

But these are not just static image dumps of each class diagram, these are close to the high level of interactivity AgileJ have offered previously in Eclipse. In particular filtering is possible in the browser backed up with auto-layout.

“We think it is time that code structure visualization became a central part of object oriented code quality improvement again” said Paul Wells “for too long UML has been seen as antithetical to agile methods, leaving programmers out in the cold with no viable options for code structure visualization”.