What’s New in QuickOPC 2016.2 (5.41)

Previous: What’s New in QuickOPC 5.40

Key changes:

• Documentation and help improvements
• Simplified packaging
• Changes in versioning and licensing

Versioning

• New external versioning approach. Versions are now numbered using a calendar year of the release as a major version, and a sequential number (starting from 1) of the release in the calendar year as a minor version number. Internally, the old versioning scheme is preserved.

Licensing

• The "Component name" in the License Manager is now simply QuickOPC, without a version number. Licenses for version 2016.2 and later need to be installed under this component (it comes up pre-selected, when the License Manager is automatically launched during the installation). Users of earlier versions that are licensed to use version 2016.2 (e.g. when covered by the maintenance) need to install their license under the QuickOPC component name as well.

Installation and Uninstallation

• Adobe Reader is no longer required. No PDF files ship with the product (although a User's Guide in PDF is provided as an option for download; it is expected that the main source of the documentation will be the browser-based User's Guide).
• Added a new "Product Folder" Start menu icon. The icon opens the directory where all product files reside, making it easier to locate them.
• Flattened the Program Files and Start program group structure by one level. The files and icons now appear in a folder directly under the corresponding "root" (no separate folder for a vendor).

Component Improvements

• The OPC UA components are now based on OPC Foundation .NET Stack 1.03.340.

Component Improvements (.NET)

• Added static EasyXXClient.Create() methods (behave the same as parameterless constructors).
• Ensured expandable display of all types in LINQPad.

Component Improvements (COM)

• Added methods _OperationEventArgs.SetState and _OperationResult.SetState (and the same to all interfaces that "inherit" from these). These methods have the same functionality as the setter for the State property. They are intended to allow easier coding with tools such as VB6, where it is was only possible to assign non-object types of values to the State property with late binding.
• Changed sender argument names in event sink interfaces in order to prevent a conflict with Free Pascal type library import.

Component Refactorings

• Moved all COM interface definitions (_XXXX) to ComTypes sub-namespaces, clearing up the .NET namespaces.
• Moved BrowsePath type and related types from OpcLabs.BaseLib.Browsing to OpcLabs.BaseLib.Navigation namespace.
• Moved UABrowsePath and related types from OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.AddressSpace to OpcLabs.EasyOpc.UA.Navigation namespace.
• Moved ComputerServerDialog type from OpcLabs.BaseLib.Forms.Browsing to OpcLabs.BaseLib.Forms.Browsing.Specialized namespace.
• Moved various infrequently used types to better suited namespaces.
• Marked many internal types with 'internal' visibility so that they do not pollute the namespaces publicly and confuse the developer.

Packaging

• The OpcLabs.EasyOpcClassicInternal assembly has been merged into the OpcLabs.EasyOpcClassic assembly, and consequently removed. The corresponding type libraries have also been merged in the same way.
• The OpcLabs.EasyOpcClassicForms and OpcLabs.EasyOpcUAForms assemblies have been merged into a single assembly, OpcLabs.EasyOpcForms. Consequently, the corresponding type libraries have also been merged in the same way. Note that this means that whenever you use the OpcLabs.EasyOpcForms, you are effectively including support for both the OPC "Classic" and OPC UA specifications.
• Modified assembly and type library descriptions so that they better match their current purpose. For example, the description of the OpcLabs.EasyOpcClassic assembly and type library is now "OPC Labs EasyOPC "Classic" Library".
• The NuGet packages now include LINQPad examples with them. If you add a reference to one of these packages in LINQPad, the examples will automatically show under the "Samples" tab in LINQPad.

Examples (.NET)

• Added C# example UASimpleLogToSql: Logs OPC Unified Architecture data changes into an SQL database, using a subscription. Values of all data types are stored in a single SQL_VARIANT column.
• Added F# example project UADocExamples, and started adding examples to it. Examples taken from this project appear in the reference documentation.
• Added F# example UAConsoleApplication1: The simplest console application. Reads and displays an OPC-UA node value.
• Added examples in LINQPad.

Examples (COM)

• Added example in VB 6.0 - UAReadAndDisplayValue: The simplest form for OPC-UA. Reads and displays an OPC-UA node value.
• Added example in VBA under Excel - UAClientCertificateParameters.xls: Shows how to set the application name for the client certificate.
• Added example in VBA under Excel - UADataDialog.xls: Shows how a user can interactively select an OPC-UA endpoint and a data node.
• Added example in Visual C++ - ReadMultipleItemsXml: Reads multiple items from an OPC XML-DA server, and displays the results.
• Improved VBA example in Excel - UASubscribeToMultiple3.xls: Now also shows how to specify an absolute deadband.

Documentation and Help - Format

• Following documents have been merged into a single User's Guide and Reference: Concepts, Reference, Getting Started, Examples, User's Guide-StreamInsight Option for QuickOPC, Automated Deployment of QuickOPC License.
• The conceptual and reference documentation is now generated using a new tool.
• The full reference documentation is no longer available in CHM format.
• The User's Guide and Reference is available online, and the User's Guide (without Reference) as a PDF download. Start menu shortcuts link to the corresponding online locations.
• The document "What's New in QuickOPC" (used to be an online PDF) has been replaced by a wiki page.
• The document "QuickOPC Test Tools" (used to be an online PDF) has been replaced by a wiki page.
• The document "QuickOPC Bonus Material" (used to be an online PDF) has been replaced by a wiki page.
• The product name can now be branded in practically all places of the documentation.
• The online and downloadable documentation is now hosted on branded sub-domains of doc-that.com.
• Added a Start menu icon for Knowledge Base.
• Adding the help library to Visual Studio is now silent - the user no longer needs to confirm the security warning(s) during the installation.

Documentation and Help - Content

• The Visual Studio help now contains the full User's Guide and Reference (and not just the Reference).
• The (previously restricted) document "Automated Deployment of QuickOPC License" is now incorporated into the public User's Guide and Reference
• The types and members from the COM Type Libraries are now documented in the Reference.
• Placed many examples from the reference documentation directly onto suitable locations in the conceptual documentation.
• Placed pieces of reference documentation as sub-topics to the conceptual documentation (in browser help), where appropriate.

Removed parts

• Removed the obsoleted method EasyAEClient.CreateSubscriptionFilter, and related examples.
• The obsoleted DABinder, UABinder and OPCDataNetEngine components are no longer shown as Toolbox items in Visual Studio.