Volt MX Studio Equivalents in Volt MX Iris

The Volt MX Studio product line has evolved to a new user interface and expanded functionality in Volt MX Iris. In addition to its many new and improved features, virtually all of the same functionality is available, but many of those familiar Volt MX Studio features are accessed differently in Volt MX Iris. This topic shows you how to accomplish in Volt MX Iris what you are familiar with doing in Volt MX Studio.

Note: In Volt MX Studio 6.5, you could port a project from one platform to another, and to channels within the target platform. However, issues would arise due to the wide variations in form factors from one platform and channel to another. In Volt MX Iris, universality across platforms and channels is achieved through the use of components and masters; platform porting is not supported in Volt MX Iris. For more information, See Working with Components, HCL Forge , and Masters. .

Feature Locations

The following table outlines where different features are located in the respective user interfaces of Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature	Kony Studio	In Volt MX Iris
Application assets	Navigator View → <App Name>	Project Explorer → Assets tab
Clone All	Skins View → Clone All icon	Project Explorer → Skins tab → <widget type> → right-click <skin name> (e.g. btnFocus) → Fork
Collections	N/A	Library Explorer → Collections
Custom Widgets	Navigator View → <App Name> → customwidgets	VoltMX IrisLibrary pane →Widget tab → Custom Widget section
Emulators (configure)	Emulators View → <Platform> → <Channel> → right-click emulator → Edit	Product menu → Emulators & Devices Configurationor Window menu → Preferences → VoltMX Iris → Emulators
Emulators (display)	Window menu → Show View → Emulators	Preview menu → Launch Emulator
Events/Actions	Events are added and edited by selecting a widget and then navigating to the Event section in the Widget Properties View	Global actions can be created and accessed from Project Explorer → Project tab → <Channel>, and open in the Action Editor Actions created for a specific widget are accessed by selecting the widget, followed by Properties Editor → Action tab
Flex Properties	Flex Properties View	Properties Editor → Look tab → Flex section
Font (change)	Skins view → navigate to widget type → navigate to channel and platform → double-click → Font tab	Select widget → Properties Editor → Skin tab → Fonts section
Fork a Skin	Skins View → <widget type> → right-click <skin name> (e.g. btnFocus) → Fork	Project Explorer → Skins tab → <widget type> → right-click <skin name> (e.g. btnFocus) → Fork or Properties Editor → Skin tab → General section → Platform ellipsis button→ Select platforms → OK
Forms	Applications View → <App Name> → forms	Project Explorer → Project tab → <Channel> → Forms
Hierarchical view of forms and widgets	Outline view	Project Explorer → Project tab
Images	Applications View → resources	Project Explorer → Assets tab
Modules	Applications View → <App Name> → modules	Project Explorer → Project tab → Modules
Offline Services	Applications View → <App Name> → offline services	Set up as a service on VoltMX Foundry that is then synced locallyProject Explorer → VoltMX Foundry
Popups	Applications View → <App Name> → popups	Project Explorer → Project tab → <Channel> → Popups
Projects/Applications	Multiple applications can be open at one time	Only one project can be open at a time
Review/Comments	Not Available	Properties Editor → Review tab
Search (forms, widgets, and skins)	Search menu → Search	Project Explorer → Search tab
Search (modules)	Search menu → Search	Edit menu → Find/Replace (Search in VoltMX Iris)
Services in use by the application	Applications View → <App Name> → servicesAlso:The Services View	Project Explorer → VoltMX Foundry
Skins	The Skins view	Project Explorer → Skins tab
Splash Screen	File → Application Properties → Splash Screen tab	Opened from Project Explorer → Project tab → <Channel>, and once opened, configured from Properties Editor → Splash Screen tab
Templates	Applications View → <App Name> → templates	Project Explorer → Templates tab → Components
Themes	The Skins view → Theme drop-down list	Project Explorer → Skins tab → Theme drop-down list
Web_module	Applications View → <App Name> →web_module	Handled as a part of services in the VoltMX Foundry Console Project Explorer → Project tab → VoltMX Foundry
Widgets	Widgets Palette	Library Explorer → Widgets tab
Widget Properties	Widget Properties View	Properties Editor

Service Definition

The following table outlines where service definition features are located in the respective user interfaces of Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature or Task	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
Access and edit service definitions	Right-click app name in the Applications View, and then click Open Service Definition	Project Explorer → Project tab → VoltMX Foundry → Integration → Configure New button or Use Existing button
Sync Configuration	Window menu → Show View → Other → Volt MX Studio → SyncConfiguration	Project Explorer → Project tab → VoltMX Foundry → Synchronization

Form Editor

The following table outlines where various form editing features are located in the respective user interfaces of Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature or Task	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
Create a new form	Applications View → <App Name> → forms → right-click <channel> → New Flex Form	Project Explorer→ Project tab → <channel> → right-click Forms → New Form → Flex Form
Form editing	Uses the Form Designer	Uses the Iris Canvas
Mapping Editor	Open the Event Editor → right-click Action Sequence → select to invoke a service, navigate to a form, or add mapping → Open Mapping Editor	Open the Action Editor → open an Action Sequence → right-click an action → Open Mapping Editor
Open a form	Applications View → <App Name> → forms → <channel> → double-click form	Project Explorer→ Project tab → <channel> → click Forms arrow → Click Form
Quick Preview	Click Preview in the Form Designer → select the platform and channel → open Emulators View → right-click emulator → click Open in Preview	The Iris Canvas is always in preview mode. From the drop-down lists at the top of the canvas, select the platform, channel, and device you want
Side-by-Side view	Not available	Window menu → Arrange → Side By Side
Toggle BVR (beyond visible range)Toggles between limiting what's viewable on the canvas to what a user would see on the screen, and displaying all application elements of a form, regardless of their position	Not available	On the Iris Canvas, click BVR to place and view application items beyond what's visible on the device screen. Click BVR again to limit the canvas display to the device screen To pan in BVR mode, you can press the space bar and drag.
Toggle OrientationToggles the device preview between portrait and landscape orientations	Not available	At the top of the Iris Canvas, click the Toggle Orientation icon
Toggle ShellToggles the device preview between displaying just the screen, and displaying the device's shape and dimensions beyond the screen	Not available	At the top of the Iris Canvas, click the Toggle Shell icon

Authentication and Licensing

In Volt MX Studio, you were prompted for authentication and licensing when Volt MX Studio started. With Volt MX Iris, you are prompted for authentication and licensing when you first build a project, giving you the ability to use Volt MX Iris offline.

Best Practices for using GIT and SVN Repositories

In your development streams, we recommend the following best practices in coordinating the use of both Volt MX Iris and Volt MX Iris Classic.

Since both editions of Volt MX Iris use the same file format, they can share a common GIT or SVN repository.
You should maintain separate workspaces for Volt MX Iris projects and Volt MX Iris Classic projects.

To illustrate, your workspace work flow should look like this:

Import and Export

The following table outlines how import and export features function in the respective user interfaces of Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature or Issue	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
File Format Compatibility	Since Volt MX Studio used the .kl file format and Iris uses the JSON file format, moving a project between one and the other required converting between the two formats, resulting in inconsistencies	Both VoltMX Iris: VoltMX Iris and VoltMX Iris Classic: VoltMX Iris Classic uses the JSON file format for seamless importing and exporting of projects between the two.
Importation of actions from earlier versions of Iris	When imported into Volt MX Studio, did not copy the actions of projects made with earlier versions of Iris	The "Designer Actions" created in earlier versions of VoltMX Iris, when imported into VoltMX Iris Classic, are replicated as "Developer Actions" for seamless integration and optimal functionality
Imported Assets	Imported project is copied by reference but is not actually added to the workspace	Imported project is copied to the workspace

Using Skins

The following table outlines differences in how skins are used in the respective user interfaces of Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature or Task	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
Assigning skins	Assigned from the Widget Properties through a multi-click process	Assigned from the Skin tab of the Properties Editor for improved work flow
Common skins vs. widget-specific skins	Widgets, when added, automatically assume the default, common skin.	Widgets, when added, are automatically assigned their own unique, widget-specific skin

Utilities

The following table describes the differences in certain utilities between Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
Build Diff Tool	Applications View → right-click App name→ Utilities → Launch Build Diff Tool	Deprecated. Obsolete in VoltMX Iris
Form Merge Tool	For comparing forms and porting elements from one form to another to create functional parity across forms	This tool is deprecated since any form can be easily duplicated
Manage Custom Fonts	Skin View → right-click skin → Edit → Font tab → Platform Specific Font Names	Copy fonts directly into the project's Fonts folder
Platform Porting	For porting an application created in one platform to another platform	Deprecated. With flex layouts, VoltMX Iris dynamically renders from one platform to another, and can be copied seamlessly to other channels

In Volt MX Studio, custom widgets could be exported as a .zip file and then imported into a different project. This functionality is not available in Volt MX Iris. As an alternative, you can add custom widgets. For more information, see Add Custom Widgets.

Code Editor

The following table illustrates a couple of the main differences in how the Code Editor functions between Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature or Task	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
Code outline	Displayed in a separate panel	Displayed inline
Syntax Highlighting	Partially supported	Supported for the following languages: C, C#, C++, CSS, HTML4, HTML5, Java, JavaScript, LESS, Objective C, Python, Ruby, Sass, SCSS, XML

Search and Replace

In Volt MX Iris, you can search and replace code, and you can also jump to a code element's definition, such as a function. For more information, see Find and Replace and Jump to the Definition of a Code Element.

Local Preview

The following table outlines the differences in how previews are handled locally between Volt MX Studio and Volt MX Iris.

Feature or Task	In Volt MX Studio	In VoltMX Iris
Functional Preview Requests	Handled by Jetty	Handled by the Node.js runtime environment
Publish Destination	VoltMXServer	VoltMX Foundry
Publish Model	Applications and services published individually	In VoltMX Foundry, you create a VoltMX Foundry app to which you add services that you publish. When you're ready to publish the VoltMX Iris app, you bind it to the VoltMX Foundry app that contains the services that you want to use. After publishing the VoltMX Iris app, it accesses the published VoltMX Foundryservices.