gmStudio Release News: Tuesday, 8-April-2025

gmBasic: Upgrade Engine

gmBasic is a computer language processor that reads, interprets, and rewrites VB6/ASP/COM systems for the .NET platform (using C# or VB.NET ). Based on feedback from our clients and real-world modernization projects, we continuously improve gmBasic so it will help developers more easily produce cleaner, more correct upgrade results. Most recently, this work includes general improvements that produce more functionally correct translations of a Voter Roll Management System. This three-tier enterprise application is comprised of 101 inter-related VBP files referencing 1.4M total LOC in 1,566 code files and using 29 third-party COM libraries. In addition, important improvements were made in the ASP translation capability. The distribution,Version 50.14, has several important enhancements.

Improves translation of complex ASP tags having embedded conditional logic
Improves translation of statements that invoke event handlers
Improves string array declarations and initializations
Improves translation of OptionButton.Checked = true
Improves translation of OptionButton.Click event
Improves translation of CheckBox.Click event
Improves diagnostic messages when a ByRef parameter of a user-defined event migrates to ByVal
Improves diagnostic messages when an explicit Optional ByRef parameter migrates to ByVal
Improves consistency of UPGRADE_INFO messages
Improves consistency of using Status="NotImplemented" rather than Status="delete" for incompatible VB6 Control properties
Improves Refactor/Remove to allow also removing orphaned comments when removing a subprogram
Corrects system hang when an empty OldBlock is used in a Replace command

gmStudio: Upgrade Solution Development Environment

Powered by gmBasic, gmStudio is a platform for analyzing code and developing custom VB6/ASP/COM to .NET upgrade solutions. We are continuously adding functionality to gmStudio and making it easier to use. This distribution includes several enhancements:

Corrects Location Name in XML Search results
Improves handling of Search Peek Window size
Add Task Comment and Description to Project Metrics report

gmAPI: a .NET API for Developing Advanced Upgrade Solutions

gmAPI is a .NET API for automating our upgrade engine and accessing the semantic models produced by our unique linguistic compilation technology. gmAPI also includes classes for managing complex upgrade rules and integrating external migration tools with gmStudio. We maintain and improve gmAPI and related components to keep them in sync with the platform and add new features.

Improves implementation of custom CodeStyle extension

Advanced Metrics Reporting

The gmStudio platform includes advanced reporting services that allow you to gather extremely detailed information about your legacy system. The advance reports include Symbol Tables, Symbol References, Symbol Definitions, Model Audits, and more. We maintain and enhance these advanced reporting services to keep them in sync with the model schema and add new features. See Semantic Reports for more information.

gmStudio Extensions

gmStudio ships with a collection of sample upgrade rules that can be used to add custom features to your upgrade solution. These XML documents and gmSL scripts are distributed as source that you may modify to fit your unique requirements. The sample rules were updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. See also additions and changes in gmStudio Extensions Repository.

Improves the migration of Common Dialog to WinForms (comdlg32.ocx.Wrapper.Refactor.xml)
Improves migration of COM+ to System.EnterpriseServices (Comsvcs.dll.Refactor.xml)
Improves rules for setting the default parent class for stub controls authored in the support framework (Environment.std.xml)
Improves examples directing custom migration of VB6 language operations (mig.vb7lang.xml)
Improves migration of Windows Common Control 2 to WinForms (mscomct2.ocx.WinForms.gmsl/xml)
Improves migration of Windows Common Control to WinForms (mscomctl.ocx.WinForms.gmsl/xml)
Improves migration of MSXML2 to System.Xml (msxml6.dll.Refactor.xml)
Improves migration of RichTextBox to WinForms (richtx32.ocx.WinForms.Refactor.xml)
Improves migration of Scripting to System.IO (Scrrun.dll.SystemIO.Refactor.xml)
Improves the migration of TabDialog to WinForms (TABCTL32.OCX.Wrapper.Refactor.xml)

gmRTL: Great Migrations Runtime Library

gmRTL is a sample runtime library that contains classes allowing for more readable translations. We continuously improve this framework in real-world project work. Learn more about gmRTLhere.

Improves gmRTL.Core.OrderedDictionary
Adds gmRTL.Core.COMPlus mock classes for running COM+ components outside of MTS
Adds gmRTL.Core.ErrorHandling.SimpleResumeNext
Adds gmRTL.Core.GLog classes for process logging
Adds gmRTL.Core.ArrayHelper services to allow deep initialization of stucts containing strings
Adds gmRTL.Core.ConversionHelper.ToVal to more closely emulate the Val function
Improves gmRTL.Core.InteractionHelper.Shell function
Adds gmRT.GUI.CheckedListBox control
Adds gmRT.GUI.ComboBoxEx control
Adds gmRT.GUI.OleControl control

Sample Upgrade Solutions

Great Migrations publishes several sample VB6/ASP upgrade solutions that illustrate the various upgrade features. The samples upgrade solutions and results were updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. Learn about the Samples here.

gmStudio FAQs

Great Migrations publishes FAQ articles and other information to help teams learn and use gmStudio. You can find all of the gmStudio FAQs on the Great Migrations portal. The following "Support Statement" articles were added or updated since the last product update:

By Tool or By Hand: Comparing Upgrade Methodologies
Custom COM Replacement
Setting Modernization Project Scope and Budget
Support Statement: Overcome the Limits of AI for Large Scale Software Modernization
Support Statement: Surface Pattern Syntax
Translation Myth Busters
gmStudio Command Line
gmStudio User Guide
gmplRegistryStatement
gmplRemoveStatement