When working with browser applications, I typically have multiple browser windows or tabs open. This is especially true when I work with the Profound UI development environment. For example, it’s not uncommon for me to have several Rich Display Files open in the Visual Designer, Genie sessions, and Preview browser tabs running all at the same time.

But here is the problem: these separate tabs could not really talk to each other. Until now!

Today’s modern browsers provide an interesting new HTML5 feature called local storage. Not only does this allow applications to store information that is accessible by multiple tabs, but you can also send messages from one browser tab to another through special events that monitor changes in local storage.

Profound UI version 4.5 takes advantage of this by allowing you to copy and paste widgets and entire record formats between Visual Designer environments running in different tabs. This works well in the Rich Display File Visual Designer (for RPG or PHP) as well as the Genie Visual Designer (the 5250 refacing designer). It is even possible to copy widgets from a Genie Designer into the Rich Display Designer, and vice versa.

Try this: Open 2 Rich Display Designer Windows side by side. If you copy something in one window, you will see the Paste button on the other window’s Ribbon light up and become enabled right away! Pretty sleek, isn’t it?