This document covers the following topics:

• Installation

• New Features

• Changes and Enhancements

• Natural Security

• Notice of Future Changes

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Installation

System Requirements

The system requirements for the current version of Natural are now listed in the Installation documentation.

Compiler Used to Build Natural

With Natural for Windows Version 8.3.8, a different compiler version was used to build and test Natural: Microsoft Visual Studio 2015. See also Compiler Used to Build Natural in the Installation documentation.

New Features

Application Programming Interfaces

The utility SYSEXT provides the following new application programming interfaces (APIs):

API	Description
USR8221N	This new API generates a translation table which maps all codepoints of the source codepage to the corresponding value of the target codepage. The delivered sample program USR8221P generates the translation tables used by the API USR0620N for ASCII/EBCIDC translation.

Parameters

The following new Natural profile parameter is provided in this version:

Profile Parameter	Description
ITERM	Specifies whether or not the Natural session is to continue in the case of a session initialization error.

Configuration Utility

Program Loading and Deletion

The category Program Loading and Deletion in the parameter group Natural Execution Configuration now contains the new profile parameter ITERM. See Program Loading and Deletion in the Configuration Utility documentation.

System Variables

*LINEX

*LINEX is a new system variable which returns the source line number of the statement currently executing plus the line numbers of the copycode references (INCLUDE statements) in which the statement is embedded.

The line numbers are presented as a path where a slash (/) separates superior from subordinate statement levels (from left to right), for example: 3210/0200/0050.

*LOAD-LIBRARY-ID

*LOAD-LIBRARY-ID is a new system variable which returns the name of the library from where the current executed object was loaded.

System Commands

PROFILER System Command

The PROFILER system command is now also available on UNIX and Windows. This command executes the Profiler utility in batch mode. The PROFILER system command is described in the System Commands documentation.

Changes and Enhancements

Application Programming Interfaces

The utility SYSEXT provides the following new application programming interfaces (APIs):

API	Description
USR0620N	Convert string into ASCII or EBCDIC code. The API offers the new function codes "1" and "2". The functions use ASCII/EBCIDC translation tables from natconv.ini which can be edited by the user.
USR1059N - USR1060N	Natural Reporter interface. The APIs return a code "-99" if an unsupported machine class is encountered. The sample programs USR1059P – USR1060P print a corresponding message in this case.

Profiler Utility

Data Input for Profiler from Natural text objects

The Profiler utility now provides the option to retrieve data from Natural text objects and include them in the input data for the Profiler.

For more information, see Including Profiler Input from Natural Text Objects in the section Using the Profiler Utility in Batch Mode in the Tools and Utilities documentation.

Natural Security

The following enhancements are provided with Natural Security Version 8.3.8.

• Group Within Group

• SECULD2 Workplan for Unloading Security Data

• NaturalONE LSO Container Libraries

Group Within Group

With previous versions, it was not possible for a user of type "Group" to contain another group. As of this version, a group can also contain another group. However, a group within a group within a group is not possible.

SECULD2 Workplan for Unloading Security Data

If you need to perform the same unload operation at regular intervals, you can make the desired SECULD2 specifications in a so-called "workplan". Instead of having to make all the specifications every time on the SECULD2 menu, you make them in the workplan, and then only have specify the ID of the workplan on the SECULD2 menu. See Using SECULD2 in the Natural Security documentation.

NaturalONE LSO Container Libraries

Natural Security supports LSO container libraries (LSO = library search order) generated in NaturalONE and automatically creates security profiles for them. See LSO Container Libraries under Protection With Development Mode Options in the Natural Security documentation.

Notice of Future Changes

Entire Transaction Propagator

Entire Transaction Propagator will no longer be supported with the next version of Natural. As a consequence, the parameters ETPDB and ETPSIZE will be removed as well.

Additional Parameter for Profiling Natural Applications

It is planned to add a new parameter to further support the profiling of Natural applications. This parameter will be used to generate specific profiling information which is currently only generated if the corresponding Natural object was compiled with SYMGEN=ON. With the introduction of the new parameter, it will no longer be required to use the SYMGEN profile parameter.