The CNX Notebook: Expert Tips, Techniques, and Insights for IBM i and Valence App Development

Browse these blog posts from our Valence and IBM i experts to get techniques, advice and examples for building apps that transform your business world.

CNX Rolls Out Robust AI Capabilities with Valence 6.4, the Low-Code Platform for IBM i

CNX offers the ideal solution to IBM i skills gap as Valence now writes code from conversational prompts MINNEAPOLIS, April 27, 2026 — Izzi Software, a leading provider of innovative enterprise software solutions, is rolling out the newest version of the flagship enterprise application development software from CNX. Known as the low-code development platform built for IBM i, Valence is trusted by organizations worldwide to tackle their most critical business and technical challenges, with innovative features released continuously over its...
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Izzi Software at the COMMON POWERUp Conference: A Celebration of Innovation and Collaboration

Visit us at Booth #510 As the excitement builds for the upcoming COMMON POWERUp conference, Izzi Software is thrilled to announce our participation in this dynamic event dedicated to the IBM i community. This year’s conference promises to be an exceptional gathering of professionals, innovators, and thought leaders who share a passion for the future of IBM i technology. One of the hallmarks of POWERUp is the opportunity to connect with peers from across the IBM i landscape. This event...
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Make Columns and Fields Pop with Readily Available Formatters

While many Nitro App Builder users are well-acquainted with the common formatting options for dates, currency, and numbers, the Miscellaneous category tucked inside the format configuration window often flies under the radar. Yet these readily available formatters for certain types of values can instantly make your grids and forms far more intuitive and visually polished — all without writing a single line of code. This month’s tip highlights all the easy-to-use options in the Miscellaneous section that many developers may...
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Izzi Software Signs Key Agreements with Bluehouse and Capricorn to Grow Development Capabilities and Expand Presence in US Government Market

Minneapolis – MARCH 17, 2026 – Izzi Software, a leading provider of innovative enterprise software solutions for IBM Z and IBM iSeries, today announced that it has inked partnership agreements with Capricorn Information Systems and Bluehouse. Bluehouse, one of the largest distributors of enterprise software and operator of a global network of approved resellers, will distribute Izzi Software’s full product portfolio to government and commercial customers alike. Izzi’s products will be added to Bluehouse’s GSA schedule, enabling US federal agencies...
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Double the visible filters in your widget toolbars

In our previous NAB tip we described a new feature for designating certain filter fields as mandatory in order to minimize record set sizes and ensure desired indexes are used for better performance. In today’s tip we’ll expand on that topic with yet another simple but powerful filter-related feature, this time focusing on the aesthetics behind the presentation of filters in toolbars.  Historically, when the number of filters configured for a NAB widget toolbar exceeded the space available on a single line,...
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Help users digest an ocean of data with appropriate Required Filters

In today’s world of massive IBM i tables — think millions of rows in customer, order, inventory, or transaction files — it’s easy to unleash an ocean of data on your users (and your system) with just one unfiltered grid load. Developer feedback from the front lines of this phenomenon drove us to add a Required Filter feature to Nitro App Builder in early 2025, helping turn overwhelming seas of data into more focused, performant results. And as of the latest build...
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Izzi Software Signs Reseller Agreements with VIRTUTEM, ITSA

New partnerships will sell enterprise software offerings for IBM Z and IBM i  NEW YORK– January 12, 2026 –  Izzi Software, a leading provider of innovative enterprise software solutions, today announced that it has inked two global reseller deals with VIRTUTEM and IT Service Alliance (ITSA). VIRTUTEM will sell the IBM i product through Izzi subsidiary CNX, while ITSA will sell the ColeSoft IBM Z offering. These leading software platforms will be bundled with VIRTUTEM’s and ITSA’s existing services to...
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Fine tune & turbo-charge global grid searches

In a typical modern business environment, users working with data-heavy grid apps need to locate records quickly without scrolling through hundreds of rows. A single-field global search box placed prominently at the top of a grid can be an essential productivity tool, allowing end users to type a customer name, invoice number, product code, or any key term and immediately filter the dataset to matching rows. With Nitro App Builder’s latest enhancement to this feature, what was already convenient can now...
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When Your IBM i Server is the Last System Standing: Lessons from Ransomware Survivors

Richard Milone from CNX has heard this story at least twice in the last five years. A customer calls with that particular mix of relief and disbelief in their voice. “We had a ransomware attack. Everything’s encrypted – the Windows servers, the file shares, even some of the backups. But the IBM i is still running. It’s the only thing that wasn’t affected.” In an industry obsessed with modernization and cloud migration, there’s an uncomfortable truth nobody wants to discuss:...
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The Hidden Cost of Failed Modernization: Why Screen Scrapers Don’t Cut It

Back in 2006, Richard Milone at CNX started what should have been a simple project. Their Atomic software was running manufacturing shop floors across the country, but it still had that old-school terminal interface. Time to modernize. He acquired and installed four or five different modernization tools from the leading vendors. They all promised the same thing: bring your green screens to the web with no coding required. “The bottom line of all that analysis was we hated all of...
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Grid with custom cell rendering

Adding context to grid subtotals & grand totals

In the web world, the data grid is arguably the most indispensable UI tool for presenting business data in a clear and meaningful way to users. When working with grid widgets in Nitro App Builder (NAB), customizing how data is presented at the summary level can help provide even more clarity. As described in a previous blog post, custom renderers inside grid cells make it possible to tailor the display of regular, subtotal and grand total cells in a grid. While...
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IBM Power Systems: A Growing Market in 2025

In 2025, IBM Power Systems continues to solidify its position as a leading player in the enterprise server market. This growth can be attributed to several key factors, including technological advancements, strategic partnerships, and an increasing user base. Here at CNX, this is a trend that we’ve noticed and been pleasantly surprised by over the last few years, and it’s an encouraging sign for the industry. What is especially encouraging is seeing so many younger programmers and engineers at conferences...
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NAB Developer Console auto-relaunch

Since its introduction in the January 2025 Valence 6.3 build, the Nitro App Builder Developer Console has become an indispensable tool for supporting advanced NAB development. Whether it’s used for monitoring real-time changes to App Variables, inspecting posts and their JSON responses, reviewing SQL statements or any myriad of other use cases, the Dev Console provides superb visibility to everything going on beneath the covers of the app. Developers simply click the Dev Console icon in the Valence Portal toolbar and the tool launches, ready to...
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Various New UI Goodies in Grid Widgets

Without doubt the most widely utilized component in Valence apps created with Nitro App Builder (NAB) is the tried-and-true grid. Like a subfile on steroids, the super versatile grid widget makes it possible to provide browser-based lists of business data in ways that are inherently intuitive for users, with the added benefit of being downloadable straight into Excel or PDF. Yet for all its existing features, we continue to strive for improvement and find ways to further refine the experience for...
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CNX Partner Focus: PKS Software

Beginning with this month’s newsletter we will occasionally highlight one of our global partners who sell and service Valence in their respective regions. Today we’d like to give a shout-out to our Ravensburg, Germany-based partner PKS Software.   “For ten years now we have been helping IBM i customers in Germany, Austria and other neighboring countries install and use Valence to quickly create web applications,” says Managing Director Heidi Schmidt. “We find many of these clients are quite surprised at how quickly they...
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Automating or Mass Creating Valence Users

One of the more fundamental elements in the Valence Portal is the Valence user profile record. Each user can be authorized to different environments and groups, and will accordingly have access to different library lists and apps in the portal. By default, any valid IBM i user can log into the Valence Portal and have a Valence user profile record created automatically if they don’t already have one. The auto-generated Valence user will assume environment and group membership based on a profile...
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Constraining one dropdown filter by the value of another

Data grids integrated with dropdown filters make for a popular combination in many Nitro App Builder-based business apps. A typical grid configuration may include a dizzying collection of columns and rows — all easily tamed with a filter toolbar situated directly above the header row, making it simple for users to winnow the records down to something more pertinent. In some cases, the value selected in one dropdown filter would naturally make certain values non-applicable in another filter. For instance, say you have one dropdown filter...
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Manage your NAB development team with check-out & check-in functionality

Developing applications collaboratively can sometimes feel like juggling—keeping track of who is working on what, ensuring no one steps on each other’s toes, and maintaining a smooth workflow. We’re excited to announce a new feature in Nitro App Builder (NAB) that aims to make this juggling act a whole lot easier: the Check-Out/In system. In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how this new feature works and how it can enhance your development experience on the IBM i platform....
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Set up Git for your NAB development environment

In the ever-evolving landscape of application development, efficient version control and seamless integration are paramount for maintaining robust and scalable solutions. We’re excited to introduce the latest enhancement to Valence’s Nitro App Builder (NAB): Git Integration. This powerful feature allows you to synchronize, commit, track history, and rollback changes effortlessly using Git, directly within your IBM i environment. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through setting up and leveraging this integration to optimize your NAB development workflow. Overview Valence...
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Conditional controls for grid buttons

In addition to showing heaps of scrollable business data, grid apps built with Valence’s Nitro App Builder tool can be configured to include action buttons that make them even more useful. Introduced in Valence 5.2, icon columns are columns with clickable buttons that can appear on the left and/or right edge of each grid row. Users can click on these intuitive buttons to perform any common behavior, such as opening a drill-down window, launching another app, calling an RPG program, etc.  For all their single-click handiness,...
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