Technology is changing rapidly, while at the same time customer demand for new features has also accelerated. Keeping pace with these dynamics is a challenge in these modern times where competition is stiff and room for error is minimal. Not only the competitiveness, but the very relevance and survival of organizations is dependent on how agile and nimble their software development processes can be.
The DPI (Device Programming Interface) Framework from Utthunga is an accelerator to aid our internal software development. DPI Framework is a rapid application development platform that enables developing Stand-alone, Mobile, Cloud, and Web application software applications. This framework is suited to develop applications for a range of use cases from plant floor tools to executive dashboards.
Why it’s required ?
Some of the challenges industrial OEMs and ISVs face during software development are:
Huge Amount of Coding
Any software application consists of various modules that require huge amount of coding. This consumes a lot of time and is prone to errors.
Catering to Market Needs
Changing market needs require resources and skills to develop, which are challenging to find. It also impacts the time to market.
Unestablished Project Environment
The absence of established project environment greatly impacts the development of software applications. It is a formidable task to release the application on time and within budget.
Rapid Application Development Features Provided by Utthunga’s DPI Framework
Utthunga’s DPI Framework addresses all the above changes with following features:
DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) Principle
DPI framework is based on DRY principle that allows the developer to refer to a source or snippet of code instead of repeating the same lines of code multiple times. This saves considerable amount of development time.
Cross-Platform Support
DPI framework’s modular design and flexibility to build Windows WPF and Mobile UI standards-compatible UI, makes it perfectly suitable for desktop as well as mobile (Android, iOS, and Windows).
Mobile Support
DPI allows developing UI elements for mobile applications using Xamarin.Forms for UWP, iOS, and Android.
Multiple Protocol Stacks Support
DPI has in-built support for industrial communication standards like OPC, FDT, and others. The platform also comes with built-in stacks and drivers for a wide range of protocols like HART, Modbus, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus, Ethernet/IP, and many more. The component plug-in architecture allows to plug-in any protocol stack into the framework.
Built-in Offline and Simulation Support
The built-in simulation engine can simulate data from the plant floor via various industrial protocols. The engine is rich in features to enable varied types of simulations.
Complex Field Device Logic Support
The framework is easily able to support complex field device logic. Say for example calibration, which is a complex process of reading/writing to a field device like flowmeter, etc. The customer defined logic could be part of an external DLL, this DLL can be referenced inside the DPI framework in the XML file. This allows the framework to automatically ingest the DLL file and perform the complex functions.
Multiple Device Revision Support
DPI framework can support multiple application versions. The framework automatically loads the base version along with the upgraded version, thus supporting multiple versions simultaneously.
XML Configuration
User interfaces are defined in an easy-to-understand XML format. The ability to add a new or change the look and feel of a control is as easy as an edit to the XML file. Multiple versions of the XML file can be supported to align to the changing software versions.
Creation of Executables
Executables can be created in platform-specific format, i.e., .apk for Android, .iPA for iOS, and .exe for Windows.
Why Utthunga for Rapid Application Development Accelerator?
Perfected over the years as a direct result of building hundreds of applications for customers worldwide, DPI framework serves to build stable software applications fast. The various modules in the framework architecture are already in place saving huge amount of coding time. Further, since hundreds of products have been developed using the DPI framework, most of which are actively being used by users as we speak, the stability of the framework has been field tested. As such, the products that are developed using the DPI framework are sure to have minimum bugs reported from the field after release and also optimized for performance.
DPI Framework is equipped with enormous features that make application development rapid and agile. Utthunga’s DPI framework is suitable choice for accelerated software development for reasons mentioned underneath:
Contact us to accelerate your software development process today!