Month: December 2024

本教程适用版本：WPS 365 点击免费使用

使用WPS Office打开表格，选择需要处理的包含公式的单元格或单元格区域。

依次点击「会员专享」选项卡 —>「智能工具箱」。

选择「格式」—>「英文符号替换为中文」即可。

Get your pet a toy to focus energy and teething on with the Pet Life Broom-Lick Newborn Cat and Dog Toy n Pink!

• Buttery-soft and smooth cotton finish
• Jute rope for gnawing
• Built-in squeaker
• Machine washable

Why We Love It:

The Pet Life Broom-Lick Newborn Cat and Dog Toy keeps your pets sharp baby teeth focused on toy and not things they should like hands. Composed of buttery-soft cotton and high-grade inner polyester with an inner stitched Jute Rope that’s perfect for gnawing on while teething. Features an durable Teddy-Bear character riding a Broom-stick-like Rope. This toy also features a Built-in Squeaker for added fun and engagement and is specially designed for use with New Born Puppies and Kittens and smaller-sized breeds. Available in Multiple Colors.

Sinker electrical discharge machining (EDM) – also known as ram EDM, conventional EDM, die-sinker EDM, and plunge EDM – is one of the oldest and most widely known types of EDM. It is a unique machining method for making intricate parts with high precision, even in very hard materials.

This article will summarize what a sinker EDM machine is, how it works, and the reasons for using one.

How Does Sinker EDM Work?

Sinker EDM works using the same principles as other types of electrical discharge machining: an electrical voltage difference between the EDM tooling (the electrode) and the workpiece causes sparks between the two. High thermal energy created from these sparks melts or vaporizes bits of the workpiece and the EDM electrode. The debris is then washed away by the dielectric fluid.

Like other types of EDM, the sparksoccur thousands of times per second, effectively “cutting” through the workpiece. In this process, the electrode is slowly plunged, or sunk, into the workpiece as it “machines” the work surface to the desired depth. The tooling is then withdrawn and the result is an inverted mirror image of the EDM tooling cut into the workpiece.

In most cases, sinker EDM uses an electrode made of graphite and a hydrocarbon oil like kerosene as the dielectric fluid. While other options are available for specific projects, graphite electrodes and hydrocarbon oil offer a good balance of tooling durability, surface finish, and cost.

Sinker EDM: Benefits & Limitations

• As with any manufacturing process, sinker EDM has a mix of capabilities and limitations that make it better suited for some applications. The biggest benefits of using this process are that it is:
• Ideal for making very fine and intricate details without the need to penetrate the full thickness of the metal.
• Capable of very high-quality surface finishes, especially if using a second finishing pass.
• Well-suited to machining hard materials, like tool steels, tungsten, and advanced nickel-based alloys, even when applied to angled surfaces.
• A fully CNC process that requires minimal supervision.

On the other hand, the main limitations of sinker EDM are that it:

• Is only compatible with conductive materials, and does not work well with heterogeneous materials.
• Is a slower machining process than other types of EDM, and may be slower than alternative machining methods.
• Requires a new custom electrode for each unique cut, as well as replacement of the electrode after it deteriorates.
• Is often more costly than other machining operations, especially when it comes to electrode production and consumption.

Aside from a few subtle differences, sinker EDM has very similar benefits and shortcomings with wire EDM. The biggest distinction between them is that wire EDM can only complete full-thickness cuts starting from an edge or a pre-made hole. Sinker EDM however, can plunge the tooling electrode to any depth desired on any face of the workpiece. Wire EDM can be cheaper and faster for a wide range of linear cuts, but it is not suitable for creating blind features or surfaces with curvature in 3-dimensions. This is where this process excels!

Is This Manufacturing Process Right For You?

While other machining processes can often cut and shape materials faster or at a lower cost, sinker EDM remains an important specialty process. This is great for machining materials with high hardness values or complex details that would be challenging or even impossible to get with other processes.

This makes it ideal for producing long-lasting dies and molds, complex features like internal splines on motor shafts, and tiny details like ultra-thin cooling fins. If you want to learn more about the capabilities of electrical discharge machining and find out if it’s the right machining method for your next project, check out Gensun’s EDM services page.

A Product Information Management system like Pimcore allows you to collect, store, and update data from various sales channels. Despite its many practical functionalities for online stores, this solution isn’t limited to the ecommerce industry. The open source platform also streamlines data flow in travel, retail, media and publishing, manufacturing, distribution, and more. Find out how different industries can benefit from this software and its features.

What is Pimcore, and why is it a good solution for different industries?

Pimcore is an open source platform that makes digital life easier for companies. As a Product Information Management software, it centralizes data of different volumes and types (e.g., marketing, sales, technical) in one system. As a result, organizations can efficiently collect, manage, integrate, and distribute information across multiple touchpoints – ecommerce platforms, websites, social media, paper catalogs, and so on.

With Pimcore, you can send only the data you need to specific channels. You’ll eliminate duplicate information, automatically reduce errors, and keep data consistent across each platform. This PIM system also acts as a “data warehouse,” allowing you to create and maintain information relationships between large data sets. This feature is helpful for companies that share product details among departments, business partners, or development areas. 

Source: Pimcore

Although data management is at the heart of the Pimcore system, it also provides its users with several other capabilities. Companies from diverse industries can easily define product attributes, hierarchies, and versions, set pricing and promotions, and specify localization in different geographic regions. 

Pimcore can also be used for brand management, print publication creation, and automated corporate translation. In the last case, thanks to the Pimcore integration with the Google Translate and GlobalLink translation memory system, the software enables translating product information automatically into multiple languages. 

What industries benefit from Pimcore?

Organizations of all sizes and industries choose Pimcore because it enables not only improving data quality and controlling all the information when data management becomes too complex. This system also helps to facilitate product-driven processes, increase productivity, boost sales, and improve customer experience. Further in the article, we’ll explore how travel, retail, media and publishing, manufacturing, ecommerce, and distribution can work with Pimcore to meet their needs.  

Travel 

Today, more and more people are using technology solutions to plan their voyages. Platforms such as Booking.com, Airbnb, and TripAdvisor are so popular. Therefore, other travel service providers need to keep up with the aforementioned online platforms and simplify the customer journey to ensure that digitally-oriented travelers will use their services. 

The PIM platform helps make the travel experience convenient for customers. It can be used for providing access to interactive, revised hotel catalogs and trip brochures and then to itineraries or individual lodging information. How does it work? 

Travel Management

Travel companies can use Pimcore to manage and update travel information and digital assets (such as hotel images, and trip catalogs in PDF format) in one software. Then it’s easy to distribute consolidated data, for example, to different travel ecommerce platforms, and to the company reservation system. As a result, customers have access to up-to-date, consistent information (i.e., same prices, or room availability at the facility) while they book accommodations online, purchase transportation tickets, or sign up for tours and sightseeing.

Automated travel package promotion

Travelers like to compare available trips and their prices and search for the best recommendations and user reviews to fit the best travel package. With Pimcore, companies or travel agencies can reach their target audience faster than the competition. Product information management allows them to deliver travel content in real-time and consistently across multiple channels, including websites, corporate newsletters, social media, and mobile applications. Automating the process eliminates repetitive tasks (like pasting content into different tools) or inconsistencies in package descriptions. 

Retail

Retailers running offline stores compete for customers by offering increasingly innovative experiences. Brands use personalization (for example, real-time marketing campaigns that encourage in-store visits) and new technology solutions (e.g., self-service checkouts or virtual fitting rooms) to engage shoppers. 

To deliver the best shopping journeys, companies need to collect and manage the product information that matters to customers (e.g., product description, technical specification, item pictures, or video, quantity, and availability). To do this productively, they need a comprehensive PIM platform with its functionalities.

Omnichannel retailing

Presenting high-quality, customer-focused offers is one of the most significant elements of the retail industry. Companies can use Pimcore to synchronize product information and simultaneously place it in multiple channels (e.g. social media platforms, mobile apps, in-store kiosks), providing a consistent experience. In this way, they can target audiences and inspire them for shopping at sales points. 

Pimcore’s system focuses on the omnichannel strategy, providing automatic updates, easy offer management in online and offline materials, and message personalization. It also connects two worlds – digital and physical. To maintain brand integrity, companies can deliver the same information across the website, mobile application, and paper catalog or even integrate the click-and-collect system into the offline store. 

Media and publishing

A major challenge for media and publishing companies today is finding solutions that simplify the preparation of materials for offline and online publications, using automation and relying on data. This is true not only for large publishing houses or smaller agencies working with clients but also for companies that have in-house specialists working on, for example, online offerings, paper catalogs, or company brochures. Let’s look at how Pimcore can help in this case. 

Cross-channel and print publishing 

Pimcore is a suitable tool for cross-channel publishing. It automatically delivers product information to various output channels (such as websites, mobile apps, and physical sources). For example, companies can easily publish the details of their products, such as books or magazines, on the ecommerce platform and simultaneously use some of this data to prepare printouts. Pimcore allows them to export data to PDF files (RGB and CMYK standards) and office documents. 

Thanks to its publishing capabilities, Pimcore users can automatically create datasheets and content, such as product catalogs, price lists, technical documentation, company presentations, photo magazines, brochures, etc. Editors, marketers, or sales managers no longer need to ensure the data is up-to-date before publishing because the system automatically updates all the information. 

Layout design software integration 

Another feature of Pimcore is its ability to integrate easily with the publishing and layout design application – Adobe InDesign. Such a solution allows designers and publishers to use data models, object databases, and assets stored in the PIM system and build the layouts in design software (e.g., format the tables, and adjust product pictures), turning them into printing materials (leaflets, posters, catalogs, magazines, or even books).   

Source: Pimcore

Manufacturing

Manufacturing, like other industries, is going digital. This is happening for various reasons – innovative products are emerging, the time to market for new products is decreasing, and consumer demands are advancing. Companies need to meet these challenges. The PIM system can help them by better data management and increasing operational efficiency.    

Industrial data management 

Pimcore provides manufacturers with efficient data management. It enables them to import, enrich, consolidate, and deliver product information across different channels and applications (e.g. B2B trading platforms, manufacturing websites, product catalogs, and price sheets). With centralized and up-to-date data in one place, they can respond quickly to market and customer demands. 

PIM system also helps reduce time by automating some repetitive tasks, for example, SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) releases, price changes, adding new items or product recalls. For this purpose, manufacturers can use such functionalities as importing product data directly from their ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) system, batch editing on a multi-product list, duplicating existing products to faster create similar ones or building templates.  

Ecommerce

Digital retailers need different ecommerce features to drive engagement and sales. Today, simply setting up an online store and selling products only there is no longer enough to differentiate offers from the competition. They need to capture customers’ attention and deliver messages fast through the right media. Pimcore, as a PIM open source software, has built-in tools to help merchants sell and promote products to their target audience. See how it works.

Product information optimization

In the Pimcore ecommerce system, sellers can edit various product information (such as prices, sizes, availability, or technical description), add digital assets, optimize it, and adapt it to the channel where they make it available. This way, the details presented about the offer will be consistent but unique. Merchants can ensure that information conveys a different value to the viewer in a given medium (e.g., emphasize images in social media and a low price in online ads).

Source: Pimcore

Multiple integrations

The Pimcore system delivers several integrations with different types of software that are important for ecommerce companies’ daily work, e.g. shop system, ERP system, CRM platform (Customer Relationship Management), and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) software. It imports and exports data from these sources so that merchants can work with ready-made, big sets of information in one place. 

In addition, Pimcore ecommerce features allow sellers to integrate with many customer touchpoints. They can connect to search engines (Google, Bing, YouTube), social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), affiliate systems (Criteo, AdRoll), product comparison platforms (Shopping.com), and marketing applications (SalesForce). As a result, ecommerce brands can reach a wider audience of potential shoppers. 

Distribution

Today’s challenge for the distribution industry is to increase agility and improve supply chain efficiency so customers can easily get access to products whenever and wherever they want. To do this, distributors have to use digital tools to adapt to the market and optimize some processes (for example, accelerate the new product introduction, and quickly establish partnerships with new points of sale).

With a PIM open source software, distributors are able to coordinate strategy and supply chain with all essential data – SKUs, suppliers, buyers, and partners’ details. Let’s have a look at the sample options. 

Supply chain optimization

Pimcore lets distributors efficiently exchange new product data and delivery details between different entities. It bears it quickly and seamlessly to various systems, giving control over every process step. Pimcore users also get a single view of the information, where they can take a closer look at the particular product or collection and edit the details. 

With the PIM system, distributors no longer need to fill out paper documents important to particular stages of the supply chain. Pimcore automatically imports or exports data from multiple sources, so users can unify it in one software, and then just send it to recipients. This allows them to maintain consistency of information throughout their communications with suppliers, customers, merchants, or business partners. 

Pimcore for different industries – summary

As you can see, Pimcore is a complex tool that is suitable for different industries. If you’re in the travel business, you can improve the customer experience with access to up-to-date itineraries and trip information in multiple media. If you’re a retailer, you can create customer-centric offers with the omnichannel solution. 

A PIM open source software is also good for publishing and manufacturing by providing printing capabilities and integration with the layout application Adobe InDesign. In ecommerce, this system plays a vital role by delivering integration with shop platforms, ERP systems, and different customer touchpoints (such as social networks, search engines). For the distribution industry, it’s great for optimizing the supply chain and information flow.   

Are you interested in what a PIM system can do for your company? Our specialists in Pimcore development services can help you implement this solution in your organization so that you can achieve your business goals through Product Information Management.

In the dynamic technology world, we see a growing challenge with legacy software, i.e. outdated systems and applications. The reasons for maintaining them range from large infrastructure investments to business disruption concerns. In this article, we outline the importance of legacy software, the challenges associated with it, and strategies to improve the performance, security, and flexibility of IT systems.

What is legacy software?

Legacy software refers to obsolete computer systems or applications that remain in use despite introducing newer technologies. Such software may be based on older programming languages, system architectures, or technologies that are difficult to replace or update.

Why does legacy software exist?

Organizations often maintain legacy software due to significant infrastructure investments, lack of resources (e.g., a team responsible for implementing changes), or concerns about business risk and disruption to ongoing operations.

The legacy software migration process can involve rewriting the application from scratch, moving it to another platform, or incremental upgrades and enhancements to the existing IT system. Some work needs to be done in each of these options, so it’s common for companies to stay with the current legacy system. 

Why work on legacy IT software?

Migrating or upgrading legacy software in an enterprise is a critical measure. Modern technologies and solutions often pay off through increased operational efficiency and reduced long-term costs. It’s worth taking steps to avoid potential problems with legacy technology and improve system performance, security, and flexibility. 

From a business perspective, legacy software can generate several difficulties:

• it may be more exposed to safety vulnerabilities, as older systems often don’t receive regular security updates,
• it can be hard to understand and maintain, especially for new developers who aren’t familiar with outdated technologies,
• it can present challenges for organizations that want to integrate them into modern systems or replace them with more recent software.

What problems do you encounter when working with legacy software?

However, legacy software poses the most problems for developers working on a particular system. Let’s look at what challenges await the team on this type of project.

1. Missing or outdated documentation

One of the main challenges with legacy software is the lack of code documentation, which makes it difficult to understand how it works and leads to many consequences.

Above all, programmers responsible for software development and maintenance must rely on their own code analysis, which is time-consuming and problematic. The absence of clear documentation extends response times to errors and complicates making necessary changes or updates to the system.

In addition, missing documentation makes developers dependent on people who have worked on the code in the past. If they leave the team, their knowledge and skills are no longer available to other members. This leads to the risk that the organization may have difficulty maintaining and developing legacy software if key specialists are lost.

Unclear or undocumented code fragments can be a source of bugs that are difficult to locate and fix. This, in turn, negatively affects the given system’s stability and reliability.

2. Code without testability 

The inability to test legacy software is another source of risk for developers trying to introduce new functionality or fix existing problems. Older systems were often not designed with easy testing in mind, and the code structure and architecture can make it difficult to implement automated testing.

The lack of automated testing for legacy software has many negative consequences. First, it can lead to the risk of introducing errors and regressions when modifying the code. In addition, it makes it more difficult to detect and eliminate defects in the software. Every modification or fix in the system must be tested manually, which is time-consuming and prone to human error. This increases costs and limits the ability to change the system quickly.

3. Version conflict and incompatibility with newer systems

Software often connects to other systems or applications. With legacy, this can be difficult on various levels.

• Dependencies on libraries and modules: introducing a new software version may require updates to related libraries and modules. If existing applications or systems are based on older versions of these libraries, incompatibility may occur, leading to errors and instability.
• Changes in syntax and functionality: new software versions often introduce changes in syntax and functionality that may be incompatible with existing code. This may require revising and adjusting existing code to work correctly with the new version.
• Lack of support for older versions: software often receives active support and security updates, while older versions may no longer be supported. This means that organizations using outdated versions become more exposed to security vulnerabilities and cyberattacks.

4. Problems according to the Broken Windows Theory

In the context of challenges with legacy software, it’s worth recalling Broken Windows Theory. Derived from criminology, this issue refers to software management and project development concepts. It aims to highlight the consequences of ignoring errors, problems, and shortcomings in the early stages of a project. 

The Broken Windows Theory indicates that if bugs, shortcomings, or obsolescence are found in existing code and not immediately fixed, there is a risk that subsequent changes and new functionality will also lead to problems (e.g., cause code quality degradation). 

In other words, if we don’t fix the “broken windows” in our code, we’ll tend to continue the same pattern in new parts of the system, and the overall quality of the code will deteriorate.

That’s why it’s essential to focus on adding new features and solutions, fixing bugs, and improving existing code. Working on legacy code can help improve the system’s quality, understandability, and maintainability.

5. Legacy software vs. hindered project estimation

As mentioned above, legacy software can often be poorly documented and difficult to understand. It may contain outdated technologies, unusual solutions, or inconsistent structure. This state can make it significantly more difficult for developers to understand the scope of work and estimate the time needed to complete the project.

Often this is compounded by the lack of adequately automated unit or integration tests, which complicates the detection and repair of errors. As a result, developers must factor in additional time for testing and troubleshooting.

With legacy software, hidden problems, such as unknown dependencies or improperly implemented features, are also risks that can prolong the task. As a result, estimating such projects requires a more thorough analysis of the code and requirements, which can increase the project’s difficulty and duration. Considering these factors and approaching them cautiously is important to avoid potential delays and problems.

How to work with legacy software?

Working with legacy software can be challenging, but you can take some steps to operate effectively in such an environment. 

A general approach to legacy technology

Regardless of the technology encountered, it’s worth embodying a few universal principles when working with legacy software.

• Gain knowledge: understanding the existing code and how it works is critical. It’s a good idea to study the available documentation, if any, and to study the source code. As you work, you may need to consult with people who have operated on the code before for additional information. 
• Document your changes: in this way, you can make it easier for other developers to understand the modifications you’ve made. It’s important to make changes gradually, focusing on the most critical areas of the system.
• Test the software: it’s crucial to verify the changes you make by creating a set of unit and integration tests.
• Introduce code refactoring: this will succeed in improving its structure and cleanliness.
• Improve code in legacy software: it makes sense to focus on enhancing the most critical areas that will bring the most value if changed.
• Use tools that automate your work.

Process automation

What you can do automatically is worth implementing in this way. There are various tools that we can implement to save a lot of time and resources in the future. Here are some examples based on PHP work:

• Unit tests: creating unit tests allows you to verify that your changes don’t negatively affect existing code. Automating the execution of tests provides a quick and efficient way to verify that modifications made don’t generate errors.

Test window in PHPUnit application 

• Static code analysis tools: using tools such as PHPStan or Psalm allows you to detect potential errors, inconsistencies, or unusual use of functions. Automatic code analysis helps identify areas for improvement.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) systems: these tools enable automatic compilation, testing, and deployment of changes. This makes it possible to quickly check that modifications made don’t cause regressions and to automatically deploy changes to the production server.
• Linting tools: operating with linters such as Stylelint, PHPLint, or PHP_CodeSniffer allows you to automatically verify compliance with accepted coding standards. Automatic syntax and code style checking helps maintain consistency in your project.

Example of errors reported by Stylelint tool

• Tools that automate code refactoring: PHP Rector, for example, a library based on PHP-Parser that enables automatic changes to existing code, eliminating the repetitive task of upgrading and improving code.
• Automatic code formatting: using tools such as PHP-CS-Fixer or PHP_CodeSniffer with code formatting configuration helps to automatically align existing code with specific rules. This makes it easier to maintain code consistency and readability.

View of PHP_CodeSniffer tool for automatic code formatting  

• Automatic migrations: in case of database changes, you can use automated migration management tools such as Doctrine Migrations to help you update the database schema directly from the PHP code.

Automation in PHP when improving legacy technology can speed up the process, increase efficiency and reduce the risk of introducing errors. Automated testing, static analysis, linter, CI/CD systems, automatic code formatting, and migrations are tools and techniques that can be used for this purpose.

Working with Symfony 

In the Symfony framework, it’s possible to wrap existing code within the structure and gradually port it to new components. This means you can use Symfony functionalities and components while allowing the legacy, older code to continue working. For example, you can implement logging in Symfony and still let the rest of the application use the old code.

How does this work in practice? The process involves gradually transferring routing from an existing application to new Symfony components. If a given URL isn’t resolved by the framework, it references the older code and continues to run. This allows for a controlled transfer of functionality and gradual adaptation of the application to the new Symfony standards.

This approach enables you to modernize an application written in Symfony while maintaining the integrity and functionality of your existing code. As a result, you can gradually introduce new Symfony components and features while enjoying this framework’s benefits and tools.

This is a valuable solution for legacy software projects that want to enjoy the benefits of Symfony but can’t or don’t want to rewrite the entire application from scratch. It gives you the opportunity to make changes and upgrades successively while minimizing the risk of disruption to the existing application.

Working with Drupal

If you’re dealing with legacy software when working with Drupal, one recommended way to deal with this state of affairs is to move to a higher version of the system.  

Migrating from Drupal 7 to higher versions

When migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9, you can use various solutions to make the process easier. Here are examples of popular migration-related tools.

Drupal Upgrade Status 

This tool helps you assess your readiness to migrate from Drupal 7 to 9. It scans code, modules, and themes to identify potential migration issues. It also provides information about updates to modules and themes that may be required during migration.

Drupal 9 Readiness Checker 

This solution helps assess the readiness of modules and themes for migration from Drupal 7 to 9. Verifies that modules are compatible with the new version of Drupal and provides information about possible problems and upgrades.

Drupal Rector

This tool for automatically converting code from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 or 9 is based on the Rector tool for automatically refactoring code in PHP.

Drupal Rector analyzes Drupal 7 code and identifies spots where automatic transformations can be applied to make the code compatible with Drupal 8 or 9. Examples of modifications include renaming functions, classes, and methods, updating how configuration is managed, improving the versioning of APIs, and much more.

With Drupal Rector, you can speed up the migration process, as many manual changes that would generally be necessary can be automated. This tool is handy if you have a large amount of Drupal 7 code and want to adapt it to a newer version quickly.

Keep in mind, however, that Drupal Rector cannot always convert all code automatically. Often there are cases of non-standard solutions that require manual customization. That’s why performing proper testing and quality control after using Drupal Rector is essential.

Legacy software problems – summary

In the article, we described the nature and challenges of legacy software, i.e., outdated computer systems or applications that remain in use despite the existence of newer technologies. Working on such a project can be difficult for several reasons, such as the lack of code documentation or the inability to perform automated tests.

However, with the right approach, tools, and planning, legacy software can be effectively managed and upgraded, allowing organizations to avoid potential risks and adapt to changing technology requirements. If you need help working with legacy software in your project, such as a web application on Drupal, Symfony, or PHP, our developers can offer their expertise.