WebMethods has announced a new version of its portal software that supports the newest portal standards, and includes visual tools that allow portal intefaces to be built without writing code. WebMethods Portal is a standards-based presentation platform for delivering personalized, role-based access to relevant information, applications and business processes across the enterprise.

The new version, WebMethods Portal 6.1.5, is fully compliant with standards JSR168 and WS-Remote Portlets (WSRP). It can host any portlet written to these standards, helping enterprises avoid vendor lock-in. Customers can choose from a variety of compliant remote content and incorporate the content with no custom programming.

Additionally, the new release ties more closely to Eclipse by leveraging it as the standard for portlet development. The Portlet Developer, written as a plug-in for the Eclipse Platform, allows developers to build and deploy portlets that leverage the power of the WebMethods Portal's standards-based architecture.

WebMethods Portal 6.1.5 also introduces visual tools that let user interfaces to be developed without writing code, so that business-level end users can aid in the creation of user interfaces.

The new version's visual development technology and support for open standards promises to simplify portal development and ease enterprise integration, WebMethods executive vice president of product development Kristin Weller said in a statement. "This latest release builds on the success of WebMethods Portal and dramatically transforms enterprise portal development and deployment," Weller said. "WebMethods Portal enables enterprises to rapidly create and deploy standards-based enterprise portals to improve productivity, protect and leverage existing IT investments, and maximize the benefits of enterprise integration."