Blog | Great Migrations

gmStudio Release News: Wednesday, 29-April-2026

Apr 28, 2026

Watch the Latest Great Migrations Videos

Check out gmStudio product demos, methodology presentations, AI strategies, and other videos posted on our youtube channel.

gmBasic: Upgrade Engine

gmBasic is a computer language processor that reads, interprets, and rewrites VB6/ASP/COM systems for the .NET platform (using C# or VB.NET). Based on feedback from our clients and real-world modernization projects, we continuously improve gmBasic to help developers produce cleaner, more correct results and to successfully manage and complete large-scale upgrade projects. Most recently, this work includes work automatically produce a build-complete C# translations of large VB6/COM/.NET codes from clients in the engineering and utility/telecom industries. The distribution,Version 50.35, includes several technical enhancements:

What’s New

Improves recognition/migration of VB6 line/scale-style syntax
Improves lifecycle/cleanup of form terminate/dispose patterns
Improves handling for missing output/deploy folder behavior
Removes NotImplemented behavior for specific control fill-style handling
Improves reserved words handling
Adds new registry-backed DynamicSymbol resolution migration
Improves 2D/3D string array initialization to emptystring rather than null
Improves Erase string array translation
Corrects parameterized property-get assignment handling
Improves omitted-parameter handling (CreateObject contexts)
Improves Form/UserControl default instance logic and adds support for migStatus=NeedsDefInstance
Improves ability to detect and migrate non-standard NewEnum implementations
Improves twips-division precision handling corrected (context-aware double promotion)
Improves FileAttribute.System/SystemFile reserved-word collision strategy.
Improves Shape.FillStyle Translation
Improves Form.ZOrder Translation
Corrects TAB insertion in Write# translations
Corrects Write# semicolon behavior (Write vs WriteLine)
Improves implicit string to double in mixed-type arithmetic and comparisons
Adds support for ASP.Response.LCID

Why It Matters

Greater than 95% probability of build-complete translations right out-of-the-box (OOTB)
More accurate runtime behavior: Generated code better preserves source intent in edge-case arithmetic and comparison logic.
Less manual cleanup: Fewer post-conversion edits needed for common migration pain points.
Faster stabilization: Improved first-pass build outcomes accelerate validation and handoff.
Lower delivery risk: Greater consistency across legacy patterns improves predictability at scale.
Better maintainability: Cleaner output and fewer workaround patterns improve long-term supportability.

gmStudio: Upgrade Solution Development Environment

Powered by gmBasic, gmStudio is a platform for analyzing code and developing custom VB6/ASP/COM-to-.NET upgrade solutions. We continuously add functionality to gmStudio and make it easier to use. This distribution includes several enhancements:

Improves behavior of the .NET IDE Launch Toolbar button
Improves support for upgrade projects having more than 10000 tasks (e.g. huge ASP sites)
Improves support for batch-only project tasks
Corrects problem with resolving source folders after moving a project workspace
Corrects problem with COM reference analysis when a computed ProgID is used in CreateObject statements

gmAPI: A .NET API for Developing Advanced Upgrade Solutions

gmAPI is a .NET API for automating our upgrade engine and accessing its semantic models. gmAPI also includes classes for managing complex upgrade rules and integrating external migration tools into the upgrade process. gmAPI is central to our platform and gmAPI dlls are used to implement several advanced features: analytics reports, shared files consolidation, custom codestyle, support framework generation, migration to WPF, and more. This release improves the gmAPI components to keep them in sync with the other platform changes.

Advanced Metrics Reporting

The gmStudio platform includes advanced reporting services that allow you to gather extremely detailed information about your legacy system. The advanced reports include Symbol Tables, Symbol References, Symbol Definitions, Model Audits, and more. We maintain and enhance these reporting services to keep them in sync with the model schema and to add new features. See Semantic Reportsfor more information.

Corrects Unused Symbol Analysis Report to suppress gmSL symbols

gmStudio Extensions

gmStudio ships with a collection of sample upgrade rules that can be used to add custom features to your upgrade solution. These XML documents and gmSL scripts are distributed as source code that you may modify to fit your unique requirements. The sample rules have been updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. See also additions and changes in the gmStudio Extensions Repository.

Improves Common Dialog to gmRTL.CommonDialog migration
Adds MSForms Stub Base Classes to Environment.std.xml
Adds MSMask Control migrations
Improves the mig.vb7lang_PictureBox.xml to migrate PictureBox to Drawing Enabled PictureBox
Improves migration of msxml6.dll IXMLDOMDocument.async

gmRTL: Great Migrations Runtime Library

gmRTL is a sample runtime library that contains classes allowing for more readable, functional translations. We continuously improve this library through real-world project work. A subset of this library is distributed with gmStudio Trial edition. Learn more here.

Sample Upgrade Solutions

Great Migrations publishes several sample VB6/ASP upgrade solutions that illustrate various upgrade features. The sample upgrade solutions and results have been updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. Learn more here.

Improves FileExplorer samples to demonstrate integrating hand-written code
Improves FileExplorer samples to demonstrate referencing external assemblies
Improves FMStocks samples to demonstrate shared files consolidation

gmStudio Documentation portal

Great Migrations publishes FAQ articles and other information to help teams learn and use gmStudio on our documentation portal. The documentation portal was updated to reflect the latest features and details of the gmStudio Platform.

Updated Support Statement: Overcome the Limits of AI for Large Scale Software Modernization
Updated DesignBuilder Case Study: Added a full interview transcript with Simon Allen
Updated Set the Build Order: Added extensive new sections on ASP Build Order and “Clean Out the Kruft” guidance

COMING SOON: We are moving our documentation from Atlassian/Confluence to Astro. This will make the information more easier to search, easier to read, and more accessible for training the AI-enhanced gmStudio product being develop for release later this year. Who wants to read all that documentation anyway? (the AI Does!) See the preview on our www site.

gmStudio Release News: Wednesday, 03-December-2025

Dec 3, 2025

Modernization Podcast Video Series

Here is our third episode in a series of Podcast videos covering software modernization topics. This episode, Translation Mythbusters, takes on the question: should we Convert or Rewrite and challenges common misconceptions about the role and value of using legacy code and translation tools as part of a modernization strategy. Watch and listen here.

gmBasic: Upgrade Engine

gmBasic is a computer language processor that reads, interprets, and rewrites VB6/ASP/COM systems for the .NET platform (using C# or VB.NET ). Based on feedback from our clients and real-world modernization projects, we continuously improve gmBasic to help developers produce cleaner, more correct results and to successfully manage and complete large-scale upgrade projects. Most recently, this includes enhancements relating to the work of upgrading a large VB6/ASP/COM/.NET payment processing application comprising 700 active pages backed by a 50K LOC VB6 service component library. The distribution, Version 50.27, includes several other important additions and improvements:

Adds support for recognizing and translating symbols declared in server-side Javascript (JScript) in ASP to C# or VB.NET
Adds a new FindDynamics command that may be used to assist with migrating late-bound object.member references to custom interfaces rather than using dynamic casts
Improves Form migrations so that DefInstance support is authored only for forms, MDI forms, and other Designer-based types that need it
Adds Migrate DefInstance=on|off to allow explicitly adding DefInstance support for a form when the requirement is not automatically detected
Improves migration of complex error handling/goto sequences to try-catch
Improves detecting the need to retain weak typing for variant when a variant parameter is assigned to an enum
Improves handling statements that invoke a default member in an object instantiation statement (e.g., Set obj = (new Class)(args))
Improves migration of Array function to string[] when the arguments to Array are a mixed set of types
Improves the migration of VB6 Line control to gmRTL.GUI.LineControl
Improves migration of string variable assigned to a void method
Improves translation of huge numeric literals (longlong quantities)
Improves translating VBScript With blocks in ASP code
Improves translating ASP sites having multiple same-named VBScript classes
Improves migration of conditional expressions comparing variant to empty string
Improves handling files with UTF-8 encoding and BOM
Improves logic to automatically increase code storage space when needed
Improves migration of ZOrder statements
Improves migration of complex conditionals involving integers and relational operations
Improves handling foreign class references
Improves support for Response.LCID in ASP translations
Improves authoring COM interface descriptions for read-only properties
Improves migration of intrinsic controls so that the property defaults more closely follow VS designer conventions

gmStudio: Upgrade Solution Development Environment

Powered by gmBasic, gmStudio is a platform for analyzing code and developing custom VB6/ASP/COM-to-.NET upgrade solutions. We continuously add functionality to gmStudio and make it easier to use. This distribution includes several enhancements:

Improves Validate Source operation to allow for upgrade tasks with no translation script

gmAPI: A .NET API for Developing Advanced Upgrade Solutions

gmAPI is a .NET API for automating our upgrade engine and accessing the semantic models produced by our unique linguistic compilation technology. gmAPI also includes classes for managing complex upgrade rules and integrating external migration tools with gmStudio. We maintain and improve gmAPI and related components to keep them in sync with the platform and to add new features. gmAPI is central to our platform and gmAPI dlls are used to implement several advanced features: analytics reports, shared files consolidation, custom coding style, support framework generation, migration to WPF, and more.

Advanced Metrics Reporting

The gmStudio platform includes advanced reporting services that allow you to gather extremely detailed information about your legacy system. The advanced reports include Symbol Tables, Symbol References, Symbol Definitions, Model Audits, and more. We maintain and enhance these reporting services to keep them in sync with the model schema and to add new features. See Semantic Reports for more information.

gmStudio Extensions

gmStudio ships with a collection of sample upgrade rules that can be used to add custom features to your upgrade solution. These XML documents and gmSL scripts are distributed as source code that you may modify to fit your unique requirements. The sample rules have been updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. See also additions and changes in the gmStudio Extensions Repository.

Tabctl32.ocx.Wrapper.Transform.gmsl: Updated TabControl migration to be compatible with LineControl migration

gmRTL: Great Migrations Runtime Library

gmRTL is a sample runtime library that contains classes allowing for more maintainable translations. We continuously improve this framework through real-world project work. Learn more about gmRTL here.

Sample Upgrade Solutions

Great Migrations publishes several sample VB6/ASP upgrade solutions that illustrate various upgrade features. The sample upgrade solutions and results have been updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. Learn about the Samples here.

Improves FMStocks samples to demonstrate just-in-time GlobalSettings integration

gmStudio Documentation

Great Migrations publishes FAQ articles and other information to help teams learn and use gmStudio. The following articles were added or updated since the last product update:

New Case Study: Government Agency Electoral Register System, a 1.4M LOC three-tier VB6/ASP/COM/COM+ application
New Case Study: DesignBuilder Software — Building Performance Simulation, a 500K VB6/COM application
Updated CodeStyle documentation: added discussion of the RemoveNameSpaces command; improved clarity and consistency

Modernization Podcast Video Series Episode 3: Translation Myth Busters

Dec 3, 2025

Here is our third episode in a series of Podcast videos covering software modernization topics. This episode, Translation Myth Busters, takes on the question: should we Convert or Rewrite and challenges common misconceptions about the role and value of using legacy code and translation tools as part of a modernization strategy.

Modernization Podcast Video Series Episode 2: Setting Modernization Project Scope and Budget

Sep 24, 2025

Here is our second episode in a series of Podcast videos covering software modernization topics.
This episode discusses how to go about Setting Modernization Project Scope and Budget.

gmStudio Release News: Sunday, 10-August-2025

Aug 10, 2025

Modernization Podcast Video Series

Here is our second episode in a series of Podcast videos covering software modernization topics.
This episode discusses how to go about Setting Modernization Project Scope and Budget.
Watch and listen here.

gmBasic: Upgrade Engine

gmBasic is a computer language processor that reads, interprets, and rewrites VB6/ASP/COM systems for the .NET platform (using C# or VB.NET ). Based on feedback from our clients and real-world modernization projects, we continuously improve gmBasic to help developers produce cleaner, more correct results and to successfully manage and complete large-scale upgrade projects. Most recently, this work includes changes to automatically produce a functionally correct C# translation of a three-tier enterprise application comprising 101 interrelated VBP files, referencing 1.4M total LOC in 1,566 code files, and using 29 third-party COM libraries. The distribution,Version 50.20, includes several important enhancements:

Adds the RuntimeLibrary feature for generating a custom support framework as an initial COM replacement. Previously, the support framework code was limited to mocking COM APIs; now it can mock .NET target APIs.
Adds Compile/Fix@MethodScope to allow more precise pre-editing of source prior to translation.
Adds a generalized high-performance transformation engine that improves performance and simplifies the specification of more complex forms of deep semantic translation.
Adds support for Registry@Type=Prefix to allow adding user-defined code attribute blocks before specified declarations.
Improves migration of TabIndex and TabStop for VB6 intrinsic controls.
Improves handling of currency literals.
Improves ASP translations.
Improves translation of enum expressions used as optional parameter defaults.
Improves Twips-to-Pixels adjustments for more complex UI layout calculations.
Improves indenting of code added using Fix/ReplaceFile.
Corrects unexpected use of null rather than DBNull.Value when comparing to Null.

gmStudio: Upgrade Solution Development Environment

Powered by gmBasic, gmStudio is a platform for analyzing code and developing custom VB6/ASP/COM-to-.NET upgrade solutions. We continuously add functionality to gmStudio and make it easier to use. This distribution includes several enhancements:

Improves performance and relevance of results displayed for User Settings.
Improves performance and relevance of results displayed for User Content Search.
Adds MemType and LocMemb to specify the source control in Source Scan of GUI code.

gmAPI: A .NET API for Developing Advanced Upgrade Solutions

gmAPI is a .NET API for automating our upgrade engine and accessing the semantic models produced by our unique linguistic compilation technology. gmAPI also includes classes for managing complex upgrade rules and integrating external migration tools with gmStudio. We maintain and improve gmAPI and related components to keep them in sync with the platform and to add new features.

Adds CodeStyle ClassDisposal to support calling Dispose on specified classes.
Adds a gmAPI implementation of the TabDlg migration.
Adds a gmAPI implementation of the MSComCtlLib migration.
Adds a gmAPI implementation of the Scripting migration.
Improves CodeStyle VerticalLists smart line breaker to optionally suppress line breaking on commas.
Improves the gmSL-to-gmAPI translator and gmSL/gmAPI unit tests.

Advanced Metrics Reporting

The gmStudio platform includes advanced reporting services that allow you to gather extremely detailed information about your legacy system. The advanced reports include Symbol Tables, Symbol References, Symbol Definitions, Model Audits, and more. We maintain and enhance these reporting services to keep them in sync with the model schema and to add new features. See Semantic Reports for more information.

gmStudio Extensions

gmStudio ships with a collection of sample upgrade rules that can be used to add custom features to your upgrade solution. These XML documents and gmSL scripts are distributed as source code that you may modify to fit your unique requirements. The sample rules have been updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. See also additions and changes in the gmStudio Extensions Repository.

CodeStyle.std.xml: adds samples for VerticalLists, ClassDisposal, RemoveNameSpaces, and RemoveUserNamespaces
mig.vb7lang.xml: adds various language operation customizations
mscomctl.ocx.WinForms.Refactor.xml: updates for treeview
Scrrun.dll.SystemIO.Refactor.xml: updates for FileSystem.GetExtensionName
Tabctl32.ocx.Wrapper.Transform.gmsl: adds comments for clarity and update calling Character.Substr

gmRTL: Great Migrations Runtime Library

gmRTL is a sample runtime library that contains classes allowing for more readable translations. We continuously improve this framework through real-world project work. Learn more about gmRTLhere.

Adds new classes and interfaces for improved exception handling of VB6-style exceptions.
Adds a new BusinessSettings class to manage application settings.
Adds a new framework to assist with emulating VB6’s tab key navigation.
Improves CheckedListBox and ComboBoxEx item selection and state management.
Improves the ControlHelper class with new methods for managing control properties.
Improves registry management, logging.

Sample Upgrade Solutions

Great Migrations publishes several sample VB6/ASP upgrade solutions that illustrate various upgrade features. The sample upgrade solutions and results have been updated to reflect the latest product improvements and conventions. Learn about the Samples here.

gmStudio FAQs

Great Migrations publishes FAQ articles and other information to help teams learn and use gmStudio. You can find all of the gmStudio FAQs on the Great Migrations portal. The following “Support Statement” articles were added or updated since the last product update:

Fix Statement Reference: added details regarding the new MethodScope attribute.
Registry Statement Reference: added details regarding the new type=“Prefix” option.
Translation Mythbusters Article: updated discussion on strategic objectives.
Upgrade Assessment Instructions Article: added details regarding use of Trial with large code bases and stressed the importance of gathering COM information/files.