The OpenEdge Hive

Upon reading the blogs at computerworld.com (or infoworld.com - I can't remember) I came across a PDF report on safe coding practices (which can be found here http://www.safecode.org/publications/SAFECode_Dev_Practices1008.pdf ).

While the PDF has some ideas on management oriented safe practices, it does delve a little into safe practices regarding technology. What it doesn't is how it applies to ABL coding.

As to my earlier post, I have already talked about old progress based character conversion to GUI or latest web applications like, .Net or xaml. Today I am talking about Javra as expertise in progress based applications and platforms.

This is a continuation from previous http://www.oehive.org/node/1331, listing some more of the features of X/E Files,

Speed-Up Development
Give developers a head start. The X/E Files offer a full range of pragmatic and proven standard capabilities.

Dynamic Menu Structure
Menus and their corresponding programs are stored in the Repository. Simply by adding a program in a menu and restarting the program the new program is active. It is also possible to define menus that are visible with all programs.

Here are some of the features of X/E Files tool developed by Javra Software, (http://www.javra.com).

The X/E Files is written in pure Progress 4GL. No other components are needed. Programs that were created in the first version of the X/E files are still running today without changes; and those programs are running with the most modern user interfaces. As we upgrade X/E files to employ the latest user interface technologies your existing applications can make use of these user interfaces effortlessly.

As I mentioned in my earlier posts, http://www.oehive.org/node/1321, Some advantages of X/E Files are listed below:

• Enables Legacy Applications to be quickly and cheaply enhanced and revitalized.
• Enables rapid development of various user interfaces: GUI, Web and XAML.
• Improves reliability in development.
• Enables internationalization.

More can be viewed from http://www.javra.com/product.html as well.

I assume everybody has tried out Google Chrome by now. It's been available for download for nearly an hour already. ;-)

It is of immediate interest to me, because of the AJAX I use in Analyst. Last week, I downloaded and tried out IE 8, beta 2. Now, as far as I'm aware, I'm using pretty old, straightforward standards-compliant javascript in my browser pages (which work fine in Opera and Firefox), but IE still doesn't work.

As you might have guessed, I found that Google Chrome works fine with Analyst. So, I'll support Firefox, Opera, and Chrome, but IE is still out.

Transform legacy character based applications into modern GUI or Web applications:-
The X/E Files software development platform enables organizations (both small and large) to economically build and maintain their IT systems. The X/E Files is a tool that enables rapid development of Progress applications. The tool can be employed equally in new systems development as well as in the enhancement and upgrade of existing (legacy) systems.

Why do you want to throw away your ‘old’ character based application and investment while it is working fine? Keep using it and migrate it to the newest interfaces available (XAML/Internet) with the XE files. Let the XE files handle all the technique, so you can focus on the business logic in the progress ABL, as you are already familiar with.

http://www.javra.com/product

I've just uploaded the OO class stuff into subversion, so all the changes and enhancements that are coming can be integrated ;)

The subversion link is svn://oehive.org/oosockets/trunk

Let's see all those updates ...

Came across an interesting thing today. The following code works fine in 10.1C, but not in 10.1B:

FUNCTION Test RETURNS LOGICAL (p_Data AS LONGCHAR):
RETURN YES.
END FUNCTION.

MESSAGE Test("data") VIEW-AS ALERT-BOX INFORMATION.

looks as if 10.1C can mix and match char with longchar, something that I've always wanted to do since longchar became available.

Seems as if Progress are making changes to the language for the better. Now, if only they had a 4GL way to deal with sockets, instead of all this READ-RESPONSE-PROCEDURE and memory pointers etc !