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Planned updates/changes in DE8

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Planned updates/changes in DE8

Don't believe that release means finished ;-)


We released DE8 Classic because we were confident that it was ready for use and that our model with evolutionary development actually work.

The same way you guys develop your apps we develop DataEase.

The time of migration/conversion and changed functionality is behind us. Our model is to add to the product and never change any functionality. This way we know and you can be sure that anything you have already done will keep on working, when at the same time you will get new and alternative ways to do stuff - all the time.

At the moment we are working with the following updates/additions to DE8:

  1. 1. Re-implementing Old style Memo as LongText fields.
    This will insure we have a larger text field as part of the direct PRISM database. The conversion from Old Style Memo to New Style memo has been a disaster for pre 7. apps and the lack of a larger text field in 7 and 8 is a true loss. This will make it possible to finally move 6.x/5.x apps over to 8.x and get the same performance.

  2. 2. Delete Records In fix.
    Delete records in is extreemly ineffective in 7.x/8x due to a botched implementation in 7.x. Since this was extensively used in 5.x/6.x to create "temporary" tables for reporting and formatting, the poor performance of this in 7.x stopped a lot of users from migrating their app.
    Our investigation show that it wasn't that great in 6.x either, so we are expecting quite a performance improvement from 7.x and even from 6.x

    3. Install Forms/Documents/Data/Apps
    Install was a very useful functionality in DFD and it was implemented in DFW too, but the lack of tools and it being awkwardly implemented has caused that very few users understand/use it. In DE8 we intend to publish a lot of Modules that can be installed into new (and old apps). Like Emailing/Install File generator/WebShop/ExecDQL module etc.

    If this is to work as we intend, install need to work as it was intended. Both Install file install and single file install are flawed. When intalling data with a DE set up for multi user it will not install the data (corrupt) and when you try to install a single document it will suggest a .TDF file name with the same name as the .FRM. The FRM and TDF will have the same name when initially created, but the TDF/DBM/Ixx etc will change name every time the table is changed, when the FRM will never change name... Needless to say this cause a lot of trouble and is possibly the key reason for why people stay away from Install.

    4. Status Form for Actions on buttons.
    One of the modules we are creating are a module you can install to document your app using the New WebMemos and ExecDQL.
    This modul will install forms for all the Status Tables so you can use them in your own programming too. The status tables contain all the programming of a DE app except the actions on buttons, so we will add this so you will be able to generate the full documentation for your app.

    We used the this new module when we searched apps for GetGlobal()/SetGlobal() when we changed them in Prism to GetVar()/SetVar(). And it was amazingly efficient to identify where we had used these functions so we could change them. The only places we had to do it manually was on buttons and it was hard work ;-)

    5. DocumentHight(), DocumentWidth(), SetSize(), SetPosition()
    We have now enabled you to show/hide/change/enable and disable object, so the next logical step is to allow you to position them. With these functions you will be able to programatically (ExecDQL ex.) calculate and position objects in your form.


    6. OpenForm(), CloseForm(), AddRecord(), UpdateRecord(), DeleteRecord()
    These events on Form has never worked properly, but they are pure gold when you want event driven programming and we will make sure they work as they should.

  3. 7. Split Designer Tools and Runtime tools
    It has been a drawback throughout the DFW era that the Designer/Developer tool and the runtime tool has been the same with just some functionality disabled in the latter.

    To improve both experiences they need to part ways. This will make it easier to improve the developer experience, when at the same time an application in production can look and work independent of the restrictive DFW framework.

    You will of course be able to test your applications in the developer version, but all restrictions that is implemented to insure that you can run it in production will be removed so that you can always change/work on the app without login/logout to change user.

    We will keep the GROUP (Exec) version the same way as it is, but all other runtime technologies will not have a DFW gui. The app will be the focus.

    7.5 Full Screen mode.
    DE8 Player will be working in full screen mode without any DFW toolbars/menubars/statusbar etc. Everything in the app need to be in the forms/documents themselves. This is the tool for distributed/verticals etc. The developer will be able to 100% put his own mark on the applicaiton.

    8. Tabbs/Centering of content in documents.
    We are implementing tabs for documents instead of windows, and the developer will be able to decide if he want the content to be centralised (horizontally) in the form. like the body on this website.

    9. Modal Dialogues.
    You will be able to open any document as a model dialogue on top of any maximized document. It will be proper modal so you will have to close the dialogue before returning to the underlying documents.

    10. Addition of ShortMemo and LongMemo.
    Memo was a swear word in 7.x but it is one of the most central functionalities in 8.x. With the introduction of LongText we will remove the need for using Memos as long text fields - which doesn't work and slow down your app unbelievably.

    The current Memo fields work Ok when used as document container, but they are incredibly awkwardly implemented and if used actively they will grow uncontrollably and work slowly.

    Since we don't change functionality we will simply leave them as they are, and introduce two new types of Memo.

    ShortMemo.
    ShortMemo will be like LongText, but just a little longer. They will be placed in a seperate file like the current memo, but the difference is that ShortMemo will have one file pr. MemoField in a form, and each record will have a predfined space in that file to store it's content.
    The current Memo use one file for all memos in a form, and it only allocates exactly the right space in the file for the content of the memo.
    If you change the content of a memo so it become larger than the current, it will move the new content to the end. To search through a current memo file is very inefficient and the growth of the file with dynamic use is geometric.

    In the new ShortMemo file all records will have and keep their preallocated space,so changing will not affect the file and the file will only grow when you add new records. Short Memo will be up to 64k.

    LongMemo is infact one seperate file for each MemoField, so to be used with car. This means that there is no real size limit for what you can store in a LongMemo. This is the field to use when you are saving big documents/images etc. in your app.

    The current Memo field will not be brought forward in DE8 Native/DG3 (Designer) but it will function in applications "for ever" like all other redundant DFW functionality.

    This is the current short-list to keep you in the loop.

    Remember this is just DE8, and you have also DE Reporter/DE Distributor/DE Pump and last but not least DG3 too look forward to also.

    Have a nice Weekend.

Written by DataEase 30/08/13 at 15:24:26 Dataease [{8}]FIVE
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