DataFlex Web Framework Symposium – Part 7

Starting a Web Application

Stephen W. MeeleyDevelopment Team

www.dataaccess.com

Where are you coming from?

• DataFlex Character Mode• Visual DataFlex

Various revisions

• Legacy Web Application• AJAX Library Application• Non-DataFlex Application• An idea…

What do you need to start?

• At the very least, the idea. And your starting point matters greatly…

How to use the Studio The DataFlex Language The DataFlex Classes Data Dictionaries (both knowledge and existence) Connectivity (if using SQL) The DataFlex Web Framework

The Basic Steps

• Create a Workspace• Create (or Connect to) Data• Create (or use) Data Dictionaries and

business rules• Create a Web Project• Use the Wizards• Lather, rinse and repeat…

DataFlex Character Mode

• Depending on exclusivity and type of character mode use, this may be similar to starting from a non-DataFlex environment Procedural or Object Oriented? Also use Visual DataFlex?

• Have data structure and business rules (may not be expressed in DDs) but perhaps not much more…

Visual DataFlex

• Many different starting revisions• Knowledge of Studio, language, classes, data dictionaries,

etc.• Don’t let multi-revision migration issues cloud your project

Are you updating the Windows app? Get whatever you are bringing in up-to-date before adding

features Kinda like telling a child to clean up their room before opening

Christmas presents… …but it will save you a lot of grief!

An Editorial Opinion

• Even if you are not planning on Web Framework projects in the short term, update your Windows applications to 17.x if at all possible No, I’m not just trying to sell you something!

• There are tons of benefits and the What’s New illustrates that• If you can, this will smooth out your Web Framework

development experience greatly and allow you to take advantage of all the other great things in Visual DataFlex 17.x

• And now back to our regularly scheduled program…

Legacy Web Application

• Some knowledge of HTML and CSS• Some appreciation of “lack of persistency”

Were you using process pooling or not?

• Some appreciation of a Web interface• Reuse the non-UI components (DD’s, BPs, etc.)• No opportunity for “migration” of the actual

legacy application But the app can still compile and run

AJAX Library

• Deeper knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript• Some client-side APIs are similar (it was a big

part of our design heritage)• Appreciation of web properties, DDO

synchronization and lack of persistency You had to consider these while working with AJAX

Library

• Have already done design of a Web interface

AJAX Library

• Reuse the non-UI components (DD’s, BPs, etc.)

• No real opportunity for “migration” of the actual AJAX application Could theoretically migrate partially but would

make big sacrifices We recommend a clean slate

The Workspace Question• “Default” mode:

Migrate workspace to 17.1 Create Web Project Start working…

• Specialized Workspace Option: Migrate Windows workspace to 17.1 Create a secondary 17.1 workspace for the web project Change the Data and DDSrc paths to the same as the “Windows”

workspace Start working…

Specialized Workspaces

• Less “clutter”• No need to switch between Windows and

Web projects and reparse• Run Windows and Web side-by-side• Specialized Class Palette

Who new?

• Easier to give to someone else to look at…

Using the Basic Steps

• Can it really be that straightforward?

Studio