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Building Applications From The Ground Up...
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PowerArchitect is a "PowerBuilder Architecture"
that provides a methodology, framework and a full set of class libraries
to help companies quickly develop, maintain and support enterprise-wide
PowerBuilder-based client/server applications.
Because PowerArchitect was developed by AJACOM consultants
through years of practical experience, developers will find this tool to
be a ‘fresh alternative’ to the existing foundation class libraries. The
architecture not only promotes Object-Oriented application design and development,
but it also provides developers with step-by-step guidelines on how to
use the many pre-coded objects and controls to quickly build professional
looking applications.
We at AJACOM believe that the key to Rapid Application
Development is a flexible architecture that not only contains components
to assist developers in applying business rules during application development,
but also includes the necessary maintenance and security windows to allow
full control and administration of the application during development and
after deployment. PowerArchitect includes all the required maintenance
and security windows to administer application security, log and track
errors, maintain cross-reference messages, debug running windows using
the integrated trace log and even administer and track ‘Incident’ issues
online during application testing. Because these maintenance and security
windows are already integrated into the architecture, developers can concentrate
on the application development without worrying about issues such as application
security or custom application/error messaging.
And finally, in addition to full architecture customization
through the built-in extension layers at each control inheritance level,
PowerArchitect also contains practical code examples in various ancestor
scripts that can be copied and modified by the developers during window
development. Because these examples contain full syntax, comments and built-in
error handing, developers will find this ‘Copy, Paste and Modify’ method
of script coding a true time saver that also enforces coding standards.
Below are several additional points to consider about
PowerArchitect that will dramatically decrease the application development
cycle time for novice as well as experienced developers, allow managers
to easily predict the completion date of each project and provide the end
users with an easy-to-use, robust and flexible client/server application.
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Developers will find PowerArchitect an easy tool
to learn and use because of consistent coding standards and pre-coded functionality
that minimize development time and increase productivity. The developer
will discover:
- A tool that is easy to learn and use for quick productivity.
- Unique window and control functionality support through
object specific right mouse button ‘Popup’ menus.
- Three levels of inheritance with built-in extensions
at each level provide flexible and stable code.
- Coding standards and naming conventions that promote
consistency during development and application maintenance.
- Ancestor based 'Parent-Child' relationships to control
window instances and automatically update shared information between MDI
Frame sheets.
- 'MouseMove' MicroHelp support during development to assist
in identifying objects while running the application.
- Right mouse button support that allows developers to
easily add object specific features.
- Built-in error handling for application, database, and
runtime errors that includes user input for troubleshooting assistance.
- Custom objects and controls such as calendars, calculators,
status meters, VCR and outline objects.
- Pre-coded functionality windows such as available/selected,
QueryMode, list/detail and master/detail.
- Custom events and functions with automated features such
as transaction error checking, MDI Frame sheet registration and refreshing
of parent information when a child is modified.
- A customizable trace log with ancestor script logging
for benchmarking and debugging.
- The log ONLY option for all Database and Runtime errors
to suppress the message display but allow the error to be logged in the
database without stopping script execution.
- Practical examples in window and object ancestor scripts
that reduce coding and include built-in error handling.
- Built-in context-sensitive help links at the window,
tab and/or object level that can be customized and configured depending
on the help extent desired within the application.
- Extensive documentation includes detailed function and
object definitions and descriptions, step-by-step coding guidelines with
examples and separate security administration documentation.
Management will find PowerArchitect an essential
tool when developing PowerBuilder applications because of the decreased
development time and improved maintainability of projects. Managers benefit
by:
- Transparent PowerBuilder 4.0 to 5.0 and 5.0 to 6.0 application
migration.
- Multi-platform cross-compatibility.
- Decreased development time - your projects are completed
on or ahead of schedule.
- Improved maintenance ability of projects - developers
are able to quickly learn the consistent coding and naming conventions
if they are new to the project.
- Built-in on-line Quality Assurance error logging and
tracking to easily manage your testing environment between developers and
the SQA team.
- Security at the window object, menu item, table column
and DataWindow level that is built into the architecture and is ready to
use when the application goes into production.
As the application is released into the production
environment, the users will find many ease-of-use features such as:
- Full keyboard and mouse support consistent with Microsoft
standards.
- Object-specific right mouse button ‘popup’ menu support
throughout the application with built-in control features such as DataWindow
Sort, Filter, Import and Export capabilities, RichTextEdit Cut, Copy, Paste,
Search and Replace functionality or the ability to insert a date into a
date EditMask field.
- Built-in RichTextEdit and DataWindow free-floating ‘Preview’
windows with resize capabilities.
- ‘Find’ and ‘Scroll To’ functionality in all RichTextEdit
and DataWindow controls via the right mouse button ‘popup’ menu.
- Global ‘Search’ and ‘Replace’ functionality in all RichTextEdit
controls and editable DataWindows via the right mouse button ‘popup’ menu.
- Statistics and Options preview/edit capability in all
DataWindow and RichTextEdit controls (such as the number of records in
a DataWindow) via the right mouse button ‘popup’ menu.
- Status/Information bar display at the bottom of a list
DataWindow to show the current row selected (i.e. 5 of 20), the number
of rows selected (when multi-row select is enabled) and the ‘Find’ search
string when list DataWindow search/scroll to capability is enabled.
- DataWindow and/or RichTextEdit print output customization
that includes collation, printing of selected pages, printing of selected
DataWindow records or highlighted RichTextEdit text, alternate printer
selection and optional file output.
- 'MouseMove' MicroHelp that provides extended help information
for all objects including fields in a DataWindow.
- Context-sensitive help for any window, tab and/or object
within the application that is accessed by pressing ‘F1’ or by selecting
‘Help’ from the right mouse button ‘Popup’ menu.
- A new easy-to-learn application that provides Windows
consistency and Windows 95 ‘look and feel’.
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Although these PowerArchitect features will decrease
development time and add to end-user application functionality, AJACOM
recognizes that many companies have unique situations and require custom
pre-built window/object functionality within the architecture to more rapidly
develop Client/Server applications. With this in mind, we welcome any suggestions
on future features and enhancements to the architecture that will allow
your as well as other companies to better develop and maintain PowerBuilder
applications.
Please direct any comments, suggestions and concerns regarding
PowerArchitect to .
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