Introducing

Centura Team Developer

20-6200-0004
Trademarks
Centura, , the Centura logo, Centura net.db, Gupta, the Gupta logo, Gupta Powered,
the Gupta Powered logo, Fast Facts, Object Nationalizer, Quest, QuickObjects, SQL/
API, SQLBase, SQLBase Exchange, SQLConsole, SQLGateway, SQLHost,
SQLNetwork, SQLRouter, SQLTalk, and Team Object Manager are trademarks of
Centura Software Corporation and may be registered in the United States of America
and/or other countries. SQLWindows is a registered trademark and TeamWindows,
ReportWindows and EditWindows are trademarks exclusively used and licensed by
Centura Software Corporation.
Microsoft, Win32, Windows, Windows NT and Visual Basic are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States of America
and/or other countries.
Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc.
All other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright
Copyright  2000 by Centura Software Corporation. All rights reserved.
Introducing Centura Team Developer
20-6200-0004
May 2000
Title: Introducing Centura Team Developer

Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
What you need to know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
What is in this manual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x
Typographical conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Other helpful resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii
Send comments to.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii

1 Using SQLWindows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Installing Centura Team Developer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Examine the AccountInfo application . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2
Dialog overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Create a Login dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
Code the Login dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Define variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Code application start-up and exit . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10
Define parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Code the data fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Code the OK push button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12
Code the Cancel push button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Code to open the dialog box on start-up. . . . . . . 1-14
Run the application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-15
Lay out your form window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16
Populate your form using SQL & SAL. . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Populating the data fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-20
Populating the Child Table Window . . . . . . . . . . 1-22

Introducing Centura Team Developer iii

 Bringing it all together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-23
Add navigation controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24
SAL for navigation buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Code the ‘First’ push button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-25
Code the ‘Prev’ push button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Code the ‘Next’ push button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26
Code the ‘Last’ push button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-27
Run the application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-28

2 Centura Desktop and Components . . . . 2-1

Centura SQLWindows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Centura Desktop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Status bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Controls toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Attribute Inspector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Coding Assistant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Online Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Component wizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Report Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Database Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9
Visual Toolchest class library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11
Windows Explorer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Calendar controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Color palette controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Dynalibs: Dynamic linked objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Team Object Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13
Team Object Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Visual Diff and Merge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Object Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Data Model Viewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17

iv Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura QuickObjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17
QuickObjects save you time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18
You can easily create your own QuickObjects . . 2-18
Web Access QuickObjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Quick3Tier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
QuickCICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
QuickeMail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
QuickReport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20
QuickTabs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
QuickGraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
SQLBase database engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Databases utilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
Native connectivity to SQL databases . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22
ODBC connectivity to SQL databases . . . . . . . . 2-23
SQLTalk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23
SQLConsole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23

3 Using ActiveX Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Take a look at the finished application . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Prepare the login. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Create the form window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Add a calendar control, table, and graph . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Drop the visual controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Code the Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Call the login dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Define the form variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Add functions to create the form. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Define contents for the graph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Add an ActiveX control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Set the actions for the push buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Run the application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14

Introducing Centura Team Developer v

 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using
CTD and COM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Advantages of COM applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Overview of the tutorial COM application . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Running the tutorial COM application . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Tutorial COM server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Creating Interfaces and CoClasses . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
COM server issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Tutorial COM client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Using COM server functionality from the client. . 4-16
Building a COM sever and COM client . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Building a COM server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Building and running the COM client . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
OLE Automation Run-time Error. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Exercises for the reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Running the COM client as a Web application . . . . . 4-31
Running the COM application from the Web . . . 4-31
Running a new COM application on the Web. . . 4-32
Developing Web applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Building Web Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-35
Building a new Web application in SQLWindows 4-36
Updating the client .exe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37
Debugging a Web application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-37

5 Using CTD and MTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Running the tutorial COM server in MTS . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Installing the tutorial COM/MTS server in MTS . . 5-2
Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS . 5-4
Converting the COM server to use MTS. . . . . . . . 5-4
Modifying the client to use the server . . . . . . . . . 5-11

vi Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Creating an ASP client for a COM server . . . . . . . . . 5-16
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16
Running the tutorial ASP pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Overview of the tutorial ASP pages . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Calling a COM server from an ASP page . . . . . . 5-19

6 Managing Teams and Objects . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Managing Teams and Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Team Object Repository . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Before you start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Create Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Starting Team Object Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Creating a new project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Bring an application into the Repository . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Adding qckfinal.app to your project. . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Checking out a file from the Repository . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Editing the checked out file. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11
The Diff/Merge Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Change qckfinal.app and save as qck2.app . . . . 6-12
Compare the two files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Checking a file back into the Repository . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
A short tour of the Team Object Manager interface . 6-18

7 Where to go from here . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Centura Bookcase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
Application Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2
SQLBase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Connectivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

Introducing Centura Team Developer vii

viii Introducing Centura Team Developer
 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Preface
The purpose of this manual is to help you install Centura products on your
workstation and to get started building applications and managing projects. The
preface explains:
• This manual’s audience.
• What is in the manual.
• Conventions used in the manual.
• Other helpful resources.
• Where to send comments.

Introducing Centura Team Developer ix

Preface

Audience
Introducing Centura Team Developer is for first-time Centura users, users looking to
try the new features of Centura Team Developer, or for those evaluating Centura for
use within their organization. This document helps you become familiar with Centura
interface and powerful programming tools.

What you need to know

This manual assumes you have experience with:
• IBM-compatible Personal Computers (PCs).
• Microsoft Windows user interface and applications.
• Using a mouse.
• A programming language such as COBOL, C, or Basic.
• SQL (Structured Query Language) and relational databases.
• LANs (Local Area Networks).
• C programming language and related development tools if you want to use
Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs).

What is in this manual

This manual contains software installation procedures, explanations of Centura
concepts, and tutorials explaining the basics of Centura. After using the manual, you
will be ready to use Centura to write your own applications. This guide includes:
Chapter 1: Building an Application
This tutorial guides you through building a multiple window application . You log in
to a database and retrieve company account information through which you can
browse. Once you complete this tutorial, go to Chapter 2.
Chapter 2: Building an ActiveX Application
This tutorial guides you through building an application, embedding an ActiveX
control and linking it to a table and a graph. You log in to a database and retrieve
budget information through which you can browse. Once you complete this tutorial,
go to Chapter 3.
Chapter 3: Reporting and ActiveX
This tutorial shows you how to create a Centura application with an embedded report.
Your report brings up a dialog where you specify the company to report on, then click
OK to see information in report format for that company.
Chapter 4: Object-oriented programming
This tutorial shows you how to create one of the libraries you used in an earlier
application, deriving the class library from an existing class. You see that Centura is

x Introducing Centura Team Developer

 an object-oriented programming environment, and provides re-usable code, full
object-oriented extensibility, and inheritance.
Chapter 5: Managing Teams and Objects
The tutorial in this chapter introduces you to the Centura Team Object Manager
features that help you keep track of large-scale projects involving teams of
developers.
Chapter 6: Centura Desktop and Components
This chapter contains discussions of Centura components. It also helps you explore
the Centura development environment and its available tools.
Chapter 7: Where to go from here
This chapter provides information on the Centura Bookcase.

Typographical conventions
Before you start using this manual, it is important to understand the typographical
conventions we use in this manual:

Formatting Convention Type of Information

bold type Menu items, push buttons, and field names. Things that
you select. Keyboard keys that you press.

italic type Names of books and publications.

Place holders for items you must supply, such as file
names. For example, when the manual says to type cd
directory name you type the letters cd followed by a
space and then the name of a directory.

courier type Commands or code you must enter through the keyboard
exactly as shown.

Note: We use this Note: convention to call your attention to special information.

Introducing Centura Team Developer xi

Preface

Other helpful resources

Centura Books Online. The Centura document suite is available online. This
document collection lets you perform full-text indexed searches across the entire
document suite, navigate the table of contents using the expandable/collapsible
browser, or print any chapter. Open the collection by selecting the Centura Books
Online icon from the Start menu or by double-clicking on the launcher icon in the
program group.
Online Help. This is an extensive context-sensitive online help system. The online
help offers a quick way to find information on topics including menu items,
functions, messages, and objects.
World Wide Web. Centura Software’s World Wide Web site contains information
about Centura Software Corporation’s partners, products, sales, support, training, and
users. The URL is http://www.centurasoft.com.
To access Centura technical services on the Web, go to http://www.centurasoft.com.
This section of our Web site is a valuable resource for customers with technical
support issues, and addresses a variety of topics and services, including technical
support case status, commonly asked questions, access to Centura’s Online
Newsgroups, links to Shareware tools, product bulletins, white papers, and
downloadable product updates.
For information on training, including course descriptions, class schedules, and
Certified Training Partners, go to http://www.centurasoft.com.

Send comments to...

If you have any comments or suggestions on this document, please send them to:
Technical Publications Department
Centura Software Corporation
975 Island Dr.
Redwood Shores, CA 94065
USA
or send email, with comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

xii Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 1

Using SQLWindows
This chapter starts you building applications with Centura SQLWindows, the next
generation client/server application development and deployment environment for
Windows. To explore the SQLWindows desktop, read Chapter 6, Centura Desktop
and Components. There you can learn about the outline and tools you use in this
tutorial such as the Coding Assistant and the Attribute Inspector.
SQLWindows lets you code and layout applications in an integrated graphical
environment that includes:
• Multiple configurable source code and user interface views.
• Drag-and-drop user interface design.
• Context-sensitive coding assistant and online help for all functions.
• Interactive debugging.
• Multiple dockable toolbars.
This chapter contains:
• Procedures for installing the Centura software.
• A tutorial that builds a fully functional SQLWindows application.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-1

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Installing Centura Team Developer

Complete the following steps to install Centura Team Developer:
1. Start Microsoft Windows.
2. Put the Centura Team Developer CD in the CD drive.
The CTD installer should start automatically. If it does not, select Start, Run and
type: D:\SETUP in the Open field. Click OK. The Installation dialogs that
follow provide instructions on all of the installation options available for
Centura Team Developer.
3. Proceed to the next section to start building an application.

Examine the AccountInfo application

You are ready to start using Centura. First, it is helpful to look at a finished version of
the application you build in this tutorial.
1. Select SQLWindows from the Centura program group in the Start menu.
2. In SQLWindows, select File, Open.
3. Double-click the Samples directory.
4. Double-click AccountInfo.app.
The Account Information application opens. This application requires a valid
Logon for users and then lets users view account information for companies
stored in the Island database.
5. Select Go from the Debug menu.
The application compiles, and you view the Database login dialog.

1-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Examine the AccountInfo application

6. Click OK. The Account Information Form appears.

This is the account information application you are going to build.

7. Click the Next, Last, Prev, and First push buttons to scroll through the available
data. The table shows the active orders for the company name on the screen. The
data fields show the status of the account.
8. Select Close from the System menu in the title bar of the Account Information
window.
Click here

Select Close

When you select Close, SQLWindows returns you to Designtime mode, where you
can continue development on your application. You are now ready to build the
AccountInfo.app application yourself. To begin, select New from the File menu.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-3

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

SQLWindows asks you if you would like to use newapp.app as the template for your
application. Click OK.

Dialog overview
This application has two windows; a Login dialog and a form for displaying database
information. To build the Login dialog, you:
• Create a dialog with three data fields and two push buttons.
• Code the data fields to accept a database, username, and password.
• Code the OK push button to accept the dialog information and open the
Account Information window.
• Code the Cancel push button to cancel the dialog.

1-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Create a Login dialog

If you followed the steps in the previous section, you are running SQLWindows. A
blank application template is ready for your use. Your workspace looks like this.

Left Pane

Create a Login dialog

1. Right-click on the Windows section in the left hand pane. Select New, Dialog
Box. A standard dialog window appears.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-5

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

2. With focus on the dialog, select Attribute Inspector from the Tools menu. Type
dlgLogin in the Dialog Box: field at the top and Database Login in the
Object Title field.

dlgLogin
Database Login

3. Select Controls from the Tools menu to bring up the Controls toolbar. Select the
standard data field from the Controls palette, move your cursor over the dialog,
and click to drop the data field on the dialog box.

Data field

4. With the focus on the data field, go to the Attribute Inspector. Change the Data
field name from df1 to dfDatabase.
5. From the Controls toolbar, drop a second standard data field under the first one in
the dialog window. In the Attribute Inspector, change the Data Field name from
df2 to dfUser. Then drop a third standard data field under the second. In the

1-6 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Create a Login dialog

Attribute Inspector, change the Data Field name from df3 to dfPassword.
Your dialog looks like this:

6. Now label the data fields. Click the standard Background Text on the Controls
palette and drop this object on the dialog to the left of the first data field.

Background Text control

7. Enter the text Database. Drop a second background text object next to the
second data field and type User Name on it. Drop a third background text object
next to the third data field and type Password on it. Your dialog looks like this:

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-7

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

8. Select the standard push button from the Controls toolbar.

Push Button

9. Drop the push button object on the bottom of the dialog box, and type OK. With
the focus on the push button, go to the Attribute Inspector. Change the Pushbutton
name from pb1 to pbOK.
10. Select the standard push button from the Controls palette again. Drop this second
push button on the dialog to the right of the OK push button. Type Cancel on
the push button. In the Attribute Inspector, change the Pushbutton name from pb2
to pbCancel. Your dialog looks like this:

You need to code functionality into the objects on your dialog. Some of that
functionality connects the dialog to the form window of the application. Therefore,
before coding the items in the dialog, you must create the form window.
11. Click on the Outline tab in the right pane of SQLWindows. In the left pane, click
Application1. Right-click the Windows section underneath it. Select New, Form
Window from the menu that appears. Type frm1. In the Attribute Inspector,

1-8 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Code the Login dialog

there is an option for Automatically Create; change this to No. Type Account
Info in the Object Title field. Your new form looks like this:

Code the Login dialog

Define variables
1. Click the Outline tab in the right pane to make sure that view is showing. In the
left pane, click Application1. This shows the outline for the entire application.
2. Double-click Global Declarations in the right pane, then click Variables. Select
Coding Assistant from the Tools menu. In the Coding Assistant, double-click Sql
Handle to add it to the Variables section of your outline.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-9

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

3. Type hSql in the outline. In the Coding Assistant, double-click Boolean to add
it to your outline. Type bConnect in the outline. Your outline looks like this:

Code application start-up and exit

1. Also under Global Declarations, click Application Actions. In the Coding
Assistant, double-click On SAM_AppStartup.
2. Double-click on If in the lower part of the Coding Assistant. Select Sal Functions
from the drop-down menu in the Coding Assistant. The Coding Assistant displays
the available functions. Start typing SalModalDialog in the text box below
the list combo box in the upper part of the Coding Assistant to find this function.
Notice that the function name appears highlighted in the function list. Press Enter
when SalModalDialog becomes highlighted.

1-10 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Code the Login dialog

If SalModalDialog( Template, Window_Handle ) appears in your outline.

Template, Window_Handle is highlighted.
3. Type:
dlgLogin, hWndNULL, 'ISLAND', 'SYSADM', 'SYSADM'
This text replaces Template, Window_Handle. Your outline looks like this:
Application Actions
On SAM_AppStartup
If SalModalDialog (dlgLogin, hWndNULL,'ISLAND','SYSADM','SYSADM')

4. Press Enter to insert a line. Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding
Assistant. Start typing SalCreateWindow in the text box below the list combo
box in the upper part of the Coding Assistant. Press Enter when
SalCreateWindow becomes highlighted in the function list.
Call SalCreateWindow( Template, Window_Handle ) appears in
your outline. Template, Window_Handle is highlighted.
5. Type:
frm1, hWndNULL
This replaces Template, Window_Handle.
6. Click On SAM_AppStartup. This tells SQLWindows where in the outline to
insert the next call.
7. Double-click On SAM_AppExit in the upper part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click If in the lower part of the Coding Assistant. Type bConnect, so that
your outline now reads If bConnect. Press Enter.
8. Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant. Start typing
SqlDisconnect in the text box below the list combo box in the upper part of
the Coding Assistant. Press Enter when SqlDisconnect becomes highlighted in
the function list.
Call SqlDisconnect( Sql_Handle ) appears in your outline.
Sql_Handle is highlighted. Type hSql over it. Your outline looks like this:
On SAM_AppStartup
If SalModalDialog( dlgLogin, hWndNULL, 'ISLAND', 'SYSADM',
'SYSADM' )
Call SalCreateWindow( frm1, hWndNULL )
On SAM_AppExit
If bConnect
Call SqlDisconnect( hSql )

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-11

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Define parameters
1. Click Window Parameters under the dlgLogin section in the outline. In the
Coding Assistant, double-click String, then type strDefDatabase and press
Enter.
2. Double-click String again, and type strDefUser. Press Enter.
3. Double-click String again, and type strDefPassword. The outline looks like
this:
Window Parameters
String: strDefDatabase
String: strDefUser
String: strDefPassword

Code the data fields

1. Double-click Data Field: dfDatabase in the outline so that Message Actions is
showing. Highlight Message Actions under the Data Field: dfDatabase section.
Double-click ON SAM_Create in the Coding Assistant. Double-click Set in the
lower part of the Coding Assistant.
2. In the outline, after Set, type dfDatabase = strDefDatabase. The
statement looks like this:
Set dfDatabase = strDefDatabase
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for dfUser (Set dfUser = strDefUser) and dfPassword (Set
dfPassword = strDefPassword). The outline looks like this:
Data Field: dfDatabase
Message Actions
On SAM_Create
Set dfDatabase = strDefDatabase
Set dfUser = strDefUser
Set dfPassword = strDefPassword

Code the OK push button

1. Double-click Pushbutton: pbOK in the outline. Highlight Message Actions
under the Pushbutton: pbOK section. Double-click ON SAM_Click in the
Coding Assistant. Double-click Set in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
2. In the outline after Set type SqlUser = dfUser. Press Enter.
3. Double-click Set in the Coding Assistant and type SqlPassword = dfPassword.
Press Enter.

1-12 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Code the Login dialog

4. Double-click Set in the Coding Assistant, and type SqlDatabase = dfDatabase.

Press Enter.
Now you call a function to change the cursor to an hour glass to show that the
application is busy.
5. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant. Start typing SalWaitCursor in the
text box below the list combo box in the upper part of the Coding Assistant. Press
Enter when SalWaitCursor becomes highlighted.
6. Call SalWaitCursor( Boolean ) appears in your outline. Boolean is
already highlighted. Type TRUE over it.
Now set a function to allow connection to the database.
7. Double-click Set in the Coding Assistant. Then type:
bConnect = SqlConnect( hSql )
Now you call a function to change the cursor back from an hour glass to show that the
application is no longer busy.
8. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant. Start typing SalWaitCursor in the
text box below the list combo box in the upper part of the Coding Assistant to find
this function. Press Enter when SalWaitCursor becomes highlighted.
Call SalWaitCursor( Boolean ) appears in your outline. Boolean is
already highlighted. Type FALSE over it.
9. Double-click If in the Coding Assistant, then type bConnect.
10. Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant. Start typing
SalEndDialog in the text box below the list combo box in the upper part of the
Coding Assistant. Press Enter when SalEndDialog becomes highlighted.
Call SalEndDialog( Window_Handle, Number ) appears in your
outline. Window_Handle, Number are already highlighted. Type dlgLogin,
TRUE over them. Your outline looks like this
Pushbutton: pbOK
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
Set SqlUser = dfUser
Set SqlPassword = dfPassword
Set SqlDatabase = dfDatabase
Call SalWaitCursor( TRUE )
Set bConnect = SqlConnect ( hSql )
Call SalWaitCursor( FALSE )
If bConnect
Call SalEndDialog( dlgLogin, TRUE )

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-13

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Code the Cancel push button

1. Double-click Pushbutton: pbCancel in the outline. Highlight Message Actions
under the Pushbutton: pbCancel section. Double-click ON SAM_Click in the
Coding Assistant.
2. Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant. Start typing
SalQuit in the text box below the list combo box in the upper part of the Coding
Assistant to find this function. Press Enter when SalQuit becomes highlighted.
Call SalQuit( ) appears in your outline. Your outline looks like this:
Pushbutton: pbCancel
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
Call SalQuit( )

Code to open the dialog box on start-up

1. Click Message Actions under Dialog Box: dlgLogin. Double-click On
SAM_Create in the Coding Assistant.
2. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant. Start typing SalCenterWindow in
the text box below the list combo box in the upper part of the Coding Assistant to
find this function. Press Enter when SalCenterWindow becomes highlighted.
Call SalCenterWindow( Window_Handle ) appears in your outline.
Window_Handle is already highlighted. Type hWndForm over it.
3. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalSetDefButton in the Coding Assistant.
Call SalSetDefButton( Window_Handle ) appears in your outline.
Window_Handle is already highlighted. Type pbOK over it.
Your outline looks like this:
Message Actions
On SAM_Create
Call SalCenterWindow( hWndForm )
Call SalSetDefButton( pbOK )

You have just finished building and coding your Login dialog! You:
• Created a dialog with three data fields and two push buttons.
• Coded the data fields to accept a database, username, and password.
• Coded the OK push button to accept the dialog information and open the
Account Information window.
• Coded the Cancel push button to destroy the dialog when clicked.

1-14 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Run the application

Run the application

Before we go on to layout the form window, let’s compile your application and see
how it runs.
1. Select Go from the Debug menu.

Note: You can also select Go from the Project menu, or click the Compile (checkmark) icon
on the toolbar.

SQLWindows asks you if you want to save changes to the outline.

2. Click Yes.
A dialog appears where you can specify the directory where you want to store your
application and specify the name of the application.
3. Type Account.app in the Filename field. Click Save.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-15

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

The application compiles. Your Database Login dialog appears.

4. Click OK. Your form window appears.

5. To return to design mode, select Close from the system menu on your form
window.

Close

Lay out your form window

Now you are ready to lay out your Account Information window. You want to drop
eight data fields and their labels for viewing account formation. You also want to add
a table window so you can view order information for each account.

1-16 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Lay out your form window

1. Right-click on the frm1 window in the Outline. Select Preview Window from the
menu that appears. The desktop looks like this:

2. Click the standard background text control on the Controls palette and drop this
on the left side of the form. Enter the text Company ID. Repeat this step for each
of the following labels:
Invoice Number
Company Name
Date of Invoice
Status
Date Paid
Employee ID
Amount Paid

Make two columns of labels on the form.

Note: An easy way to align fields and labels so they look nice is to hold down the Shift key and
click on the various fields until they are all selected. Then, choose Align from the Layout menu.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-17

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Your form looks like this:

3. Select the standard data field from the Controls palette and drop a data field next
to each label, with attributes for each as follows (use the Attribute Inspector):

Field label Object name Data Type

Invoice Number dfINVOICE_NO Number

Company ID dfCOMPANY_ID Number

Company Name dfCOMPANY_NAME String

Date of Invoice dfINVOICE_DATE Date/Time

Date Paid dfDATE_PAID Date/Time

Status dfSTATUS String

Amount Paid dfAMOUNT_PAID Number

Employee ID dfEMPLOYEE_ID String

1-18 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Lay out your form window

Your form looks like this:

4. Click the data field next to Date of Invoice. Use the Attribute Inspector to change
the Format to MM-dd-yy. Repeat this step for Date Paid.
5. Select the standard child table window from the Controls palette and drop this at
the bottom of the form.

Child Table Window

6. In the Attribute Inspector, name the Child Table tblINVOICE_ITEM.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-19

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Your form now looks like this:

Populate your form using SQL & SAL

Populating the data fields
It is time to code the data fields on your form to display corresponding information
from the database.
1. In the outline, click Form Window: frm1. Click Functions, then double-click
Function in the Coding Assistant, and type PopulateFormWindow in the
outline.
2. Click Window Variables. In the Coding Assistant, double-click Number, then
type nFetch. Click Window Variables again, double-click Number, then type
nLastRecord.
3. Click Functions. Click Actions, then double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SqlPrepare in the Coding Assistant.
Call SqlPrepare( Sql_Handle, String ) is added to the outline.
Replace Sql_Handle, String with:
hSql, 'SELECT
INVOICE_NO,
COMPANY_ID,
COMPANY_NAME,
INVOICE_DATE,
DATE_PAID,
STATUS,
AMOUNT_PAID,
EMPLOYEE_ID

1-20 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Populate your form using SQL & SAL

FROM INVOICE
INTO
:dfINVOICE_NO,
:dfCOMPANY_ID,
:dfCOMPANY_NAME,
:dfINVOICE_DATE,
:dfDATE_PAID,
:dfSTATUS,
:dfAMOUNT_PAID,
:dfEMPLOYEE_ID' )

Note: When you enter this code without the Coding Assistant, you begin by pressing the Insert
key. Then, type the programming statement. To add the next statement, press Enter. To continue
a programming statement to the next line, press CTRL + Enter.
To indent the current line for a programming statement, hold down the Alt key and press the
right arrow key. If you are indenting for readability only, use the Tab key.

4. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.

Double-click SqlExecute in the Coding Assistant.
Call SqlExecute( Sql_Handle ) is added to the outline.
Replace Sql_Handle with hSql.
5. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SqlGetResultSetCount in the Coding Assistant.
Replace Sql_Handle, Number with hSql, nLastRecord.
6. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SqlFetchNext in the Coding Assistant.
Call SqlFetchNext( Sql_Handle, Number ) is added to the outline.
Replace Sql_Handle, Number with hSql, nFetch.
Your code looks like this:
Actions
Call SqlPrepare( hSql, 'SELECT
INVOICE_NO,
COMPANY_ID,
COMPANY_NAME,
INVOICE_DATE,
DATE_PAID,
STATUS,
AMOUNT_PAID,
EMPLOYEE_ID
FROM INVOICE
INTO
:dfINVOICE_NO,
:dfCOMPANY_ID,

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-21

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

:dfCOMPANY_NAME,
:dfINVOICE_DATE,
:dfDATE_PAID,
:dfSTATUS,
:dfAMOUNT_PAID,
:dfEMPLOYEE_ID' )
Call SqlExecute( hSql )
Call GetResultSetCount (hSql, nLastRecord)
Call SqlFetchNext( hSql, nFetch )

Populating the Child Table Window

1. In the outline, double-click Child Table: tblINVOICE_ITEM.
Click Window Variables.
Double-click Sql Handle in the Coding Assistant.
Type hSqlTable for the variable name in the outline.
2. Click Functions, then double-click Function in the Coding Assistant and type
PopulateChildTable.
3. Click Actions.
Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalTblReset in the Coding Assistant
Call SalTblReset( Window_Handle ) is added to the outline.
Replace Window_Handle with tblINVOICE_ITEM.
Press Enter.
4. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalTblPopulate in the Coding Assistant
Call SalTblPopulate( Window_Handle, Sql_Handle,
String, Number ) is added to the outline.
Replace ( Window_Handle, Sql_Handle, String, Number )with
( tblINVOICE_ITEM, hSqlTable, 'SELECT
INVOICE_NO,
ITEM_NO,
STYLE_ID,
STYLE,
COLOR,
QUANTITY,
ITEM_PRICE
FROM INVOICE_ITEM
WHERE INVOICE_NO = :dfINVOICE_NO', TBL_FillNormal )

5. Click Message Actions for ChildTable:tblINVOICE_ITEM.

Double-click On SAM_Create in the Coding Assistant.

1-22 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Bringing it all together

Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant. Double-click

SqlConnect in the Coding Assistant.
Call SqlConnect( Sql_Handle ) is added to the outline.
Replace Sql_Handle with hSqlTable.
6. Click On SAM_Create in the outline. This puts you at the correct level of
indentation for your next function call.
7. Double-click On SAM_Destroy in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SqlDisconnect in the Coding Assistant
Call SqlDisconnect( Sql_Handle) is added to the outline.
Replace Sql_Handle with hSqlTable.
The outline looks like this:

Bringing it all together

You are now ready to call a function to populate the data fields.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-23

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

1. Click Form Window: frm1.

Click Message Actions.
In the Coding Assistant, double-click On SAM_CreateComplete.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click PopulateFormWindow in the Coding Assistant
Call PopulateFormWindow ( ) is added to the outline.
There are no parameters needed, so this call is complete.
2. Click Form Window: frm1 again.
Double-click Functions.
Double-click Function: PopulateFormWindow.
Double-click Actions.
Click the statement Call SqlFetchNext( hSql, nFetch ).
Press Insert. This inserts a new line.
Type:
Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )
This makes a call to the Populate function of the Child Table, so that the Child
Table is populated.

Add navigation controls

1. Right-click on frm1 in the left pane. Select Preview Window.
2. In the Attribute Inspector for the form, change Accessories from No to Yes.
3. Select a standard push button from the Controls palette and drop the push button
on the left corner of the toolbar. Type First in the Object title field.
4. In the Attribute Inspector for the push button, name the push button pbFirst.
Go to File Name: and click the ellipse (...). The Open dialog box appears. Find
toprec.bmp (you may need to navigate up one directory). Click Open.
Repeat steps 3-4 for three more push buttons you add to the toolbar:
• Next (pbNext, Next, nextrec.bmp)
• Previous (pbPrev, Prev, prevrec.bmp)
• Last (pbLast, Last, lastrec.bmp)

1-24 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 SAL for navigation buttons

Your form looks like this:

SAL for navigation buttons

By now you are used to writing SAL code using the SQLWindows user interface. Use
the following handy table of instructions to enter SAL code that activates
functionality in the push buttons on your form.

In the... Do this... To this

Outline Click Form Window

Outline Click Window Variables

Coding Assistant Double-click Number

Outline Type nLastRecord

Outline Double-click Toolbar

Outline Double-click Contents

Code the ‘First’ push button

1. In the outline, double-click Pushbutton: pbFirst. Click Message Actions. In the
Coding Assistant, double-click On SAM_Click, then double-click Call in the
lower part.
2. In the Coding Assistant, double-click PopulateFormWindow.
Your code for this push button looks like this:

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-25

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Pushbutton: pbFirst
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
Call PopulateFormWindow( )

Code the ‘Prev’ push button

1. In the outline, double-click Pushbutton:pbPrev. Click Message Actions.
2. In the Coding Assistant, double-click On SAM_Click, then double-click If and
type NOT.
3. In the Coding Assistant, double-click SqlFetchPrevious.
SqlFetchPrevious( Sql_Handle, Number ) is added to the outline.
Replace Sql_Handle, Number with hSql, nFetch.
The statement reads: If NOT SqlFetchPrevious( hSql, nFetch )
4. Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalMessageBox in the Coding Assistant.
Call SalMessageBox( String, String, Number ) is added to the
outline.
Replace String, String, Number with:
'There are no previous records', 'End Of Fetch', MB_Ok.
5. Click the statement If NOT SqlFetchPrevious( hSql, nFetch ).
Double-click Else in the upper part of the Coding Assistant.
Press the Insert key; this creates a new blank line.
Press the ALT + right arrow; this properly indents the outline. Type:
Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )
Your code for this push button looks like this:
Pushbutton: pbPrev
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
If NOT SqlFetchPrevious( hSql, nFetch )
Call SalMessageBox( 'There are no previous records',
'End of Fetch', MB_Ok )
Else
Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )

Code the ‘Next’ push button

1. Double-click Pushbutton: pbNext.
Click Message Actions.

1-26 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 SAL for navigation buttons

In the Coding Assistant, double-click On SAM_Click.

Double-click If in the lower part of the Coding Assistant, and type NOT.
In the Coding Assistant, double-click SqlFetchNext.
SqlFetchNext( Sql_Handle, Number ) is added to the outline. Replace
Sql_Handle, Number with hSql, nFetch. Press Enter. The
statement now reads:
If NOT SqlFetchNext( hSql, nFetch )
2. Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalMessageBox in the Coding Assistant.
Replace String, String, Number with:
'There are no more records', 'End Of Fetch', MB_Ok
3. Click the statement If NOT SqlFetchNext( hSql, nFetch ).
Double-click Else in the upper part of the Coding Assistant. Press Enter.
Press the Insert key.
Press the ALT + right arrow (to indent the line).
Type Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )
Your code for this pushbutton looks like this:
Pushbutton: pbNext
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
If NOT SqlFetchNext( hSql, nFetch )
Call SalMessageBox( 'There are no more records', 'End
of Fetch', MB_Ok )
Else
Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )

Code the ‘Last’ push button

1. Double-click Pushbutton: pbLast.
Click on Message Actions.
In the Coding Assistant, double-click On SAM_Click.
Double-click If in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
In the Coding Assistant, double-click SqlFetchRow.
If SqlFetchRow(Sql_Handle, Number, Number ) is added to the
outline. Replace Sql_Handle, Number, Number with:
hSql, nLastRecord - 1, nFetch.
2. Press Enter. Press Insert (to create a new blank line).
Press ALT +the right arrow key (to indent the outline).

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-27

Chapter 1 Using SQLWindows

Type:
Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )
Your code for this push button looks like this:
Pushbutton: pbLast
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
If SqlFetchRow( hSql, nLastRecord - 1, nFetch )
Call tblINVOICE_ITEM.PopulateChildTable( )

You have now added navigational push buttons. They let the user browse to and fro in
the database records. You are finished building the Account Information application.

Run the application

Let’s compile your application and see how it runs.
1. Select Go from the Debug menu.

Note: You can also select Go from the Project menu, or click the Compile (checkmark) icon
on the toolbar.

SQLWindows asks you if you want to save changes to the outline.

2. Click Yes.
The application compiles. Your Database Login dialog appears.

3. Click OK. Your form window appears.

1-28 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Run the application

4. Use the push buttons at the top to browse through various records.

Congratulations! You’ve just completed building and running an application. In the

chapters ahead, you will discover the convenience of Centura ActiveX support for
applications and reports, and the power of object-oriented programming.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 1-29

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 2

Centura Desktop and

Components
Use this chapter to take a look at some of the tools of Centura. This overview describes:
• The Centura Desktop you use to develop applications.
• Database Explorer.
• The Visual Toolchest class library.
• Dynalibs - dynamically linked libraries.
• Team Object Manager.
• QuickObjects.
• SQLBase database engine.
• Centura native connectivity.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-1

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

Centura SQLWindows
Windows NT and Windows 9x are 32-bit, pre-emptive multitasking operating
systems that run on the latest generation of microprocessors. Native 32-bit
applications provide scalability, performance and robustness for demanding mission-
critical business applications. Centura applications run as native 32-bit applications
on Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 9x. You use Centura SQLWindows to build these
32-bit applications.
Centura SQLWindows has a user interface that closely matches the look and feel of
Windows 9x. The primary UI control is similar to the Windows Explorer, where
navigation is by components in the left pane (tree view) of a window, and the right
pane (tab view) of the window shows the contents of the component selected.

Browse your entire

application in the
Tree view.
The Controls toolbar,
like other toolbars,
is dockable.

A Tabbed view
provides more than
one way of looking
at an application.

Centura was designed as a fully 32-bit environment to maximize scalability. It was

built using the Win32 interface. Centura SQLWindows or 32-bit applications built
using Centura SQLWindows do not run on Windows 3.1. Programmers who need to
deploy applications on Windows 3.1 have to build their applications using the 16-bit
SQLWindows or Centura Team Developer version 1.1.1. 16-bit SQLWindows
applications may be converted to 32-bit Centura SQLWindows applications, but the
reverse is not possible. The most effective way to build scalable and fast applications
is to use Win32 on Windows NT or 9x which Centura fully supports.

2-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura Desktop

Centura Desktop
You have already been introduced to Centura SQLWindows in Chapters 1 and 2
where you built Centura applications. Here, you get a more detailed explanation of
some of the desktop features.
The desktop is a highly graphical and easy-to-use environment. Some of the tolls
include a toolbar, an application window, tabbed application views, status bar, and a
Controls toolbar make up the SQLWindows environment.

Toolbars

Controls
Toolbar

Tree Tab
View Views

Status Bar

These tools assist you in creating the various parts of an application, navigating
through it, and enhancing it as your project grows.
• Use the toolbar icons to build and edit your application quickly and easily.
• Use the application tree view and tab views to navigate through the sections
of your code and as a visual summary of your application.
• Use the tab views to see various presentations of different sections of your
application code. As you build an application, Centura automatically adds the
appropriate items to your outline.
• Use the status bar to see the setting of the Num Lock, Scroll Lock, and Caps
Lock keys, and get other helpful information.
• Use the Controls toolbar to add graphical objects like push buttons, data
fields, and ActiveX objects to your layout.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-3

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

Toolbar
The toolbars provide icons that help you build and edit your application quickly and
easily. They also provide quick access to various components of Centura.
You can customize your toolbar in Centura. This following picture shows you a
typical set of Centura toolbars.

Each icon supports Tooltips. When you place your cursor over the icon, a label
displays the capability of the icon.

Customizing the toolbar

1. Select Toolbars from the Tools menu to open the Toolbars dialog.
2. Check the bars you want on your desktop.

Each tool bar listed in this dialog has several tools associated with it. Click on
various options to see how you effect your desktop.
3. Click Tools... to open the Tools dialog if you want to add more executable tools.

2-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura Desktop

In this dialog, you can select individual tools to add to the Tools toolbar and
specify commands to make available to run from the tool bar.

Status bar
Centura has a status bar at the bottom that shows the setting of the Num Lock, Scroll
Lock and Caps Lock keys. The status bar also displays a message that shows the
currently selected item on the menu or tool bar and the currently selected object on a
form or outline view.
Turn on the status bar by right-clicking on a blank section of the toolbar. Select Status
Bar from the menu. Turn the status bar off by either right-clicking on the status bar
and selecting Status Bar from the menu or by right-clicking on a blank section of the
toolbar and selecting Status Bar.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-5

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

Controls toolbar
This toolbar is dockable. The dockable Controls toolbar contains icons representing a
rich choice of graphical objects you can easily add to an application as part of your
interface design

Grabber Radio Button

Background Text Check Box

Group Box Option Button

Selector and
Frame List Box
Object tools

Line Combo Box

Data Field cQuickGraph

MultiLine Text Field Picture

Class types
are listed here Child Table Window Horizontal Scroll Bar

Table Column Vertical Scroll Bar

Custom Control cQuickTable

Push Button ActiveX

Displaying and using the Controls toolbar

1. To display the Controls toolbar at any time, press Alt+4 or select Controls from
the Tools menu.
2. Click the icons for a data field, push button, picture, or other object.
3. Click the class type, Standard or Quick, from the class list box in the bottom part
of the toolbar.
4. Click on the form window and drop the object onto the form.

Tip: When you click a control on the toolbar, you do not have to hold down the mouse button
while moving to the form to drop the object.

2-6 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura Desktop

Attribute Inspector
When you first create applications in Centura, it is similar to laying out shapes on a
canvas. The shapes are the objects that you use. You use the Attribute Inspector to
modify an object name, title, and background color, and so on.
Each object has an Edit menu.

Edit Attribute
Menu Inspector

Both the Edit menu and the Attribute Inspector are tailored for the ways in which you
use an object. The Attribute Inspector shown above is for a dialog box.
To display the Edit menu, drop an object on a form. Right-click on the object. The
Edit menu appears.
To display the Attribute Inspector, select Attribute Inspector from the Tools menu.
You can set attributes for your Form window and any graphical objects you drop on
your form window. The Attribute Inspector gives you complete control over the look
and feel of graphical objects.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-7

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

Coding Assistant
SQLWindows Coding Assistant makes coding applications quick, easy, and far less
error prone. Click on any section of the outline and appropriate code choices appear
in the Coding Assistant.

Bring up the Coding Assistant by selecting Coding Assistant from the Tools menu.
Double-click on an item in the Coding Assistant to add it to the outline. If you choose
a function, the full syntax appears in the outline and you can quickly replace the
parameters.
The Coding Assistant suggests whether to add new code to the same level or indented
another level.

Online Help
You can get help at any time by pressing F1.

2-8 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Report Builder

Component wizards
Programmers can get started quickly by using the new Component Wizards. Centura
SQLWindows comes with a number of wizards for easy application building.

Report Builder
You can use Report Builder (often referred to as Reports) to design reports in an easy-
to-use graphical environment. This chapter describes how you can use Reports to:
• Design and print various types of reports to meet your reporting needs.
• Format each report element with easily accessible formatting options.
• Display summary calculations to neatly arrange your report.
• Import and display data and graphics from different sources.
• Design a report template you can use repeatedly with different data sources.
To bring up the Report Builder, select Report Builder from the Tools menu in
SQLWindows.

Database Explorer
To help developers work with all database schemas, whether simple or complex,
Centura SQLWindows includes easy to use schema management functionality.
Centura Database Explorer allows you to browse, create or modify database objects
like tables, views and indexes. You can also design and format reports.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-9

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

Since it is based on an intuitive ‘explorer’ metaphor, it makes navigation of database

structure very easy. It also includes full data preview capabilities for quickly
reviewing database content. The Database Explorer works with all popular data
sources in the same easy and consistent manner. You can write stored procedures,
queries, edit data and execute SQL scripts, all from one utility.
To bring up the Database Explorer, select Open Database Explorer from the
Database menu in SQLWindows.

To manage stored procedures in SQLBase and Oracle databases, Centura’s

multidatabase stored procedure manager offers some unique functionality. It allows
you to browse, edit, create, compile and debug stored procedures in popular
databases using a consistent and attractive user interface. After the stored procedure
has been fully developed, Centura Team Developer offers a highly productive way to
integrate it into applications. It includes a Stored Procedure Class Wizard for stored
procedure access which allow you to invoke stored procedures and display results
without writing any code.
For example, a push button can be created to automatically fire-off a stored
procedure, and the data set retrieved can be displayed in a table window graphical
object. This unique capability works in the same easy and consistent way across
popular databases, and is a huge productivity enhancing factor. Now even novice

2-10 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Visual Toolchest class library

developers can integrate stored procedures into their Centura applications with just a
few mouse clicks.

Visual Toolchest class library

The Visual Toolchest is a class library (APL file) that links into your Centura
SQLWindows applications to provide more than 250 functions and 17 classes for:
• Windows controls
• Powerful data manipulation
• Table-tree database display
• Font & color control
• Creating customized Windows controls
• Extended keyboard accelerator support
• Expanded file management
• and much more...
The Visual Toolchest class library includes Windows Explorer, calendar, color
palette, and split window controls. Programmers can use these rich visual controls for
building intuitive applications, some specially designed to emulate the Windows look
and feel.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-11

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

Windows Explorer controls

The Explorer Tree control, cExplorerTree, is a list box control which emulates the
Explorer tree in Windows. The Split Window control, cSplitterWindow, is a form
window with a resizeable control which provides a narrow horizontal or vertical bar
to allow two child controls to share the form window's client region. When used
together, they provide convenient emulation of the Windows Explorer application.

Calendar controls
The cCalendar and cCalendarDropDown date controls display one month at a time.
User can scroll a day, week, month or year at a time. Keyboard shortcuts are provided
for all mouse actions. cCalendarDropDown combines an edit field with a popup
calendar to provide date selection capabilities. The programmer has full control over
keyboard, mouse and display configuration.

Color palette controls

These are similar to the Windows color palette in look and feel. The cColorPalette
and cColorPaletteDropDown color controls provide a fixed palette of colors, a menu
region and a most recently used (MRU) color region. cColorPaletteDropDown
combines a color sample with a popup palette to provide PowerPoint-like color
selection capabilities. Programmers have full control over main color palette values,
menu entries and the MRU region.

Dynalibs: Dynamic linked objects

A large application may eventually consist of several hundred windows. An
increasingly common way to design such an application is to have the entire
application “live” within a single executable, say, within a single MDI frame. This
simplifies the problems associated with frequently switching from one program to
another.
You can build objects using Centura SQLWindows, then compile them into object
libraries, called Dynalibs, that may be dynamically loaded by your application at
execution time. Dynalibs allow you to manage such an application by placing parts of
a large system into independent dynamic run-time libraries. You can assign parts of a
large project to separate developers and bring them together at run-time.
Applications can share pre-compiled components, resulting in faster development
because of greatly reduced compilation. Application distribution is easy because
certain components of a Centura SQLWindows application could be replaced without
requiring the entire application to be recompiled and rebuilt. Providing updates to
your applications can be as simple as distributing a Dynalib.

2-12 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Team Object Manager

Dynalibs provide the ability to segment the application logic into pre-compiled
libraries that are linked into the application at run-time. Dynalibs themselves can use
all features of Centura SQLWindows, including the Object Compiler.
When building a Dynalib, the programmer can specify which objects are “exported”
from the uncompiled library (.APL file) to the Dynalib (.APD file). This is called
export control, and it allows you to define the public/private members of a Dynalib.
The objects that can be exported to a Dynalib are:
• Global functions
• Global variables
• Window functions
• Top-level window objects - forms, tables, dialogs, MDI windows, and MDI
children.

Team Object Manager

Centura includes the industry’s most comprehensive and powerful team and object
management environment called Team Object Manager, which is based on the shared
Team Object Repository. It allows you to manage large projects with dozens of
developers, hundreds of end-users, and thousands of objects.

Note: Start using Team Object Manager by working through the tutorial in Chapter 5.

Unlike other development environments that claim team programming support but
only support external version control through third-party tools like Intersolv’s PVCS,
Centura not only has built-in version control support, but goes far beyond it to include
features like project branching, diff and merge, coding standards management,
deployment management, impact analysis, audit trails, management reporting and
much more. For openness, it also supports PVCS. Thus, it is a truly comprehensive
project and object management environment, and is a project manager’s dream come
true.
Project and configuration management is easy with Centura, even when you are
working with multiple versions. The project branching feature allows you to work on

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-13

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

multiple versions concurrently. For example, after developing version 1 of an

application, you might want to simultaneously work on version 1.1 and version 2.

With Centura you can visually branch your applications. Sophisticated version
control at the file and object levels ensures that all your team members can securely
coordinate their work, no matter how large the project. Since the typical application
development team includes members with different roles, Centura allows you to
assign and manage roles and privileges for various team members.

Team Object Repository

Centura Team Developer includes a scalable architecture which is repository-driven
and component-based. Teams of developers can collaborate to develop large-scale
applications that can be deployed to hundreds of end-users in a 2-tier or 3-tier
architecture.
All this is possible because Centura has a shared, object-oriented repository called the
Team Object Repository. The Repository can be resident on many leading relational
DBMSs, such as SQLBase, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and Sybase System 11.

Visual Diff and Merge

Teams of programmers have a powerful, reliable tool for managing changes made to
applications by multiple programmers. Team Object Manager has an advanced

2-14 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Team Object Manager

version management feature commonly known as Diff and Merge. Commonly, in

other version control systems like PVCS, a difference report shows the differences
between two revisions of the same file. For example, you can use a difference report
to:
• Identify specific differences between revisions of the same file.
• Determine what changes have been made to a file by other programmers
before checking it in.
• Determine which changes to keep or remove when checking in a file that has
been changed by other programmers since you checked it out.
The Diff and Merge utility goes far beyond difference reports in these ways:
• Graphical comparison of two files to determine where they differ. The Diff
tool shows a list of the differences in a very visual manner. A sample of this
work is shown below, demonstrating the way that the differences between the
two files are displayed side-by-side.
• Creation of reverse delta files to store the changes between file revisions. This
means that, for example, an original file and a revision of that file can be
stored as one base file, and a list of the changes that would be necessary to
convert the stored file to the previous version. Additional revisions would
mean only additional change lists need be stored, rather than files containing
the complete files. This is very space efficient, and thus allows Team Object
Manager to store an unlimited number of revisions for future recovery.
• Two- and three-way merges of files. Team Object Manager can perform two
way merges, combining a base file and a revised file to produce a unified
project version. Three-way merges work in the same way, combining a base
file and two modified files to produce a file containing both sets of changes.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-15

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

If conflicts are detected during this process the conflicting code (objects)
from all files is added so that the conflicts can be resolved manually.

Object Browser
Teams of programmers have a powerful, reliable tool for documenting and
understanding object-oriented code. The Object Browser in Team Object Manager
allows complex OOP classes to viewed and printed graphically. A number of
standard reports provide details of class behavior.

2-16 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura QuickObjects

Data Model Viewer

The Team Object Repository stores all the information about the structure of your
project databases: the names of the tables (entities) and columns (attributes), the
primary and foreign key relationships, and information about data types, display
formats, default values and validation criteria.
Data models are formalized ways of displaying database structure information. The
Data Model Viewer is built around the concept of data models as objects. Data
Models are treated just like any other file in the repository in that they can be
branched, shared, or checked in and out, and any number of revisions can be kept.
Multiple data models can be maintained for each project.
In addition to modeling the normal database information (tables, columns,
relationships etc.) the Data Model Tool is designed to include properties that are used
by QuickObjects. Extensive facilities are provided to attach these properties to your
database information so that when you use a QuickObject in your application its
property information can be supplied from the model.
The Data Model Viewer offers a powerful graphical interface to the repository, called
the Entity Relationship diagram. The Entity Relationship diagram allows you to
graphically view the database model in order to improve clarity. It does not, however,
allow you to change the database schema.

Centura QuickObjects
QuickObjects are software classes with a design time interface. QuickObjects provide
you with an easy point-and-click alternative to writing code when you create client/
server applications. The purpose of QuickObjects is to bring ease-of-use, re-usability,
and flexibility to the development process.
The QuickObject architecture provides a robust foundation on which more
experienced developers can make their existing classes easier to use without
sacrificing power and functionality. You can use an instance of a DVC QuickObject
(data source, visualizer, and commander). In addition to these DVC QuickObjects,
Centura provides many other QuickObjects, such as Quick OLE, QuickeMail, and
QuickReport.
Read the manual, Using and Extending QuickObjects for a detailed description of
QuickObjects, including a lengthy discussion of the DVC framework.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-17

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

QuickObjects save you time

There are many benefits to using QuickObjects:
• You can use QuickObjects right away to build your applications, as you
learned in Chapter 1.
• QuickObjects are based on object-oriented concepts and are fully extensible.
For example, you can take a QuickObjects class such as a Fetch All Records
push button and derive your own specialized Fetch Records for customers
who pay by credit card.

You can easily create your own QuickObjects

Creating your own QuickObjects is done via standard SAL programming. You can
create a new QuickObject class and have it inherit behavior from one or more
existing objects or QuickObject classes, or create a class that is entirely new.
In this way, you can expand your choice of QuickObjects and create objects that have
re-usable behavior tailored to your specific needs or vision, to be used either in your
own organization or marketed to larger audiences of developers.
One of the easiest ways to take advantage of QuickObjects is through the QuickForm
wizard.

Programmers want to either extend applications by creating their own QuickObjects

or modifying the existing QuickObjects. Read the Using and Extending
QuickObjects book for information on QuickObject concepts, the QuickObject
Framework, QuickObject libraries for OLE2, and eMail.

2-18 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura QuickObjects

Web Access QuickObjects

Centura SQLWindows includes Web Access QuickObjects designed specifically for
use in applications that work over any network supporting TCP/IP, HTTP, and FTP.
These QuickObjects let you develop applications for the Internet without previous
knowledge of the various low-level Winsock APIs and protocols. Centura Team
Developer's Web Access QuickObjects make it easy to create applications that
integrate Internet data with traditional relational data.
There are three Centura Web Access QuickObjects: cQuickHTML, cQuickHTTP, and
cQuickFTP.
• cQuickHTML
HTML is used to create World-Wide Web documents that are subsequently
transmitted using HTTP. The HTML control parses and displays HTML
pages. The HTML QuickObject lets you integrate Internet Web browser
capabilities directly into your applications. You can drop the control onto a
form or dialog.
• cQuickHTTP
HTTP is the language of the World Wide Web. An HTTP request goes to a
server, which then replies with an HTML page. The HTTP QuickObject lets
you retrieve HTML page contents without displaying the pages. Retrieval
time is significantly faster because you are not retrieving and displaying
graphics and non-textual data. You can then parse links from a page and
extract the textual data without the HTML tags.
• cQuickFTP
The FTP QuickObject lets you perform file operations on a remote FTP
server. FTP Servers are similar to LAN file servers in that they supply files to
client machines that request the files. Using this control, you can write
applications that can list files and directories on servers, get and put files on
servers, and read and write files on servers.

Quick3Tier
Centura provides a choice of 2-tier and 3-tier application architecture. A key feature
that enables Centura’s 3-tier architecture is the 3-tier Wizard, which steps the
developer through the task of building a 3-tier application. With the unique 3-tier
Wizard, scalable applications can now be developed effortlessly with a range of
application servers.
The 3-tier Wizard can be used to integrate a Centura application with a Tuxedo-based
application server. The Centura Tuxedo Application Deployment Suite manages
transactions between the client application and Tuxedo server.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-19

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

A Transaction Processing monitor is useful when the application will be deployed to

hundreds or thousands of concurrent clients, thereby imposing stringent requirements
for reliability and performance. In this case, the business rules are written in a 3GL
like C or COBOL and made available as a TP monitor service. The new 3-Tier
Wizard will provide an easy to use, pre-built graphical link to Tuxedo. By generating
functional classes that interface to Tuxedo services, Centura will bring TP monitors
within the reach of SAL programmers.

QuickCICS
QuickCICS makes it easy for you to invoke Customer Information Control Systems
(CICS) programs from Centura Team Developer applications. Quick CICS
applications can access all resources available to CICS, including data residing in
DB2, IMS, and VSAM databases. These applications can also use CICS system
facilities, such as security and transaction management.
QuickCICS applications are object-oriented programs built using the QuickCICS
Class Library. This library contains functional base classes that provide the generic
functionality required to invoke CICS programs and manage CICS transactions. You
use the QuickCICS Wizard to generate derived classes that are customized for the
specific CICS server programs your application will invoke. The wizard also
optionally generates a QuickObject Datasource class that may be used to build
QuickObject applications. The classes produced by the wizard may be saved in a
Centura Team Developer library (.APL) or placed directly into the outline of the
current application.

QuickeMail
Centura SQLWindows includes eMail connectivity to popular eMail systems.
Previously, the process of mail-enabling an application was long and tedious, often
requiring programmers to write DLLs and learn the intricacies of MAPI. With
QuickeMail, you can mail-enable an application in the same point-and-click
technique used with other QuickObjects.

QuickReport
A QuickReport makes it easy for programmers to build and use reports within the
Centura SQLWindows environment. WYSIWYG reporting within Centura
SQLWindows and reuse of templates improves productivity for report designers.
Report designers can create generic report templates that can be made available to
other programmers who need to tie these reports to various types of data. For
example, a report designer may design a cross tabular report template that conforms
to corporate standards. This report template is, in turn, used by programmers in
several departments:

2-20 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 SQLBase database engine

• In the accounting department, the report would be tied to Product and

Revenue tables to create a report on product revenue by financial quarter and
by product.
• In the manufacturing department, the report would be tied to Part and
Inventory tables to create a report on part inventory by month and by
warehouse.
QuickReport allow you to create new report templates by integrating with the Centura
Report Builder. QuickReports make it easier to reuse templates, populate report
templates with data, and integrate reports seamlessly with other objects on an
application form. The process of using QuickReports to integrate a report into an
application is:
• Report designer builds a report using the Centura Report Builder.
• Report designer builds a QuickReport template from the report, and makes
these available to other programmers. Typical report templates may be
horizontal in nature, such as Mailing Label reports; or they may be vertical in
nature, such as Department Salary reports.
• Report assemblers use QuickReports within Centura SQLWindows to build
reports-in-forms from these templates. This involves associating data, in the
form of QuickObject data sources, with QuickReport templates.

QuickTabs
This control lets you build tabbed forms and dialogs. QuickTabs enable the creation
of property sheets similar to the style in Windows. The default style is a top tab
orientation. We will also support a bottom tab orientation. The bottom tab style is a
small tab similar to how Excel displays multiple sheets in a Workbook. With this
control, you can place a form window on a tab, so that the Window is created and
destroyed when the tab is shown/hidden.

QuickGraph
QuickGraph integrates business graphics into Centura SQLWindows applications
through graph controls that are directly linked to data. This elegant feature brings
drag-and-drop simplicity to the creation of charts and widens the choice of display
styles for your data. Stunning graphics can be combined within your application
without the need to resort to coding.

SQLBase database engine

Team Developer includes a SQLBase database engine for Windows NT and Windows
9x. This 32-bit single-user database engine combines the power and programmability

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-21

Chapter 2 Centura Desktop and Components

of a native relational database server with the ease and unobtrusiveness expected of a
graphical PC application.
The SQLBase single-user database engine is built for easy deployment, including
easy installation, a tool for easy set-up of databases, and interfaces for Centura
SQLWindows, C, C++ and ODBC. Its programmability options, such as advanced
cursor handling and result set processing, allow more robust applications to be
deployed off the LAN and onto the desktop. More robust applications can also run
against larger data sets, taking advantage of SQLBase’s native relational
functionality, such as query and sort optimization.
The SQLBase database engine included in Centura Team Developer is intended for
development only. When you deploy your application, you may purchase a
deployment suite called SQLBase Desktop, or SQLBase Server, a workgroup
database server. SQLBase Server, the fastest and easiest server for NetWare,
Windows NT and Windows 9x, is a robust database server designed for running
workgroup applications. It provides the functionality you expect in a high-
performance database server, including triggers and stored procedures, multiple
concurrency options, and query and sort optimization. SQLBase Server delivers this
power and performance with the unobtrusiveness expected of PC applications,
including a very small footprint. Its tools and maintenance options facilitate the easy
set up your databases for speed, remote management, and the automation of routine
tasks.

Databases utilities
SQLBase Desktop comes with a comprehensive set of graphical tools to manage and
administer your desktop database environment.
• SQLConsole provides point-and-click administration of databases, including
the automation of routine tasks, such as database back-up.
• SQLTalk is an interactive SQL utility that helps programmers test and debug
connectivity to all relational databases.

Native connectivity to SQL databases

The Centura product line gives you high-performance native connectivity to popular
enterprise databases, so you can make the best use of your data. Centura Team
Developer includes high-performance native SQLRouters for Informix, Ingres,
Oracle, SQLBase, and Sybase that fully support all features of each database. These
native routers yield higher performance than standards-based connectivity solutions.
It also includes ODBC connectivity in those cases where the database vendor
recommends ODBC as the native API. For example, Microsoft has implemented
SQL Server’s native API using ODBC.

2-22 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 SQLTalk

Therefore, ODBC is the preferred way to connect to SQL Server. But in most other
cases, the database vendor recommends the use of a native API like OCI for Oracle,
and CT-LIB for Sybase, rather than ODBC. In such cases, the native API is directly
and fully supported. Unlike other multi-database solutions that take a ‘lowest
common denominator’ approach, Centura connectivity supports the ‘highest common
denominator’ because each database link is engineered as a separate ‘router’. The
specific targeting of each database with custom links ensures maximum integration.
Access to mainframe databases like DB2, and legacy data sources like VSAM, is
directly supported through a companion product, SQLHost.

ODBC connectivity to SQL databases

Connectivity to other ODBC compliant databases such as Microsoft Access, IBM
DB2/400, and others, is supported via third-party ODBC drivers from Microsoft,
Starware, and others, respectively. Since most ODBC drivers follow different rules
for configuration, Team Developer provides one consistent way to describe any
ODBC data source to an application. You can use the Database Connectivity
Configuration (DCC) feature to configure any ODBC data source for use with
Centura SQLWindows.

SQLTalk
SQLTalk is an interactive user interface that allows you to use SQL database
commands. SQLTalk can be used as an interface for other databases besides
SQLBase, such as DB2.

SQLConsole
Use SQLConsole to simplify database administration. Use it to manage database
objects, monitor performance, and automate database maintenance.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 2-23

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 3

Using ActiveX Objects

With Centura Team Developer ActiveX support, you can embed objects from other
applications in your applications. This chapter shows you how to build an application
that displays database budget information in both table and graph form, linked to
Microsoft Calendar Control 8.0 to display the month.
In this chapter, you also get a chance to use Centura QuickObjects. You will:
• Use QuickObjects to save yourself coding time by using a pre-defined
database login dialog.
• Link and embed Microsoft Calendar Control 8.0 in your application.
• Create a QuickObject graph linked to the calendar and table to display a pie
chart.

Note: In order to add the Microsoft Calendar Control 8.0, you must have it installed on your
machine. You have it if you installed Microsoft Access during a Microsoft Office 97 install, and
selected Options, and checked Calendar Control.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-1

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

Take a look at the finished application

Before you begin, take a look at the application you are going to build.
1. In SQLWindows, select Open from the File menu.
2. In the \Samples directory, select Budgets.app.
3. When it is open, select Go from the Debug menu.
A database login dialog appears.

4. Enter ISLAND, SYSADM, and sysadm in the fields, respectively. Click OK.
The Department Budgets window appears..

Use the push buttons in the toolbar to navigate through the budget records in the
database.

3-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Prepare the login

Prepare the login

We are going to introduce some QuickObject functionality. For the application in
Chapter 1, you programmed a Login dialog box from scratch. Now let’s use a pre-
made Login dialog box; a QuickObject. It saves us lots of time in coding, but it is not
editable, so you get to use it as is!
Select New from the File menu to begin with a new, blank application template.
1. Click the Outline tab in the right pane.
In the outline, click Libraries.
In the lower part o f the Coding Assistant, double-click Database QuickObjects.
This automatically adds Dialog Box: dlgQOLogin to the outline. This text is not
editable.
2. In the Coding Assistant, double-click File Include... This brings up the Open file
dialog box.
Find qckttip.apl in the Samples directory.
Click Open.
Press Enter.
You add qckttip.apl in order to enable tooltips in your application. This lets you
define tooltip help for the push button in your application. When you add
qckttip.apl, another library, called ttmngr.apl, is automatically added to the
Libraries outline section.
3. In the Coding Assistant, double-click File Include...
Find table.apl in the Samples directory.
Click Open.
This file is going to provide the class support for the table window and link the
Calendar Control, Table, and Graph together. You can read Chapter 3, Object-
oriented Programming, for a step-by-step description of how to create the
table.apl library.
Your outline looks like this:
Libraries
File Include: qckdvc.apl
File Include: qckttip.apl
File Include: table.apl
File Include: Ttmngr.apl
Global Declaration
Dialog Box: dlgQOLogin

You are now ready to layout the form for this application.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-3

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

Create the form window

Let’s create a new Form Window.
1. Right-click the Windows section in the left pane (called the Tree view).
Select New, Form Window.
Type frm1.
2. Select Attribute Inspector from the Tools menu.
Type Department Budgets for the Object Name.
Change Enable Accessories to Yes.
This enables the toolbar and the status bar on your form.
In layout view, your form looks like this:

Add a calendar control, table, and graph

In order to add the Microsoft Calendar Control 8.0, you must have it installed on your
machine. You have it if you installed Microsoft Access during a Microsoft Office 97
install, and selected Options, and checked Calendar Control.
1. Select Controls from the Tools menu.
2. Click the ActiveX object (icon has a red X) in the Controls toolbar.

3-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Add a calendar control, table, and graph

In the lower part of the Controls toolbar, a list of currently registered ActiveX
controls appears.

ActiceX control

Calendar Control 8.0

3. Select Calendar Control 8.0, and drop this object in the upper left corner of the
form. Resize it so that you can see the calendar.
When you drop the Calendar Control object on the form, the following libraries
are automatically inserted into the outline:
• File Include: C:\CENTURA\AXLibs\ Microsoft Calendar Control 8.0.apl
• File Include: Automation.apl
• File Include: OLE Automation.apl

4. Right-click on the Calendar Control and select Control Properties.

In the General tab, on the left side of the Properties dialog, select Short for Day
Length and Month Length.
Set Grid Cell Effect to Flat.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-5

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

On the right side of the Properties dialog, there is a group called Show.
Remove all of the checks from the check boxes except for the Month/Year Title.
The Properties dialog looks like this:

Click OK.
5. Select the Child Table Window object in the Controls toolbar.
In the lower part of the Controls toolbar, select BudgetTable.
Drop this on the form under the Calendar Control.
Your form looks like this:

3-6 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Add a calendar control, table, and graph

6. Select the cQuickGraph object in the Controls toolbar. Drop this to the right of
the Calendar Control, and resize the cQuickGraph so that you can see the entire
graph.

7. Right-click on the cQuickGraph object.

Select cQuickGraph Properties.
On the 2D Gallery tab, select the Pie graph.
8. Select the Titles tab.
Enter Monthly Budget by Department for the Graph Title.
9. Select the Design tab.
In the Toolbar group, uncheck the Run Time and Design Time checkboxes.
10. Select the QuickGraph tab.
Remove the check mark from the None checkbox in the Values to Graph (Y-
axis).
11. Click OK.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-7

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

Your form looks like this:

Drop the visual controls

1. Select the Push Button object in the Controls toolbar.
In the lower part of the Controls toolbar, select the QuickToolTipPushButton.
Drop this on the left side of toolbar.
In the Attribute Inspector, change the name from pb1 to pbFirst.
Locate File Name, and click on the ellipses (...).
2. In the Open dialog box, select toprec.bmp (usually in the C:\Centura directory).
Click Open. An arrow icon appears on the push button.

3. Right-click on the Pushbutton.

Select Tooltip... This brings up the Tooltip QuickObject Properties box.
Enter First in the ToolTip Text datafield.

Click OK.

3-8 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Code the Application

Repeat steps 1 - 3 three more times to add the following controls:

• Previous (pbPrev, prevrec.bmp, Previous)
• Next (pbNext, nextrec.bmp, Next)
• Last (pbLast, lastrec.bmp, Last)

Note: Note: Resize the push buttons so you can see the arrow bitmaps.

Your form looks like this:

You have just laid out the entire application. You are now ready to code functionality
into it.

Code the Application

Call the login dialog
When your applications starts, you want to call the database dialog and pass three
parameters to it.
1. Double-click Global Declarations.
Click Variables.
Double-click String in the Coding Assistant.
In the outline, after String, type: sDatabase
Double-click String in the Coding Assistant.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-9

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

Type: sUser
Double-click String in the Coding Assistant.
Type: sPassword
2. Click Application Actions in the Global Declarations section.
Double-click On SAM_AppStartup in the coding assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalModalDialog in the Coding Assistant to add it to your outline.
Change: Template, Window_Handle
To: dlgQOLogin, hWndNULL, sDatabase, sUser, sPassword.
This calls the Login QuickObject.

Define the form variables

1. In the outline, click Form Window: frm1.
Click Window Variables.
Double-click Number in the Coding Assistant
Type: nMonth
Click Window Variables.
Double-click MSACAL_ICalendar in the Coding Assistant.
Type: Calendar
Your code looks like this:
Window Variables
Number: nMonth
MSACAL_ICalendar: Calendar

Add functions to create the form

1. Click Message Actions.
In the Coding Assistant, double-click On SAM_Create.
Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
In the list box in the Coding Assistant, select SAL + User Functions.
Find and double-click SalActiveXGetObject to add it to the outline.
Replace Window_Handle, ??? with ax1, Calendar
2. Click On SAM_Create. This tells SQLWindows where in the outline to insert
the next call.
Double-click On SAM_CreateComplete in the upper part of the Coding
Assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Select the UDV Functions from the list box in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Calendar.GetMonth to add it to the outline.
Change: Number
To: nMonth

3-10 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Code the Application

3. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.

Select the Window Functions from the list box in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click tbl1.SelectColumn to add it to the outline.
Change: Number
To: nMonth+1
Your code looks like this:
Message Actions
On SAM_Create
Call SalActiveXGetObject( ax1, Calendar )
On SAM_CreateComplete
Call Calendar.GetMonth( nMonth )
Call tbl1.SelectColumn( nMonth + 1)

Define contents for the graph

Now, link the graph to the table window.
1. Double-click Contents.
Double-click cQuickGraph: cc1.
Click Message Actions.
Double-click On DRAWNOTIFY in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Set in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Type: cc1.Graph.DataSource = ‘tbl1’
Set the graph to display information from the highlighted column in the table, and
specify the number of data fields to graph.
2. Click On DRAWNOTIFY in the outline.
Double-click Set in the Coding Assistant.
In the outline, after Set, type: cc1.Graph.DataField[0] = 'col' ||
SalNumberToStrX( nMonth, 0 )
This selects one numeric field from a data source.
3. Double-click Set in the Coding Assistant.
Type: cc1.Graph.NumDataFields = 1
4. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant
Type: Draw ( )
Your code looks like this:
Contents
MSACAL_Calendar: ax1
BudgetTable: tbl1
cQuickGraph: cc1
Message Actions

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-11

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

On DRAWNOTIFY
Set cc1.Graph.DataSource = ‘tbl1’
Set cc1.Graph.DataField[0] = ‘col’ || SalNumberToStrX( nMonth, 0 )
Set cc1.Graph.NumDataFields = 1
Call Draw( )

5. Goto Form Window: frm1.

Double-click Message Actions.
Click On SAM_CreateComplete.
Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Select the Sal + User Functions from the list box in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click SalPostMsg to add it to the outline.
Replace: Window_Handle, Number, Number, Number
with: cc1, DRAWNOTIFY, 0, 0
This posts the information from the Calendar control to the graph, so that the
graph can be drawn.
Your code looks like this:
Message Actions
On SAM_Create
On SAM_CreateComplete
Call Calendar.GetMonth( nMonth )
Call tbl1.SelectColumn( nMonth + 1)
Call SalPostMsg(cc1, DRAWNOTIFY, 0, 0 )

Add an ActiveX control

1. Click Form Window: frm1.
Double-click Contents.
Double-click MSACAL_Calendar: ax1.
Click Message Actions.
Double-click On NewMonth in the Coding Assistant.

Note: If you do not see NewMonth in the Coding Assistant, switch to Layout view, select the
Calendar object on the form, and switch back to Outline view.

2. Click Actions under NewMonth.

Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Select UDV Functions in the Coding Assistant list box.
Double-click Calendar.GetMonth to add it to the outline.
Change: Number
To: nMonth
Your code looks like this:

3-12 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Set the actions for the push buttons

MSACAL_Calendar: ax1
Message Actions
On NewMonth
Paramters
Actions
Call Calendar.GetMonth (nMonth)

Code it so you can cycle through the table.

3. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Select Window Functions in the Coding Assistant list box.
Double-click tbl1.SelectColumn to add it to the outline.
Change Number to nMonth + 1.
Post the information from the Calendar control to the graph, so that the graph can be
redrawn to the appropriate month.
4. Double-click Call in the Coding Assistant.
Select Sal+User Functions in the Coding Assistant list box.
Double-click SalPostMsg to add it to the outline.
Change Window_Handle, Number, Number, Number
to cc1, DRAWNOTIFY, 0, 0.
Your code looks like this:
MSACAL_Calendar: ax1
Message Actions
On NewMonth
Paramters
Actions
Call Calendar.GetMonth (nMonth)
Call tbl1.SelectColumn( nMonth + 1 )
Call SalPostMsg( cc1, DRAWNOTIFY, 0, 0 )

Set the actions for the push buttons

Set the actions for the First push button.
1. Go to Form Window: frm1.
Double-click Toolbar.
Double-click Contents.
Double-click QuickToolTipPushbutton: pbFirst.
2. Click on Message Actions.
Select On SAM_Click in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Select the UDV Functions in the Coding Assistant list box.
Double-click Calendar.SetMonth to add it to the outline.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-13

Chapter 3 Using ActiveX Objects

Change: Number
To: 1
Set the actions for the Previous push button.
1. Double-click QuickToolTipPushbutton: pbPrev.
2. Click on Message Actions.
Select On SAM_Click in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Calendar.PreviousMonth to add it to the outline.
There are no parameters.
Set the actions for the Next push button.
1. Double-click QuickToolTipPushbutton: pbNext.
2. Click on Message Actions.
Select On SAM_Click in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Calendar.NextMonth to add it to the outline.
There are no parameters.
Set the actions for the Last push button.
1. Double-click QuickToolTipPushbutton: pbLast.
2. Click on Message Actions.
Select On SAM_Click in the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Call in the lower part of the Coding Assistant.
Double-click Calendar.SetMonth to add it to the outline.
Change: Number
To: 12

Run the application

You are ready to compile!
1. Select Go from the Debug menu.
When SQLWindows asks if you want to save changes, click Yes.

3-14 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Run the application

2. Save this application as Budgets2.app.

3. When the Login dialog appears, enter ISLAND, SYSADM, sysadm in the
datafields, respectively.
4. Click OK to bring up the form window, Department Budgets.
The form looks like this:

Use the navigation buttons to browse the database records. Notice how the calendar,
the graph, and the table are linked.

Congratulations! You’ve just written a Centura application with an embedded

ActiveX object! In the next chapter, we’ll take a close look at the concepts of object-
oriented programming by building the table.apl library that you used in this tutorial.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 3-15

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 4

Developing N-Tier
Applications Using
CTD and COM
The Component Object Model (COM) is a specification developed by Microsoft for
writing reusable software, software that runs in a component-based environment. It
provides an infrastructure that allows clients and objects to communicate across
process and host computer boundaries. COM clients and objects may be developed
using different programming languages, and can interoperate even when located on
separate machines.
A complete discussion of COM is beyond the scope of this tutorial. If you are not
familiar with COM concepts and principles, Centura recommends that you consult a
COM reference manual before proceeding. Most of the information you need to know
about COM is available in the MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) Library. See
the Developing with Centura SQLWindows manual for more information on COM
programming in CTD.
This tutorial is divided into the following sections
• Advantages of COM applications
• Overview of the tutorial COM application
• Tutorial COM server
• Tutorial COM client
• Building a COM sever and COM client

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-1

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

• Troubleshooting
• Exercises for the reader
• Running the COM client as a Web application
• Developing Web applications

Advantages of COM applications

Some of the advantages of developing an application using COM are:
• N-tier application environment
A 2-tier application is typically composed of a client application that interacts
with a server, usually a database. In an N-tier application, there is one or more
middle tiers between the client and the database. The middle tiers centralize
some of the complexity of an application, allowing client applications to be
smaller and simpler. The application is effectively divided into a presentation
layer (COM client), a business object layer (COM server), and a database
layer.
• Programming language independence
COM clients and servers can be developed in a variety of different
programming environments, including SQLWindows, C++, Visual Basic,
and ASP. In addition, a COM client developed in one programming
environment, ASP for example, could interact with a COM server developed
in a different programming environment, SQLWindows for example.
• Binary file reuse and file versioning
COM allows you to reuse binary files within an application, across
applications, and by other COM servers. It also includes a built in versioning
system.
• Reduces the maintenance requirements for client applications
Changes and enhancements can be made to COM servers without having to
update the client applications that invoke the COM server functionality.

4-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Overview of the tutorial COM application

Overview of the tutorial COM application

The tutorial COM application files are included with Centura Team Developer 2000.
The files you examine in this chapter are:
• IslandSALESInfoSVR.app, a sample COM server
• IslandSALESOrderEntry.app, a sample COM client

Note: This application is relatively complicated. To walk through all of the steps needed to
create it would be too time consuming. This tutorial provides some background on COM, and
on developing COM applications in Centura Team Developer. The COM samples are used to
illustrate a variety of COM-related issues and to provide developers with a working COM
application to examine for future projects of their own.

This COM application is a sales order entry system. Once compiled and running, it
appears to function in much the same way as a typical client/server application. Data
is drawn from the ISLAND sample database. The user interacts with the COM client,
selecting companies, creating sales invoices, submitting them to the database, and
listing existing orders. However, much of the business logic of the application is run
from the COM server.
When the client needs to use the functionality provided by the COM server, it first
creates an instance of a COM object on the server. It can then call functions from the
Interface associated with that object. The Interface functions make calls to the
ISLAND database and pass data back to the client. Events fired by the Interface are
handled by a CoClass on the server, which can pass the events back to the COM
client. Using a COM Proxy Class, the client can then handle the event.

Running the tutorial COM application

To run the tutorial COM application, navigate to \Program Files\Centura\Tutorial (the
default directory) in the Windows Explorer and double-click
IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe.

Note: To use all features of the tutorial COM application, you need to have installed Centura
Team Developer 2000, the Centura Web Extensions (CWE), SQLBase 7.5.1, and the ISLAND
sample database.

The tutorial application is mostly self-explanatory. You select a company (select a

Company ID number and click GO), create an order for the company (click Place
Order), fill out the order form, submit the order (click Submit Order), and then review
the completed invoice. From the first dialog box you can also list all of the invoices
for a particular company (select a company ID, click GO, and then click List Orders).

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-3

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

The diagram below illustrates the basic structure of the tutorial COM application,
showing the relationships between push buttons, windows, combo boxes, fields,
COM objects, and the database (note that not all of these relationships are shown
here):

4-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM server

Tutorial COM server

The IslandSALESInfoSVR.app file located in the \Centura\Tutorial directory
contains the source code for the tutorial COM server. This section describes some of
the features of COM servers and shows you how to create the basic elements of
IslandSALESInfoSVR.app, including an Interface and CoClass. It also provides some
advice on developing COM servers.

Creating Interfaces and CoClasses

This section shows how to create an Interface class and a corresponding CoClass
using the COM Class Wizard in SQLWindows.

What is an Interface?
An Interface class contains the functionality of a COM server. Any business logic,
database calls, or other functions that you decide to add to a COM server belong in an
Interface. The details of how you have implemented functions in an interface are
largely hidden from clients. A client only knows enough about an interface function
to be able to use it. For a client to be able to use an interface function, it first must
create an instance of the COM object associated with the interface. The client can
then call the interface function as if it were a function defined in the client
application.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-5

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

What does the IISOInfoServer Interface do?

Examine the code for the IISOInfoServer Interface in the IslandSALESInfoSVR.app
file. IISOInfoServer models simple business processes for the fictional Island
Outfitters company. It retrieves Company IDs and company contact information from
the ISLAND database.
Here is part of the SAL code for the IISOInfoServer Interface:
Interface: IISOInfoServer
Description: Island Sales Order Information Interface Class
Attributes
GUID: {45F27A32-C52C-11D3-B966-00485463324F}
Derived From
Class Variables
Number: _nStopCompanyID
Instance Variables
! By convention, names of class member variables are
prefixed by "m".
Number: m_nCount
Number: m_nCompanyIDs[*]
Sql Handle: m_hSql
Number: m_nRetVal
Functions
Function: GetCustomerInfo
Function: GetCompanyIDs
Function: Item
Function: PropGetCount
Function: Add
Function: Remove
Function: StopSearch

4-6 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM server

Purpose of the other Interfaces

The other Interfaces in the IslandSALESInfoSVR perform other needed functions for
IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe.
Here is a summary of the purpose of each Interface:
• IISOARPostServer - Using this Interface you can create a new invoice in the
database.
• IISOProductServer - Using this Interface you can retrieve product
information from the database. You can also increment and decrement the
product inventory.
• IISOSalesServer - Using this Interface in conjunction with
IISOListLineItems you can retrieve invoice information from the database.
• IISOListLineItems - Using this Interface, you can retrieve item information
for a particular invoice from the database.
• IISOInvoiceServer - Using this Interface in conjunction with IISOListOrders
you can populate a table with a list of the invoices for a particular company.
• IISOListOrders - Using this Interface, you can retrieve sales information for
a particular invoice from the database.

Collections
A collection is an easy to use managed list of items. It is extensible, allowing you to
add and remove items. When you designate an Interface as a collection in the COM
Class Wizard, a set of standardized functions are added to the Interface. It is these
functions that turn an ordinary Interface into a collection. The functions (Add, Item,
PropGetCount, and Remove) allow you to manage the collection.
A collection of CoClasses can store or pass row data as a property of a CoClass.
IISOSalesServer in conjunction with IISOListLineItems and IISOInvoiceServer in
conjunction with IISOListOrders act as collections of CoClasses. These interfaces are
used for passing data from the COM server to the client. Each attribute defines an
array data type, and each element of the collection corresponds to a specific row of
data.
Both IISOListOrders and IISOListLineItems contain no functions, only Get
Properties. When this functionality is implemented in the client, each Property is
called. The data is placed in a table and then displayed.

Note: By making the Interface a collection, you make it possible for the COM server to be used
by client applications written in Visual Basic or C++. For more information on when and why
you should use collections, consult a reference on COM and/or C++ programming.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-7

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Creating the IISOInfoServer Interface using the COM Class

Wizard
The COM Class Wizard simplifies the process of creating a new CoClass, MTS
CoClass, or Interface for your application. It allows you to specify the derived class,
functions, and properties of the ActiveX COM component. Note that though the
wizard can generate a component, you need to add the functionality of the component
under Actions in the SQLWindows Outline.
The steps and sections that follow describe how to create the IISOInfoServer
Interface using the COM Class Wizard:
1. Launch SQLWindows.
2. From a new application template, select Component, Wizards.
3. Select the COM Class icon and then click Start.
The COM Class Wizard dialog is displayed.

4. Select Interface and click Next.

5. Enter IISOInfoServer in the Name field and check the Collection
check box. Click Next.
By making the Interface a collection, you make it possible for the COM server to
be used by client applications written in Visual Basic or C++.
6. In next dialog, you specify what the Interface is a collection of. Select the Data
Type radio button. From the drop-down list, select Boolean. Click Next.

4-8 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM server

Adding functions and properties. The next dialog of the COM Class Wizard
allows you to add functions and properties to the Interface. The Wizard does not
allow you to completely configure the Interface, but it does allow you to specify, at a
high level, the functions and properties of the Interface. You will need to edit the
Interface further in the Outline to make it complete.

The Remove, Add, and Item functions along with the Count property are added
automatically when you designate that the Interface is a collection.
The sections that follow describe how to add the following functions to the
IISOInfoServer Interface:
• Get CustomerInfo
• Get CompanyIDs
• StopSearch

Creating the GetCustomerInfo function. This section describes how to create

the GetCustomerInfo function for IISOInfoServer Interface.
1. On the Functions tab, click Add.
The Add Function dialog box is displayed.
2. In the Name field type GetCustomerInfo.
3. Select Boolean from the Return Data Type drop-down menu.
4. Click +.
The Add Argument dialog box is displayed.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-9

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

5. In the Name field type nCompanyID and in the Data Type drop-down menu
select Number(VT_I2). VT stands for Variant Type. I stands for Integer. VT_I2
represents a 2-byte signed integer.
Click OK.
6. Add the following arguments to the function (all of the following arguments
should have a data type of String and should have the Receive box selected.):
• sCompanyName
• sAddress
• sCity
• sState
• sZip
• sCountry
• sContactName
The Add Function dialog box should appear as follows:

Note that the order of these arguments is important. Be sure that the arguments are
ordered as shown above. Use the ↑ button and the ↓ button to change the order of
the arguments.
7. Click OK on the Add Function dialog box when you have finished.

4-10 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM server

Creating the GetCompanyIDs function. This section describes how to create

the GetCompanyIDs function for the IISOInfoServer Interface.
1. On the Functions tab, click Add.
The Add Function dialog box is displayed.
2. In the Name field type GetCompanyIDs.
3. Select Boolean from the Return Data Type drop-down menu.
4. Click OK.

Creating the StopSearch function. This section describes how to create the
StopSearch function for the IISOInfoServer Interface.
1. On the Functions tab, click Add.
The Add Function dialog box is displayed.
2. In the Name field type StopSearch.
3. Select Boolean from the Return Data Type drop-down menu.
4. Click +.
The Add Argument dialog box is displayed.
5. Enter nCompanyID in the Name field.
6. Set the Data Type to Number(VT_I2). VT stands for Variant Type. I stands for
Integer. VT_I2 represents a 2-byte signed integer. Click OK.
7. In the Add Function dialog box, click OK.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-11

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Final steps. The following steps describe how to finish creating the Interface in the
COM Class Wizard:
1. In the COM Class Wizard dialog box, click Next.
A summary of the Interface is displayed.
2. Click Finish to build the Interface.
The IISOInfoServer Interface is added to the application.
3. Save this application (the filename and location do not matter). You need to use
it in the next section.

Note: At this stage the IISOInfoServer Interface is not complete. Examine the Outline of the
completed Interface in IslandSALESInfoSVR.app and compare it to the what you just created.
Note what the COM Class Wizard adds and does not add for you.

You have now created the basic outline for an Interface in SQLWindows. The
sections that follow describe what a CoClass is and how to create one using the COM
Class Wizard.

What is a CoClass?
When invoked by a COM client, a CoClass represents a COM object on the server.
Using the CoClass, you can link to any associated Interfaces and use any of the
Interface functions. In the COM server, it is derived from one or more Interfaces and
defines any events related to the associated interfaces.

Note: You can derive CoClasses from multiple Interfaces. You can also derive separate
CoClasses from the same Interface. However, as a novice COM programmer, it is best to derive
each CoClass from a single Interface, for the sake of simplicity.

Creating the ISOInfoServer CoClass using the COM Class

Wizard
Complete the following steps to create the ISOInfoServer CoClass using the COM
Class Wizard:
1. Starting from the application you created in the Creating the IISOInfoServer
Interface using the COM Class Wizard section, launch the COM Class Wizard.
2. Select CoClass in the Generate ActiveX component box. Click Next.
3. Type ISOInfoServer in the Name field.
4. In the Derives From box, click Existing interface and then click Select.

4-12 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM server

5. Select IISOInfoServer in the Existing Interfaces list. Click the right arrow.
IISOInfoServer moves to the Derives from list. Click OK.
6. In the COM Class Wizard dialog box, click Next.
7. Select the Events radio button. Click Add.
The Add Event dialog box is displayed.
8. In the name field type evRecordNotFound. Click OK.
9. Add another event. Name the event evResultsNotYetReady. This event
includes a single argument.
10. Click + to add the argument.
11. In the Add Argument dialog box, name the argument nCompanyID and give it
the Number(VT_I4) Data Type. Click OK.
12. Click OK in the Add Event dialog box.
13. Add one last event. Name the event evSearchError. This event has no
arguments.
14. Click Next on the COM Class Wizard dialog box.

Click Finish.
The ISOInfoServer CoClass is added to the application. Unlike the
IISOInfoServer Interface, this CoClass is complete. Nothing more needs to be
added to it in the Outline, except optionally some information in the Description
section.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-13

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

COM server issues

The sections that follow explain a number of issues related to creating COM servers.

What belongs in a COM server

When you begin to develop a new COM-based application, one of the first things you
should decide is which functions to place in a COM server versus which functions
should remain in the client.
The tutorial COM server, IslandSALESInfoSVR, includes all of the functions that
make calls to the database. Database calls are one general category of function calls
you might place in a COM server. COM servers don’t have to be limited to database
related functions though. You could add to a COM server any function that might be
reusable within a COM client application or in other COM client applications.
Note that COM servers are non-visual, meaning that they cannot include any
functions related to the user interface of an application. Any functions related to the
user interface should be located in the client. You should also keep any functions that
are specific to a single client application within that application.

EXE (out-of-process) versus DLL (in-process) COM servers

Out-of-process (EXE) COM servers can take advantage of the multi-threading in the
SQLWindows runtime. When multiple clients access the server at the same time, the
whole server does not have to be loaded into memory multiple times. This can
increase both system performance and memory utilization. However, though system
resources are conserved, the client and server have to marshall calls across process
boundaries, a relatively time consuming operation.
In-process (DLL) COM servers do not incur this sort of performance penalty because
when it is called the COM Server DLL is loaded into the client’s own process space.
When two client EXEs call the same DLL server, a copy of that server is created for
each client.

4-14 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM server

GUIDs
Various COM components require an associated globally unique identifier (GUID).
CoClasses, Interfaces, functions, events, and Type Libraries all require an associated
GUID. GUIDs ensure that COM clients do not access COM components that have
been altered in a manner that could cause conflicts with the client code. SQLWindows
automatically adds a GUID to any new COM component.
Note that a GUID can have a number of other names depending on what it identifies:
• GUID for a COM Interface is called an Interface Identifier (IID)
• GUID for a CoClass is called a Class Identifier (CLSID)
• In IDL GUIDs can be called Universally Unique Identifiers (UUID)

When to change the GUID or version information of COM components.

When there are significant changes to the functionality of a Type Library, CoClass,
event, or Interface, you need to be sure to update the associated GUIDs before using
the completed COM server in a production application. By updating the GUIDs, you
prevent COM clients from accessing servers with changed properties. Note that when
you change the properties of a CoClass or Interface, you should change the version
information in addition to the GUID.

Updating a GUID. You can update GUIDs in CTD in the following ways:
• Right-clicking the GUID in the application outline and selecting Regenerate
GUID from the pop-up list.
• Selecting Project, Regenerate GUIDs.

The Regenerate Server GUIDs dialog box allows you to regenerate all of the
GUIDs in the COM server
• On the COM Server tab of the Project, Build Settings dialog box, you can
change the type library GUID (this GUID identifies the whole component).

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-15

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Tutorial COM client

The tutorial COM client application, IslandSALESOrderEntry.app, is a windows
driven database client for the ISLAND database. A user enters and requests
information in a series of connected dialog boxes. When the process is complete, a
sales invoice is created and stored in the database, and the product inventory is
decremented to reflect the order.
The business logic of the tutorial COM application is in the COM server. The COM
client is mostly devoted to the user interface calling functions in the COM server
when business logic is needed.

Note: IslandSALESOrderEntry has been configured as both a Windows and Web application.
The web class libraries are included and, when needed, web class function calls have been made
where normally you would use standard SAL function calls. This allows this application to work
either as a Windows .exe or as a Web application you can call from a browser. For more, read
Developing Web applications on page 4-35.

Using COM server functionality from the client

The sections that follow outline how to use the functionality provided by the COM
server from the COM client using IslandSALESOrderEntry.app as an example.
Here is a summary of how to implement the functionality of a COM server from a
COM client (complete all of these steps in the SQLWindows work space for the COM
client):
1. Generate the COM Proxy Library (APL) in ActiveX Explorer.
2. Examine the Interfaces and CoClasses in ActiveX Explorer to determine how you
could use the COM server.
3. Add COM Proxy Classes to the SQLWindows Outline in order to handle events
from the COM server.
4. Declare global variables for each of the COM Server CoClasses.
5. Using the global variable associated with the CoClass, instantiate the COM object
in the client code.
6. You can now invoke Interface functions or retrieve property values from the
COM object.

4-16 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM client

ActiveX Explorer
When you begin to develop a new COM client application, the first thing you need to
do is to generate the Interfaces, CoClasses, and events in ActiveX Explorer. ActiveX
Explorer takes the information from the COM server’s Type library and creates a
COM Proxy Library (.APL file) which contains all the information needed for a COM
client application to be able to use the COM server. The COM Proxy Library (APL)
makes the SAL application aware of the COM server. It also gives the SAL
application the ability to invoke the COM server.

Examining the Interfaces and CoClasses. Once a type library is generated,

you can examine its Interfaces, CoClasses, and events using ActiveX Explorer.
Complete the following steps:
1. In SQLWindows, open the IslandSALESOrderEntry.app application.
2. Select Tools, ActiveX Explorer.

Note: The first time ActiveX Explorer runs, it stores information about all the COM objects on
your machine for future use. This process takes some time.

3. In the ActiveX Explorer Library Selection dialog box, select the

IslandSALESInfoSVR 1.0 Type Library. Click OK.
As shown below, the ActiveX Explorer allows you to examine all of the public
features of a Type Library, all of the features you would need to know in order to
invoke the COM server’s objects in your application.
• The Classes window pane lists all of the Interfaces, CoClasses, and
events available in the Type Library. Right-clicking in the Classes
window opens a pop-up menu that allows you to show or hide the various
COM components in the server and it also allows you to generate the
Type Library.
• If you select an item in Classes, the item’s member elements are
displayed in the Members window pane. For example, if you select the
IISOProductServer Interface, its functions and properties are displayed.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-17

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

• If you select an item from the Members window pane, the

GetProductInfo function for example, then the function’s parameters,
returns, attributes, and derivations are displayed in the lower window
pane.

• Right-clicking in the lower window pane opens a pop-up menu that

allows you to toggle between SAL syntax and generic COM syntax.

4-18 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM client

The table below describes what each icon represents in the ActiveX Explorer:

Icon Description

Interface

CoClass

Event

Function

Get Property

Set Property

As a client application developer, you might not be able to examine the internals of a
particular COM server. However, using the ActiveX Explorer you can discover all
that you need to know to be able invoke the COM server’s objects and use the
server’s functionality.

Generating the COM Proxy Library (APL). When you execute the Generate
Full command in ActiveX Explorer, ActiveX Explorer does the following:
• Creates a Functional Class for each Interface in the type library
• Creates a COM Proxy Class for each CoClass in the type library
• Adds these classes to a new SAL library (APL)
• Includes this new library along with Automation.apl in your current
application’s outline

Note: Automation.apl is required for all SAL COM clients.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-19

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

If you open Global Declarations, Class Definitions in the outline of

IslandSALESOrderEntry.app, you can see the Functional Classes and COM Proxy
Classes associated with IslandSALESInfoSVR 1.0 Type Library.apl (listed in blue
since they are included in the application):
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOARPostServer
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOInfoServer
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOProductServer
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOSalesServer
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOInvoiceServer
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOListLineItems
Functional Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOListOrders

COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOARPostServer

COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInfoServer
COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOProductServer
COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOSalesServer
COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInvoiceServer
COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOListLineItems
COM Proxy Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOListOrders

Functional Classes from the COM Proxy Library (APL). A Functional Class
models each COM server Interface in the SAL programming environment. It makes
available in the COM client application the functions for the associated Interface.
For example, the IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOInfoServer Functional Class models
the IISOInfoServer Interface in the IslandSALESInfoSVR COM server. If you
examine the IslandSALESInfoSVR_IISOInfoServer Functional Class in the Outline
for IslandSALESOrderEntry.app, you can see that it includes all of the functions of
the associated interface:
• Function: GetCustomerInfo
• Function: GetCompanyIDs
• Function: Item
• Function: PropGetCount
• Function: Add
• Function: Remove
• Function: StopSearch

4-20 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM client

COM Proxy Classes from the COM Proxy Library (APL). The CoClass in the
COM server represents the COM object. The COM Proxy Class makes it possible to
create an instance of a specific COM object from the COM client. Each COM Proxy
Class is derived from a Functional Class.
For example, the IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInfoServer COM Proxy Class is
associated with the ISOInfoServer CoClass that is a component of the
IslandSALESInfoSVR COM server. By declaring this COM Proxy Class in the COM
client (a process that happens automatically when you generate the CoClass in
ActiveX Explorer), you can create an instance of the ISOInfoServer object from the
client. The COM Proxy Class also allows you to link to any interfaces associated with
the CoClass. In the case of IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInfoServer, you can access the
IISOInfoServer Interface.

COM proxy classes

In the previous section, you examined the Functional Classes and COM Proxy
Classes that are included in the outline when you generate the Type Library in
ActiveX Explorer. You need to take an additional step if you want the client
application to be able to handle events from the COM server. You need to create
subclasses for the COM Proxy Classes.
To handle COM server events, you need to declare each CoClass in the server as a
COM Proxy class under Global Declarations, Classes in the Outline:
COM Proxy Class: ISOInfoServer
Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInfoServer

COM Proxy Class: ISOProductServer

Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOProductServer

COM Proxy Class: ISOARPostSever

Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOARPostSever

COM Proxy Class: ISOSalesServer

Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOSalesServer

COM Proxy Class: ISOInvoiceServer

Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInvoiceServer

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-21

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

COM Proxy Class: ISOListOrders

Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOListOrders
COM Proxy Class: ISOListLineItems
Derived From
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOListLineItems

When you derive a class, your new class inherits all the properties of the base class.
Your new class lets you add additional functionality. In this case, it gives you the
ability to handle COM server events in your client application.

Note: Class inheritance is an object-oriented programming feature of SAL. See the Developing
with SQLWindows manual for more information.

Handling events. You handle COM server events in from the COM Proxy Classes.
For example, look under Class Definitions, COM Proxy Class: ISOInfoServer,
Message Actions, Actions in the Outline:
Message Actions
On evRecordNotFound
Parameters
Actions
Call WebMessageBox( "Company/Contact Record could not be
located", "Search Error", MB_Ok )

This code displays an error message box in the client application when the
ISOInfoServer CoClass fires an evRecondNotFound event.

4-22 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM client

Declare global variables for each of the IslandSALESInfoSVR

CoClasses
Having created COM Proxy Classes to handle events, the next step is to declare the
following variables for each COM Proxy Class under Global Declarations, Variables:
ISOInfoServer: comIslandINFO
!
ISOProductServer: comIslandPRODUCT
!
ISOARPostServer: comIslandARPOST
!
ISOSalesServer: comIslandSALES
!
ISOInvoiceServer: comIslandINVOICE
!
ISOListOrders: IslandORDERS
!
ISOListLineItems: IslandINVOICEITEMS

Once declared, you can use comIslandINFO, comIslandPRODUCT,

comIslandARPOST, comIslandSALES, comIslandINVOICE, IslandORDERS and
IslandINVOICEITEMS to call functions in an interface or retrieve property values.
The next section illustrates how this is done in IslandSALESOrderEntry.app.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-23

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Invoking a COM object and using an Interface function

In this section segments of code from the COM client and the COM server are used to
illustrate how to invoke a COM object and then use a function.

Example A. The code segment that follows illustrates how you create an instance of
an object and call a function through that object from the client application. The
segment is located in IslandSALESOrderEntry.app. Using the Outline, navigate to
cIslandSalesForm: frmSALESORDER, Message Actions, On Web_CreateComplete.
On WEB_CreateComplete
...
¿ If comIslandINFO.Create()
¡ If comIslandINFO.GetCompanyIDs( bOK )
Call svrPopulateCMB( cmbCompanyIDs )
Call SalEnableWindow( pbGetINFO )
Call SalSetFocus( cmbCompanyIDs )
Call SalListSetSelect( cmbCompanyIDs, 0 )
Call frmSALESORDER.CustSelected( )
¬ If NOT WebIsWebMode( )
Call SalCreateWindow( frmLISTORDERS, hWndForm )
Call SalCreateWindow( frmPLACEORDER, hWndForm )
! notice in windows mode can set the parent window as
usual
Call SalCreateWindow( frmINVOICE, frmPLACEORDER )

¿ This line of code creates an instance of the ISOInfoServer object. Before you can
use the functionality provided by an object, you need to create an instance of it.
¡ This line of code calls the function GetCompanyIDs in the IISOInfoServer
Interface. The lines of code that follow obtain the CompanyIDs from the
ISLAND database and uses them to populate a Combo box in
frmSALESORDER.
¬ These final lines of code are related to making the application work as a web
application or a windows application.

4-24 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Tutorial COM client

Example B. The code segments that follow show how to call the GetCustomerInfo
function and show how the code on the client corresponds to the code on the COM
server.
The first segment is located in IslandSALESOrderEntry.app under cIslandSalesForm:
frmSALESORDER, Contents, cWebButton: pbGetINFO.
cWebButton: pbGetINFO
Message Actions
On SAM_Click
Call frmSALESORDER.CustSelected( )
Call frmSALESORDER.GetCustInfo( )

The pbGetINFO button is the first button a user clicks in this application. After
selecting a Company ID from the scroll list, the user clicks this button to obtain the
information on the corresponding company from ISLAND. In the preceding code
sample, the call of frmSALESORDER.GetCustInfo( ) starts the process of retrieving
company information.
Here is the code for frmSALESORDER.GetCustInfo( ), located under
cIslandSalesForm: frmSALESORDER, Functions,
Function: GetCustInfo:
Function: GetCustInfo
...
Actions
...
If nCompanyIDSelected > 100
Set dfsCompanyName = ""
Set dfsAddress = ""
Set dfsCity = ""
Set dfsState = ""
Set dfsZip = ""
Set dfsCountry = ""
Set dfsContactName = ""
¿ If NOT comIslandINFO.GetCustomerInfo( nCompanyIDSelected,
dfsCompanyName, dfsAddress, dfsCity, dfsState, dfsZip,
dfsCountry, dfsContactName, bOK )

¿ This line of code calls the function GetCustomerInfo in the IISOInfoServer

Interface and obtains the company contact information from the database.
The first argument in this function call, nCompanyIDSelected, is defined as a
SetProperty (the Company ID is passed to the server). The remaining arguments
are defined as GetProperties (the Company information associated by the
Company ID is passed back to the client).

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-25

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

The next code sample shows part of the function, GetCustomerInfo, as it is defined in
the IISOInfoServer Interface in IslandSALESInfoSVR.app. In the Outline view, open
Global Declarations, Class Definitions, Interface: IISOInfoServer, Functions,
Function: GetCustomerInfo.
Function: GetCustomerInfo
Description: Returns Customer Information for Company ID
passed in
Attributes
Returns
Parameters
Number: nCompanyID
Receive String: sCompanyName
Receive String: sAddress
Receive String: sCity
Receive String: sState
Receive String: sZip
Receive String: sCountry
Receive String: sContactName
Static Variables
Local variables
Actions
Set SqlDatabase='ISLAND'
Set SqlUser='SYSADM'
Set SqlPassword='SYSADM'
If SqlConnect( m_hSql )
...
If SqlPrepareAndExecute( m_hSql,
"SELECTcompany_name,
address,
city,
state,
zip,
country,
cont_first_name || ' ' || cont_last_name
FROM company a, contact b
INTO :sCompanyName,
:sAddress,
:sCity,
:sState,
:sZip,
:sCountry,
:sContactName
WHERE a.company_id = :nCompanyID
AND a.company_id = b.company_id"

4-26 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Building a COM sever and COM client

In the Actions section of the preceding code sample, the actual connection is made to
the ISLAND database and the relevant data is retrieved. Note that the way the tutorial
application is designed, the location of the database and the way in which the data is
retrieved are irrelevant to the COM client.

Building a COM sever and COM client

The sections that follow describe how to build a COM server and a COM client from
completed source files.

Building a COM server

This section describes how to build and register a COM server .dll file. In the process
of building a COM server .dll file, SQLWindows also generates a corresponding Type
Library.
Complete the following steps to build a COM server in CTD:
1. Launch SQLWindows.
2. Open the completed .app file for the COM server.
3. Open the Build Settings dialog box by selecting Project, Build Settings.
4. Specify the name of the .dll file in the Target name box.
5. Build the .dll file by selecting Project, Build: ..\nameoffile.dll.
Click OK in the Build Information dialog box.
A dialog should open stating that the build was successful.
When SQLWindows generates the .dll file, it also generates a corresponding Type
Library (nameoffile.tlb). The type library contains the type definitions of all of the
COM Components in the COM server. The developer of a client application can
understand and invoke the functionality of this server based on the information in
the type library.
6. Register the server.
Select Project, Register Server. SQLWindows registers the COM server in the
Windows registry. All of the COM component in the server are registered:
Interfaces, CoClasses, functions, and events.
A dialog is displayed indicating that the registration was successful.

Note: If you have previously registered the server, un-register the server before attempting to
reregister it. Be sure to first close any applications that might be using the COM server, including
the database. To un-register the server, select Project, Un-Register Server.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-27

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Building and running the COM client

This section describes the steps you need to complete to incorporate a Type Library in
a client application, and then build and run the application.
Complete the following steps to build and run a COM client application:
1. Open the completed .app file.
2. Open ActiveX Explorer by selecting Tools, ActiveX Explorer.
The ActiveX Explorer Library Selection dialog box is displayed.

Note: The first time you open the ActiveX Explorer, it may take a while to appear. It needs to
read the registry to find all of your registered COM objects. This information is cached for future
use.

3. Select the appropriate type library from the list and click OK.
The ActiveX Explorer is displayed.
4. Right-click in the Classes window pane of the ActiveX Explorer and select all of
the components that you wish to generate.
5. Right-click in the Classes window pane of the ActiveX Explorer and select Check
All Shown from the pop-up menu.
6. Right-click in the Classes window pane of the ActiveX Explorer and select
Generate Full from the pop-up menu. The COM Proxy Library (APL) is
generated. It exposes the functionality of the COM server to the client application.

Note: If a message box is displayed asking whether you would like to regenerate all of the
selected classes, click Yes.

Close the ActiveX Explorer.

7. The client application is now ready. To run the application, you can either build
the .exe using the Project, Build command, or you can run the client in debug
mode by selecting Debug, Go.

4-28 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting
This section describes a problem you might encounter when running the tutorial
COM application, along with what you can do to remedy it.

OLE Automation Run-time Error

Error Code at invocation of : 80002000e

This error message is typically triggered because the new or revised COM server .dll
file has not been registered.

Solution
Register the COM server .dll file.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-29

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Exercises for the reader

If you would like to learn more about using COM, the following exercises can help
give you a better sense of how COM applications are structured and can show you
how to get COM applications to function properly using SQLWindows:
1. In IslandSALESOrderEntry.app, there is a function called ValidOrder defined
under cIslandSalesForm: frmPLACEORDER.
Exercise: Remove the ValidOrder function from the client, add it to the COM
server, and then call the function from the client to perform the original task. You
will need to regenerate the COM server Type Library, reregister the server, and
generate a new proxy class using ActiveX Explorer.
2. To limit the complexity of the tutorial COM application, all of the Interfaces were
located in the same COM server. For a real-world application, you might not
structure the application in this manner.
Exercise: Separate each Interface and associated CoClass into its own COM
server and then rework the COM client to invoke the COM objects from the
separated COM servers.
3. The ISLAND database includes multiple sales contacts for each company.
However, the tutorial application does not allow you to pick which contact to
place an order with.
Exercise: Add the functionality needed to allow a user to list and select which
sales contact to place an order with based on the Company ID.
4. A common need for most businesses is the ability to keep track of inventory.
Exercise: Create a new COM client application for monitoring product inventory
levels in the ISLAND database. Include a function that allows you to add/order
inventory when you are running low.

4-30 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Running the COM client as a Web application

Running the COM client as a Web application

This section describes how to run the tutorial COM client as a Web application. The
application is already Web-enabled and maintains its N-tier architecture in a Web
environment. The IslandSALESOrderEntry client uses the Centura Web Extension
(CWE) objects along with the COM objects provided by the IslandSALESInfoSVR
COM server. Because it uses the CWE objects, no code changes are needed to deploy
the same application in a Windows environment or in a Web environment. Refer to
the previous sections for details on how to create a COM-based application for a
Windows environment.

Note: For information on how to create Centura Web applications, see the Building Web
Applications with Centura manual.

Running the COM application from the Web

If you have installed Centura Team Developer 2000 using the default installation
settings and on a machine running a Web server, then you only need to complete the
following steps in order to run the COM client from the web.
1. Launch your Web server.
2. Launch the Centura App Manager.
Run the Centura AppConsole (Start, Programs, Centura, Team Developer
2000, AppConsole) and expand the WAM server in the left pane to show which
application services are defined.
Select the WAM server in the tree view, click the App Manager tab, and then
click Start App Manager (if the App Manager is currently stopped).
3. Launch the SQLBase Database Engine.
4. Launch Microsoft Internet Explorer and then open the following URL (the URL
is case sensitive):
http://webservername/scripts/cwisapi.dll?Service=IslandSALESOrderEntry

webservername is the name of the web server accessible by the Centura

WebAppManager Server.

Note: This URL may vary depending on the Web Server you are using. For more information,
check the documentation for your Web Server.

The Web version of the IslandSALESOrderEntry application opens in the browser

window. It functions in a manner similar to the Windows version.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-31

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Running a new COM application on the Web

This section describes the steps you need to complete in order to run a Web-enabled
COM client such as IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe on the Web using the Centura
WebAppManager Server. Most of these steps are completed automatically for the
tutorial COM application when it is installed from the CTD 2000 installation CD.
This section assumes you already have a working Centura Web-enabled COM
application. For information on how to create Centura Web applications, see the
Building Web Applications with Centura manual.
To run a new Centura Web-enabled COM application from a Web browser, complete
the following steps:
1. Install your Web server (Microsoft IIS for example).
You can use any Microsoft Windows compatible Web server to run your Centura
COM clients.
2. Install Centura Team Developer 2000. The installation includes the Centura Web
Extensions (CWE) and the Centura WebAppManager (WAM) Server. The WAM
executables are copied to the \scripts directory of the Web server and a new
directory, called CWD, is created under \wwwroot.
3. Ensure that your COM application functions properly. The COM server should be
registered and should be accessible by the COM client. The COM client
application should be in a directory accessible to the WAM server.
4. Copy the graphics for the Web application to a directory accessible to the WAM
server.

4-32 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Running the COM client as a Web application

5. Create the WAM application service.

Run the Centura AppConsole (Start, Programs, Centura, Team Developer
2000, AppConsole) and expand the WAM server to show the defined application
services.
To create a new WAM application service:
• In the tree view, select the WAM server.
• Click the New Application tab in the right window pane.
• Enter the service name, NewCOMApp for example (this name is case
sensitive).
• Click Browse and navigate to your COM client application (the .exe
file). Select the application and click Open.
You may change the default settings though it should not be necessary.
Click OK.
• Select the WAM server in the tree view, click the App Manager tab, and
then click Start App Manager. Confirm that the NewCOMApp service
is running by selecting it in the tree view.
6. Create a WEB Server alias for the Centura graphics files.
Add an alias to your Web Server for the directory which contains the graphics files
used by your COM client.
The following instructions describe how to create an alias to a directory in
Microsoft’s IIS Web Server.
To create an alias, complete the following:
• In Windows NT 4.0, select Start, Programs, Windows NT 4.0 Option
Pack, Microsoft Internet Information Server, Internet Service
Manager.
The Microsoft Management Console is displayed.
• Navigate to Default Web Site in the tree view and then right-click on
Default Web Site and select New, Virtual Directory.
The New Virtual Directory Wizard is displayed.
• Enter the alias name, graphics for example. Click Next.
• In the next screen, enter the directory path for the directory that contains
your web graphic files. Click Next.
• Select access permissions for the directory. Be sure to at least allow Read
access. Click Finish.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-33

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

7. Running the application from a Web browser.

To run the application from a Web browser, launch your web browser and
navigate to the following URL:
http://webservername/scripts/cwisapi.dll?Service=NewCOMApp
• webservername is the name of your Web Server
• NewCOMApp is the name of your WAM application service

Note: This URL can vary depending on the Web Server you are using. See the Building Web
Applications with Centura manual for more information.

The application is invoked on the web server and the opening screen is displayed.

4-34 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Developing Web applications

Developing Web applications

This section provides some information to help you develop Web/COM applications.

Building Web Applications

The Centura Web Extensions include a class library of objects called the Web
QuickObjects used to build Web applications. The objects in the Web QuickObjects
class library appear as standard Windows objects in the SQLWindows Layout tab.
They also behave like standard Windows objects when you run the application in
debug mode or as a stand-alone executable. However, when they are deployed with
the Web App Manager, they generate Web content such as HTML, XML, and
JavaScript in response to Web requests.
The following steps show how to generate the Web content for the
IslandSALESOrderEntry.app in SQLWindows. The content is displayed in a window
in raw form and in a browser as it would appear to a user.
1. Open the IslandSALESOrderEntry.app application in SQLWindows, right-click
on frmWebManager in the tree view (in the Windows folder).
2. Select cWebMgrForm Properties from the pop-up menu.
The frmWebManager Properties dialog box is displayed.
3. Check the HTML Generation Test Mode checkbox on the Properties dialog and
click OK.
4. Select Debug, Go.
The Web Manager Form window is displayed. This window is normally hidden.
5. Select frmSALESORDER in the combo box and click Show Web String.
The following things happen:
• The Island Sales Order Information window is displayed.
• The Web Manager Form window displays the Web page content that
would be sent to the user's web browser.
• A separate window with an Internet Explorer control appears, displaying
the Web content as it would appear to the user. It is not functional, but it
helps you verify that the Web page layout is satisfactory.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-35

Chapter 4 Developing N-Tier Applications Using CTD and COM

Building a new Web application in SQLWindows

To build a new Web application, you start with a new Web application template
(newweb.app). This template already includes a Web Manager Form and an object of
class cWebMgrForm. The Web Manager Form automatically responds to requests
from the Web App Manager, and routes them to the appropriate object in the
application. All Web applications need a Web Manager Form, except those that serve
raw Web content using the cWebRaw class object. However, the most common Web
applications are built with the cWebDedicatedForm or cWebReusableForm class
objects.

Dedicated versus Reusable Web Applications

The Centura Web Extensions support two ways to build Web applications: dedicated
and reusable. In a Dedicated application, the Web App Manager creates a separate
application thread to service each user. By creating a separate application thread for
each user, state and session information is managed independently for each user. This
approach is relatively simple to implement, however it does consume more system
resources, and is best suited to environments where speed of development is more
important than scalability.
In a Reusable application (IslandSALESOrderEntry is a Reusable application), the
Web AppManager allows many users to share the same application thread. However,
the developer must design the application in a stateless manner. You cannot assume
that the application is in any particular state when a user enters it, because other users
may have left it in an undetermined state. You must save each user's state after the
application finishes handling a request, and restore that user's state when they make a
new request.

Stateless applications. Since IslandSALESOrderEntry is a stateless application,

it does not maintain a permanent connection to the database or the COM server.
When each client function call is completed, all database or COM server handles are
released.

Building a Dedicated application. To build a Dedicated application, you start

with a cWebDedicatedForm Window. You can also use Modal Dialog Boxes.

Building a Reusable application. To build a Reusable application, you start

with a cWebReusableForm window. To ensure that the application is reusable, never
use Modal Dialog Boxes. When a Modal Dialog Box is created, the application
behaves as a Dedicated application.

4-36 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Developing Web applications

Updating the client .exe

Whenever you update the client .exe file, you need to stop the Application service in
the App Manager of the WAM server before you can begin to use the updated
application. After updating the .exe file, restart the Application service.

Debugging a Web application

To help you debug your application, activate the SQLWindows Enable Playback
feature. When enabled, all communication between various parts of the web
application is written to a log file. A close examination of the log should reveal where
the error or errors occurred.
To enable the playback feature:
1. Select Project, Build Settings.
2. On the Build Target tab, click the Enable Playback checkbox.
The Build Settings, Record/Playback feature of SQLWindows is especially useful for
debugging applications built upon COM, MTS, and ASP.

Note: There is a significant performance penalty when this feature is enabled. Be careful to
disable this feature on shipping code.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 4-37

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 5

Using CTD and MTS

COM allows you to separate the business logic of an application from the application
interface. The business logic is moved to COM objects running in COM servers. This
application architecture makes it possible to allow large numbers of client
applications to access a single centralized COM server remotely. MTS helps to make
centralized COM servers work more efficiently and effectively.
For CTD developed COM servers, MTS acts as a communications broker between
COM objects. It handles requests from remote COM clients to the COM objects it
manages, along with requests between COM objects. MTS can also handle
transactions for COM clients created in environments such as ASP.
Microsoft created MTS in an attempt to simplify the development of large distributed
applications. It is part of a category of programs known as middleware, multi-tier, or
N-tier applications.
This chapter is divided into the following sections:
• Running the tutorial COM server in MTS
• Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS
• Creating an ASP client for a COM server

Note: To run the MTS tutorial application, you need to be running Centura Team Developer
2000 on a Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 system. Windows NT 4.0 systems must have the
Microsoft Transaction Server Option Pack 4 installed.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-1

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

Running the tutorial COM server in MTS

This section describes how to run the MTS versions (provided with CTD) of the
tutorial COM client and server.
The files are called:
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.dll
• IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.exe
As with the standard COM server, the MTS-enabled COM server is automatically
registered when it is installed from the CTD installation CD. In order to use the MTS-
enabled server from within MTS, you only need to install the server as a package in
MTS.

Installing the tutorial COM/MTS server in MTS

The steps that follow show how to install the tutorial COM/MTS server as a package
in MTS. For detailed instructions on how to use MTS (COM+ in Windows 2000),
consult the Microsoft documentation.

Note: These steps describe the menus as they are specified in Windows NT. The Windows 2000
menus are somewhat different.

Complete the following steps to install the COM/MTS server as a package in MTS:
1. Close SQLWindows, SQLBase, and any other application that might be using the
tutorial COM server.
2. Select Start, Programs, Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack, Microsoft
Transaction Server, Transaction Server Explorer.
3. Expand the MTS tree: Microsoft Transaction Server, Computers,
My Computer, Packages Installed.
4. Select Packages Installed, right-click, and select New, Package.
5. In the Package Wizard, click Create an Empty Package and name the new
package IslandMTS. Click Next.
6. Use the default settings in the Set Package Identity dialog box. Click Finish.
7. Expand the new MTS Island package in the tree view.
8. Select Components, right-click, and select New, Component. The Component
Wizard is displayed.
9. Click Import components that are already registered.

5-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Running the tutorial COM server in MTS

10. Select the following components:

• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOARPostServerMTS
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOInfoServerMTS
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOProductServerMTS
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOSalesServerMTS
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOInvoiceServerMTS
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOListOrdersMTS
• IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOListLineItemsMTS
By checking the Details checkbox, you can confirm that the components you
select are coming from the correct DLL. (The default is
\Centura\Tutorial\IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.DLL.)
Click Finish.

The MTS Server objects are displayed in the right window pane.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-3

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

Now that you have installed the COM/MTS server components in MTS, MTS can act
as a broker for the objects when called by the COM/MTS client application. Open
IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.app and run the application in debug mode (or launch
IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.exe). If you have the Microsoft Management Console
open while you are running the client, the ball graphic spins for each object that is
currently being used by the client.

Note: Each time you revise an COM/MTS server, you should delete the old MTS server
package and then reinstall the revised COM server in a new MTS server package.

Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

This section describes how to modify IslandSALESInfoSVR.app and
IslandSALESOrderEntry.app so that they can use MTS. You are shown how to create
IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app and IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.app (provided
with the CTD 2000 installation) based on the tutorial COM .app files.

Note: The procedures described in this section overwrite IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app and

IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.app in the \Centura\Tutorial directory. You can of course
reinstall these files from the installation CD if necessary.

Converting the COM server to use MTS

The following steps show how to modify the COM tutorial server so that it can run in
MTS:
1. Shut down SQLBase, IIS, WAM, or any other system that might be using the
COM tutorial servers, IslandSALESInfoSVR.dll and
IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.dll.
2. Open IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app from \Centura\Tutorial in SQLWindows.
3. Unregister IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.dll by selecting Project, Un - Register
Server.
4. Close IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app in SQLWindows.
5. Navigate to \Centura\AXLibs using Windows Explorer. Delete
IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS 1.0 Type Library.apl.
6. Open IslandSALESInfoSVR.app in SQLWindows.

5-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

7. Unregister IslandSALESInfoSVR.dll by selecting Project, Un - Register Server.

8. Save IslandSALESInfoSVR.app as IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app overwriting
the existing file in the \Tutorial directory.

Create new MTS CoClasses

The procedure in this section shows how to create a new MTS CoClass for each of the
interfaces in IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app.
Complete the following steps to create the new MTS CoClasses:
1. Open IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app in SQLWindows.
2. Select Component, Wizards.
3. Select the COM Class icon and click Start.
4. Select MTS CoClass and click Next.
5. Enter ISOSalesServerMTS in the Name field in the CoClass box.
6. Derive ISOSalesServerMTS from an existing interface (created for the original
COM server application). In the Derives From box, click the Existing Interface
radio button. Click Select. The Interface Picker dialog box is displayed.

7. Select IISOSalesServer from the Existing Interfaces list and click the right arrow.
The selected item moves to the Derives from list. Click OK and then click Next.
8. Click Next. The COM Class Wizard Summary is displayed.
Verify that the information displayed is correct. Click Finish.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-5

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

9. Repeat the preceding steps to create the following CoClasses for the MTS tutorial
application:
• ISOInfoServerMTS
Derived from IISOInfoServer
• ISOProductServerMTS
Derived from IISOProductServer.
• ISOARPostServerMTS
Derived from IISOARPostServer.
• ISOInvoiceServerMTS
Derived from IISOInvoiceServer
• ISOListOrdersMTS
Derived from IISOListOrders
• ISOListLineItemsMTS
Derived from IISOListLineItems
In the Outline under Global Declarations, Classes, you should now have 7 new
MTS CoClasses.
10. Regenerate all of the GUIDs in the COM server. Select Project, Regenerate
GUIDs. Check all of the items listed and click OK.

5-6 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

Copy the code for the events to the MTS CoClasses

If you open one of the new MTS CoClasses in the Outline, ISOSalesServerMTS for
example, you notice that the code for the events present in the original COM CoClass
is missing. You need to copy these events in the Outline from the old COM CoClasses
to the new MTS CoClasses.
Complete the following steps to copy the events from the old COM CoClasses to the
new MTS CoClasses:
1. Open the Outline for IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.app to Global Declarations,
Class Definitions.
The original COM interfaces and CoClasses are displayed along with the included
classes and the new MTS CoClasses.
2. Open CoClass: ISOSalesServer, Events.
Copy the three events:
• evRecordNotFound
• evResultsNotYetReady
• evSearchError
3. Paste the events under CoClass: ISOSalesServerMTS, Events.
4. Complete the steps in this section for the following MTS CoClasses:
• ISOInfoServerMTS
• ISOProductServerMTS
• ISOARPostServerMTS
• ISOInvoiceServerMTS

Note: ISOListOrdersMTS and ISOListLineItemsMTS have no events

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-7

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

5. There are a number of references in the application to the original COM

CoClasses. These references need to be changed to the new MTS CoClasses.
Search for each instance of the original CoClass names:
• ISOSalesServer
• ISOInfoServer
• ISOProductServer
• ISOARPostServer
• ISOInvoiceServer
• ISOListOrders
• ISOListLineItems
And replace them with the new names:
• ISOSalesServerMTS
• ISOInfoServerMTS
• ISOProductServerMTS
• ISOARPostServerMTS
• ISOInvoiceServerMTS
• ISOListOrdersMTS
• ISOListLineItemsMTS
You can use the Edit, Replace dialog box to complete this process quickly.

Note: Be sure to not change the references to any of the interfaces.

5-8 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

6. When you have finished copying the events from the old CoClasses to the new
MTS CoClasses, comment out each of the COM CoClasses.
! CoClass: ISOInfoServer
! CoClass: ISOProductServer
! CoClass: ISOARPostServer
! CoClass: ISOSalesServer
! CoClass: ISOInvoiceServer
! CoClass: ISOListOrders
! CoClass: ISOListLineItems

To comment a line of SAL code, select the line, right click, and select Comment
Items from the popup menu. The graphic below shows how your application
window should appear once you have completed the preceding steps.

In the tree view shown in the left window pane, each Interface should now have a
single corresponding CoClass.
7. Save the file.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-9

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

Building the COM/MTS server

Complete the following steps to build the COM/MTS server:
1. Select Project, Build Setting.
2. In the Build Settings dialog box, select the Build Target tab, set the Target Type
to MTS COM Server.
3. Rename the Target Name IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.dll.
4. Click the Version tab in the Build Settings dialog. In the Product Name field, add
MTS to the name so that it reads MTS ISOIServer.
5. Click OK and then save the application.
6. Build the application (select Project, Build). The Build Information dialog box is
displayed. Click OK. A message box should open stating that the build was
successful.
7. Register the Server. Select Project, Register Server. You should get a message
that the server registered successfully.

Note: If you receive an error message when you attempt to register the server, it may be that a
process on the machine still has a handle to the old COM server. An easy way to ensure that all
of these connections are free is to reboot the system.

You have now changed the tutorial COM Server so that it can function from within an
MTS Server. In the next section, you change the tutorial COM client application so
that it can use the MTS COM Server.

5-10 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

Modifying the client to use the server

Complete the following steps to modify the COM tutorial application to work with
the COM/MTS server:
1. Open IslandSALESOrderEntry.app from the Tutorial directory.
2. Save the file as IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.app, overwriting the existing file in
the Tutorial directory.
3. In the Outline under Libraries, comment out IslandSALESInfoSVR 1.0 Type
Library.
4. Select Tools, ActiveX Explorer. The ActiveX Explorer Library Selection dialog
box opens.
5. Click Browse. Select the IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.tlb file located in the
Tutorial directory. Click Open.
6. A message box is displayed asking whether you would like to register the Type
Library. Click Yes.
7. If the Interfaces are not displayed, right-click in the Classes window pane and
select Show Interfaces from the pop-up menu.
8. Right-click in the Classes window pane and select Check All Shown from the
pop-up menu.
9. Right-click in the Classes window pane and select Generate Full from the pop-
up menu.
Close the ActiveX Explorer.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-11

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

10. Open the main CTD window and select the Outline view. Open Global
Declarations, Class Definitions in the IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.app
application, and rename the following COM Proxy Classes:
COM Proxy Class: ISOInfoServer
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOProductServer
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOARPostServer
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOSalesServer
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOInvoiceServer
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOListOrders
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOListLineItems

To:
COM Proxy Class: ISOInfoServerMTS
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOProductServerMTS
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOARPostServerMTS
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOSalesServerMTS
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOInvoiceServerMTS
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOListOrdersMTS
!
COM Proxy Class: ISOListLineItemsMTS

5-12 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

11. Since you have now included the new Type Library, you need to change some of
the references in the preceding COM Proxy Classes. These COM Proxy Classes
make it possible to handle events generated by the Interfaces on the MTS COM
server. Each is derived from the COM Proxy Class that is included as part of the
process of generating the Type Library with ActiveX Explorer.
Open COM Proxy Class: ISOInfoServerMTS, Derived From in the Outline.
Change the class reference from:
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVR_ISOInfoServer
To:
Class: IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS_ISOInfoServerMTS
Make the same change to the references of each of the other COM Proxy Classes.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-13

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

12. Open Global Declarations, Variables and then change the names of the references
for the variables from:
ISOInfoServer: comIslandINFO
!
ISOProductServer: comIslandPRODUCT
!
ISOARPostServer: comIslandARPOST
!
ISOSalesServer: comIslandSALES
!
ISOInvoiceServer: comIslandINVOICE
!
ISOListOrders: IslandORDERS
!
ISOListLineItems: IslandINVOICEITEMS

To:
ISOInfoServerMTS: comIslandINFO
!
ISOProductServerMTS: comIslandPRODUCT
!
ISOARPostServerMTS: comIslandARPOST
!
ISOSalesServerMTS: comIslandSALES
!
ISOInvoiceServerMTS: comIslandINVOICE
!
ISOListOrdersMTS: IslandORDERS
!
ISOListLineItemsMTS: IslandINVOICEITEMS

13. Select Project, Build Setting.

14. Change the Target Name to IslandSALESOrderEntryMTS.exe. Click OK.

5-14 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Converting the COM tutorial application to use MTS

15. Save and then build the application. A message box is displayed stating that the
build was successful.
16. Confirm that the MTS-enabled COM server and client work correctly. Select
Debug, Go. Walk through the various dialogs of the application to ensure that it
still functions normally.
You have now changed the tutorial COM client application so that it can use the MTS
COM Server. The next step would be to install the MTS COM Server in the MTS
environment as a new MTS server package. For more information see Installing the
tutorial COM/MTS server in MTS on page 5-2. The next section provides some
information on how to create an ASP-based COM client that can use the MTS COM
Server.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-15

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

Creating an ASP client for a COM server

COM servers can be used by any client that conforms to the COM specification,
regardless of the programming language it was developed in. Included with the COM
tutorial files are a set of ASP pages that replicate much of the functionality of
IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe. These samples demonstrate how to use the
functionality provided by a CTD-developed COM server from an ASP page.
When installed by the CTD installation CD, the ASP pages are copied to
\wwwroot\Centura\Tutorial if the install machine has an Internet Server. If the install
machine does not have an Internet Server, the files are installed to
\Centura\Tutorial\ASP.
This section provides information on the following topics:
• System Requirements
• Running the tutorial ASP pages
• Overview of the tutorial ASP pages
• Calling a COM server from an ASP page

System Requirements
The machine running the COM server must meet the following system requirements:
• Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 or Microsoft Windows 2000

Note: If you are running Windows NT 4.0, you need to install Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack 4

• Web Server that can handle ASP pages (Microsoft IIS for example)
• Installation of CTD 2000 that includes the COM tutorial sample applications
The machine running the ASP client must meet the following system requirements:
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
• Forms 2.0 Control Security Patch, fm2paste.exe (available from the
Microsoft website in the downloads section)
This Patch fixes a bug in how the ASP pages are displayed in Internet
Explorer.

5-16 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Creating an ASP client for a COM server

Running the tutorial ASP pages

Running the tutorial ASP-based client is relatively simple.
1. Install your Web server (Microsoft IIS for example which is installed as part of
Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack 4). You can use any Windows-based Web server
that can handle ASP pages.
2. Install the full version of Centura Team Developer 2000.
As a part of the CTD 2000 installation, IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.dll (the MTS-
enabled tutorial COM server) is installed and registered, and the tutorial ASP
pages are copied to \wwwroot\Centura\Tutorial (this directory may vary
depending on the type of Web Server you are running).
3. Add the COM objects as components of a new MTS package. For more, read
Installing the tutorial COM/MTS server in MTS on page 5-2.
4. Launch your Web Server and MTS.
5. Using Internet Explorer, open the following URL:
http://webservername/Centura/Tutorial/

The default.htm page for the ASP tutorial pages is displayed and provides you
with three options:
• Ping Server - Testparameters COM Server
Before attempting to open this ASP page, open testparameters.app in
SQLWindows. Build and then register the server.
Clicking this hyperlink takes you to an ASP page that attempts to connect
to the COM server in the MTS environment. It indicates whether it is
successful or not. For this to work, the COM Server must be registered
(it is automatically registered when it is installed from the CTD 2000
installation CD).
• Ping Database - IslandSALESInfoSVR with MTS
Clicking this hyperlink takes you to an ASP page that attempts to retrieve
data from the ISLAND sample database using the COM server through
MTS. It indicates whether it is successful or not.
• Island SALES Info Application
Clicking this hyperlink takes you to the ASP version of the
IslandSALESOrderEntry client. The tutorial ASP pages that have been
provided with CTD 2000 replicate some of the functionality of the
Windows/CWD version.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-17

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

Overview of the tutorial ASP pages

This section describes each of the ASP pages provided with CTD 2000. Like HTML
pages, you can open ASP pages in any text editor, Notepad for example. These pages
include numerous comments interspersed throughout the code to help you to better
understand how they function.
The following tutorial ASP pages are included with CTD 2000:
• CreateNewInvoice.asp
Creates a new invoice. This ASP page is used by FormPlaceOrder.asp.
FormPlaceOrder.asp calls CreateNewInvoice.asp when the user completes
the order and clicks Submit Order.
• FormListOrder.asp
Making this ASP page functional is left as an exercise for the reader. This
page is intended to replicate the List Order window in the
IslandSALESOrderEntry client application. It should list the invoices
associated with the company selected on IslandSalesinfo.asp.
• FormNewInvoice.asp
This ASP page is left as an exercise for the reader. This page replicates the
ISLAND SALES ORDER INVOICE window in the
IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe client application. It displays the completed
invoice submitted from FormPlaceOrder.asp.
• FormPlaceOrder.asp
Replicates the Island SALES ORDER ENTRY window in the
IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe client application. You can create a new sales
invoice for the company selected on IslandSalesinfo.asp.
• GetCompanyIDs.asp
Retrieves the CompanyIDs from the ISLAND database.
• GetCustomerInfo.asp
Retrieves company information from the ISLAND database based on the
CompanyID passed in from PingDatabase.asp.
• IslandSalesinfo.asp
This ASP page replicates the opening screen of the
IslandSALESOrderEntry.exe client application. It allows you to select a
company, list contact information on that company, and then either to list the
invoices currently associated with that company or to create a new invoice.

5-18 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Creating an ASP client for a COM server

• PingDatabase.asp
Tests whether you can access data in the ISLAND database through the
IslandSALESInfoSVR.dll COM server in the MTS environment. Also makes
calls to GetCustomerInfo.asp.
• PingServer.asp
This ASP page tests whether you can access a COM object on your CTD 2000
machine from your web browser.

Calling a COM server from an ASP page

This section provides information on how to make a function call to the tutorial COM
server from an ASP page.
GetCustomerInfo.asp includes code that creates an instance of a COM object and then
calls a function from that object. Here is a code sample from GetCustomerInfo.asp
that instantiates the ISOInfoServerMTS COM object:
'Instantiate SalesInfo Object
'response.write "Invoking MTS SAL COM Server from the ASP
SalesInfo page!<br>"
set objSalesServer =
Server.CreateObject("IslandSALESInfoSVRMTS.ISOInfoServerMTS.1")
! If the server fails to create, then execution will stop on the
preceding line
'response.write "Created ISLAND Sales Order Information Server
- With MTS<br>"

Introducing Centura Team Developer 5-19

Chapter 5 Using CTD and MTS

In the following code sample, the function variables for GetCustomerInfo are set to
null and then the function (GetCustomerInfo through- the objSalesServer object) is
called.

Note: Since all variables in ASP are of data type variant, you should also set to null each data
type before calling any COM function with parameters. For example sString = "", nNumber =
0 etc.

sCompanyName = ""
sAddress = ""
sCity = ""
sState = ""
sZip = ""
sCountry = ""
sContactName = ""

'Call Object
vGetCustomerInfo = objSalesServer.GetCustomerInfo(
nCompanyID, sCompanyName, sAddress, sCity,
sState, sZip, sCountry, sContactName)

The input parameters (nCompanyID) and the output parameters (sCompanyName,

sAddress, etc.) are defined in the COM functions. The nCompanyID input parameter
is of data type number. The remaining parameters in this function are receive
parameters, and because you declared the variants as string null, the receive values
return value is a string.

5-20 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 6

Managing Teams and

Objects
If you have been building the tutorials in the first few chapter of this book, you’ve
created a number of SQLWindows applications and been introduced to the power of
ActiveX, object-oriented programming, and embedding reports. We now introduce
you to team programming with Centura. Team programming helps you manage
projects with many programmers. It helps you make the most of your ability to
manage teams, share code, and standardize your programs.
Now we bring the application (from the \Samples directory) into the Team Object
Repository, and show you how a programmer manages code through check-in /
check-out and other version control features. To do this, you use Team Object
Manager, the team programming component of Centura.
In this chapter, we show you how to:
• Define a project to manage your code development for the application.
• Bring your application into the Repository.
• Check code out of the Repository.
• Check code back into the Repository.
• Examine the differences between two copies of the file.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-1

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

Managing Teams and Objects

The Centura multi-programmer development environment enables teams of
programmers to work efficiently together to develop client-server applications.
• Entire teams of programmers can use Team Object Manager to share
specialization of labor, minimize duplication of effort, and establish
consistency within and across projects.
• Managers can track the application development process and produce impact
analysis reports.
• Expert programmers can capture their application knowledge and share it
with other programmers without exposing them to the complexities of expert
application design.
• All programmers can share and reuse portions of a Centura Builder
application throughout its life cycle.

Team Object Repository

Pivotal to team programming with Centura is the Team Object Repository. The
Repository is a centralized, multi-user database that contains an extended storage
area of information about the application database. The Repository also holds
project-related information and files, including a current copy of each project file.

Before you start

Team Object Manager must be installed on your machine. Read the Centura Team
Developer Setup for instructions.
The Team Object Repository must also be installed. From the Start menu on your
machine, select Centura\Team Developer\Setup Repository Wizard. The Wizard
helps you specify configuration information and install the TEAMOBJM repository.
For the following tutorial, specify QuickInstall, specify TEAMOBJM as your
repository, and then accept the defaults to install the repository.

6-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Create Project

Create Project
Starting Team Object Manager
1. Select Team Object Manager from the Tools menu in SQLWindows.
The Team Object Manager Login dialog prompts you for a Repository, a user
name, and a password.

2. Type the Repository, User Name, and Password into the appropriate fields. Use
TEAMOBJM, demo, and demo, respectively.
3. Click OK.

Note: Team Object Manager may tell you that you are missing the #STARTER project. If so,
follow the defaults in the dialogs that appear to include the #STARTER project.

Creating a new project

We will now create a new project to enable you to manage the application we started
developing earlier.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-3

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

The Team Object Manager desktop appears as follows.

1. Right mouse click on the Starter Project icon. The project context menu will
now appear.
2. Select the New Project / New option to open the Project Wizard. This will guide
you through the steps required to create your new project.
3. The initial dialog in the Project Wizard appears. Click Next to continue.

6-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Create Project

4. The next dialog gives you two options. To use as many pre-set options as possible
going forward, select the Express radio button, then click Next.

5. Type the project identity into the Code field. We will name this project
MOLOKAI. Type a more informative name for the project into the Name field.
Type any description you want into the Description field, a multiline text field.
Click Next.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-5

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

6. In the screen that appears, accept the default in the Project Directory field. Click
Next.

7. This completes the process of setting up a project using the express setup wizard.
Click Finish.

6-6 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Bring an application into the Repository

A dialog box appears to indicate the project was successfully created.

Click OK.

Bring an application into the Repository

Add a SQLWindows application to the MOLOKAI project.

Adding qckfinal.app to your project

1. Click on the ‘+’ symbol next to the MOLOKAI project. The project opens to show
the objects that it contains.

2. Right-click on the Files icon to display the Files context menu.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-7

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

3. Select the Add option in the Files context menu. This enables you to insert
existing files into your project.

Files

4. Click the Files option to bring up the browse dialog. Select qckfinal.app (in the
\Samples directory). Click Add Files to insert this file into the project.
5. Repeat steps 2 - 4 to insert the following files (usually in the \Centura directory):
FORWARD.BMP, LASTREC.BMP, NEWREC.BMP, NEXTREC.BMP,
PREVREC.BMP.

Note: Hold down the Ctrl key as you select these files to add them all at once.

6. Click on the qckfinal.app item in the left pane (that you just added to the project).

6-8 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Checking out a file from the Repository

At this point, your Team Object Manager desktop looks like this:

Checking out a file from the Repository

Follow these steps to check out the qckfinal.app from the Repository to your local
workstation.
1. Click on the qckfinal.app item. Eight tabs display in the view window.
2. Right-click on the qckfinal.app icon to bring up the context menu. Select the
Scan, Scan for Dependencies option. This will link the application file with the

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-9

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

bitmaps that you have included in the project.

You will see a warning box informing you that the application file requires other
files to be included in the project which are not present.

3. Click Close.

6-10 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Checking out a file from the Repository

4. When the scan for dependencies finishes, select the Scan for Components option
from the same menu. This updates the Repository with information about all the
component parts (functions, windows, classes and named menus) that are
included in your project.
5. Now select the Check Out... option in the same way. This brings up the Check
out file dialog. Click OK to start the check out process.

Note: If the Checkout directory does not exist, you will be asked if you want to create it. Click
Yes.

Editing the checked out file

Once you check out a file, your username appears in square brackets beside the file
name in the left pane. You can now edit the checked out file.
1. Select qckfinal.app and click the right mouse button to bring up the context menu.
Select the Open option to edit qckfinal.app.
2. While the file is checked out, you can edit it, integrate it with other files, and
continue your development cycle. In the next exercise we will make some changes
to qckfinal.app and then use the Diff/Merge tool to analyze the ‘before’ and ‘after’
versions of the file.
You were able to check out the file qckfinal.app from the MOLOKAI project to your
local workstation. Once checked out, the file is editable in SQLWindows.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-11

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

The Diff/Merge Tool

The objective of this exercise is to try out the powerful file compare features provided
by the Diff/Merge tool.
The file comparison features of the Diff/Merge tool work by comparing two Centura
Builder files and reporting on the differences. We will begin by making some changes
to qckfinal.app and saving them as qck2.app. Then we can use the Diff/Merge tool
to locate the changes we have made.

Change qckfinal.app and save as qck2.app

1. Within Team Object Manager, select qckfinal.app from the Files object in the
left pane. Then use the right mouse button to bring up the context menu. Select
the Open option to edit qckfinal.app with SQLWindows.
2. Using SQLWindows, add a new form window to the application. To do this, right-
click on qckfinal.app in the left pane to open the context menu. Then choose New
/ Form Window from the menu.

6-12 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 The Diff/Merge Tool

3. Call the new form window frmMyForm.

4. Click mdiIsland in the left pane. Delete the bitmap object from the mdiIsland
form.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-13

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

5. Select the Island Outfitter Background text object and move it to the left.

6. These three changes are enough to see how the Diff/Merge tool works. Save your
changes in a new file called QCK2.APP by opening the File menu and choose the
Save As option.
7. Close SQLWindows and return to Team Object Manager.

Compare the two files

1. Within Team Object Manager, select the Tools menu and choose the Diff/Merge
option. This will open the Diff/Merge tool.

2. Start a new file comparison by clicking the button in the tool bar.

6-14 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 The Diff/Merge Tool

3. Specify the names of the two files we want to compare, qckfinal.app and
qck2.app.

4. Click OK to start the file comparison. When the comparison completes, the Diff/
Merge tool shows the impact of our changes on the original and modified files.
The original file contents are shown on the left side, the new file contents on the
right side. The various changes you made are shown as deletions, modifications
and additions.

5. Press the F4 key to open the Go To Difference dialog. This dialog contains an
ordered listing of each difference between the original and modified files. By

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-15

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

clicking on one of the list entries you can go straight to the place where the change
was made.

Each variation between the two files is listed in the dialog together with a code
that identifies the type of difference. For example, C = Changed Text, D =
Deletion, CA = Changed Attribute, M = Move, A = Add.
6. Close the Diff/Merge tool. Do not save the analysis report contents.
You were able to make changes to the QCKFINAL.APP file and then use the Diff/
Merge tool to review the precise nature and impact of each variation.

Checking a file back into the Repository

Check the qckfinal.app file into the Repository.

6-16 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Checking a file back into the Repository

1. Return to Team Object Manager. Right-click on qckfinal.app and select the

Check In option. This brings up the Check In file dialog.

Note: Because you saved your changes to another file, you see a warning saying the file has not
been modified, and asking if you would like to unlock the file. Click No.

2. Type an explanatory comment into the Notes field. Click OK.

3. The file is now checked in. There are now two revisions of the file, and the earlier
one has been stored as a delta file for space efficiency.
You checked in the file QCKFINAL.APP to the Repository from your local
workstation. The file may now be checked out by other programmers in your team for
further development.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-17

Chapter 6 Managing Teams and Objects

A short tour of the Team Object Manager interface

View some of the other exciting new Team Object Manager features.
1. Click on the ‘+’ symbol beside the qckfinal.app in the tree view (left pane).

The four objects below the .app file represent the types of objects that the
application contains.
2. Open the Classes and Windows objects by clicking ‘+’ to see what objects are
present.

6-18 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 A short tour of the Team Object Manager interface

3. Click on the ‘+’ symbol next to the Team Roles object. This gives you a view of
the different user classifications that Team Object Manager provides as a default.

Team Object Manager Team Roles are fully configurable, offering maximum
flexibility when structuring your projects.
You have just participated in your first team programming project with Centura! An
intuitive project-oriented user interface made it possible for you to check files in and
out of the Team Object Repository. The Team Object Manager component of Centura
has other powerful features which are fully detailed in the Managing Teams and
Objects with Centura manual supplied with the Centura Bookcase, or found in your
online book collection.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 6-19

 Introducing Centura Team Developer

Chapter 7

Where to go from here

Centura Team Developer is a full-featured, robust development environment. To help
you learn about and use all the components, the entire documentation suite is
available on your CD in the online book collection. To view the books, select
Centura Books Online from the Centura program group.
If you own Centura Team Developer, you can purchase a complete set of printed
books by ordering the Centura Bookcase through your sales representative. The table
in this chapter describes the books for you.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 7-1

Chapter 7 Where to go from here

Centura Bookcase
The Centura Bookcase includes manuals on the following topics:
• Application Development
• SQLBase
• Connectivity

Application Development

Book For information on...

Introducing Centura Team Developer An introduction to using Centura Team Developer.

Developing with SQLWindows Referring to descriptions of Centura user interface

features.

SQLWindows Function Reference Looking up syntax, descriptions, and examples of

Centura functions.

Building Web Applications with Centura Learning how to write, deploy, and manage Web
applications.

Extending the Centura Development Environment Discovering the SAL and C++ functions in the CDK
that help you extend your applications.

Business Reporting Reading information on how to create reports from

Centura SQLWindows, using the Report Builder
component.

Using and Extending QuickObjects Understanding how to create complex and sophisticated
applications using the Centura QuickObjects, and how
to access Tuxedo services from Centura.

Managing Teams and Objects with Centura Team Understanding conceptual information and read a how-
Developer to account on Team Object Manager, the multi-
programmer developer tool.

Localizing and Customizing Centura Applications Translating your applications into other languages.

7-2 Introducing Centura Team Developer

 Centura Bookcase

SQLBase

Book For information on...

SQLBase Starter Guide Installing and configuring Centura’s SQLBase.

SQLBase Database Administrator’s Guide Managing your SQLBase database, and design
databases and applications.

SQLBase Application Programming Interface SQLBase SQL/API, a set of functions you can call to
Reference access a SQL database.

SQLBase SQL Language Reference Entering SQL commands in a Windows environment

and performing database management functions.

SQLBase SQLTalk Command Reference SQLTalk commands.

Replicating Data with SQLBase Exchange Using SQLBase Exchange components, Replication
Studio, Replication Engine, and RepAgent to replicate
data across broad networks.

SQLConsole Guide Using SQLConsole to simplify database administration,

manage database objects, monitor performance, and
automate database maintenance.

SQLBase Advanced Topics Guide SQLBase advanced topics, including database design,
SQLBase internals, and SQLBase query optimizer.

Introducing Centura Team Developer 7-3

Chapter 7 Where to go from here

Connectivity

Book For information on...

Centura Interface for R/3 Integrating your Centura applications with SAP R/3.

Connecting Centura Objects to Databases Connecting your Centura applications to one or more
relational databases, such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL
Server, System 11.x, Informix, and others.

SQLBase OLE DB Data Provider User’s Guide Using SQLBase OLE DB Data Provider to enable
applications to access data irrespective of the data
source or development tool.

SQLHost Installation and Operation Guide Installing and configuring SQLHost software on a
workstation and a SQLGateway machine.

SQLHost Application Services Developer’s Guide Using SQLHost/Application Services (SQLHost/AS) to

create server applications.

SQLHost Client Developer’s Guide Designing and developing client applications for
SQLHost.

7-4 Introducing Centura Team Developer