Heard it through the Bit-vine - Notes and News about the products you use

Heard it through the Bit-vine - Notes and News about the products you use

by Tom Hebenstreit, Review Editor

Published 1998-09-01 Printer-friendly version

First up this month, a reminder that you can now download Clarion Online in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Yup, that means you can now read the magazine from the comfort of your local hard drive, all formatted up for easy printing.

Note: If you haven't tried downloading yet, you should be aware that it is a two step process. What you download here at the magazine is actually a small loader program for the Internet file distribution service (called GIGEX) which Clarion Online uses. Once you have downloaded that, you run the loader and it will take care of logging into GIGEX and retrieving the actual PDF file.

Now that you have the PDF file, you'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to read it. If you don't have the Acrobat reader already installed on your machine, you'll find it in the \ADOBE directory on any TopSpeed Clarion CD (CW2, C4, C5EE, etc.) or at http://www.adobe.com. Note that you most likely have it installed already, since Clarion4 (and 2) provide a number of manuals only in PDF format.

Finally, Eric Jacobowitz sent in a recommendation for a program named "ClickBook", a nifty utility for printing booklets, brochures, address books, etc. Using it, you can easily print Clarion Online front to back (i.e., both sides of the page) with ring binder margins, etc., ready to file and read anywhere. And since ClickBook works with virtually any Windows program, it can be used for a lot more than just printing Clarion Online. If you are interested, visit their web site at http://www.bluesquirrel.com.

C5EE News

Well, the TopSpeed C5 Enterprise Edition Roadshow finally arrived in my hometown a few days ago, so I took that opportunity to get some more info on what is happening with C5. Interesting tidbits revealed there included:

They are holding firm to predictions of C5EE being released Sept 30^th, the last day of DevCon. Hmmm. Maybe that's why David Bayliss isn't going to be there in person.... (work, David, WORK!)
The planned TopSpeed price increases (including the C5EE upgrade) will not be happening on September 1 as reported in the last Bit-vine. Current plans seem to be just after the C5EE final release. Antonio Rajan (VP of Sales) made it very clear though: prices will be going up - it is just a matter of determining exactly when.
The 30 day return policy is becoming a thing of the past due to software piracy concerns. There is no 30 day return for C5EE.
The Language Reference Manual has undergone a complete redesign, shedding over 130 unsightly pages while retaining all the same info (it now weighs in at a svelte 886 pages). After looking it over (in the Beta 2 PDF format), it does seem to be much more logical than the previous versions.
Build a new shelf. The C5EE package will weigh in at over 35 pounds with 10, count 'em, 10 manuals.
Wizatrons 'look' to be really cool, but the demo didn't show them actually working. Guess we all just have to trust David Bayliss.
Within the editor, ABC now has context sensitive help just like the LRM statements. For example, you can highlight an ABC method such as TakeEvent, press F1 and *poof* - instant help on that method. This is really helpful for those of us who haven't quite memorized the ABC handbook yet!
Rumors to the contrary, there will absolutely be a C5 Professional Edition. When, they didn't say, but it will happen.

For all the bells and whistles surrounding C5, though, one of the things I was most impressed with was the effort the TopSpeed is expending to make the basic AppGen environment more streamlined and logical. Embed trees, the window formatter, the list box formatter, and many other areas where we end up spending a lot of our time are being radically improved compared to the older versions, most of which haven't really changed since CW 1. Kudos to them for paying attention to those small (but time sucking) details.

Late note: Many more dates and locations have been added for the Roadshow. Please check at http://www.topspeed.com for more details.

A very WISE decision

And now, my personal favorite bit of news from the show:

Antonio announced that a few days prior to the August 27^th Roadshow, TopSpeed worked out an arrangement to bundle WISE Solutions' wonderful Windows Installation System with C5EE. Yes, kids, that means the TopSpeed Deployment Kit (TDK) is out and WISE is in! A great move on TopSpeed's part, in my opinion, since the TDK simply wasn't a very strong product. I'd much rather see them partner with a market leader and keep their own resources focused on their core products. A win-win situation for everybody.

On the same subject, the post Beta-2 version of C5EE demonstrated by Russ Eggen already had options built in to generate WISE scripts for an application. Kewl!

To boldly go...

While at the C5EE show, I took the plunge and got the upgrade, figuring I might as well take advantage of a we-don't-charge-your-credit-card-until-it-ships offer which was available only at the show. Gonna happen sooner or later anyway...

So, home I run clutching my new C5EE Beta-2 disc in my hot little hands. The Enterprise install went pretty smoothly (whoops - there went another 70 megs!)... until I tried to run C5.

Up pops the name, company and serial number box. Hmmm. No serial numbers on the disk or envelope. Well, ok, during TopSpeed betas in the past, you just entered the serial from your prior released version (C4, in this case). Fine. Fire up C4, get the serial number, go back to C5, fire it up, enter the serial and *voila* -- an invalid serial number error. Huh? Try again typing very carefully, same result.. ("Ready the phasers, Mr.Sulu"). How about my CW 2 number, I think. Fire that up, get the number, run C5, etc. and - invalid serial. ("Arm the photon torpedoes, Mr. Checkov!"). Good thing Antonio and Russ had already left town (for them, at least).

One thing I had noticed, though, was that my CW 2 serials had 3 letters in addition to the serial number. Tried it with various combinations of numbers, etc. - same result. ("I can't hold her for much longer Captain, she's going to blow!") Finally, I got the inspiration to look in the Clarion4 INI file (where serials are kept) and *gasp!*, there was the number displayed by C4 -- along with an additional three letters which C4 doesn't display anywhere. Tried that and *tada* -- it finally worked. ("Dammit, Jim, I'm a programmer, not a cryptographer!", he mutters)

Moral of the story: Either have your C4 registration card handy or go look in Clarion4.INI for your real serial number. The displayed number won't work.

Antonio made a big point at the Roadshow that the EE Team Developer was also a Software Version Control System - a very useful tool even for developers who work alone. So, moving along, I go back to the CD to install the Version Control System. Chose that option on setup and... "Could not create destination file \setup.ins. Error number 13" followed by another error and no install. Well, of course it can't create the file on the dang CD-ROM. Who designed this install? A Tribble? ("Head for the Jefferies tubes - Core breach in progress!").

Right. Copy the setup file from the CD to a hard drive. Run it. Hey, it seems to be doing ok until it gets to this screen where you specify a network directory for a Team PVCS file (I'm installing on a non-networked PC). Yipes - it defaulted to ":\PVCS" (no drive letter). Press 'Browse' to change it to something else. And wait. And wait. Yup. Setup is locked up. ("Fire all weapons!")

Use the three fingered salute to blast Setup out of memory. Try again, but I'm not going to press 'Browse', no sirree! Just press 'Next' on that screen and... "There is not enough space on drive :\PVCS. Please free up some space or change the Target location" Meaning, of course, go press the Browse button so that you can lock up your machine again. Can you say "Run screaming in circles and bang your head against the wall"?

I finally had to hack into the installation files with a binary editor and manually change the default string ":\PVCS" in SETUP.INS to "E:\VCS". Re-running the install with the modified file, I got a warning that E: wasn't a network drive (which it isn't), but the install finally worked. Sheesh! As a public service, if anyone with EE (and no network) wants a modified setup file, drop me a line (TomH@ClarionOnline.com) and I'll send a file and instructions on how to use it.

Moral of this part of the story: Have a network, write me or don't bother trying to install the Team Developer/Version Control System from Beta-2.

You know, I'm beginning to wonder if they call it the Enterprise Edition just because you have to be so enterprising to get the dang thing installed!

Another Carl T. Barnes tip

Ok, on to more pleasant topics!

Let's say you want to force input for a Field using PROP:Touched. To do that, you would do the following (substituting the field equate for your field for ?MyField):

In EVENT:Selected for the Field you want to force an Accept with you'd put

?MyField{PROP:Touched}=True

In the EVENT:Accepted for the Field you do something like

IF MyField=''
Message('Cannot be blank')
?MyField{PROP:Touched}=True
SELECT(?MyField)
CYCLE
END

Problem is, now the user can't press Cancel without having to enter a valid value first (note: users just love that). Carl's tip to get around that is:.

On the Cancel button add:ALRT(MouseLeft)

In the EVENT:AlertKey for ?Cancel add: POST(EVENT:Accepted,?Cancel)

That's it. He tested it in CW2 and C5EE Beta 4 (dang Team TopSpeed member) and says it works perfectly.

Hmmm. I beginning to wonder if the 'T' in Carl's name stands for TipMeister!

Don't cut yourself

Just a reminder to be careful when using string slicing, especially if you are using variables to set the ranges. Remember, slicing is fast because the compiler does no checking at all - it just does exactly what you tell it to do.

What brings this up? I've seen a few recent postings where people were getting weird program behavior and GPF's. They ended up being caused by errant input data which created situations where:

the start range was larger than the end range (MyString[5 : 1] = instant GPF)
the end values were larger than the variable in question, which send the compiler slicing off into who knows where or what (the "Jack the Ripper" effect)

Just be sure to always check your ranges before slicing. On the same subject, I'll often use a construct like "SomeString = MyString[var : size(MyString)]" whenever I want to grab from some point in a string to the end. By using the SIZE function, my range will always be correct, even if I later change my field or variable sizes.

Other news

Here are some tidbits and announcements gleaned from the TopSpeed forum and elsewhere over the last couple of weeks. If you see any products here which you would like to see scheduled for a full review in Clarion Online, let us know!

Sable Software has developed a CW Xref tool for Clarion Developers. Find out Which Files, Fields, Globals are not used in your App, and also see where they are used to see what the impact of a change may be. A fully operational beta can be downloaded from:http://www.clarion.org.au/app-ref
Mike McLoughlin has released version 2.9 of his IMPEX Import/Export templates. Additions to this version include: support for dBase IV, "low-level" access to imported fields, new help file and .RTF manual. Upgrades to this version are free of charge to customers who have bought IMPEX since January 1997. A fully working demo is available on their website:http://www.sterlingdata.com
Linder Software announced that it is now possible to register their new (in beta) ZIP compatible compression product (called LSPzip 2.0) via CompuServe SWREG. Additionally, LSPzip 2.0 is selling for a special price while it is still in beta. Existing users can upgrade LSPack 1.x (Combo) to LSPzip 2.0 for US $50 while new users can obtain it for US $149. For more information write them atinfo@lindersoftware.com or visit their website:http://www.lindersoftware.com
Linder also announced the development of new products including one which compares two programs and creates a patch to update one to the other (similar to the TopSpeed C4 downloadable patches). Another will implement 168-bit DES encryption. Details, etc., are available athttp://www.lindersoftware.com.
In the last bit of Linder news, they have released a new version of their LSPack libraries which fixes an error that could occur under certain circumstances. The new version is 1.70, and can be obtained from the sources listed above.
Barry McClure of Grebar Systems stated that they now have a C5EE version of their ReportDat! Crosstab reporting templates (Clarion template chain only). Upgrade cost depends on when you purchased the current version. For more information, demos, etc., visit:http://www.grebar.mb.ca/grebar
Nice Touch Solutions (new vendors of Query Wizard) announced the release of their new Report Wizard and Spreadsheet Wizard products. Each retails for $199, with a special combo price of $299 for both. Special package prices will be available for DevCon (expiring Sept 30^th) and site licenses are also available. Visit their web site athttp://www.nicetouch.com for more product information, prices, etc.
Sean Wilson of L3 Technologies let it be known that they now have an early beta release of a new dBASE File Driver for Clarion available for download. The driver can be obtained from their web site athttp://www.l3.u-net.com and interested developers are invited to participate in the beta-test.
For users of Larry Teames great CPCS Reporting Templates: If anyone has been creating definitions for Avery labels to use with his 'DynaLabels' feature, and is willing to share, please send them to Larry Teames at73150.104@compuserve.com. He will make them available to all CPCS users through his websites at eitherhttp://www.psn.net/~cpcs orhttp://www.members.home.net/lteames.

Can't beat that price...

One of the really nice things about using Clarion is the overall generosity of the user community. (Go ahead, all of you give yourselves a pat on the back!) Often, this manifests itself in truly useful templates or tools which the authors have made available to the rest of us for that most favorite of prices: FREE! Each month, this column features a handy free template or tool which you might want to add to your bag of Clarion tricks.

Note: If you decide to download and try out any free items mentioned here, please remember that you get what you pay for - don't expect support from the author like you would from a commercial product. While most of them are generous to a fault (as witnessed by their giving away the template), they are NOT obligated in any way, shape or form to you because you want to use the template. Be nice to them!

This month's jewel (or tool) is:

Frank Piscopo's Report Writer Interface Templates

Ever tried to integrate CW Report Writer reports into your applications? Quite a pain, isn't it? Frank Piscopo has come to the rescue with a template and library which really automates the entire process.

Here's how he describes them:

"This interface will automatically include your Report Writer reports on the frame menubar of your APP. You have total flexibility as to which reports from any combination of folders to include, and also which menu and the order the reports appear on the menu."
"All you have to do is to include the extension template RWINT4.TPL in your FRAME procedure; the rest is done for you automatically. When you run the APP, a new menu 'RW Reports' is added to your frame menubar. From then on, you can select the 'Settings' option, and configure the system to your heart's content."

"When the user runs any of the reports which are configured to appear on the menu, the user is prompted by a wizard-like interface to enter the values for any runtime variables defined in the .TXR file. When the user gets to the last prompt, the report is run using the Report Writer Runtime Print engine CWPRINT.EXE."

A fairly comprehensive readme file details how to install and use the template, as well as providing a bit of background information on how it all works. Versions are available for both CW 2 and C4, and they can be downloaded from Steve Parker'shttp://www.par2.com web site. The file is approximately 1 meg in size.

Note: You will need a ZIP compatible program to extract the template installation program and its instructions. Also, like any template, don't forget to register it.

Next month: Who knows? You'll just have to come back and find out!

About the Bit-vine

Each month, this column will provide you with the latest in Clarion news, tips, rumors, freebies and basically anything else that seems interesting about the going's on in the Clarion world.

So, who determines what's most interesting? YOU DO!!

Are you a vendor? Let me know about new releases, updates, betas, product plans or anything else you think Clarion Online readers might want to know about.

Are you a user (and who isn't)? Drop me a line about any cool nuggets of information you come across, free templates or examples worth sharing, or anything else that other readers might find useful.

What do you get for contributing? Well, you'll see your name up in lights (phosphor, to be accurate) here in the Bit-vine credits. For especially useful bits, you may even win an autographed GIF of an official Clarion Online shirt or other similarly valuable prize. Come on, how can you resist?

Let me hear from you! The magic address isTomH@ClarionOnline.com

The disclaimer

Everything in this column is the sole opinion of me, the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of this magazine, its publisher, or even of myself (hey, I can change my mind, too!). Don't bet the farm on anything you read here: consider it a starting point for your own inquiries and research. The point here is that this column is intended to both enlighten and entertain, and that in the fast-moving world of software development this month's truth (or product release date) is often next month's "oops, did I say that...?".

'Nuff said!

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Clarion Magazine ISSN 1718-9942