Fomin IPDS Report Storage

Fomin IPDS Report Storage2

© COPYRIGHT 2005 FominTools. All rights reserved. This publication supports Fomin Report Builder. It is possible that it may contain technical or typographical errors. FominTools provides this publication “as is,” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. Trademark Acknowledgements: Fomin Report Builder is a trademark of FominTools. SoftVelocity is a trademark of SoftVelocity Incorporated. TOPSPEED is a trademark of SoftVelocity Incorporated. Clarion™ is a trademark of SoftVelocity Incorporated. Microsoft®, Windows®, and Microsoft Installer® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other products and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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Contents: Fomin IPDS Report Storage - Overview 4

Feature highlights 4 Installation 5

Using Microsoft Installer 5 Remove previous product version 5 Maintenance Wizard 6

Register the Template 6 IP Enabled FRB application in 10 minutes (or less) 7

Prepare tutorial files 7 Create Data Manager DLL 7 Create Client Application 11 Extended template properties 12

Remote “FILEDIALOG” 13 IP enabled FRB examples 14

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Fomin IPDS Report Storage - Overview This supplementary template for Fomin Report Builder (FRB) uses SoftVelocity's IP Driver and Server (IPDS) to read/write the report layout files. It makes possible to deploy executable application only, while all the data tables, report layout files and image files are accessible from TCP/IP connected Data Server. The idea of this product is quite simple. Point is that Fomin Report Builder uses TOPSPEED database driver to store each editable report layout into single *.RPT file (multi-table database file). Why not to use IP Driver as a substitute for TOPSPEED driver at the client side? So, we can get a centralized IP enabled report storage. This remote storage is fully operational. We can see a list of available files in Report Manager and “Print” any selected report. And we can “Add”, “Change”, “Delete” report layouts as well. Actually, there is no difference between traditional and remote report storage from the end-user point of view. Moreover, this feature can be turned ON/OFF at run-time. So, we can switch between local and remote access to the collection of report layout files in the same application. Any existing application with Fomin Report Builder can be IP enabled just by adding of appropriate global extension template into the app.

Feature highlights • read/write FRB report layout files via IP Driver & Server; • image files can be stored at the ClarionDataServer as well; • remote FILEDIALOG to lookup image files; • remote DIRECTORY of *.rpt files for ReportManager; • fully compatible/operational with existing local *.rpt file storage; • switching between local and remote access at run-time; • easy to use template; • full source code included;

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Installation Using Microsoft Installer From your installation media run appropriate MS Installer package: frb_ipds_##.msi, where ## stands for version number (for example version 1.0 has frb_ipds_10.msi package name).

Click the Next button and follow instruction of the Installation Wizard. Remove previous product version If you have any previous version of the product installed on you computer, it is necessary to uninstall it using Add/Remove Programs on the Windows Control Panel. Microsoft Installer service detects this situation automatically and warns you with following message:

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Maintenance Wizard After product installation the Maintenance Wizard is available either from Add/Remove Programs or by running of the already installed MSI package. This wizard offers the following tasks:

• Modify Change which product features are installed. • Repair Reinstall missing or corrupt files, registry keys and shortcuts. • Remove Uninstall the product from this computer.

Register the Template Register the template. This is accomplished by selecting the Template Registry menu item from the Clarion IDE Setup main menu. You will register only one template file: FRB_IPDS.TPL

This single template file supports both IP Client and Server. And it is compatible with ABC and Clarion (Legacy) template family applications.

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IP Enabled FRB application in 10 minutes (or less) Prepare tutorial files

There is Clarion Data Sever installed on your developer PC. Isn’t it? Let’s create a new folder in ”C:\ClarionDataServer” and call it “FRB tutorial”. Obviously, you have FRB example application installed in ”C:\Clarion6\Examples\FRB” folder. Please, copy following files as well as the REPORTS folder from “C:\Clarion6\Examples\FRB” into “C:\ClarionDataServer\FRB tutorial”:

Create Data Manager DLL

1. Start Clarion6 and create new “IP_Invntory.app” application:

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2. Specify new application properties as follows:

Note, almost every field of this dialog requires of your attention. - The “First Procedure” is empty!!! - “Destination Type” is DLL - “Application Template”: IPServer - “Application Wizard” checked

3. DataManager DLL Wizard is pretty straightforward…

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4. We have a new DLL application ready. Let’s click the Make button and see our app is Ok.

IMPORTANT: It is necessary to do this first Make. Otherwise some internal template symbols will not be initialized and following template extension will be unavailable.

5. Click Global button (or Menu – Application – Global Properties…), click Extensions button, click Insert button,

select FRB_IPServerGlobal template extension and click Select button.

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6. FRB_IPServerGlobal template extension is self descriptive.

7. After adding of FRB IP Server – Global extension template and making of this DLL application, we can run IP

Server Administrative Console and register just created “FRB tutorial\IP_Invntory.dll”

So far, we have created Data Manager IP_Invntory.dll and registered it with Clarion Data Server.

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Create Client Application 1. Now it’s time to build our IP client application. Open “C:\ClarionDataServer\FRB tutorial\abc.app” application,

open the Global Properties, click the Extensions button, click the Insert button and add IP Client global template extension.

2. Select IPS File: IP_Invntory.IPS

Data Manager: FRB tutorial\IP_Invntory.DLL

3. Having IP Client: Global Setup template extension selected, click the Insert button and Select following child extension template: FRB_IPClientGlobal

4. This template has some properties as well. Let’s leave them untouched for a while.

Congratulations! Now we can Make and Run our IP enabled client application abc.exe. NOTE: The sequence of operations for legacy.app is exactly the same as for abc.app.

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Extended template properties As we can see in the previous topic, FRB IP Client – Global template forces an IP enabled client application to Always access RPT files via IP Driver. Also, there is another option available: Turn this feature ON/OFF at run-time. So, let’s try to make use of this option. Open our C:\ClarionDataServer\FRB tutorial\abc.app application.

1. At the application Global Properties click the Data button, click Insert button and create a global variable with following properties: Column Name: UseIP Data Type: BYTE Initial Value: 1

2. At the application Global Properties click the Extensions, select FRB IP Client – Global extension template and set option Turn this feature ON/OFF at run-time

3. We can see by condition: entry field become visible. Click the E button on the right side of this entry field. In the Expression Editor find the UseIP BYTE(1) field at the GlobalData and double-click on it. Click the OK button in the Expression Editor.

4. Locate Main (Frame) procedure in the application tree.

Right-click on this procedure and select Window from the pop-up menu. Window formatter will be opened.

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5. Click Menu – Edit Menu. In the Menu Editor add new menu item under the MENU &Reports. Menu text: Use IP Driver Use Variable: UseIP Toggle (on/off) Item: checked

Close Menu Editor, save changes into the Main (Frame) window structure. Compile and Run the application.

6. Now we can really turn this feature ON/OFF at run-time by means of the toggle menu item:

While our application (abc.exe or legacy.exe) is placed in ”C:\ClarionDataServer\FRB tutorial\” folder, where the REPORTS folder is actually located, we can turn the feature “Use IP Driver” on/ff and see no difference in the application behavior. All the FRB features works in any application mode.

Remote “FILEDIALOG” Actually, the only difference running the application in local mode or IP enabled mode is the appearance of the FILEDIALOG which has to be invoked when you are going to Open, Save, Save As… a report layout (*.RPT file). Also, you will notice the difference when you will open/lookup an image file. This difference is quite obvious. When we are using an IP enabled application, we can run if from any folder on our PC. Moreover, we can run it from any PC which having access to Clarion Data Server over TCP/IP connection. This can be either a local area network connection or Internet connection. All our data files, report files and image files will be located in the one centralized location – Clarion Data Server.

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Standard Clarion FILEDIALOG does not allow to lookup a (report or image) file from the Data Server. So, the replacement of standard FILEDIALOG looks a bit different but familiar.

Yes, you are right. It resembles the ReportManager, but has FILEDIALOG’s controls at the bottom.

IP enabled FRB examples When installing Fomin IPDS Report Storage, you have an option to install example applications. Default location is C:\ClarionDataServer\FRB. After product installation and template registration you can just open, compile and register the Data Manager DLL. After that you can open, compile and run either abc.app or legacy.app IP enabled example application. For your convenience, these applications are quite similar to those apps, described above in the tutorial “IP Enabled FRB application in 10 minites (or less)”.