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OpenEdge Advanced Business Language, or OpenEdge ABLfor short, is a business application

development language created and maintained byProgress Software Corporation(PSC). The language,

typically classified as afourth-generation programming language,uses an English-like syntax to simplify

software development.[1]

The name was changed in 2006 to OpenEdge Advanced Business Language

(OpenEdge ABL), by PSC, from PROGRESS, also known as Progress 4GL, in order to overcome a

presumed industry perception that 4GLs were less capable than other languages.[2]The language was

called PROGRESS or Progress 4GL prior to the release of version 10.0. A subset of the language,

called SpeedScript, is used in the development of web applications.[3]

OpenEdge ABL helps developers to develop applications optionally using its own integrated relational

databaseandprogramming tool.These applications are portable across computing systems and allow

access to various popular data sources without having to learn the underlying data accessmethods. This

means that theend-userof these products can be unaware of the underlying architecture.

By combining a fourth generation language and relational database, OpenEdge ABL allows the use of

theRapid Application Development(RAD) model for developing software. A programmer and even end

users can dorapid prototypingusing the integrated and GUI tools of the development environment.

Contents

[hide]

1 History

2 Syntax and semantics

3 Examples

o 3.1 Hello World

o 3.2 SQL SELECT equivalent

o 3.3 SQL UPDATE equivalent

4 Notes

5 References

History[edit]

1984

First Commercial Release

1989

Version 5

1990

Version 6

1993

Version 7

1995

Version 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth-generation_programming_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth-generation_programming_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth-generation_programming_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-p2-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-p2-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-p2-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-introABL-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-introABL-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-introABL-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-webspeedcomplete-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-webspeedcomplete-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-webspeedcomplete-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_toolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_toolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_toolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_accesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_accesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_accesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-userhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-userhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-userhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_Application_Developmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_Application_Developmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_Application_Developmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototypinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototypinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototypinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Syntax_and_semanticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Syntax_and_semanticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Exampleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Exampleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Hello_Worldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Hello_Worldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#SQL_SELECT_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#SQL_SELECT_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#SQL_UPDATE_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#SQL_UPDATE_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Noteshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#SQL_UPDATE_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#SQL_SELECT_equivalenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Hello_Worldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Exampleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Syntax_and_semanticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_prototypinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapid_Application_Developmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-userhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_accesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_toolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relational_databasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-webspeedcomplete-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-introABL-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenEdge_Advanced_Business_Language#cite_note-p2-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth-generation_programming_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progress_Software

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1998

Version 9

December 10, 2002

Progress Dynamics 2.0 announced - the application environment for the OpenEdge business

platform[4]

February 17, 2004

OpenEdge 10 announced[5]

2005

OpenEdge Studio packages[6]

Progress Version 9

Progress WebClient

Progress Dynamics Version 2.1

February 8, 2006

OpenEdge 10.1 announced - addition of object-oriented extensions to ABL, and new auditing

service[7]

February 13, 2007

OpenEdge 10.1b announced - adds support for 64-bit data formats[8]

April 15, 2008

OpenEdge 10.1c announced - first business application development platform to support IPv6[9]

November 3, 2008

OpenEdge 10.2A announced -New OpenEdge GUI for .NET that allows developers to create

modern WinForms-style UI's without leaving the OpenEdge environment.

December 2009

OpenEdge 10.2B release providing improved OpenEdge GUI .Net Integration and additional

online database features.

December 2011

OpenEdge 11.0 releaseintroducing patent-

pending multi-tenancy, multi-Cloud

deployment options and extended platform

support.

June 2012:

OpenEdge 11.1 releaseproviding

performance and productivity tools for the

development of SaaS (software as a service)

and Cloud applications. It also delivers

stronger security coupled with simplified user

authentication.

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February 2013:

OpenEdge 11.2 releaseprovided enhanced

mobility capabilities through: visual designer

and UI toolkit for phone and tablet

applications, REST support for the

OpenEdge application server, JavaScriptData Binding support libraries, and write-

once, run anywhere support for iOS and

Android;

Summer 2013:

OpenEdge 11.3 release

Syntax and semantics[edit]

Progress ABL is a strongly typed, late-

bound, English-like programming language.

Although initially designed as a procedurallanguage, starting with version 10.1 it was

enhanced with object-oriented grammar

elements, which can be mixed with the

original procedural style. A block of code

may be said to have a transaction scoped to

it, in which case database changes will be

committed when it completes. An error

raised within such a block will undo these

changes. These defaults may be overridden

by the programmer.

Simple programs run without a Graphical

User Interface, but there is syntax to create

one programatically; or programmers can

use the provided tools to build one.

Examples[edit]

Hello World[edit]

Main article:Hello world program

The following ABL code creates a window

with the text "Hello, World!" and a button

labelled "OK".

DEFINEVARIABLEw ASHANDLENO-

UNDO.

CREATEWINDOWwASSIGN

WIDTH=50

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HEIGHT=5

MESSAGE-AREA=FALSE

STATUS-AREA=FALSE.

CURRENT-WINDOW=w.

DEFINE BUTTONbtnOK LABEL"OK"

SIZE12BY1.2.

FORM

"Hello World!"VIEW-ASTEXTAT

COL20ROW2

btnOKATCOL20ROW4

WITHFRAMEf SIZE50BY5NO-BOX

THREE-D.

VIEWFRAMEf.

ENABLEbtnOKWITHFRAMEf.

WAIT-FOR"CHOOSE"OFbtnOK.

DELETE OBJECTw.

A message-box can be used to achieve the

same effect:

MESSAGE"Hello World!"

VIEW-ASALERT-BOXINFO

BUTTONS OK.

Also, you can

use ERRORand WARNINGinstead of INFOtochange the message icons.

The simplest "Hello, World" program,

though, is this:

DISPLAY"Hello World!".

SQL SELECTequivalent[edit]

The SQL statement:

SELECT*FROMcustomer;

(along with your chosen language display

procedure) can be expressed in Progress /

ABL as:

FOREACHcustomerNO-LOCK:

DISPLAY

SQL UPDATEequivalent[edit]

The SQL statement:

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UPDATEcustomer

SETsalesman ='Fred'

WHEREcustno =14;

can be expressed in Progress / ABL as:

FORcustomerWHERE

customer.custno =14EXCLUSIVE-

LOCK:

ASSIGNcustomer.salesman =

'Fred'.

END.

(Some assumptions have been made about

indexing, locking and transaction scoping in

order to keep this example simple.)