Getting Started

PowerBuilder
8
DOCUMENT ID: 37772-01-0800-01

LAST REVISED: June 2001

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Contents

About This Book ........................................................................................................................... ix

PART 1 WELCOME TO POWERBUILDER

C H APTE R 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder......................................................... 3

What PowerBuilder is ....................................................................... 4
The PowerBuilder environment ........................................................ 7
PowerBuilder objects ..................................................................... 12

C H APTE R 2 About the PowerBuilder Tutorial ................................................. 19

Learning to build a client/server application ................................... 20
Learning to build a Web application ............................................... 21
How you will proceed ..................................................................... 22
How long it will take ................................................................. 22
What you will learn .................................................................. 23
Setting up for the tutorial ................................................................ 24

PART 2 BUILDING A CLIENT/SERVER APPLICATION

L ESS O N 1 Starting PowerBuilder .................................................................. 29

Create a new workspace................................................................ 30
Create a target ............................................................................... 33
Specify an icon for the application ................................................. 39
Change the size of the main window ............................................. 41
Run the application ........................................................................ 43

L ESS O N 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment ............................. 47

Manipulate the System Tree window ............................................. 48
Open an object ............................................................................... 50

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Contents

Manipulate views............................................................................ 52
Add an extra Script view.......................................................... 53
Display view title bars.............................................................. 54
Float and dock views............................................................... 55
Manipulate tabbed views......................................................... 56
Save a view layout scheme..................................................... 57
Reset the default view layout scheme..................................... 58
Set up the toolbars ......................................................................... 59
Show labels on toolbar buttons ............................................... 60
Float the toolbars..................................................................... 61
Reposition the toolbars............................................................ 63

LES SON 3 Building a Login Window .............................................................. 65

Create a new window ..................................................................... 66
Add controls to the window ............................................................ 70
Add a Picture control ............................................................... 72
Add StaticText controls ........................................................... 74
Specify properties of the StaticText controls ........................... 75
Add SingleLineEdit controls .................................................... 77
Specify properties of the SingleLineEdit controls .................... 78
Add CommandButton controls ................................................ 79
Specify properties of the CommandButton controls ................ 80
Change the tab order on the window ............................................. 81
Code some Help events and preview the window ......................... 82
Write the script to open the window ............................................... 85
Modify the frame window Open event ..................................... 86
Compile the script.................................................................... 89

LES SON 4 Connecting to the Database ......................................................... 91

Look at the EAS Demo DB database ............................................. 92
Look at the database profile for the EAS Demo DB database 94
Look at table definitions in the EAS Demo DB database ........ 98
Run the Connection Object wizard............................................... 102
Declare a global variable.............................................................. 105
Modify the connection information ............................................... 109
Modify the of_GetConnectionInfo function ............................ 110
Call the connection service manager .................................... 112
Complete the login and logout scripts .......................................... 115
Set up shortcuts for AutoScript.............................................. 116
Add code to the OK button Clicked event ............................. 117
Add code to the Cancel button Clicked event ....................... 119
Add code to the application Close event ............................... 120
Run the application ...................................................................... 122

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 Contents

LE SSO N 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window ............................................... 123

Add DataWindow controls............................................................ 124
Add a library to the search path ............................................ 126
Add a DataWindow control for the master DataWindow ....... 128
Add a DataWindow control for the detail DataWindow.......... 131
View the scripts inherited from the user object...................... 132
Add user events and event scripts ............................................... 134
Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls ............ 138
Rebuild library objects.................................................................. 141

LE SSO N 6 Setting Up the Menus ................................................................. 143

Modify the frame menu ................................................................ 144
Modify the File menu ............................................................. 145
Enable Help menu items ....................................................... 147
Create a new sheet menu ............................................................ 149
Inherit and save a new menu ................................................ 150
Add items to the new menu ................................................... 151
Add a new toolbar for the new menu items ........................... 153
Add menu scripts to trigger user events....................................... 155
Attach the new menu and run the application .............................. 157

LE SSO N 7 Building DataWindow Objects ................................................... 161

Create and preview a new DataWindow object ........................... 162
Save the DataWindow object ....................................................... 166
Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object .............. 167
Create a second DataWindow object........................................... 169
Select the data source and style ........................................... 170
Select the table and columns ................................................ 171
Define a retrieval argument ................................................... 173
Specify a WHERE clause ...................................................... 174
View the DataWindow in the DataWindow painter ................ 175
Save the DataWindow object ................................................ 178
Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object ........ 179
Rearrange the columns ......................................................... 180
Align the labels and columns................................................. 182
Display the arrow for a dropdown DataWindow edit style ..... 183

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Contents

LES SON 8 Attaching the DataWindow Objects ........................................... 185

Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control . 186
Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control 188
Run the application ...................................................................... 189
Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window ..................... 192
Run the completed application ..................................................... 194

LES SON 9 Running the Debugger ................................................................ 197

Add breakpoints in application scripts.......................................... 198
Run in debug mode ...................................................................... 202
Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint .................................... 207

LES SON 10 Preparing the Application for Deployment................................ 209

Create the Project object.............................................................. 210
Create the executable file ............................................................ 213
Create a shortcut.......................................................................... 215
Test the executable file ................................................................ 217

PART 3 BUILDING A WEB APPLICATION

LES SON 11 Creating Web pages .................................................................... 221

Create a PowerDynamo Web site ................................................ 223
Create and modify a basic Web page .......................................... 226
Create a 4GL introductory Web page.................................... 227
Change type face .................................................................. 229
Add a graphic ........................................................................ 230
Add absolute positioning to a graphic ................................... 232
Add page navigation .................................................................... 233
Create a product information Web page ............................... 234
Add a hyperlink...................................................................... 236
Add a button .......................................................................... 237
Create a login page with validation and redirection ..................... 239
Create a basic login page...................................................... 240
Add session variables ........................................................... 242
Add single line text controls................................................... 244
Add password validation ....................................................... 246
Add server redirection ........................................................... 249
Designate a start page ................................................................. 250
Deploy and run the Web site ........................................................ 251

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 Contents

LE SSON 12 Using Web DataWindows........................................................... 255

Set up an EAServer connection profile ........................................ 257
Build a Web DataWindow Container............................................ 259
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container ............. 263
Enable a new product information button..................................... 266
Add a button to update the database ........................................... 269
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page............................... 272
Add the ability to retrieve product information.............................. 275
Test the Web page....................................................................... 277
Add a new product to the database ............................................. 279
Run the Web application .............................................................. 281

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viii
About This Book

Subject This book provides information that enables you to start using
PowerBuilder:
• Part 1 is an overview of the PowerBuilder development
environment
• Part 2 is a tutorial in which you build your first PowerBuilder
application
• Part 3 is a tutorial in which you create a Web target, deploy and run
a Web site, and use Web DataWindows
Audience This book is for anyone building applications using PowerBuilder.
Online Help When you have a question about using PowerBuilder, you can access its
extensive online Help system. In online Help you can see:
• Procedures for accomplishing tasks in PowerBuilder
• Reference information about PowerBuilder topics or components
• Context-sensitive information about PowerBuilder functions or
reserved words in scripts

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About This Book

PowerBuilder documentation
How to access The PowerBuilder books are available in several forms:
• Online Books You probably installed them when you installed
PowerBuilder. For information, see Using the Online Books on the
product CD.
• Books on the Web Go to the Sybase Web site at www.sybase.com.
• Selected books in HTML format You can jump to these books
from various topics in online Help.
• Hardcopy books To order a hardcopy documentation set:
• All users Go to the Sybase Web site at www.sybase.com and
navigate to Shop Online.
• Users in North America Call 1-800-8-SYBASE.
• Users outside North America Call your local representative
(phone numbers are listed on the Sybase international Web site at
http://www.sybase.com/contact_us/worldwide/).
The books These are the books in the PowerBuilder documentation set, grouped by
topic:
Topic Book Description
Installation, Installation Guide Tells you how to install
feature guide, and PowerBuilder
tutorial
Building Internet and Provides an overview of the types
Enterprise of applications and components
Applications you build with PowerBuilder and
the features you use to build them
Getting Started Introduces you to PowerBuilder
and provides a tutorial you can
step through to learn the basics
Application User’s Guide Tells how to use the painters to
development build objects in PowerBuilder
Application Presents collections of techniques
Techniques for implementing many common
application features, along with
deployment details and tips for
cross-platform and international
development and deployment

x
 About This Book

Topic Book Description

DataWindow Explains how to use
Programmer’s Guide DataWindows in all the supported
environments (PowerBuilder,
Web pages, Java) and describes
programming techniques for
accessing, displaying,
manipulating, and updating data
Working with Web Tells how to build, deploy, debug,
Targets and run PowerBuilder Web
targets
Programmer’s PowerScript Describes syntax and usage
Reference Reference information for the PowerScript
language, including variables,
expressions, statements,
functions, and events
DataWindow Provides reference information
Reference for the DataWindow object,
including properties and
functions for expressions; syntax
for accessing properties and data;
and reference information for the
methods, events, and properties
of DataWindow controls and
DataStores in all supported
environments
Web Target Reference Provides reference information
for objects and classes in the Web
Target object model
Objects and Controls Lists properties, events, and
related functions for
PowerBuilder system objects and
controls
Communicating Connecting to Your Tells how to connect to a database
with a database Database from PowerBuilder; describes
how to set up, define, and manage
database connections accessed
through the Powersoft ODBC
interface or one of the native
Powersoft database interfaces

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About This Book

Topic Book Description

PowerBuilder PFC Tells how to use and extend the
Foundation Class User’s Guide PFC, which includes objects,
Library services, and utilities to
accelerate the application
development process
PFC Describes the objects, instance
Object Reference variables, events, and functions
provided with the PFC

xii
PART 1 Welcome to PowerBuilder

This part is an overview of the PowerBuilder development

environment.
CH A PTE R 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

About this chapter This chapter introduces the PowerBuilder development environment,
which you use in the tutorial in Parts 2 and 3. It also describes the building
blocks of a PowerBuilder application.
Contents
Topic Page
What PowerBuilder is 4
The PowerBuilder environment 7
PowerBuilder objects 12

For more information For a more detailed description of the PowerBuilder development
environment, see the PowerBuilder User’s Guide.

3
What PowerBuilder is

What PowerBuilder is
PowerBuilder is an enterprise development tool that allows you to build many
types of applications and components. It is one of a group of Sybase products
that together provide the tools to develop client/server, multitier, and Internet
applications.
What’s in a A PowerBuilder client application can contain:
PowerBuilder
application? • A user interface Menus, windows, and window controls that users
interact with to direct an application.
• Application processing logic Event and function scripts in which you
code business rules, validation rules, and other application processing.
PowerBuilder allows you to code application processing logic as part of
the user interface or in separate modules, called custom class user
objects.
What is a In a multitier application, the modules that contain application processing logic
PowerBuilder can be deployed to a server. You can build components designed to work as
component?
EAServer or COM components.
PowerBuilder In a client application, users control what happens by the actions they take. For
applications are event example, when a user clicks a button, chooses an item from a menu, or enters
driven
data into a textbox, one or more events are triggered. You write scripts that
specify the processing that should happen when events are triggered.
Windows, controls, and other application components you create with
PowerBuilder each have a set of predefined events. For example, each button
has a Clicked event associated with it and each textbox has a Modified event.
Most of the time, the predefined events are all you need. However, in some
situations, you may want to define your own events.
PowerScript language You write scripts using PowerScript, the PowerBuilder language. Scripts
consist of PowerScript commands, functions, and statements that perform
processing in response to an event.
For example, the script for a button’s Clicked event might retrieve and display
information from the database; the script for a textbox’s Modified event might
evaluate the data and perform processing based on the data.
The execution of an event script can also cause other events to be triggered. For
example, the script for a Clicked event in a button might open another window,
triggering the Open event in that window.

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 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

PowerScript functions PowerScript provides a rich assortment of built-in functions that can act on the
various components of your application. For example, there is a function to
open a window, a function to close a window, a function to enable a button, a
function to update the database, and so on.
You can also build your own functions to define processing unique to your
application.
Object-oriented Each menu or window you create with PowerBuilder is a self-contained
programming with module called an object. The basic building blocks of a PowerBuilder
PowerBuilder
application are the objects you create. Each object contains the particular
characteristics and behaviors (properties, events, and functions) that are
appropriate to it. By taking advantage of object-oriented programming
techniques such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, you can
get the most out of each object you create, making your work more reusable,
extensible, and powerful.
Internet applications If you are using the Enterprise edition of PowerBuilder, you can develop
PowerBuilder applications that run on the Web using Web targets technology.
With Web targets, you can build complex Web pages that can include client-
and server-side scripting, database content, Web DataWindows, and EAServer
components.
In all editions of PowerBuilder, you can use the DataWindow and
PowerBuilder window plugins, the PowerBuilder window ActiveX, and the
DataWindow Web control for ActiveX.
For information about Web targets, see Working with Web Targets. For
information about PowerBuilder plugins, see Application Techniques. For
information about the DataWindow Web control for ActiveX, see the
DataWindow Programmer’s Guide and the DataWindow Reference.
Multitier applications PowerBuilder lets you build applications that run in a distributed computing
environment. A multitier application lets you:
• Centralize business logic on servers (EAServer or MTS)
• Partition application functions between the client and the server, thereby
reducing the client workload
• Build scalable applications that are easy to maintain
For information about multitier applications, see the sections on distributed
application techniques in Application Techniques.

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What PowerBuilder is

Database connectivity PowerBuilder provides easy access to corporate information stored in a wide
variety of databases. Data can be accessed through the PowerBuilder ODBC or
JDBC interfaces, through a middle-tier data access server like the Sybase
DirectCONNECT server, or through a native or direct connection to a
database.
For information on database connectivity, see Connecting to Your Database.
Online Help and PowerBuilder online Help can be accessed through interface Help buttons and
documentation menu items, or by selecting the F1 key from anywhere in PowerBuilder. There
are jumps in several places from the online Help to books in HTML format.
Manuals are also available on the Sybase Web site.

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 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

The PowerBuilder environment

Workspaces and In PowerBuilder, you work with one or more targets in a workspace. You can
targets add as many targets to the workspace as you want, open and edit objects in
multiple targets, and build and deploy multiple targets at once.
A PowerBuilder target can be one of two types:
• PowerScript target A client/server or multitier executable application
or a server component.
• Web target A Web application. It contains all the elements you need to
build a Web site—HTML files, scripts, images, downloaded
components—as well as settings for build options, database connections,
and deployment.
The first lesson in the tutorial shows you how to create a workspace and
PowerScript target. Later you learn how to create a Web target.
The development When you start PowerBuilder, it opens in a window that contains a menu bar
environment and the PowerBar at the top, and the System Tree and Clip windows on the left.

System Tree The System Tree window can serve as the hub of your development activities.
You use it to open, run, debug, and build your targets, and for drag-and-drop
programming.
Clip window The Clip window lets you store code fragments that you use frequently.
Output window The output of a variety of operations (migration, builds, deployment, project
execution, object saves, and searches) displays in an Output window at the
bottom of the main window.

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The PowerBuilder environment

Painters Once you have created a workspace and a PowerScript target, you build the
components of the target using painters. Painters provide an assortment of
tools for building objects.
PowerBuilder provides a painter for each type of object you build. For
example, you build a window in the Window painter. There you define the
properties of the window and add controls, such as buttons and textboxes.
Editors For Web targets, PowerBuilder provides HTML, style sheet, and frame set
editors. In the HTML editor you can edit pages in source or display format and
preview the results. You can use a standalone script editor or one that is built
into the HTML editor.
Wizards Wizards simplify the creation of applications, objects, components, Web sites,
and Web pages.
Design-time controls Design-time controls (DTCs) create basic HTML and scripts from information
you provide in property sheets. The property sheets display when you drop a
DTC on a Web page in the HTML editor.
The Web DataWindow DTC provides an easy way to access a database from a
Web page. It displays dynamic database content in a variety of presentation
styles and supports inserts, updates, and deletes against the database.
To-Do List The To-Do List displays a list of development tasks you need to do for the
current target. Entries on the To-Do list can be created automatically by most
PowerBuilder wizards. You can also type in entries or import them from a text
file and then link them to a task that you want to complete.
Browser The Browser lets you see all the objects, methods, variables, and structures that
are defined for or available to your PowerScript target. Objects in the Browser
can be displayed in alphabetic or hierarchical order. The Browser displays
methods with their complete signatures, including the data types of all
arguments and return values.
PowerBar The PowerBar displays when you begin a PowerBuilder session. The
PowerBar is the main control point for building PowerBuilder applications.
You can use the New, Inherit, or Open buttons on the PowerBar to open all of
the PowerBuilder painters. From the PowerBar, you can also open the Browser,
debug or run the current application, and build and deploy the workspace.
PainterBar When you open a painter or editor, PowerBuilder displays a new window that
has a workspace in which you design the object you are building. PowerBuilder
also displays one or more PainterBars with buttons that provide easy access to
the tools available in the painter or editor.

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 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

StyleBar The StyleBar displays when you open any painter that can contain text
controls, such as the Window painter. Using buttons on the StyleBar, you can
modify text properties such as the font and point size.

PowerTips When you leave the mouse pointer over a button for a second or two,
PowerBuilder can display a brief description of the button (a PowerTip). The
ability to display PowerTips is toggled on and off by selecting the Show
PowerTips menu item in any toolbar popup menu.

You can also include brief descriptive texts on all toolbar buttons by selecting
ShowText from any toolbar popup menu.
Customizing the In addition to displaying text in toolbar buttons, you can move the toolbars
environment around, add new toolbars, and customize existing ones. You can add buttons
for opening painters and performing other activities.
You can also rearrange the System Tree, Clip, and Output views, set up custom
layouts for each painter, choose whether PowerBuilder opens your last
workspace at startup with or without painters and editors open, customize
shortcut keys, and change the colors and fonts used in scripts.
PowerBar buttons The buttons in the PowerBar give you quick access to the most common
PowerBuilder tasks:
Button Use to
Create new workspace, target, component, or other object, or open a
tool

Inherit from menu, user object, or window

Open an existing application, DataWindow, function, menu, pipeline,

project, query, structure, user object, window, HTML page, HTML
frame, style sheet, or script file
Preview a window or DataWindow object

Show or hide the System Tree window

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The PowerBuilder environment

Button Use to
Show or hide the Output window

Move to the next line in the Output window

Move to the previous line in the Output window

Display a list of development tasks you need to do. These can be self
entered or entered automatically by PowerBuilder wizards

View object information (such as object properties or global variables)

and copy, export, or print it

Show or hide the Clip window

Create and maintain libraries of PowerBuilder objects

Specify how to connect to a database

Specify how to connect to EAServer

Maintain databases, control user access to databases, and manipulate

data in databases

Edit a file

Start an incremental build of the workspace

Start a full build of the workspace

Deploy the workspace

When a series of operations is in progress, such as a full deploy of the

workspace, skip to the next operation

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 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

Button Use to
Stop a build or deploy operation or series of operations

Debug the current target

Select a target and debug it

Run the current target

Select a target and run it

Exit from PowerBuilder

11
PowerBuilder objects

PowerBuilder objects
The basic building blocks of a PowerScript target are objects:
Object Use
Application Entry point into an application
Window Primary interface between the user and a PowerBuilder
application
DataWindow Retrieves and manipulates data from a relational database or
other data source
Menu List of commands or options that a user can select in the
currently active window
Global function Performs general-purpose processing
Query SQL statement used repeatedly as the data source for a
DataWindow object
Structure Collection of one or more related variables grouped under a
single name
User object Reusable processing module or set of controls, either visual or
nonvisual
Pipeline Reproduces data within a database or across databases
Project Packages application for distribution to users

These objects are described in more detail in the sections that follow.
Application object The Application object is the entry point into an application. It is a discrete
object that is saved in a PowerBuilder library (PBL file), just like a window,
menu, function, or DataWindow object.
The Application object defines application-level behavior, such as which fonts
are used by default for text, and what processing should occur when the
application begins and ends.
When a user runs the application, an Open event is triggered in the Application
object. The script you write for the Open event initiates the activity in the
application. When the user ends the application, the Close event in the
Application object is triggered.

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 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

The script you write for the Close event typically does all the cleanup required,
such as closing a database or writing to a preferences file. If there are serious
errors during execution that are not caught using PowerBuilder’s exception
handling mechanism, the Application object’s SystemError event is triggered.

Windows Windows are the primary interface between the user and a PowerBuilder
application. Windows can display information, request information from a
user, and respond to the user’s mouse or keyboard actions.
A window consists of:
• Properties that define the window’s appearance and behavior (for
example, a window might have a title bar and a Minimize box)
• Events triggered by user actions
• Controls placed in the window

13
PowerBuilder objects

Windows can have various kinds of controls, as illustrated in the following

picture:

On the left of the window is a DataWindow control with horizontal and vertical
trackbars. On the right is a group box that contains static text controls, edit
mask controls with the SpinControl property on, a check box, and two smaller
group boxes with radio buttons. Under the group box is a command button.
DataWindow objects A DataWindow object is an object that you use to retrieve and manipulate
data from a relational database or other data source (such as an Excel
worksheet or dBASE file).
Presentation styles DataWindow objects also handle the way data is
presented to the user. You can choose from several presentation styles. For
example, you can display the data in a Tabular or a Freeform style.

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 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

There are many ways to enhance the presentation and manipulation of data in
a DataWindow object. For example, you can include computed fields, pictures,
and graphs that are tied directly to the data retrieved by the DataWindow.

Display formats, edit styles, and validation You can specify how to
display the values for each column, and you can validate data entered by users
in a DataWindow object. You do this by defining display formats, edit styles,
and validation rules for columns.
For example:
• If a column can take only a small number of values, you can have the data
appear as radio buttons in a DataWindow so users know what their choices
are.

15
PowerBuilder objects

• If the data includes phone numbers, salaries, and dates, you can format the
display to suit the data.

• If a column can take numbers only in a specific range, you can specify a
simple validation rule for the data. This can spare you from writing code
to make sure users enter valid data.
Web DataWindow You can generate DataWindow objects in HTML and
display them in a browser, using a PowerBuilder component running in either
EAServer or MTS to generate the HTML. One of the lessons in the tutorial
shows you how to use a Web DataWindow in a Web target.
Menus Menus are lists of items that a user can select from a menu bar for the active
window. The items on a menu are usually related. They provide the user with
commands (such as Open and Save As on the PowerBuilder File menu) or
alternate ways of performing a task (for example, the items on the Edit menu
in the Window painter correspond to buttons in the PainterBar).
You can select menu items with the mouse or with the keyboard, or use
accelerator (mnemonic access) keys defined for the items. You can define your
own keyboard shortcuts for any PowerBuilder menu item from a dialog box
that you open with the Tools>Keyboard Shortcuts menu item.
A dropdown menu is a menu under an item in the menu bar. A cascading menu
is a menu that appears to the side of an item in a dropdown menu.

16
 Chapter 1 Introduction to PowerBuilder

Each choice in a menu is defined as a Menu object in PowerBuilder. The

preceding window shows two Menu objects on the menu bar (File and Data),
three Menu objects on the Data menu (Update, Delete, and Cancel), and two
Menu objects on the cascading menu beside Update (Current Row and All
Rows).
Global functions PowerBuilder lets you define two types of functions:
• Object-level functions are defined for a particular type of window, menu,
or other object type and are encapsulated within the object for which they
are defined. These are further divided into system functions (functions that
are always available for objects of a certain object class) and user-defined
functions.
• Global functions are not encapsulated within another object, but instead
are stored as independent objects.
Unlike object-level functions, global functions do not act on particular
instances of an object. Instead, they perform general-purpose processing
such as mathematical calculations or string handling.
Queries A query is a SQL statement that is saved with a name so that it can be used
repeatedly as the data source for a DataWindow object. Queries enhance
developer productivity, because they can be coded once but reused as often as
necessary.
Structures A structure is a collection of one or more related variables of the same or
different data types grouped under a single name. In some languages, such as
Pascal and COBOL, structures are called records.
Structures allow you to refer to related entities as a unit rather than individually.
For example, you can define the user’s ID, address, access level, and a picture
(bitmap) of the employee as a structure called user_struct, and then refer to this
collection of variables as user_struct.
There are two kinds of structures:
• Object-level structures are associated with a particular type of object
such as a window or menu. These structures can always be used in scripts
for the object itself. You can also choose to make the structures accessible
from other scripts.
• Global structures are not associated with any object or type of object in
an application. You can declare an instance of the structure and reference
it in any script in an application.

17
PowerBuilder objects

User objects Applications often have features in common. For example, several applications
might have a Close button that performs a certain set of operations and then
closes the window, or they might have DataWindow controls that perform the
same type of error checking. Several applications might all require a standard
file viewer.
If you find yourself using the same application feature repeatedly, you should
define a user object. You define the user object once and use it as many times
as you need.
User objects can be visual or nonvisual (class). They can be further divided into
standard or custom user objects. Standard user objects, whether visual or
nonvisual, are system objects that are always available with PowerBuilder. You
can also use controls for external visual objects that were created outside
PowerBuilder. The main types of user objects are:
• Visual user objects These are reusable controls or sets of controls that
have a consistent behavior. For example, a visual user object could consist
of several buttons that function as a unit. The buttons could have scripts
associated with them that perform standard processing. Once the object is
defined, you can use it as often as you need.
• Class user objects These are reusable processing modules that have no
visual component. You typically use class objects to define business rules
and other processing that acts as a unit. For example, you might want to
calculate commissions or perform statistical analysis in several
applications. To do this, you could define a class user object. To use a class
user object, you create an instance of the object in a script and call its
functions.
Custom class user objects, which define functions and variables, are the
foundation of PowerBuilder multitier applications.
Libraries You save objects, such as windows and menus, in PowerBuilder libraries (PBL
files). When you run an application, PowerBuilder retrieves the objects from
the library. Applications can use as many libraries as you want. When you
create an application, you specify which libraries it uses.
Projects You can create Project objects that build executable applications and
components you can deploy to a server, as well as proxy objects you use in
EAServer applications.

18
CH A PTE R 2 About the PowerBuilder Tutorial

About this chapter This chapter describes what you will do in the PowerBuilder tutorial and
how to get set up for it.
Contents
Topic Page
Learning to build a client/server application 20
Learning to build a Web application 21
How you will proceed 22
How long it will take 22
What you will learn 23
Setting up for the tutorial 24

19
Learning to build a client/server application

Learning to build a client/server application

The PowerBuilder tutorial is divided into two parts. The first part of the tutorial
is a series of ten exercises in which you build a Multiple Document Interface
(MDI) database application for a fictional company called SportsWear, Inc.
The application allows you to retrieve customer and product information from
the database and perform insert, update, and delete functions against the
customer and product data.
Customer and Product The MDI application includes two windows that provide access to the
windows Customer and Product tables in the EAS Demo DB database.

Both windows are master/detail windows: each allows you to display a master
list of rows in a particular table and also see detailed information for each row
in the table. For example, the top half of the Maintain Products window
contains a list of products with a pointer to a single product; the bottom half of
the window displays extra detail for the current product.
Login window The MDI application also includes a login window that allows you to connect
to the database at startup time.

20
 Chapter 2 About the PowerBuilder Tutorial

Learning to build a Web application

In the second set of exercises, you build a Web interface that allows you to add
and retrieve information from the same database, but this time through a
browser.
Web pages The Web target part of the tutorial has five Web pages that enable the user to
log in, access a Welcome page, add products to the database, and view product
information. Here is one example, the Welcome page.

The Web pages enable access to the data sources and display the Web
DataWindows previously created.

PowerBuilder Enterprise
To complete the Web application portion of the tutorial, you must have:
• The Enterprise edition of PowerBuilder
• The Web Target option of PowerBuilder installed
• Access to EAServer

21
How you will proceed

How you will proceed

Lesson What you will do
1 Start PowerBuilder; begin familiarizing yourself with the
development environment; use the Workspace wizard and the
Template Application wizard to create an Application object,
windows, and menus in a PowerBuilder workspace and target
2 Explore the PowerBuilder environment and customize the workspace
3 Create a login window to allow the user to enter database connection
parameters (user ID and password)
4 Connect to the database using the Transaction object and user-entry
parameters; see how database profiles are defined in the PowerBuilder
environment
5 Change the base sheet window by adding master and detail
DataWindow controls; add scripts to allow users to retrieve data and
perform insert, update, and delete operations against the database
6 Modify the frame menu and create a new sheet menu for the
application
7-8 Build the DataWindow objects that retrieve customer and product
information, then add them to the Customer and Product windows.
9 Run the tutorial application in debug mode; see how to set breakpoints
in scripts, step through the code, and display the contents of variables
10 Create an executable file that you can use to run the application outside
the PowerBuilder development environment
11 Create a PowerDynamo Web target, create web pages with hyperlinks
and graphics, create a login page using a validation script, and deploy
and build the Web pages.
12 Add Web DataWindows to the existing Web pages. Create the ability
for the user to add product information to the data source and view
information

If you want to complete only the Web target lessons, you can use the solution
provided for the first part of the tutorial as a starting point. The solution is in
the Tutorial\Solutions directory.

How long it will take

You can do the entire tutorial in about four to five hours, or you can stop after
any lesson and continue at another time.

22
 Chapter 2 About the PowerBuilder Tutorial

What you will learn

Building a client/ You will learn basic PowerBuilder techniques and concepts, including:
server application
How to use the To
Application painter Define an Application object and application-level scripts
Window painter Create SingleLineEdit controls, StaticText controls,
CommandButton controls, DataWindow controls, window-
level scripts, and control-level scripts
DataWindow Define selection and display options
painter
Menu painter Define menus, menu items, accelerators, and shortcut keys
Layout view Design how the windows, menus, and DataWindows will look
when you run the application
Script view Define scripts for applications, windows, window controls,
and menus
Debugger Identify logic errors that may cause problems when you run the
application
Project painter Create an executable version of an application

Building a Web You will learn basic Web target techniques and concepts, including:
application
How to use the To
Web target wizards Design Web pages, add server interaction, and meet other
requirements for working in the browser environment
Script view Define scripts for applications, Web pages, and Web controls
Page View View the WYSIWYG view of the Web target page

This tutorial will not make you an expert in PowerBuilder. Only experience
building real-world applications can do that. It will give you hands-on
experience and provide a foundation for continued growth.

23
Setting up for the tutorial

Setting up for the tutorial

Before you start the tutorial, you need to make sure that you can connect to a
database and that you have the tutorial files.
Connecting to a The tutorial uses the EAS Demo DB V4 database that installs with
database PowerBuilder. This is an Adaptive Server Anywhere database and requires the
Sybase Adaptive Server Anywhere engine.
If you do not already have Adaptive Server Anywhere on your local machine
or server, you must install it now. You can install it from the PowerBuilder CD.
If you installed PowerBuilder in a nondefault location, you must make sure that
the odbc.ini registry entry defining the EAS Demo DB as a data source points
to the correct location of the Adaptive Server Anywhere engine.
The Tutorial directory The tutorial also uses the following files:
File Contents
tutor_pb.pbl PowerBuilder library that contains several objects that you
use in the tutorial
pbtutor.hlp A Help file that provides context-sensitive Help to a window
that you build in the tutorial
tutsport.bmp A bitmap
tshirtw.jpg A graphic
tutorial.ico An icon

When you install PowerBuilder, these files are installed in the Tutorial
directory, which is a subdirectory of the PowerBuilder installation directory.
When you have finished the tutorial, you can delete the files.
The Tutorial\Solutions The Tutorial\Solutions directory contains a PowerBuilder library called
directory pbtutor.pbl that contains all the objects and scripts that you create in the first
part of the tutorial, as well as workspace and target files. You can use this
solutions library as a reference while you complete the first part of the tutorial.
You can also use it as a starting point if you want to complete only the Web
application part of the tutorial. See "Getting the files you need for the tutorial"
on page 222.

24
 Chapter 2 About the PowerBuilder Tutorial

The Web targets Before you start the Web targets tutorial, you must make sure the following
tutorial tools are installed on your computer:
• Jaguar CTS 3.6.1 or later
• PowerDynamo 3.5.2 or later
• Adaptive Server Anywhere 7.1 or later
• Web targets feature of PowerBuilder
• Internet Explorer 5.5 (including the Microsoft Java VM from the custom
setup)

25
Setting up for the tutorial

26
PART 2 Building a Client/Server
Application

This part is a tutorial that shows you how to get started

with PowerBuilder. It provides step-by-step instructions for
creating a simple database application.
LE S S O N 1 Starting PowerBuilder

This lesson provides the information you need to start PowerBuilder and
create an application.
In this lesson you:
• Create a new workspace
• Create a target
• Specify an icon for the application
• Change the size of the main window
• Run the application

How long does it take?

About 15 minutes.

29
Create a new workspace

Create a new workspace

Where you are
> Create a new workspace
Create a target
Specify an icon for the application
Change the size of the main window
Run the application

The workspace is where you build, edit, debug, and run PowerBuilder targets.
You can build several targets within a single workspace, including Web targets
covered in Part 3 of this tutorial.
Now you start PowerBuilder and create a new workspace.

First read the installation notes for this release

Any last-minute items are documented there. To make sure you have all the
files necessary to complete the tutorial, see "Setting up for the tutorial" on page
24.

1 Double-click the PowerBuilder icon (representing PB80.EXE) in the

Sybase>PowerBuilder 8.0 path.
or
Select Programs>Sybase>PowerBuilder 8.0>PowerBuilder 8.0 from
the Windows Start menu.

If the Welcome to PowerBuilder dialog box displays

You can select the Don’t Show This Dialog Again checkbox to keep
PowerBuilder from displaying the welcome dialog box every time you
start PowerBuilder. Select the Reload Last Workspace On Starting
PowerBuilder checkbox to load the most recently used workspace each
time you start a PowerBuilder session and click Close This Dialog.

The PowerBuilder development environment displays.

30
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

If this is the first time you are opening PowerBuilder 8 on your machine,
you see only a top-level entry in the System Tree to indicate that no
workspace is currently open. Otherwise, the System Tree may show a
workspace with targets and objects in it.

2 Select New from the File menu.

or
Click the New button in the PowerBar.
The Workspace page of the New dialog box displays.

If the New dialog box displays a different page

PowerBuilder displays the page of the New dialog box that was used
before the dialog box was last closed. In this exercise, make sure that the
Workspace page displays by clicking the Workspace tab.

31
Create a new workspace

3 Select Workspace from the Workspace page of the New dialog box.
Click OK.
The New Workspace dialog box displays.

4 Navigate to the Tutorial folder.

The Tutorial folder is located directly under the PowerBuilder 8.0 folder.

5 Type MyWorkspace in the File name textbox.

Click Save.
The New Workspace dialog box closes and the workspace you created
appears as the first item in the System Tree.

32
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

Create a target
Where you are
Create a new workspace
> Create a target
Specify an icon for the application
Change the size of the main window
Run the application

Now you create a new target using the Template Application wizard. Based on
the choices you make, the Template Application wizard creates precoded
events, menus, windows, and user objects in addition to the application object.

1 Select New from the File menu and click the Target tab.
or
Right-click MyWorkspace in the System Tree, select New from the
popup menu, and click the Target tab.
The Target page of the New dialog box displays.

2 Select the Template Application icon and click OK.

The Template Application wizard displays. The first page of most wizards
explains what the wizard is used for. As you step through the wizard, you
can press F1 to get Help on most fields.

3 Click Next until the Specify New Application and Library page
displays.

33
Create a target

4 Type pbtutor in the Application Name textbox.

The wizard automatically assigns filenames to a library and target that use
this application name. It assigns the library a PBL extension and the target
a PBT extension.

5 Click Next.
The Specify Template Type page displays. The MDI Application with
Microhelp radio button is selected. You will create an MDI template
application, so you do not need to change this selection.

About MDI
MDI stands for multiple document interface. In an MDI application, the
main window for the application is called the MDI frame. Using the MDI
frame menu bar, you can open additional windows known as sheet
windows that display inside the frame window.

6 Click Next until the Name MDI Base Sheet, Menu and Service page
displays.
In this tutorial you use the default application type, library search path, and
frame and frame menu names, but you specify a different name for the
MDI base sheet.

If you have clicked Next too many times

You can use the wizard’s Back button to navigate back to the correct
wizard page.

34
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

7 Type w_master_detail_ancestor in the Base Sheet Window textbox.

This is the ancestor window for windows in the tutorial application. Leave
the default sheet menu and sheet manager service names.

8 Click Next.
On the Name Individual Sheets page, type w_customers for Sheet 1,
w_products for Sheet 2, and clear the Sheet 3 textbox.
PowerBuilder will generate two windows based on the
w_master_detail_ancestor base sheet, one for customers and one for
products.

35
Create a target

9 Click Next.
Type Maintain Customers as the display name for Sheet 1.
Type Maintain Products as the display name for Sheet 2.
The names you type will display in the title bars of these sheet windows.

10 Click Next twice.

You do not need to change the names of the About and Toolbar windows.

11 On the Specify Connectivity page, select None.

You will add a Connection object later.

36
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

12 Click Next twice to display the Ready To Create Application page.

You will create a project later.
This is the last wizard page. It lists your current selections so that you can
review them and use the Back button to go back and change them if
necessary.

37
Create a target

13 Make sure the Generate To-Do List checkbox is selected.

Click Finish.
The Template Application wizard creates the pbtutor.pbt target and the
pbtutor.pbl library, and sets the new pbtutor application as the default
application. You can expand the System Tree to view all the objects that
have been created by the Template Application wizard.

38
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

Specify an icon for the application

Where you are
Create a new workspace
Create a target
> Specify an icon for the application
Change the size of the main window
Run the application

Now you specify an icon for the application. The icon appears in the workspace
when you minimize the application during execution. PowerBuilder includes
the icon automatically when you create an executable file.
You specify an icon from the Properties view on the Application painter. If the
Properties view is not open, you can open it by selecting View>Properties from
the Application painter menu bar. You can also open a Properties view by
resetting the default view layout scheme.

1 Click the Additional Properties button in the Properties view.

A tabbed Application property sheet displays.

2 Select the Icon tab.

3 Click Browse.
Navigate to the Tutorial directory.

4 Select the tutorial.ico file.

Click Open.

If you do not see the ICO file extension

You do not see ICO file extensions if the Hide File Extensions for Known
File Types checkbox is selected in the Options dialog box of your
Windows Explorer.

39
Specify an icon for the application

The tutorial icon displays on the Icon page of the Application property
sheet.

5 Click OK.
Click the Save button in PainterBar1.
Click the Close button in PainterBar1.

40
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

Change the size of the main window

Where you are
Create a new workspace
Create a target
Specify an icon for the application
> Change the size of the main window
Run the application

Now you change the size of the application’s main window. When you run the
application, the main window displays in the position and size that you specify.

1 Double click w_pbtutor_frame in the System Tree.

The Window painter opens the application’s frame window.

2 Check the Center checkbox on the General page in the Properties

view.
Now when you run the application, the frame window will be centered.

3 Scroll down and select normal! in the WindowState dropdown listbox.

41
Change the size of the main window

Now when you run the application, instead of being maximized, the frame
window will have the size that you specify in the next step.

4 Click the Other tab in the Properties view.

Type 3000 in the Width textbox and 2400 in the Height textbox.
Press the TAB key.
The size of the window rectangle in the Layout view changes. The values
you type are in PowerBuilder Units (PBUs).

5 Click the Run button in PowerBar.

Click the Yes button when you are prompted to save your changes.
The application runs with the frame window centered and sized as you
specified.

6 Close the application.

Click the Close button in PainterBar1.
The Window painter closes.

42
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

Run the application

Where you are
Create a new workspace
Create a target
Specify an icon for the application
Change the size of the main window
> Run the application

Now you run the application to see how it works. At this point the application
does not do very much. By running the application, you can see the windows
and menus that were created for you when PowerBuilder generated the
application based on your choices. You will modify them later.

1 Click the Run button on the PowerBar.

The MDI frame window displays and is maximized. All MDI applications
created using the Wizard have a menu bar and a toolbar with some items
already coded for you.

2 Select File>New>Maintain Customers.

The application opens a sheet window. The display name that you typed in
the Template Application wizard for Sheet 1 appears in the title bar. The
sheet window title has a number after it to indicate the instance of the
window that displays.

43
Run the application

About the number in the window title bar

The number 1 appears following the window title because this is the first
instance of the w_customers sheet window that is open. The code that adds
the instance number to the title bar is in the ue_postopen event of the
w_master_detail_ancestor base sheet window.

3 Select File>New>Maintain Products.

A second application sheet window displays.

4 Select Window>Tile Horizontal.

The sheet windows are arranged horizontally inside the MDI frame, with
the active sheet window at the top.

5 Select File>Toolbars from the menu bar.

The application displays the Toolbars dialog box.

6 Select Floating in the Toolbars dialog box.

The toolbar floats within the MDI frame. You may need to move the
Toolbars dialog box to see the floating toolbar.

7 Select Top.
The toolbar is repositioned at the top of the frame.

8 Click Done to close the Toolbars dialog box.

44
 Lesson 1 Starting PowerBuilder

9 Select File>Exit.
The application closes and you return to the PowerBuilder development
environment.
When you exit and restart PowerBuilder, you may want to have
PowerBuilder in the state it was in when you exited, with the workspace
and painters you were working in open.

10 Select Tools>System Options from the menu bar and then click the
Workspaces tab.

11 Make sure the Reopen Workspace on Startup and the Reload Painters
when Opening Workspace checkboxes are selected.
Click OK.
Now when PowerBuilder starts up, it opens the workspace and the painters
that were open when you exited. If you were coding in PowerBuilder when
you exited, the last script you were working on opens at the last line you
edited.

45
Run the application

46
LE S S O N 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder
Environment

This lesson provides the information you need in order to become familiar
with the PowerBuilder environment and to customize the workspace. This
lesson is optional—you can skip to Lesson 3 if you want to.
In this lesson you:
• Manipulate the System Tree window
• Open an object
• Manipulate views
• Set up the toolbars

How long does it take?

About 10 minutes.

47
Manipulate the System Tree window

Manipulate the System Tree window

Where you are
> Manipulate the System Tree window
Open an object
Manipulate views
Set up the toolbars

The Workspace page in the System Tree provides you with an overview of your
work. (The other pages of the System Tree are relevant for Web targets, but not
for PowerScript targets). By expanding the workspace and the objects it
contains, you can see the content and structure of your target.
You can work directly with all the objects in the workspace. For example, you
can edit, run, search, or regenerate a window using its popup menu in the
System Tree. In this exercise you reposition, close, and open the System Tree.
You can reposition the System Tree in relation to the main window using its
drag bar. You can also change the way the System Tree, Clip, and Output
windows are arranged.

1 Click the Output window button in the PowerBar to display the Output
window.

2 Select Tools>System Options from the menu bar.

Clear the Horizontal Dock Windows Dominate button on the General
page.
The System Tree and Clip windows now occupy the full height of the main
window.

3 Click and hold the drag bar at the top of the System Tree.
Drag the System Tree to position it above, below, or to the right of the
painter workspace.
When you start dragging, a gray rectangular outline of the System Tree
displays. It indicates the area that the System Tree would occupy if you
released the mouse button.

4 When the gray rectangular outline is positioned where you want the
System Tree to display, release the mouse button.
The System Tree displays in the new location.

48
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

5 Close the System Tree by clicking the SysTree button in the PowerBar.
The current workspace remains open, but the System Tree closes. Closing
the System Tree leaves more space for the painter workspace views.

6 Reopen the System Tree by clicking the SysTree button in the

PowerBar again.

7 Close the Clip and Output windows by clicking their buttons on the
PowerBar or by clicking the small x in the corner of each window.

8 Right-click MyWorkspace and select Close from the popup menu.

The workspace closes. No workspaces display in the System Tree.

49
Open an object

Open an object
Where you are
Manipulate the System Tree window
> Open an object
Manipulate views
Set up the toolbars

Now you open an object created by the Template Application wizard.

1 Select File>Recent Workspaces from the menu bar, then MyWorkspace

from the cascading menu.

2 In the System Tree, expand MyWorkspace, the pbtutor target, and

pbtutor.pbl.

3 Double-click the pbtutor application object.

or
Right-click the pbtutor application object and select Edit from the
popup menu.
The Application painter displays different views of the pbtutor application
object. Your view layout scheme may look different. To display the default
layout, select View>Layouts>Default.

50
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

The default Application painter layout displays two stacks of tabbed

panes. The left stack contains a Script view (Open tab—it is set to the
Open event on the Application object), an Event List view, a Function List
view, and the Declare Instance Variables view. The right stack contains the
Properties view and a Non-Visual Objects List view.

4 Look at the code in the Open event in the Script view.

This code, which opens the main window, was automatically generated by
the wizard. You will modify this code later in the tutorial.

51
Manipulate views

Manipulate views
Where you are
Manipulate the System Tree window
Open an object
> Manipulate views
Set up the toolbars

Now you learn to control the location and appearance of PowerBuilder painter
views. You can add views to a painter workspace by selecting them from the
View menu in the workspace menu bar.
You can add multiple views of the same type and you can combine views into
a stack of panes with selection tabs at the bottom. You can resize a view by
grabbing and dragging the separator bars that surround it or that surround
neighboring views in the painter workspace.
These exercises use the Application painter to demonstrate how you can
change the appearance of the painter views, but you can manipulate views in
all painters in the same way.
Now you:
• Add an extra Script view
• Display view title bars
• Float and dock views
• Manipulate tabbed views
• Save a view layout scheme
• Reset the default view layout scheme

52
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

Add an extra Script view

The default Application painter layout actually has two Script views. One of
the Script views displays the script for an Application object event, and the
other Script view displays the declared variables for the object instance or the
entire application. Both of these Script views are in the same stack of tabbed
views (panes).
Now you add a third Script view that is not part of a stack of tabbed panes. You
can add multiple Script views to your painter layout, but only one of them can
display a specific script.

1 Select View>Script from the menu bar.

A new Script view displays. It is not attached to a stack of tabbed panes. It
lists the Application object in the first dropdown listbox, and the second
dropdown listbox is empty.

If an existing Script views shows the Open event, a new Script view is
empty. Otherwise it displays the Open event.

2 Select the Close event from the second dropdown listbox.

If another Script view is already open to the Close event, an error message
displays in the PowerBuilder status bar.

53
Manipulate views

Display view title bars

Now you display a view title bar by pinning it to the painter workspace
background. You can see an unpinned title bar only when your cursor pauses
near the top edge of a view.

1 Move the cursor to the top of the extra Script view you just added.
The view title bar rolls down. It contains a pushpin button on the left and
a maximize/minimize button and a close button on the right. The name of
the view displays at the left of the title bar, next to the pushpin button.

2 Click the pushpin in the title bar.

or
Right-click the view title bar and click Pinned from the popup menu.
The pushpin button and the Pinned menu item are toggle switches. You
can click the pushpin button or the popup menu item to pin and unpin the
view title bars.

54
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

Float and dock views

Now you float and dock a view in the painter workspace. Floating a view
enables you to move it around outside the painter frame.

1 Right-click the title bar of an unstacked view you want to float.

or
Right-click the tab of a view in a stack of tabbed panes.
If the title bar is not pinned, move the cursor over the title bar area and wait
until it displays before you right-click it.

2 Click Float in the popup menu.

When a view is floated, the Float menu item is not enabled. When a view
is docked, the Dock menu item is not enabled.

3 Drag the view around the screen.

Notice that the floating property allows you to move the view outside the
painter workspace.

4 Right-click the title bar of the floating view.

Click Dock in the popup menu.
The view returns to its original location.

55
Manipulate views

Manipulate tabbed views

Now you separate a view from a stack of tabbed panes and place it above the
stack. You then return it to the stack and change its position in the stack.

1 Press and hold the mouse button on the Function List tab.
Drag the tab on to the separator bar that separates the two default
stacks in the Application painter.
Release the mouse button.
When you release the mouse button, the Function List view is no longer
part of a stack. If you drag the tab too far and release it over the right stack
with the Properties view and Non-Visual Object List, the Function List
becomes part of that stack.

Alternate way to float a view from a stack

If you hold the CTRL or SHIFT key down as you drag a tabbed pane from a
stack, the pane becomes a floating view.

2 Press and hold the mouse button on the Function List title bar.
Drag it over the stack from which you separated it.
Release the mouse button when the gray rectangular outline of the
Function List view overlaps the stack.
The Function List view returns to its original stack, but it is added as the
last pane in the stack.

3 Press and hold the mouse button on the Function List tab.
Drag it sideways over the other tabs in the same stack.
Release the mouse button when the small gray rectangular outline
overlaps another tab in the stack of tabbed panes.
The Function List view moves to the position in the stack where you
release the mouse button.

56
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

Save a view layout scheme

You can save view layout schemes for a PowerBuilder painter and use them
every time you open the painter.

1 Arrange the views in the painter as you like.

2 Select View>Layouts>Manage from the menu bar.

3 Click the New Layout button in the Layout dialog box.

4 Enter a name for your layout in the text field, click the background of
the dialog box, and then click the x button in the upper right corner of
the dialog box to close it.
Your layout scheme is saved. Now, when you select View>Layouts, you
see your layout listed on the cascading menu.

Saving the toolbars and System Tree layouts

PowerBuilder saves the customizations you make to the toolbars and
System Tree separately from the view layout. It retains those settings and
reapplies them to every workspace you access and every view layout you
select.

57
Manipulate views

Reset the default view layout scheme

Each PowerBuilder painter has a default view layout scheme. You can always
reset the layout scheme to this default layout.

1 Select View>Layouts from the menu bar.

2 Choose Default from the cascading menu.

The default view layout scheme displays in the painter workspace.

58
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

Set up the toolbars

Where you are
Manipulate the System Tree window
Open an object
Manipulate views
> Set up the toolbars

A painter workspace always includes the PowerBar and other PainterBar

toolbars that you can use as you work. The buttons in the toolbars change
depending on the type of target or object you are working with. You can also
customize the toolbars to include additional functionality.
Now you change the appearance of the toolbars to:
• Show labels on toolbar buttons
• Float the toolbars
• Reposition the toolbars

59
Set up the toolbars

Show labels on toolbar buttons

You can learn a toolbar button’s function by placing the cursor over it to view
its PowerTip. A PowerTip is popup text that indicates a button’s function.
You can also display a label on each toolbar button.

1 Move the pointer to any button on the PowerBar, but do not click.
The button’s PowerTip displays.

2 Select Tools>Toolbars from the menu bar.

The Toolbars dialog box displays.

3 Select the Show Text checkbox, then click the Close button.
PowerBuilder displays a label on each of the buttons in the PowerBar and
the PainterBars.

60
 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

Float the toolbars

You can float the toolbars so that you can move them around the painter
workspace as you work.

1 Right-click anywhere in the PowerBar.

The popup menu for the toolbars displays. From the popup menu you can
set the toolbar’s location to the left, top, right, or bottom of the workspace.
You can also set it to floating.

About popup menus

Throughout PowerBuilder, popup menus provide a fast way to do things.
The menu items available in the popup depend on the painter you are using
and where you are in the workspace when you click the right mouse
button.

2 Select Floating from the popup menu.

The PowerBar changes to a floating toolbar. You can adjust its shape.

61
Set up the toolbars

3 Move the pointer to an edge or border area in the PowerBar.

Press and drag the PowerBar toward the left side of the workspace.
Release the mouse button when the PowerBar becomes a vertical bar.

The PowerBar is docked at the left side of the frame.

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 Lesson 2 Customizing the PowerBuilder Environment

Reposition the toolbars

You can customize the position of the toolbars to suit your work style.

1 Select Tools>Toolbars from the menu bar.

The Toolbars dialog box displays. The selected Move radio button
indicates the position of the currently selected toolbar.

2 Click Top.
This repositions the PowerBar at the top of the workspace.

Radio buttons are grayed if a selected toolbar is hidden

If a selected toolbar is hidden (not visible) in the painter, you cannot select
where it appears in the workspace. In this case, the radio buttons are
grayed and you must first click the Show button before you can select a
radio button.

3 Click PainterBar1 in the Select Toolbar listbox and select Right.

Click Close in the Toolbars dialog box.

4 Right-click PainterBar2 and select Left from the popup menu.

You have swapped the locations of the two painter bars.

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Set up the toolbars

5 Arrange the toolbars to suit your preferences.

You can also drag the toolbars to the top, bottom, left, or right of the
painter workspace. When a toolbar is in a fixed location, it has a drag bar
at the left or top of its buttons. You can click the drag bar and drag the
mouse to move the toolbar around the painter workspace.
PowerBuilder applies toolbar configuration properties to all painters and
saves them for the next PowerBuilder session.

6 Close the Application painter.

64
LE S S O N 3 Building a Login Window

Windows are the main interface between users and PowerBuilder

applications. Windows can display information, request information from
a user, and respond to mouse or keyboard actions.
Windows are separate objects that you create using the Window painter.
In PowerBuilder, you can create windows anytime during the application
development process.
In this lesson you:
• Create a new window
• Add controls to the window
• Change the tab order on the window
• Code some Help events and preview the window
• Write the script to open the window

How long does it take?

About 20 minutes.

65
Create a new window

Create a new window

Where you are
> Create a new window
Add controls to the window
Change the tab order on the window
Code some Help events and preview the window
Write the script to open the window

Now you create a new window for the application. The window you create is a
login window that allows the user to enter a user ID and password and connect
to the database. The login window is a response window.

About response windows

Response windows are dialog boxes that require information from the user.
Response windows are application modal. When a response window displays,
it is the active window (it has focus) and no other window in the application is
accessible until the user responds. The user can go to other applications, but
when the user returns to the application, the response window is still active.

1 Click the New button in the PowerBar.

The New dialog box displays.

2 Click the PB Object tab.

Select the Window icon and click OK.
The Window painter opens. Notice that you have two new toolbars, the
StyleBar and PainterBar3.

3 Make sure that the Layout view and the Properties view display in the
Window painter.
You can display these views by selecting them from the View menu. If
they are grayed out in the menu, the views are already displayed in the
painter.
The default view layout scheme contains both views.

To retrieve the default painter layout

Select View>Layouts>Default from the workspace menu bar.

66
 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

The rectangle in the Layout view represents the window you are building.
The default properties in the Properties view indicate that the window is
visible and enabled, and has the Main window type. You may need to
scroll down in the Properties view to see the window type.

If your window does not have a pegboard look

If the window in your Layout view displays as a solid color, the Show Grid
option has been disabled. To enable it, select Design>Options from the
menu bar. Then select the Show Grid checkbox on the General page of the
Options dialog box. Click Apply, then OK to save the change and close the
dialog box.

67
Create a new window

4 Type Welcome in the Title textbox on the General page of the

Properties view.
Select response! in the Window Type dropdown listbox.

If your Properties view looks different

You can change the position of Properties view labels by right-clicking the
Properties view and selecting a preference from the popup menu. You can
position the labels either to the left of all fields (as above), or on top of the
text fields and to the right of the checkboxes.

5 Make sure the TitleBar and ControlMenu checkboxes are selected.

Select the ContextHelp checkbox.
The ContextHelp property adds a question-mark button next to the close
button in the login window’s title bar. A user can click the question-mark
button to trigger Help events for the window controls.

68
 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

6 Click the Other tab in the Properties view.

Type 2200 in the Width textbox and 1000 in the Height textbox.
Press the TAB key.
The size of the window rectangle in the Layout view changes. The values
you type are in PowerBuilder Units (PBUs). You may need to modify
these values later, while you are adding controls to the window.

Other methods for entering position properties

You can use the spin controls to enter values instead of typing them.
Alternatively, you can change the size of the login window in the Layout
view by moving the pointer to the bottom or right edge of the window.
When it turns into a double-headed arrow, you can drag the arrow to
change the window size.

7 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

The Save Window dialog box displays. The only library in the Application
Libraries textbox is pbtutor.pbl, and it is selected.

8 Type w_welcome for the window name.

The prefix w_ is standard for windows.

9 (Optional) Type the following lines in the Comments textbox:

This is the login window. It requires the application
user to enter an ID and a password before continuing.
These comments are visible in the List view of the Library painter.

10 Click OK.
PowerBuilder saves the new login window. If you expand MyWorkspace,
pbtutor, and pbtutor.pbl in the system tree, you can see w_welcome listed
under it.

69
Add controls to the window

Add controls to the window

Where you are
Create a new window
> Add controls to the window
Change the tab order on the window
Code some Help events and preview the window
Write the script to open the window

Controls allow users to interact with PowerBuilder objects, such as windows

and DataWindows. You set properties of these controls and later add script for
control events and functions.
Selecting a control button from the PainterBar You can add controls from
the Insert menu or by selecting a control button in PainterBar1. Unless you
customize your toolbars, there is only one control button that appears in the
PainterBar. When you first open a painter, PainterBar1 includes the
CommandButton control button, which has a down arrow to its right. Clicking
the down arrow displays a dropdown list of control buttons.
Some of the controls you can select from the dropdown list are described in the
table below:
Button
appearance Control type Use in tutorial
CommandButton Default icon for the control button in
PainterBar1. You add command buttons
later in this lesson
Picture To add a picture to the login window

PictureHyperLink Not used in tutorial. Its purpose is to

provide a link to a Web site

PictureButton Not used in tutorial. It is like a command

button, but it displays a picture as well as
text
StaticText To add text labels to the login window

StaticHyperLink To provide a link to a Web site

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Button
appearance Control type Use in tutorial
SingleLineEdit To add user entry textboxes to the login
window

MultiLineEdit Not used in tutorial. Its purpose is to add a

multiline edit textbox

After you select a control, it appears in place of the CommandButton button on

PainterBar1.

Adding controls with a 3D appearance

To make your controls look three dimensional, select Design>Options from the
menu bar and make sure that the Default To 3D checkbox is selected on the
General page of the Options dialog box. You can change the window
background color from the default color of ButtonFace gray from the
Properties view in the Window painter.

Now you modify the login window you just created by adding controls and
changing some of their properties. You:
• Add a Picture control
• Add StaticText controls
• Specify properties of the StaticText controls
• Add SingleLineEdit controls
• Specify properties of the SingleLineEdit controls
• Add CommandButton controls
• Specify properties of the CommandButton controls

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Add controls to the window

Add a Picture control

Now you add a Picture control to the login window.

1 Select the Picture button from the dropdown list of controls.

or
Select Insert>Control>Picture from the menu bar.

2 Click inside the rectangular window in the Layout view.

A Picture control displays at the selected location. At the same time you
add the control, the Properties view switches from displaying the window
properties to displaying the control properties.
If you do not see the Properties view, select View>Properties from the
menu bar. If the Properties view does not display the control properties,
click the picture control in the Layout view.

How to delete controls

If you add a control to the window and later decide you do not want it,
select the control and press the DELETE key. This deletes the control and its
scripts.

3 Select the text p_1 in the Name textbox on the General tab of the
Properties view.
Type p_sports in the Name textbox.
This names the Picture control. The prefix p_ is standard for Picture
controls.

4 Click the ellipsis button next to the PictureName textbox.

The Select Picture dialog box displays.

5 Navigate to the Tutorial directory if it is not already selected.

Select the tutsport.bmp file and click Open.
The bitmap you selected appears in the control you added to the Layout
view. The Visible, Enabled, and OriginalSize checkboxes are selected by
default in the Properties view.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

6 Make sure the picture control is selected in the Layout view.

Click the Other tab in the Properties view.
Type 40 in the X textbox and 50 in the Y textbox.
You can use the spin controls in the X and Y textboxes to enter these
values. You may want to adjust the position of the picture control again
after you preview the window at the end of this lesson.

7 Type 300 in the Width textbox and 250 in the Height textbox.
You change the size of the picture control. You may want to adjust the
picture size again after you preview the window.

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Add controls to the window

Add StaticText controls

Now you add StaticText controls to the login window.

1 Select the Text button from the dropdown list of controls.

or
Select Insert>Control>StaticText from the menu bar.

2 Click to the right of the Picture control you added in the Layout view.
A StaticText control displays at the selected location.

3 Right-click the StaticText control and select Duplicate from the popup
menu.
PowerBuilder creates a duplicate of the selected control.

4 Select Duplicate from the StaticText control’s popup menu again.

PowerBuilder creates another duplicate.
You now have three StaticText controls arranged vertically at the top of the
window.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Specify properties of the StaticText controls

Now you specify the properties of the StaticText controls (label textboxes) to
define how they should appear on the login window.

1 Select the first StaticText control you added.

The Properties view displays properties of the StaticText control. If you do
not see the Properties view, select View>Properties from the menu bar.

2 Select the text st_1 in the Name textbox on the General page of the
Properties view.
Type st_welcome in the Name textbox.
Now the control has a more descriptive name. The prefix st_ is standard
for StaticText controls.

3 Select the text none in the Text textbox.

Type Welcome to SportsWear, Inc.
If you press enter, tab to another page in the Properties view, or click in a
different view, the text you typed replaces none in the Layout view.

4 Click the Font tab in the Properties view.

Change the TextSize property for this control to 18 points.
The size of the text in the control changes.
The default typeface is Arial TrueType. You can select a different typeface
and font size if this one is not available on your system.

Using the StyleBar

You can also use the StyleBar to change fonts. If you do not see the
StyleBar, select Tools>Toolbars from the menu bar, click StyleBar in the
Select Toolbar listbox, and click Show.

5 Adjust the size of the StaticText control to fit the text you entered.
Keep adjusting the size until you see all of the text you entered.
To adjust the size, drag the upper-right corner of the control toward the
upper-right corner of the window in the Layout view.
You can also adjust the size by entering appropriate values on the Other
page of the Properties view for this control.

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Add controls to the window

6 Adjust the location of the other controls so that there is plenty of

space between them.

7 Select the second StaticText control you added in the Layout view.
Type st_userid in the Name textbox on the Properties view General
page.
Type User ID: in the Text textbox and press the TAB key.
The text that displays in the control changes.

8 Select the third StaticText control you added in the Layout view.
Type st_password in the Name textbox on the Properties view General
page.
Type Password: in the Text textbox and press the TAB key.
Your changes display in the Layout view.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Add SingleLineEdit controls

Now you add two SingleLineEdit controls to the window to allow the user to
enter a user ID and password for connecting to the database. A SingleLineEdit
control is a textbox in which the user can enter a single line of text.
SingleLineEdit controls are typically used for the input and output of data.

1 Select the SingleLineEdit button from the dropdown list of controls.

or
Select Insert>Control>SingleLineEdit from the menu bar.

2 Click to the right of the User ID: StaticText control in the Layout view.
A SingleLineEdit control displays where you clicked.

3 Drag the SingleLineEdit control to the right of the StaticText control.

Adjust the size of the SingleLineEdit control to make it wider.

4 Right-click the SingleLineEdit control and select Duplicate from the

popup menu.
PowerBuilder creates a duplicate of the selected control. You now have
two SingleLineEdit controls arranged vertically to the right of the text
controls.

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Add controls to the window

Specify properties of the SingleLineEdit controls

Now you define the properties of the SingleLineEdit controls you just added to
the login window.

1 Select the first SingleLineEdit control you added.

The General page of the Properties view displays properties of the
SingleLineEdit control. If you do not see the Properties view, select
View>Properties from the menu bar.

2 Select the text sle_1 in the Name textbox.

Type sle_userid in the Name textbox.
Clear the default text none in the Text textbox.
The prefix sle_ is standard for SingleLineEdit controls.

3 Select the second SingleLineEdit control you added.

Type sle_password in the Name textbox.
Clear the default text none in the Text textbox.
Select the Password checkbox.
Because you checked the Password checkbox, the password the user types
displays as a string of asterisks.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Add CommandButton controls

Now you add CommandButton controls. Later you define scripts that execute
when users click these buttons.

1 Select the CommandButton button from the dropdown list of controls.

or
Select Insert>Control>CommandButton from the menu bar.

2 Click to the right of the sle_userid SingleLineEdit control.

A CommandButton control displays where you clicked.

3 Right-click the CommandButton control and select Duplicate from the

popup menu.
PowerBuilder creates a duplicate of the selected control.

4 Adjust the location of the controls as needed so that there is some

space between them.

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Add controls to the window

Specify properties of the CommandButton controls

Now you define the properties of the CommandButton controls.

1 Select the top CommandButton control.

The General page of the Properties view displays properties of the
CommandButton control.

2 Type cb_ok in the Name textbox on the Properties view General page.
Type OK in the Text textbox.
Select the Default checkbox.
You change the default name of the control to something more descriptive
and add a label to the button. Because you selected the Default checkbox,
the ENTER key triggers the Clicked event for this button.

3 Select the bottom CommandButton control.

Type cb_cancel in the Name textbox.
Type Cancel in the Text textbox.
Select the Cancel checkbox.
Because you selected the Cancel checkbox, the ESC key triggers the
Clicked event for this button.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Change the tab order on the window

Where you are
Create a new window
Add controls to the window
> Change the tab order on the window
Code some Help events and preview the window
Write the script to open the window

When you place controls in a window, PowerBuilder assigns them a default tab
order. The tab order determines the sequence in which focus moves from
control to control when the user presses the TAB key.
Now you change the tab order for the window you created.

1 Select Format>Tab Order from the menu bar.

PowerBuilder displays the default tab order. The number in red at the right
of each control shows the control’s relative position in the tab order.
Controls with the number zero are skipped when the user tabs in the
window.

2 Click the tab order number for the sle_userid control.

Type 10 as the tab order value for this control.
You can type a new tab order number only when the old number turns blue
against a red background.

3 Make sure the other controls have these values:

Click this control Control name Has this value

SingleLineEdit control for entering a sle_password 20
password
CommandButton control for the OK cb_ok 30
button
CommandButton control for the Cancel cb_cancel 40
button

4 Select Format>Tab Order from the menu bar.

This is a toggle switch. Selecting this menu item a second time saves your
changes and clears the tab order numbers from the login window. You can
also use the Tab Order button on the PainterBar.

81
Code some Help events and preview the window

Code some Help events and preview the window

Where you are
Create a new window
Add controls to the window
Change the tab order on the window
> Code some Help events and preview the window
Write the script to open the window

Now you use the Script view to add context-sensitive Help messages to the
SingleLineEdit controls that you placed on the login window and you preview
the window. If the Script view is not currently displayed in your Window
painter, you can open it by double-clicking an object in the Layout view.
Using the Script view The Script view has three dropdown listboxes.
The first dropdown listbox displays the list of available controls for the current
object plus the special entries, Functions and Declare. The contents of the
second dropdown listbox depend on the selection in the first dropdown listbox.
The third dropdown listbox contains all ancestor objects of the current object,
if any.
Selection in first Contents of second Contents of third
dropdown listbox dropdown listbox dropdown listbox
An object or control List of events for the Current object and all its
name selected object or control ancestor objects
Functions List of editable functions. All ancestor objects with
(New Function) displays if functions having the same
no editable functions exist signature as selected function
Declare List of declaration types: Empty
global, shared, and instance
variables, and global and
local external functions

1 Double-click the top SingleLineEdit control in the Layout view.

The object name, sle_userid, appears in the first dropdown listbox in the
Script view.

2 Select the Help event in the second dropdown listbox in the Script
view.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

3 Type the following lines in the script area:

ShowPopupHelp("pbtutor.hlp", this, 100)
You can find the pbtutor.hlp file in the Tutorial directory.

As you type text in the Script view, notice that PowerBuilder changes the
text colors to show what kind of syntax element you have entered (such as
keywords, variables, and comments).

4 Select sle_password from the first dropdown listbox in the Script view.
Select the Help event in the second dropdown listbox.
PowerBuilder compiles the code you typed for the Help event of the
sle_userid SingleLineEdit textbox. You now add a Help event for the
sle_password SingleLineEdit textbox.

5 Type the following lines in the script area:

ShowPopupHelp("pbtutor.hlp", this, 200)

6 Select File>Run/Preview from the menu bar.

or
Click the Run/Preview Object in the PowerBar.
The Run dialog box displays. Be sure the Objects of Type listbox displays
Windows and the w_welcome object is selected.

Previewing the window

You can preview the window without running scripts by selecting
Design>Preview on the menu bar or the Preview button in PainterBar1
(which uses the same icon as the Run/Preview Object button in the
PowerBar). However, do not use either of these methods if you want to
view the results of the Help event scripts you just entered.

7 Click OK.
A message box prompts you to save your changes.

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Code some Help events and preview the window

8 Click Yes.
The login window appears as it would at runtime. If you do not like the
window layout, you can change the size, location, and fonts of the window
controls when you go back to the Window painter workspace.

9 Click the question-mark button in the login window title bar.

Click inside the sle_userid SingleLineEdit textbox.
A message displays: Type your User ID here. This is the text you typed for
the sle_userid Help event.

10 Click anywhere in the window to close the message.

Click inside the sle_password SingleLineEdit textbox and press F1.
A message displays: Type your password here. This is the text you typed
for the sle_password Help event.

11 Click anywhere in the window to close the message.

Click the close window button in the login window title bar.
You return to the Window painter workspace.
Later you add code to the Clicked event for the Cancel button that closes
the application.

12 Close the Window painter.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Write the script to open the window

Where you are
Create a new window
Add controls to the window
Change the tab order on the window
Code some Help events and preview the window
> Write the script to open the window

Now you add a one-line script to open the login window as soon as the
application starts executing. You add this script to the Open event of the MDI
frame window. This window (w_pbtutor_frame) was created by the Template
Application wizard.
The MDI frame is called by the application Open event. However, because the
login window is a response window, if you call the login from the frame
window, the login window still displays before the frame window.
In this exercise you:
• Modify the frame window Open event
• Compile the script

85
Write the script to open the window

Modify the frame window Open event

The frame window is called by the application object Open event. Now you
modify the frame window Open event script to open the login window. The
login window still opens before the frame window because it is a response
window, and therefore it (temporarily) blocks execution of the remainder of the
frame window Open event script.

Wizard-generated script
The frame window Open event already has a script associated with it that was
generated by the Template Application wizard. The script creates an instance
of a wizard-generated user object that serves as a sheet (window) manager. The
Open script then calls the ue_postopen event.
The ue_postopen event registers sheet windows with the sheet manager. The
event is posted to the end of the messaging queue for the window and is not
processed until the remainder of the Open script (that you add in this lesson) is
executed.

1 Select File>Open from the menu bar.

Make or verify the following item selections in the Open dialog box:
Open dialog box item Selection to make (or verify)
Target pbtutor—currently your only target
Libraries pbtutor.pbl—currently your only library
Objects of Type Windows
Object Name w_pbtutor_frame
Using Painter

The w_pbtutor_frame object is the main application window created by

the Template Application wizard.

2 Click OK.
The Window painter opens and displays views of the main application
window in the painter workspace.
If the Script view is not open, you can open it by selecting View>Script in
the workspace menu bar or by double-clicking inside the Layout view.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

3 Make sure the Open event displays in the Script view.

Display the Script view title bar by pinning it to the painter
background.
The title bar of the Script view reads:
Script - w_pbtutor_frame for open returns long

The PowerScript code in the Script view is preceded by comments.

Using comments
A comment in PowerScript is indicated by either two forward slashes (//)
at the start of a single-line comment, or a slash and an asterisk (/*) at the
start and an asterisk and a slash (*/) at the end of a single-line or multiline
comment. Comments are not parsed by the script compiler.

You now modify the Open event script to cause the login window to
display.

4 Click after the parentheses in the line that reads:

this.Post Event ue_postopen ( )
The ue_postopen event does not take any arguments.

5 Press ENTER twice.

You add a blank line in the Script view for legibility. The cursor moves to
a new line following the blank line.

6 Type Open the login window on the new line in the Script view.
Click the Comment button in PainterBar2.
Two slashes appear in front of the line you typed—it is changed into a
comment.

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Write the script to open the window

7 Type open (w_welcome) on the next line in the Script view.

This calls the Open function to display the login window you created.

Accessing context-sensitive Help

To access context-sensitive Help for a function or reserved word (such as
Open), select the function or reserved word in the Script view and press
SHIFT+F1. You can always open the main Help screen by pressing F1.

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 Lesson 3 Building a Login Window

Compile the script

Now you compile the script you just typed. PowerBuilder compiles a script
when you close the Script view or when you select a different object, event, or
function for display in the Script view.
In this exercise, you use a popup menu item to compile the script without
closing the Script view or changing to a different script.

Handling errors in scripts

When there is an error in a script, an error window displays at the bottom of the
Script view with the line number of the error and the error message.
To find an error Click on an error message to move the cursor to the line that
contains that error. After you correct the error, you can try to compile the script
again.
Commenting out errors PowerBuilder does not save a script that has errors.
If you want to save a script that has errors, select the entire script and click the
Comment button. You can come back later, uncomment the code, and fix the
problem.

1 Right-click anywhere in the Script view script area.

Select Compile from the popup menu.
The script compiles. You do not leave the Script view or the Window
painter workspace.

2 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

Select File>Close from the menu bar.
The Window painter closes.

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Write the script to open the window

90
LE S S O N 4 Connecting to the Database

This lesson shows you how to make the application connect to the EAS
Demo DB database at execution time and how to use the Database painter
to look at the table definitions and database profile for this database.
In this lesson you:
• Look at the EAS Demo DB database
• Run the Connection Object wizard
• Declare a global variable
• Modify the connection information
• Complete the login and logout scripts
• Run the application

How long does it take?

About 25 minutes.

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Look at the EAS Demo DB database

Look at the EAS Demo DB database

Where you are
> Look at the EAS Demo DB database
Run the Connection Object wizard
Declare a global variable
Modify the connection information
Complete the login and logout scripts
Run the application

In many organizations, database specialists maintain the database. If this is true

in your organization, you may not need to create and maintain tables within the
database. However, to take full advantage of PowerBuilder, you should know
how to work with databases.
Defining a data source You can define a database as a data source using the
ODBC administrator or other database connection utilities. You can access the
ODBC Administrator from the DataBase Profile dialog box. The definitions of
ODBC data sources are stored in the odbc.ini registry key.
Using database profiles to connect Once you define a data source, you can
create a database profile for it. A database profile is a named set of parameters
that specifies a connection to a particular data source or database. Database
profiles provide an easy way for you to manage database connections that you
use frequently. When you are developing an application, you can change
database profiles to connect to a different data source.
When database connections occur PowerBuilder can establish a
connection to the database in either the design-time or runtime environment.
PowerBuilder connects to a database when you open certain painters, when
you compile or save a PowerBuilder script that contains embedded SQL
statements, or when you run a PowerBuilder application that accesses the
database.
To maintain database definitions with PowerBuilder, you do most of your work
using the Database painter. The Database painter allows you to:
• Create, alter, and drop tables
• Create, alter, and drop primary and foreign keys
• Create and drop indexes
• Define and modify extended attributes for columns
• Drop views

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

In this exercise you:

• Look at the database profile for the EAS Demo DB database
• Look at table definitions in the EAS Demo DB database

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Look at the EAS Demo DB database

Look at the database profile for the EAS Demo DB database

If you installed PowerBuilder with standard options, you already have a data
source and a database profile defined for the EAS Demo DB database. You use
the EAS Demo DB database in this tutorial.
The EAS Demo DB database is an Adaptive Server Anywhere database that is
accessed through ODBC. In this lesson you look at the database profile for the
EAS Demo DB database. PowerBuilder stores database profile parameters in
the registry.

1 Click the Database Profile button in the PowerBar.

or
Select Tools>Database Profile from the menu bar.
PowerBuilder displays the Database Profiles dialog box, which includes a
tree view of the installed database interfaces and defined database profiles
for each interface.

2 Select EAS Demo DB V4.

PowerBuilder creates this profile during installation.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

If you do not see the EAS Demo DB V4 database profile

If there is no profile for the EAS Demo DB V4 database, you may not have
installed the database. You can install it now from the product CD.
If you did install the database and it is defined as a data source in the
ODBC Administrator, select ODBC in the tree view of the Database
Profile painter and click New. In the Database Profile Setup dialog box,
select the data source from the Data Source dropdown listbox and type
EAS Demo DB V4 in the Profile Name textbox. Type dba for the user ID
and sql for the password, then click OK to return to the painter.

95
Look at the EAS Demo DB database

3 Click Edit.
PowerBuilder displays the Connection page of the Database Profile Setup
dialog box.

4 Select the Preview tab.

The PowerScript connection syntax for each selected option is shown on
the Preview tab. If you change any options, the syntax changes.

5 Click the Test Connection button.

A message box tells you that the connection has been successful.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

If the message box tells you the connection is not successful

Close the message box and verify that the information on the Connection
page of the Database Profile Setup dialog box is correct. Then check the
configuration of the data source in the ODBC Administrator.

6 Click OK to close the message box.

Click Cancel to close the Database Profile Setup dialog box.
Click Close to close the Database Profiles dialog box.

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Look at the EAS Demo DB database

Look at table definitions in the EAS Demo DB database

Now you look at the definitions for the Customer and Product tables in the EAS
Demo DB database. This helps you become familiar with the Database painter
and the tables you will use in the tutorial.
What happens when you connect To look at the table definitions, you have
to connect to the database. When you connect to a database in the development
environment, PowerBuilder writes the connection parameters to the Windows
registry.
Each time you connect to a different database, PowerBuilder overwrites the
existing parameters in the registry with those for the new database connection.
When you open a PowerBuilder painter that accesses the database, you
automatically connect to the last database used. PowerBuilder determines
which database this is by reading the registry.

1 Click the Database button in the PowerBar.

PowerBuilder connects to the database and the Database painter opens.
The Database painter title bar identifies the active database connection.
The Objects view of the Database painter displays all existing database
profiles in a tree view under the Installed Database Interfaces heading. You
can click the + signs or double-click the icons next to items in the tree view
to expand or contract tree view nodes. The EAS Demo DB V4 database is
visible under the ODBC node in the tree view.

If the Objects view is not open

The Objects view is part of the default view layout scheme. To reset to this
scheme, select View>Layouts>Default. You can also open an Objects
view by selecting View>Objects from the menu bar.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

2 Expand the EAS Demo DB V4 database node in the Objects view.

Notice the folders under the EAS Demo DB V4 database node.

3 Expand the Tables folder.

You see the list of tables in the database.

Table names may have a prefix

The table names in the Select Tables dialog box may have a prefix such as
dba or dbo. This depends on the login ID you are using. You can ignore
the prefix.

4 Right-click the customer table and select Add to Layout from the popup
menu.
or
Drag the customer table from the Objects view to the Object Layout
view.

Dragging an object from one view to another

When you start dragging an object from the Objects view to another view,
the pointer changes to a barred circle. If you continue moving the cursor
to a view that can accept the object, the barred circle changes back to a
pointer with an additional arrow symbol in a small box. When you see this
symbol, you can release the object.

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Look at the EAS Demo DB database

5 Repeat step 4 for the product table.

Widening the Object Layout view

You can widen the Object Layout view by dragging its separator bars
toward the painter frame. If the Object Layout view is part of a stack, you
may find it easier to separate it from the stack before you change its size.

The Object Layout view shows the two tables you selected.

Viewing table data types, comments, keys, and indexes

In the Object Layout view, you can see a description for each column, as
well as icons for keys and indexes. If you do not see this, right-click a
blank area inside the view and select Show Comments, Show Referential
Integrity, and then Show Index Keys from the popup menu. If you select
Show Datatypes, you also see the data type for each column in the selected
tables.

6 Right-click the title bar of the customer table in the Object Layout view
and select Alter Table from the popup menu.
or
Right-click the customer table in the Objects view and select Alter Table
from the popup menu.
The Columns view displays the column definitions for the table.

7 Right-click a column of the customer table in the Object Layout view.

Select Properties from the popup menu.
The Properties view in the Database painter is also called the Object
Details view.
The title bar and tab headings for the Object Details view change
dynamically depending on the current object selection. The title bar gives
the object type, the database connection, and the object identifier.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

The Object Details view for a column has five tabs, one for general
database properties, one for column header information, and the others for
column extended attributes.

About extended attributes

PowerBuilder stores extended attribute information in system tables of the
database. Extended attributes include headers and labels for columns,
initial values for columns, validation rules, and display formats.
You can define new extended attributes or change the definitions of
existing extended attributes from the popup menus of items in the
Extended Attributes view of the Database painter.

8 Close the Database painter.

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Run the Connection Object wizard

Run the Connection Object wizard

Where you are
Look at the EAS Demo DB database
> Run the Connection Object wizard
Declare a global variable
Modify the connection information
Complete the login and logout scripts
Run the application

Now you run the Connection Object wizard to create a connection service
manager that you use to establish the runtime database connection.
The connection service manager is a nonvisual user object. It is nonvisual
because it does not have a graphic representation in the runtime application; it
is a user object because it is a customized object. You use it to perform database
connection processing in a PowerBuilder application.

Why you run a second wizard

If you had specified connection information in the Template Application
wizard, you would have created the connection service manager when you
generated the application. You can use multiple wizards in building your
application.

1 Click the To-Do List button in the PowerBar.

The To-Do List was generated by the Template Application wizard.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

2 Double-click the Run Connection Object Wizard item in the list.

or
Right-click the Run Connection Object Wizard item.
Select Go To Link from the popup menu.
This is the next-to-last item in the list. The To-Do List lists what you need
to do to complete the application. You can also use the list to make
comments to yourself or other developers working on the application.
You could also run the Connection Object wizard from the PB Object page
of the New dialog box. You used the New dialog box to run the Template
Application wizard in Lesson 1, "Starting PowerBuilder".
The first page of the wizard tells you what it can do.

3 Click Next until the Choose Database Profile page displays.

You accept the wizard’s default selections for the destination library
(pbtutor.pbl) and the database connectivity options (SQL). The Choose
Database Connection Profile page lists all the database profiles stored in
the registry.

4 Select EAS Demo DB V4 in the Database Profiles listbox if it is not

already selected.
If you just installed PowerBuilder, this is the only database profile listed.

5 Click Next until the Ready To Create Connection Object page displays.
You accept the default settings for the following items:
Wizard page Option Default selection
Specify Source of Connection Application INI File
Connectivity Source Information
Info
Connection Service n_pbtutor_connectservice
Object
Name Application Application INI File pbtutor.ini
INI File

The wizard creates the n_pbtutor_connectservice user object to manage

your database connections. If you change an instance variable in this
connection service object, you can change the source of connection
information to the registry or to a script file. Otherwise, the pbtutor.ini
file—created by the wizard—is used for application connection
information.

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Run the Connection Object wizard

The last wizard page contains a summary of your choices, including the
default selections.

6 Click Finish.
The wizard creates the connection service object and opens it. It also
creates the application INI file. The To-Do List is still open.

7 Close the To-Do List.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Declare a global variable

Where you are
Look at the EAS Demo DB database
Run the Connection Object wizard
> Declare a global variable
Modify the connection information
Complete the login and logout scripts
Run the application

You will next examine the new connection service manager and create a global
variable to reference it. A global variable is available to all objects in the
application.
In more complex applications, you might prefer to reference the connection
service manager with local variables. This would release more memory as soon
as the local variable went out of scope. But in the tutorial, you should keep an
instance of the connection service manager available as long as the database
connection is open.
Establishing a connection To make it possible for an application to
connect to the database at execution time, the connection service manager calls
a wizard-generated function to set properties for a Transaction object that
serves as a communications area between the application and the database.
SQLCA Transaction object The connection service manager uses a built-in
nonvisual system object, the SQL Communications Area (SQLCA) object, as
the default Transaction object. The SQLCA object has several default
properties (including database name, login ID, and password) that are
populated by the connection service manager.
If an application communicates with multiple databases, you can create
additional Transaction objects as needed, one for each database connection.

What is required and what is not

You must have a Transaction object to connect to a database. The connection
service manager is not required, but is used in the tutorial because it generates
Transaction object properties you would otherwise have to type in an
application script.

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Declare a global variable

1 Make sure n_pbtutor_connectservice is open in the User Object painter.

Opening the connection service manager

If the n_pbtutor_connectservice object is not open in the User Object
painter, double-click n_pbtutor_connectservice in the System Tree.

The default view layout scheme for this painter includes a Script view and
a Declare Instance Variables view as part of a stack of tabbed panes.

2 Make sure n_pbtutor_connectservice is selected in the first dropdown

listbox of a Script view.
Make sure the Constructor event is selected in the second dropdown
listbox.
The Script view displays the script created by the Connection Object
wizard for the Constructor event.

The script calls the function of_GetConnectionInfo to obtain connection

information. You will next look at the script for this function.

3 Select Functions in the first dropdown listbox in a Script view.

Select of_GetConnectionInfo in the second dropdown listbox.
The script for this function passes database connection information to the
Constructor event of the connection service manager. The information
passed depends on an instance variable. In this case, the value of the
is_connectfrom variable is 1. You verify this in a moment. The instance
variable is available to all functions and events of the
n_pbtutor_connectservice object.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Because the is_connectfrom variable is 1, the connection service manager

looks to the Database section of the named INI file to get database
connection information using ProfileString function calls. In this case, the
named INI file is pbtutor.ini. You created this file with the Connection
Object wizard.
Later you modify the pbtutor.ini file and the of_GetConnectionInfo
function to make sure that user ID and password information comes from
the login window instead of the INI file.

4 Select of_ConnectDB in the second dropdown listbox.

This is the connection service manager function that actually connects to
the database using the SQLCA Transaction object. You call this function
from the login window you created in Lesson 3, "Building a Login
Window".
Notice that the wizard-generated script for this function also opens a
message box if the database connection fails.

5 Select of_DisconnectDB in the second dropdown listbox.

This is the connection service manager function that disconnects from the
database. You call this function from the application Close event.

6 Select Instance Variables in the second dropdown listbox of the

Declare Instance Variables view if it is not already selected.

Selecting Declare in Script views

You cannot select Declare in the first dropdown listbox if a second Script
view already displays instance variables.

You can now verify that the value of the is_connectfrom variable is 1.

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Declare a global variable

7 Select Global Variables in the second dropdown listbox.

Drag n_pbtutor_connectservice from the System Tree to the Script view.
Dragging object and function names from the System Tree to the Script
view saves time and helps avoid typing errors.

8 Complete the line as follows:

n_pbtutor_connectservice gnv_connect
Although you declare this object in the Script view for the
n_pbtutor_connectservice user object, it is available everywhere in the
application.

Naming conventions for variables

To make scripts easier to read, it is best to follow a standard naming
convention. The recommended standard is to give each variable a 2-letter
or 3-letter prefix followed by an underscore ( _ ). The first letter of the
prefix identifies the scope of the variable (for example: g for global, l for
local) and the next letter or letters identify the data type (for example: s for
string, l for long, or nv for nonvisual object).

9 Click the Save button in the PainterBar.

or
Select File>Save from the menu bar.
PowerBuilder compiles the script and saves it. If you had typed the global
variable data type (instead of dragging it from the System Tree) and you
made a typing error, an error message would display. You would then
correct the error and select Save again.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Modify the connection information

Where you are
Look at the EAS Demo DB database
Run the Connection Object wizard
Declare a global variable
> Modify the connection information
Complete the login and logout scripts
Run the application

You can now call the connection service manager to establish a database
connection, but you should open a database connection only if the user enters
a valid ID and password in the login window. You will therefore add the
connection service call to the Clicked event of the OK button on this window,
substituting user-entered information for information from the pbtutor.ini file.
Before you do that though, you remove or comment out the ProfileString calls
that the connection service manager makes to get user ID and password
information from the INI file. Then you modify the DBParm parameter in the
pbtutor.ini file, because it includes hard-coded user ID and password values
that were copied from the pb.ini file.
In this exercise you:
• Modify the of_GetConnectionInfo function
• Call the connection service manager

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Modify the connection information

Modify the of_GetConnectionInfo function

You looked at the of_GetConnectionInfo function in the last exercise. Now you
comment out the information that the function returns for the user ID and
password information.
If you closed the User Object painter, you must open it again for the
n_pbtutor_connectservice user object. You can use the File>Recent Objects
menu to redisplay it.

1 Select Functions in the first dropdown listbox in the Script view.

Select of_GetConnectionInfo in the second dropdown listbox.

2 Select the two ProfileString assignment lines that begin:

as_userid = ProfileString (...)
as_dbpass = ProfileString (...)
The four arguments of a ProfileString call are the INI filename or variable,
the INI file section, the INI file key, and the default value to be used if the
INI filename, section, or key is incorrect. These lines are part of the
IS_USE_INIFILE case of the CHOOSE CASE statement for the
of_GetConnectionInfo function.

3 Click the comment button in PainterBar2.

By commenting out these lines, you make sure that the user ID and
password information do not come from the pbtutor.ini file.

4 Click anywhere in the line that begins:

as_dbparm = ProfileString ( ... )

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

5 Click the comment button in PainterBar2.

The DBParm parameter in the ptutor.ini file includes hard-coded values
for the user ID and password as well as the database name. You do not use
these values. Instead, you assign values to the DBParm parameter from
user-entry information for user ID and password.

The SQLCA DBParm parameter

Although the user ID and password are not required for the DBParm
ConnectString, assigning them to the ConnectString overwrites user ID
and password values in the data source definition for an Adaptive Server
Anywhere database. For this DBMS, the DBParm parameter also takes
precedence over the SQLCA UserID and DBPass parameters.

6 Click the Save button in PainterBar1.

Click the Close button in PainterBar1.

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Modify the connection information

Call the connection service manager

You will next call the connection service manager to connect to the database.
Because you eventually need to add user-entry information from the login
window, you add the call to the Clicked event for the OK button on this
window.
An object is considered to be the parent of the controls that are added to it. The
login window is therefore the parent of the OK button.
When referring to a parent object in a script, it is usually better practice to use
the qualifier parent than to name the object explicitly. This allows the code to
be more easily reused for controls placed on a different object. In the script for
the Clicked event, you refer to the login window as parent.

Using a single wizard to create the application and connection

If you had created the connection service user object with the Template
Application wizard, the code you enter in this exercise to call the connection
service manager would have been generated automatically, but it would have
been added to the application Open event, not to a Clicked event in a login
window. It would also have used a local variable, not a global variable.

1 Double-click w_welcome in the System Tree.

The Window painter opens.

2 Select cb_ok in the first dropdown listbox of the Script view.

or
Double-click the OK button in the Layout view.
The Clicked event should be the selected event in the second dropdown
listbox. If it is not, select it. The Clicked event script is empty.

3 Type these lines:

// 1) Instantiate the Transaction object
// 2) Close login window if connection successful
These lines explain the code you add to the Clicked event. Adding double
slash marks at the front of a line turns it into a comment.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

4 Type the following assignment statement below the comments:

gnv_connect = CREATE &
n_pbtutor_connectservice
Do not type the ampersand (&) if you combine the lines of the script into
a single line. The ampersand character indicates that a line of script is
continued on the next line.
The CREATE statement instantiates the SQLCA Transaction object with
all the values retrieved by the of_GetConnectionInfo function from the
pbtutor.ini file. Because you previously commented out the lines for the
user ID and password, this information is not retrieved.
For ease of reading, you can add blank lines between the comments and
the assignment statement for the global variable gnv_connect.

5 Type the following lines below the CREATE statement:

IF gnv_connect.of_ConnectDB ( ) = 0 THEN
Close (parent)
END IF
The of_ConnectDB function connects the application to the database. As
you saw earlier in this lesson, if the connection fails (the SQLCode is
not 0), a message box opens and displays the SQL error text.
If of_ConnectDB returns a zero (the SQLCode for a successful
connection), the lines that follow the IF-THEN statement line are parsed.
In this case, the parent window for the cb_ok control (w_welcome) closes.

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Modify the connection information

6 Click the Compile button in PainterBar2.

or
Right-click inside the Script view and click Compile in the popup
menu.
The script should compile without error. If you get an error message, make
sure you have typed object and function names correctly and saved
gnv_connect as a global variable.

Toggling the Error window of the Script view

You can show or hide the Error window by clicking the icon at the far right
of the Script view just under the title bar.

You still need to code the Clicked event to instantiate the Transaction
object with user-entered connection information.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Complete the login and logout scripts

Where you are
Look at the EAS Demo DB database
Run the Connection Object wizard
Declare a global variable
Modify the connection information
> Complete the login and logout scripts
Run the application

Earlier in this lesson, you called the connection service manager from the
Clicked event for the login window OK button. Next you add code to the same
Clicked event to instantiate the Transaction object with information entered by
the user.
You also add code to the login window Cancel button Clicked event and to the
application Closed event.

Minimizing typing errors in the Script view

If you right-click inside the scripting area, you open a popup menu that
includes Paste Special commands. You can use these commands to paste
statements, objects, functions or even the contents of text files into the event
script. This reduces the risk of typing errors. You can also use AutoScript to
complete code, as you will see in this lesson.

In this exercise you:

• Set up shortcuts for AutoScript
• Add code to the OK button Clicked event
• Add code to the Cancel button Clicked event
• Add code to the application Close event

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Complete the login and logout scripts

Set up shortcuts for AutoScript

When you are coding scripts, AutoScript provides help by completing the
statement you are typing or displaying a list of language elements that are
appropriate to insert in the script at the cursor location.

1 Select Design>Options from the menu bar and click the AutoScript tab.

2 Check all the checkboxes in the first three groupboxes.

If they are not clear, clear the Activate Only After a Dot and Automatic
Popup checkboxes.
Click OK.
With these settings, AutoScript provides Help wherever it has enough
information to determine what code to insert, but it does not pop up
automatically when you pause.

3 Select Tools>Keyboard Shortcuts from the menu bar.

Expand the Edit node in the tree.

4 Scroll down and select Activate AutoScript.

With your cursor in the Press Keys for Shortcut box, press
CTRL+SPACE.

5 Expand the Go To node in the Edit menu and select Next Marker.
Type CTRL+M in the shortcut box.
Click OK.
Now whenever you want help completing code, you can press
CTRL+SPACE to pop up a list of possible completions. If you paste in a
statement or function with comments, you can press CTRL+M to move to
the next comment.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Add code to the OK button Clicked event

As is often the case when you are developing production applications, you get
some of the connection properties from an initialization file and some from
user input.
For the tutorial application, you should not get the user ID and password from
the tutorial INI file. Get them directly from the user in the login window and
you provide the database information in a script.

1 Make sure you are looking at the Clicked event script for the cb_ok
control.
This is the script in which you added the call to the Connection Service
object.

2 Click before the IF-THEN statement.

Type the following lines.
or
Type only the first two lines (the local variable declarations), and then
use AutoScript to help with typing the assignment statements.
//Local variable declarations
string ls_database, ls_userid, ls_password

//Assignment statements
ls_userid = Trim ( sle_userid.text )
ls_password = Trim ( sle_password.text )
ls_database = "ConnectString=’DSN=EAS Demo DB V4;"
You declare local variables here and assign them values. Do not use blank
spaces around the = signs in the ConnectString text.

Using AutoScript to help code the assignment statements

When you type the assignment statements, if you type the letters before the
underscore in a variable name and then press CTRL+SPACE, AutoScript
pops up a list of possible completions. Use the arrow keys to move to the
correct completion and the TAB key to paste it into your script. If you type
the underscore and the first letter after the underscore and then press
CTRL+SPACE, AutoScript pastes the completion directly into your script, as
long as there is a unique completion.

The Trim function removes leading and trailing spaces from the user ID
and password values passed as arguments to the function from the
SingleLineEdit boxes on the login window.

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Complete the login and logout scripts

3 Click after the lines you just added (and after the CREATE statement)
but before the IF-THEN statement.
Type the following lines:
//Instantiate with user-entry values
SQLCA.userid = ls_userid
SQLCA.dbpass = ls_password
SQLCA.dbparm = ls_database + "UID=" + &
ls_userid + ";PWD=" + ls_password + "’"
These lines instantiate SQLCA parameters with values from the
SingleLineEdit textboxes.
The lines must be added to the script after the CREATE statement to keep
them from being overwritten with blank values from the Constructor event
of the connection service manager. They must be added before the IF-
THEN statement or their values are not used by the Transaction object
when it is called by the of_ConnectDB function of the connection service
manager.

4 Click the Compile button in PainterBar2.

or
Right-click inside the Script view and click Compile in the popup
menu.
The script should compile without error. If you get an error message, make
sure you have typed object and function names correctly.

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Add code to the Cancel button Clicked event

Now you add code to the Cancel button to stop the application when this button
is clicked.

1 Double-click the Cancel button in the Layout view.

or
Select cb_cancel in the first dropdown listbox of the Script view.
The script area for the Cancel button is blank.

2 Type this one-line script for the Clicked event:

HALT
This statement terminates the application immediately when the user
clicks Cancel on the login window.

3 Click the Save button in the PainterBar.

or
Select File>Save from the menu bar.
PowerBuilder compiles the script.

4 Click the Close button in the PainterBar.

or
Select File>Close from the menu bar.
The Window painter closes.

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Complete the login and logout scripts

Add code to the application Close event

Because the connection service manager was called by a global variable, it is
still available to the application and does not need to be instantiated again (as
it would if you had used a local variable).
Now you call the connection service manager disconnect function to close the
database connection.

1 Double-click the pbtutor application icon in the System Tree.

The Application painter displays different views of the tutorial application
object. The Script view is part of a stack in the default layout, but you may
find it easier to detach it from the stack or open a second Script view.

2 Select close ( ) returns (none) in the second dropdown listbox of the

Script view.
There is no code yet for the application Close event.

3 Type the following lines for the Close event comment:

Application Close script:
Disconnect from the database

4 Select all or part of the lines you just added.

Click the Comment button.

5 Type the following line below the comment you typed (you can use
AutoScript to complete the variable name and the function name):
gnv_connect.of_DisconnectDB ( )

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 Lesson 4 Connecting to the Database

Releasing memory by setting global variables to null

If this were not the application Close event and you no longer needed an
instance of the global connection variable, you could release the memory
it occupies by calling the SetNull function.
PowerBuilder also provides a DESTROY statement to destroy object
instances. Do not use the DESTROY statement for local or global
variables for nonvisual objects. PowerBuilder garbage collection removes
any local variables that go out of scope.

6 Right-click anywhere in the script area of the Script view.

Click Compile in the popup menu.
PowerBuilder compiles the Close script. If you get an error message, look
carefully at the lines you typed to make sure there is no mistyped variable
or object name.

7 Click the Close button in PainterBar1.

A message box asks if you want to save your changes to the Application
object in the application library file.

8 Click Yes.
You save your changes and close the Application painter.

121
Run the application

Run the application

Where you are
Look at the EAS Demo DB database
Run the Connection Object wizard
Declare a global variable
Modify the connection information
Complete the login and logout scripts
> Run the application

Now you run the application.

1 Click the Run button in the PowerBar.

If a message box prompts you to save changes, click Yes to save
them.
The workspace closes and your application runs.

2 Type dba in the User ID box.

Type sql in the Password box.
The password text is displayed as asterisks. Because you set the tab order
for this window, you can tab from the User ID box to the Password box,
and then to the OK button.

3 Click OK.
The database connection is established and the MDI frame for your
application displays.

If you enter an invalid user ID or password

If you mistyped the user ID or password, the ODBC Configuration dialog
box displays. You get a second chance to enter a valid user ID and
password on the Login page of this dialog box. If you click the Test
Connection button on the ODBC page of the dialog box without changing
this information, a message box tells you that your user ID or password is
not valid.

4 Select File>Exit from the menu bar.

The application terminates and you return to the development
environment.

122
LE S S O N 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

In this lesson you modify the ancestor sheet window that you generated
with the Application Template wizard. You:
• Add DataWindow controls to the ancestor sheet window
• Add user events and event scripts
• Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls
• Rebuild library objects

How long does it take?

About 25 minutes.

123
Add DataWindow controls

Add DataWindow controls

Where you are
> Add DataWindow controls
Add user events and event scripts
Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls
Rebuild library objects

Now you open a window that you generated with the Template Application
wizard and add DataWindow controls to it. The window you modify was
generated as the ancestor to the sheet windows: w_customers and w_products.
Tutorial design strategy In a typical application you would add an
extension layer object between the ancestor basesheet and the descendent sheet
windows. You would then modify the extension layer object rather than the
basesheet, giving your application the flexibility to open sheet windows
inherited from different extension layer objects that all inherit, in turn, from the
same basesheet.
However, since this tutorial uses only one type of sheet window, it foregoes the
use of this superior design strategy in the interests of brevity and rapid
deployment. The modifications to the tutorial application are made directly to
the basesheet (ancestor window).
Using a predefined user object The DataWindow controls you add to the
ancestor window inherit their definitions from a user object that was created
for the tutorial application. The user object is a customized DataWindow
control that includes scripts to perform standard database error checking.
The user object is provided in a PBL file that is installed with PowerBuilder.
All you need to do to use this user object is to include its PBL in the library
search path and place it in the ancestor window.

Why use a user object

You can build a user object in PowerBuilder to perform processing that you use
frequently in applications. Once you have defined a user object, you can reuse
it as many times as you need without any additional work.

124
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

In this exercise you:

• Add a library to the search path
• Add a DataWindow control for the master DataWindow
• Add a DataWindow control for the detail DataWindow
• View the scripts inherited from the user object

125
Add DataWindow controls

Add a library to the search path

Next you add a library to the tutorial application search path. You must add all
libraries on which an application depends.
The library you add to the current application contains some precoded objects,
including the user object (u_dwstandard) that you will later add to the base
sheet window.

1 Right-click the pbtutor target in the System Tree.

Select Properties from the popup menu.
The Properties of Target pbtutor dialog box displays. The Library List
page is open.

2 Click Browse.
The Select Library dialog box displays.

126
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

3 Navigate to the Tutorial folder.

Select tutor_pb.pbl and click Open.
You return to the Library List page. The tutor_pb.pbl file is now included
in the search path for the tutorial application.

4 Click OK.

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Add DataWindow controls

Add a DataWindow control for the master DataWindow

Now you add a DataWindow control (saved as the user object, u_dwstandard)
to the w_master_detail_ancestor window. It serves as the master DataWindow
for the ancestor window and its descendants.

How to create a user object like u_dwstandard

You can create a user object based on a DataWindow control by clicking the
New button and selecting Standard Visual from the PB Object page of the New
dialog box. This opens the Select Standard Visual Type dialog box. You can
then select DataWindow in the Types textbox and add user events as needed.
You see how to add user events later in this tutorial.

1 Double-click w_master_detail_ancestor in the System Tree.

The w_master_detail_ancestor window opens in the Window painter. You
generated this window with the Template Application wizard. The wizard
also created and attached a menu to this window, m_pbtutor_sheet. The
menu is indicated in the Properties view for the window. You change this
property later.

2 Click the Layout tab in the stack of panes to display the window.

3 Expand tutor_pb.pbl in the System Tree.

Drag u_dwstandard from the System Tree to the
w_master_detail_ancestor window.

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 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

4 Lengthen the window in sthe Layout view so that the control is

completely visible inside the window.
PowerBuilder creates a DataWindow control that inherits its definition
from the user object.

5 Make sure the new control is selected in the Layout view.

Small black squares at the corners indicate that the control is selected. The
Properties view displays the properties of the selected control.

129
Add DataWindow controls

6 Select the text dw_1 in the Name textbox in the Properties view.
Type dw_master in the Name textbox.
Select the Vscroll Bar checkbox.

PowerBuilder adds a vertical scrollbar to the control. It also changes its

name to dw_master.
The prefix dw_ is standard for DataWindow controls.

130
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

Add a DataWindow control for the detail DataWindow

Now you add a second DataWindow control that is the detail DataWindow in
the application.

1 Resize the window so that there is room for a second DataWindow

control below the first.
Drag u_dwstandard from the System Tree to below the dw_master
control in the Layout view.
PowerBuilder creates another DataWindow control that inherits its
definition from the user object u_dwstandard.

2 Move the DataWindow control so that it is completely visible inside

the window.
If you need to, you can maximize the Layout view and enlarge the window
object inside it to make more room for the DataWindow controls.

3 Make sure that the new control is selected in the Layout view.
The Properties view displays the properties of the selected control.

4 Select the text dw_1 in the Name textbox in the Properties view.
Type dw_detail in the Name textbox.
PowerBuilder changes the name of the control to dw_detail.

131
Add DataWindow controls

View the scripts inherited from the user object

Now you view the scripts the DataWindow controls inherited from
u_dwstandard.

1 Double-click the dw_detail DataWindow in the Layout view.

or
Select dw_detail from the first dropdown listbox in the Script view if it
is not already selected.
The Script view opens to the script for the dw_detail control’s
ItemChanged event. This script is empty.
Unscripted events are alphabetized separately from scripted events.
Scripted events are listed at the top of the dropdown listbox. You now look
at the dberror event that contains an ancestor script (so you need to scroll
up in the event dropdown listbox to find it).

2 Select dberror from the second dropdown listbox in the Script view.
This script is also empty, but a script icon next to the event name is purple.
This indicates that the ancestor control (u_dwstandard) has an associated
script.

3 Select Edit>Go To>Ancestor Script from the menu bar.

or
Select u_dwstandard in the third dropdown listbox.
PowerBuilder displays the script for the DBError event in the Script view.
The ancestor script is read-only when it is accessed from the Script view
for one of its descendants.

132
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

4 Scroll through the window to view the database error-handling logic

defined for the DBError event.
The script suppresses the default error message that the DBError event
normally displays. Instead, it causes an appropriate message to be
displayed for each database error that might occur. The script makes calls
to user events that were declared for the user object.
Because you used the u_dwstandard object to define both DataWindow
controls in the window, this logic is automatically reused in both controls.

5 Select Edit>Go To>Descendant Script from the menu bar.

or
Right-click inside the script area of the Script view.
Select Go To>Descendant Script from the popup menu.
The third dropdown listbox again displays w_master_detail_ancestor, the
identifier of the object that contains the current control. The script for the
DBError event of this control (dw_detail) is still blank.

133
Add user events and event scripts

Add user events and event scripts

Where you are
Add DataWindow controls
> Add user events and event scripts
Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls
Rebuild library objects

Windows, user objects, and controls have predefined events associated with
them. Most of the time, the predefined events are all you need, but there are
times when you want to declare your own events. Events that you define are
called user events.
Purpose of user events One reason to define a user event is to reduce
coding in situations where an application provides several ways to perform a
particular task. For example, a task like updating the database can be
performed by clicking a button, selecting a menu item, or closing a window.
Instead of writing the code to update the database in each of these places, you
can define a user event, then trigger that user event in each place you update
the database.
Now you define some user events to handle retrieval, insert, update, and delete
operations against the tutorial database. You make these changes in the Script
view of the Window painter. Later in the tutorial, you add code in the Menu
painter to trigger these events.

1 Select w_master_detail_ancestor in the first dropdown listbox of the

Script view.

2 Select Insert>Event from the menu bar.

or
Select New Event in the second dropdown listbox of the Script view.
The Script view displays the Prototype window for defining a new event.

134
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

The first button to the right of the third dropdown listbox is a toggle switch
that displays or hides the Prototype window.

3 Type ue_retrieve in the Event Name textbox in the Prototype window.

Click inside the Script view below the Prototype window.
Type these lines (or use AutoScript as described below):
IF dw_master.Retrieve() <> -1 THEN
dw_master.SetFocus()
dw_master.SetRowFocusIndicator(Hand!)
END IF

Using AutoScript instead of typing

You can use AutoScript to paste in the IF THEN template as well as the
variables and function names:
Type IF, then press CTRL+SPACE.
Press TAB to paste an IF THEN statement.
Type dw_m, then press CTRL+SPACE.
Place the cursor after dw_master, type a dot, then type CTRL+SPACE.
Scroll and select retrieve( ), press TAB, and type the rest of the line.
Press CTRL+M to jump to the next comment.
Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 to insert the other function calls in the script.

As soon as you click in the script area, the text in the second dropdown
listbox of the Script view changes from New Event to ue_retrieve. It has
no arguments and does not return a value.
The script lines you enter execute the Retrieve function and place the
retrieved rows in the dw_master DataWindow control. If the retrieval
operation succeeds, the script sets the focus to the first row in the
DataWindow control and establishes the hand pointer as the current row
indicator.

135
Add user events and event scripts

If the retrieve fails

If the retrieval operation does not succeed, PowerBuilder triggers the
DBError event. The logic for the DBError event is handled in the user
object u_dwstandard. You looked at this script in the previous exercise.

4 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

Right-click the Prototype window and select New Event from the
popup menu.
PowerBuilder compiles the script you entered for the ue_retrieve event.
The Script view displays the Prototype window for another new user
event.

If you get an error message

Mistyped or incomplete script entries generate compiler errors. If you
select No when prompted to ignore compilation errors, a compiler error
area displays at the bottom of the Script view, identifying your error. If this
happens, retype the script for the ue_retrieve event.
You can display or hide the compiler error area by clicking the second
toggle switch at the top right of the Script view.

136
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

5 Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the following entries:

Event name Script
ue_insert dw_detail.Reset()
dw_detail.InsertRow(0)
dw_detail.SetFocus()
ue_update IF dw_detail.Update() = 1 THEN
COMMIT using SQLCA;
MessageBox("Save","Save succeeded")
ELSE
ROLLBACK using SQLCA;
END IF
ue_delete dw_detail.DeleteRow(0)

What the scripts do The first line of the script for the ue_insert event
clears the dw_detail DataWindow control. The second line inserts a new
row after the last row in the DataWindow (the argument zero specifies the
last row). The third line positions the cursor in the dw_detail control.
The ue_insert and ue_delete events operate on the DataWindow buffer, not
on the database. When these events are triggered, a row is not inserted or
deleted from the database unless the Update function is also called (the
ue_update event calls this function). If the Update function returns the
integer 1, changes made to the buffer are committed to the database. If it
returns a different integer, changes to the buffer are rolled back.
In the script for the ue_delete event, the argument zero in the DeleteRow
function specifies that the current row in the dw_detail control be deleted.

6 Click the Save button.

137
Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls

Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow

controls
Where you are
Add DataWindow controls
Add user events and event scripts
> Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls
Rebuild library objects

The scripts you just typed have no effect on the dw_master DataWindow
control, but now that you have a script for the ue_retrieve event, you need only
trigger this event to retrieve data into the dw_master DataWindow.
You trigger the ue_retrieve event from the sheet window Open event. This
retrieves data into the dw_master DataWindow as soon as the window (or one
of its descendent windows) opens. Then you add a script for the
RowFocusChanged event of dw_master to retrieve data into the dw_detail
DataWindow. The RowFocusChanged event is triggered each time the focus is
changed inside the dw_master DataWindow.

RowFocusChanged occurs upon DataWindow display

The RowFocusChanged event also occurs when the w_master DataWindow is
first displayed. This allows the application to retrieve and display detail
information for the first row retrieved in the master DataWindow.

Here is how the script works for the w_master_detail_ancestor window and its
descendants when you are done:
• When a sheet window first opens, a list (of all customers or products)
displays in the top DataWindow control. Detail information for the first
item in the list displays in the bottom DataWindow control.
• When a user moves through the list in the top DataWindow control using
the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys or by clicking in a row, the details
for the current row display in the bottom DataWindow control.

1 Select open from the second dropdown listbox in the Script view for
w_master_detail_ancestor.
The Open event calls the ue_postopen event and posts it to the end of the
window’s message queue. You modify the ue_postopen event later.

138
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

2 Type these new lines in the script area below the call to the
ue_postopen event:
dw_master.settransobject ( sqlca )
dw_detail.settransobject ( sqlca )
this.EVENT ue_retrieve()
The first two lines tell the dw_master and dw_detail DataWindows to look
in the SQLCA Transaction object for the values of the database variables.
The third line triggers the ue_retrieve event. The pronoun This refers to the
current object. In this example, the w_master_detail_ancestor window is
the current object.

3 Select dw_master in the first dropdown listbox of the Script view.

Select rowfocuschanged in the second dropdown listbox.
You now add a script for the RowFocusChanged event of the dw_master
DataWindow control. This script sends a retrieval request and the ID
number of the selected row to the dw_detail DataWindow control.

Read the event name carefully

Make sure you select the RowFocusChanged event, and not the
RowFocusChanging event.

4 Type this line in the script area for the RowFocusChanged event:
long ll_itemnum
This line declares the local variable ll_itemnum (l is a letter, not a number),
which has the long data type.

5 Type this line below the variable declaration line you just typed:
ll_itemnum = this.object.data[currentrow, 1]

Use square brackets

The expression shown above requires square brackets, not parentheses.

This line uses a DataWindow data expression to obtain the item number in
column 1 of the currently selected row of dw_master. It stores the number
in the variable ll_itemnum.

139
Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls

CurrentRow is an argument passed to the RowFocusChanged event that

specifies the current row in the DataWindow control. The current row is
the row the user has selected by clicking or by scrolling with the arrow or
tab keys.

6 Type these lines below the data expression line you just typed:
IF dw_detail.Retrieve(ll_itemnum) = -1 THEN
MessageBox("Retrieve","Retrieve error-detail")
END IF
This group of lines sends a retrieval request to the dw_detail DataWindow
along with the argument the DataWindow expects (an ID number stored in
the ll_itemnum variable). The IF statement that encloses the Retrieve
function checks for successful completion. If the retrieval operation fails,
it displays an error message box.

7 Click the Save button in PainterBar1.

or
Select File>Save from the menu bar.
PowerBuilder compiles the script you typed.

8 Click the Close button in PainterBar1.

or
Select File>Close from the menu bar.

140
 Lesson 5 Modifying the Ancestor Window

Rebuild library objects

Where you are
Add DataWindow controls
Add user events and event scripts
Add scripts to retrieve data for the DataWindow controls
> Rebuild library objects

It is a good idea to rebuild all your objects after modifying an ancestor object.
You do this now from the popup menu for the workspace object in the System
Tree.

1 Click the Full Build Workspace button in the PowerBar.

or
Right-click the Workspace icon in the System Tree and select Full Build
from the popup menu.
PowerBuilder rebuilds all objects in your workspace. You can see the
status of the work in the Output view which displays below the System
Tree at the bottom of the PowerBuilder main window. The build is finished
when the Output view displays Finished Full build of workspace
MyWorkspace.

2 Close the Output view by clicking the Output button in the PowerBar.

141
Rebuild library objects

142
LE S S O N 6 Setting Up the Menus

In this lesson you set up the menus for the application. You:
• Modify the frame menu
• Create a new sheet menu
• Add menu scripts to trigger user events
• Attach the new menu and run the application
Menus are separate objects that you create using the Menu painter. After
you create a menu, you can attach it to as many windows as you want. You
can create menus at any time during the application development process.

How long does it take?

About 25 minutes.

143
Modify the frame menu

Modify the frame menu

Where you are
> Modify the frame menu
Create a new sheet menu
Add menu scripts to trigger user events
Attach the new menu and run the application

The frame menu was created automatically by the Template Application

wizard. The m_pbtutor_frame menu is the ancestor of all the other menus you
work with in the tutorial. Changes you make to this menu are automatically
propagated to descendent menus.
In the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) view of the Menu painter,
you see menus as they appear when the application is running. In this tutorial,
you use the WYSIWYG view to make changes to the application menus, but
you can make the same changes from the Tree Menu view. You use the
Properties view to change a toolbar button.
In this exercise you:
• Modify the File menu
• Enable Help menu items

144
 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Modify the File menu

Now you modify the File cascading menu of the m_pbtutor_frame menu.

1 Double-click m_pbtutor_frame in the System Tree.

The Menu painter displays the menu associated with the MDI frame
window in the application. Because m_pbtutor_sheet inherits from
m_pbtutor_frame, changes you make to the frame menu are propagated to
the sheet menu.
If a WYSIWYG view is not open, you can select it from the View menu in
the Menu painter menu bar.

2 Click the File menu in the WYSIWYG view of m_pbtutor_frame.

When you click a menu item in the WYSIWYG view, its menu items
appear just as they would at runtime.

If the File menu does not display its menu items

The File menu is selected when you display the WYSIWYG view. You
may need to click one of the other menus (Edit, Window, or Help) and then
click again on the File menu to display its menu items.

3 Right-click New under the File menu.

Select Edit Menu Item Text in the popup menu.
Type &Report and press ENTER.
You change the display name of the New menu item to Report. The menu
name remains m_new and its purpose (to open new sheet windows)
remains the same.

Define accelerator keys with the ampersand character

The character following the ampersand is used as an accelerator key
(mnemonic) and appears with an underscore in the WYSIWYG display. In
the runtime application, the user can access the File>Report menu by
pressing ALT+F+R.

145
Modify the frame menu

4 Make sure that &Report appears in the Text box in the Properties view.
Click the Toolbar tab in the Properties view.
The toolbar item text is New, Open New Sheet. There is no selection in the
ToolbarItemName box, so no toolbar button appears at runtime for the
Report menu item. You do not add a toolbar button here, because you use
the Report menu item to access cascading menu items rather than as a
command to open a new sheet.

5 Click the Open menu item under the File menu in the WYSIWYG view.
Click the General tab in the Properties view.
Clear the Visible checkbox on the General page of the Properties view.
Clear the Enabled checkbox on the General page of the Properties
view.
You hide this item in all runtime menus. When you clear the Visible
property, the WYSIWYG view displays the menu item with a dithered
appearance. It is not be visible at runtime.

6 Click the Toolbar tab of the Properties view.

Clear the ToolbarItemVisible checkbox.
This prevents the toolbar button for this menu item from appearing in the
frame menu toolbar (a button can be included in a toolbar even if its
corresponding menu item is not visible or enabled).

7 Click Exit under the File menu in the WYSIWYG view.

The Toolbar page of the Properties view remains open. The
ToolbarItemText and ToolbarItemName values change to show the values
for the m_exit menu item.

146
 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Enable Help menu items

The Help menu has three items, but only one, Help About, is enabled. Now you
enable the other menu items, using commented-out code that was provided by
the Template Application wizard and the pbtutor.hlp file in the Tutorial
directory.
You call application Help topics with the ShowHelp function, passing it an
enumerated value that identifies whether you want the Help contents or index
to display, or a specific topic or keyword. ShowHelp can open Windows Help
or compiled HTML Help (CHM) files.

1 Double-click the Help Index menu item in the Help menu in the
WYSIWYG view.
or
Select m_help.m_helpindex in the first listbox in the Script view.
The full name of the Help Index menu item includes the m_help prefix to
indicate that it is in the Help menu.

2 Select Clicked in the second dropdown box if it is not already selected.

3 Position the cursor in the line that contains the ShowHelp function
and click the Uncomment button in the PowerBar.
Change myapp.hlp to pbtutor.hlp:
ShowHelp ("pbtutor.hlp", Index!)
This displays the default topic in the Help file.

4 Check the Enabled box on the General page in the Properties view.

5 Repeat the preceding steps for the Search for Help On menu item.
The ShowHelp call looks like this:
ShowHelp ("pbtutor.hlp", Keyword!, "")
If the third argument in this call contained a string that was a keyword in
the Help file, the associated topic would display. Because the argument is
an empty string, the Help Search window displays.

147
Modify the frame menu

6 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

PowerBuilder saves the m_pbtutor_frame menu.

7 Select File>Close from the menu bar.

148
 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Create a new sheet menu

Where you are
Modify the frame menu
> Create a new sheet menu
Add menu scripts to trigger user events
Attach the new menu and run the application

Now you create a new menu that displays whenever the user opens an MDI
sheet to look at customer or product information. The menu you create is a
descendant of the m_pbtutor_sheet menu that was generated by the Template
Application wizard.
The m_pbtutor_sheet menu inherits in turn from m_pbtutor_frame, but has
some additional menu items enabled. In the menu you create, you add menu
items that are not present in the ancestor menus.
In this exercise you:
• Inherit and save a new menu
• Add items to the new menu
• Add a new toolbar for the new menu items

149
Create a new sheet menu

Inherit and save a new menu

By inheriting from the application sheet menu, you retain the sheet menu
characteristics without modifying the ancestor menu. It is good practice to save
the new menu immediately, then save it again after you modify it.

1 Click the Inherit button in the PowerBar.

The Inherit From Object dialog box displays.

2 Make sure Menus is selected in the Objects of Type dropdown listbox.

Select m_pbtutor_sheet in the Object listbox and click OK.
PowerBuilder displays an untitled menu that has all the characteristics of
m_pbtutor_sheet.
On the inherited sheet menu, the Window menu items are enabled to allow
for tiling and cascading windows, just as they are for the m_pbtutor_sheet
menu. These items are disabled on the m_pbtutor_frame menu.

Changes made to the MDI frame menu

If you click the File menu in the WYSIWYG view, you see that the first
item is now Report. The Open item is dithered to indicate that it is not
visible and is grayed to indicate that it is disabled. These characteristics
were propagated through the inheritance chain from m_pbtutor_frame.

3 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

The Save Menu dialog box displays.

4 Type m_my_sheet as the menu name in the Menus box.

Type the following line in the Comments box:
New sheet menu for w_master_detail_ancestor and its
descendants.

5 Click OK.
This names the menu. The prefix m_ is standard for menus.
The name you just assigned to the new menu displays in the title bar of the
Menu painter workspace and the m_my_sheet menu appears in the system
tree.

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 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Add items to the new menu

Next you add items to the Edit menu of the menu you just inherited from
m_pbtutor_sheet. You use the WYSIWYG and Properties views.

1 Click the Edit menu in the WYSIWYG view for the new menu.
The list of Edit menu items appears just as it would in a runtime
application. All items of the Edit menu are visible but disabled (they
appear gray—but not dithered—in the WYSIWYG view).

2 Right-click a menu item in the Edit menu in the WYSIWYG view.

Select Insert Menu Item at End from the popup menu.
The cursor moves into a blank box that appears at the end of the Edit menu
list.

3 Type - (hyphen) and press ENTER.

The hyphen changes into a separator line. In the Properties view, the menu
item name changes to m_-. Even the separator lines between menu items
must have unique names. Other separator lines in the menu have a unique
index number preceded by the prefix m_dash.

4 Clear the Enabled checkbox in the Properties view for the new
separator line.

5 Right-click the new separator line in the WYSIWYG view.

Select Insert Menu Item at End from the popup menu.
Type &Insert in the box that appears under the new separator and
press ENTER.
The menu item name is set automatically to m_insert. If PowerBuilder
displays a message that the default name is incorrect, it suggests an
alternative name. In this case, click OK to accept the suggested name.

Alternative method of inserting menu item names

You can type &Insert in the Text box in the Properties view instead of
typing it in the box that appears in the WYSIWYG view. In this case, you
do not need to press ENTER afterwards. First however, you have to clear
the Lock Name checkbox if the Name box is grayed (otherwise, the menu
name does not reset to m_insert).

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Create a new sheet menu

6 Type Insert a row in the Microhelp box in the Properties view.

The new menu item is visible and enabled by default.
The text Insert a row displays in the Microhelp line at the bottom of the
application window whenever the user selects the menu item.

7 Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the following menu items:

Menu item Microhelp text

Upd&ate Update the database
&Delete Delete the current row

You add Edit menu items for updating and deleting database records. Even
though it is not enabled, the Undo item already uses the letter U as an
accelerator key, so you should not use the same accelerator key for the
Update menu item. Instead, you use the letter A for this purpose.

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 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Add a new toolbar for the new menu items

Now you add toolbar buttons for the menu items you just defined and then
place them in a second toolbar.

1 Click the new Insert menu item in the WYSIWYG view Edit menu.

2 Click the Toolbar tab in the Properties view.

Type Insert in the ToolbarItemText box.
Type or select Insert! in the ToolbarItemName dropdown listbox.
This defines a toolbar button for the Insert menu item that uses the stock
picture called Insert!. When the Show Text option in the runtime
application is enabled for toolbars, the text Insert appears on the button.

3 Type 1 in the ToolbarItemSpace spin control.

Type 1 in the ToolbarItemOrder spin control.
Type 2 in the ToolbarItemBarIndex spin control.
You start a new toolbar for the added menu items and make the Insert
button the first item in this toolbar.

4 Click the new Update menu item in the WYSIWYG view Edit menu.
Make sure it is also selected in the Properties view.

5 Click the Toolbar tab if the Toolbar page is not already open.
Type Update in the ToolbarItemText box.
Type or select Update! in the ToolbarItemName dropdown listbox.
This defines a toolbar button for the Update menu item that uses the stock
picture called Update!. The button text is Update.

6 Type 2 in the ToolbarItemOrder spin control.

Type 2 in the ToolbarItemBarIndex spin control.
You add the Update button after the Insert button in the new toolbar.

7 Click the new Delete menu item in the WYSIWYG view Edit menu.
Make sure it is also selected in the Properties view.

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Create a new sheet menu

8 Click the Toolbar tab if the Toolbar page is not already open.
Type Delete in the ToolbarItemText box.
Type or select DeleteRow! in the ToolbarItemName dropdown listbox.
This defines a toolbar button for the Delete menu item that uses the stock
picture called DeleteRow!. The button text is Delete.

9 Type 3 in the ToolbarItemOrder spin control.

Type 2 in the ToolbarItemBarIndex spin control.
You add the Delete button after the Update button in the new toolbar.

10 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

154
 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Add menu scripts to trigger user events

Where you are
Modify the frame menu
Create a new sheet menu
> Add menu scripts to trigger user events
Attach the new menu and run the application

Now you add scripts to trigger user events from the sheet window menu bar.
You added these user events in Lesson 5, "Modifying the Ancestor Window".
The Menu painter should still be open for the m_my_sheet menu. If it is not,
you can open it using the Open button in the PowerBar.

1 Double-click the Insert menu item in the WYSIWYG view.

or
Select m_edit.m_insert in the first listbox in the Script view.
The full name of the Insert menu item includes the m_edit prefix to
indicate that it is in the Edit menu.

2 Select Clicked in the second dropdown box if it is not already selected.

Type these lines for the Clicked event:
w_master_detail_ancestor lw_activesheet
lw_activesheet = w_pbtutor_frame.GetActiveSheet()
lw_activesheet.EVENT ue_insert()
The first two lines determine which sheet in the MDI frame is currently
active. The third line triggers the user event ue_insert for the active sheet.

3 Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the following menu items and scripts:
Menu name Script for Clicked event
m_edit.m_update w_master_detail_ancestor lw_activesheet
lw_activesheet=w_pbtutor_frame.GetActiveSheet()
lw_activesheet.EVENT ue_update()
m_edit.m_delete w_master_detail_ancestor lw_activesheet
lw_activesheet = w_pbtutor_frame.GetActiveSheet()
lw_activesheet.EVENT ue_delete()

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Add menu scripts to trigger user events

4 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

PowerBuilder compiles and saves the menu scripts.

5 Click the Close button in PainterBar1.

or
Select File>Close from the menu bar.

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 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

Attach the new menu and run the application

Where you are
Modify the frame menu
Create a new sheet menu
Add menu scripts to trigger user events
> Attach the new menu and run the application

Now you attach the new sheet menu and run the application again.

1 Double-click w_master_detail_ancestor in the System Tree.

The menu listed in the MenuName box in the Properties view of the
Window painter is still m_pbtutor_sheet.

If you cannot see the Properties view

Select View>Properties from the menu bar.

2 Click the ellipsis button next to the MenuName box.

The Select Object dialog box displays.

3 Select m_my_sheet in the Menus listbox and click OK.

This is the sheet menu you modified after inheriting it from
m_pbtutor_sheet. It is now listed as the menu in the Properties view.
You must now change some code in the Script view. The first dropdown
listbox in the Script view displays the window name,
m_master_detail_ancestor.

4 Select the ue_postopen event in the second dropdown listbox of the

Script view.
The ue_postopen event is called by the Open event for the window. You
added script to the Open event in a previous lesson.

5 Click in the line that declares the data type for lm_menu.
This is the second line below the opening comments in the event script.
The data type declaration is currently:
m_pbtutor_frame lm_menu

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Attach the new menu and run the application

6 Change m_pbtutor_frame to m_my_sheet.

The remaining code changes the variable lm_menu to the new sheet menu
data type.

7 Click the Save button in PainterBar1.

Click the Run button in the PowerBar.
The application login window displays.

8 Type dba in the User ID box.

Type sql in the Password box and click OK.
The database connection is established, and the MDI frame for the
application displays. The File menu now includes a Report cascading
menu in place of the New menu item. The Open menu item is no longer
visible.

9 Select File>Report>Maintain Customers from the menu bar.

Notice that a second toolbar appears and the Edit and Window cascading
menus include enabled menu items.

10 Select the Edit menu.

The Edit menu has the Insert, Update, and Delete options you added.
These options do not function yet, because the DataWindow controls in
the Customer window do not have DataWindow objects associated with
them.

11 Select the Window menu.

Notice that a new menu item has been added for the sheet you just opened.

12 Select File>Report>Maintain Products from the menu bar.

A second MDI sheet opens. This sheet cascades relative to the first sheet.
The menu bar does not change. That is because m_my_sheet is the menu
for both w_customers and w_products.

13 Select the Edit menu.

Because the w_products window uses the m_my_sheet menu, the Insert,
Update, and Delete options are also available when the Product window is
open.

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 Lesson 6 Setting Up the Menus

14 Select the Window menu.

Another menu item has been added for the second sheet you opened. The
checkmark next to this menu item indicates that it is the active sheet.

15 Select File>Exit from the menu bar.

The application terminates and you return to the Window painter
workspace.

16 Close the Window painter.

159
Attach the new menu and run the application

160
LE S S O N 7 Building DataWindow Objects

The DataWindow object is one of the most powerful and useful features
of PowerBuilder. A DataWindow object can connect to a database,
retrieve rows, display the rows in various presentation styles, and update
the database.
In this lesson you:
• Create and preview a new DataWindow object
• Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object
• Create a second DataWindow object
• Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

How long does it take?

About 20 minutes.

161
About this lesson

Create and preview a new DataWindow object

Where you are
> Create and preview a new DataWindow object
Save the DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object
Create a second DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

Next you create a new DataWindow object and display it in the DataWindow
painter. Like other painters, the DataWindow painter has an assortment of
views that you can open simultaneously.

About the Design view of the DataWindow painter

The Design view in the DataWindow painter is similar to the Layout view in
other painters. You can open only one Design view at a time.
The Design view is divided into four areas called bands: header, detail,
summary, and footer. You can modify the contents of these bands. For example,
you can change their sizes, add objects (controls, text, lines, boxes, or ovals),
and change colors and fonts.

In the Preview view of the DataWindow painter, you can see how the object
looks in an application at runtime, complete with table data.

1 Click the New button in the PowerBar.

The New dialog box displays.

2 Click the DataWindow tab.

Select Tabular from the list of presentation styles and click OK.
The Choose Data Source for Tabular Data Window page of the
DataWindow wizard displays.

3 Select Quick Select as the data source.

Select the Retrieve On Preview checkbox.
Click Next.
PowerBuilder connects to the EAS Demo DB Database, and the Quick
Select dialog box appears.

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 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

4 Click the customer table in the Tables listbox.

This opens the table and lists its columns. For this DataWindow, you select
four columns.

5 Click id, fname, and lname in the Columns listbox in the order listed.
Scroll down the list and click company_name.
PowerBuilder displays the selected columns in a grid at the bottom of the
Quick Select dialog box.

Selection order determines display order

The order in which you select the columns determines their left-to-right
display order in the DataWindow object. If you clicked a column by
mistake, you can click it again to clear the selection.

You can use the grid area at the bottom of the dialog box to specify sort
criteria (for the SQL ORDER BY clause) and selection criteria (for the
SQL WHERE clause). Now you specify sort criteria only. You sort the id
column in ascending order.

6 In the grid area of the Quick Select dialog box, click in the cell next to
Sort and below Id.
A dropdown listbox displays.

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Create and preview a new DataWindow object

7 Select Ascending from the dropdown listbox.

This specifies that the id column is to be sorted in ascending order.

8 Click OK.
The DataWindow wizard asks you to select the colors and borders for the
new DataWindow object. By default, there are no borders for text or for
columns.

9 Click Next.
You accept the border and color defaults. The DataWindow wizard
summarizes your selections.

10 Click Finish.
PowerBuilder creates the new DataWindow object and opens the
DataWindow painter.
In the Design view, PowerBuilder displays a Heading band with default
headings and a Detail band with the columns you selected:

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 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

The Preview view displays the DataWindow as it appears during

execution. PowerBuilder displays data for all customers. The data is sorted
in ascending order by customer ID, just as you specified.

Displaying the Preview view

If the Preview view is not displayed, select View>Preview from the menu
bar. If Preview is grayed out, it is already displayed and you cannot select
it. You can open only one Preview view at a time.

165
Save the DataWindow object

Save the DataWindow object

Where you are
Create and preview a new DataWindow object
> Save the DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object
Create a second DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

Now you name the DataWindow object and save it in the pbtutor.pbl library.

Saving to another library

You can save objects to different application libraries, but to avoid
complications, you save all your new tutorial objects in one library. You can
also copy or move objects from one library to another using the Library painter.

1 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

The Save DataWindow dialog box displays with the insertion point in the
DataWindows box.

2 Make sure pbtutor.pbl is selected in the Application Libraries box.

Type d_custlist in the DataWindows box.
This names the DataWindow object. The prefix d_ is standard for
DataWindow objects.

3 (Optional) Type the following comments in the Comments box:

This DataWindow object retrieves customer names and
company associations.

4 Click OK.
PowerBuilder saves the DataWindow object and closes the Save
DataWindow dialog box.

166
 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object

Where you are
Create and preview a new DataWindow object
Save the DataWindow object
> Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object
Create a second DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

Now you can make cosmetic changes to the DataWindow. You reposition the
columns and column headings to make room for the hand pointer, which
displays to the left of the currently selected row. You also move some of the
columns to make them line up with their headings.
You make these changes in the Design view. You can keep the Preview view
open at the same time to see how the changes you make affect the appearance
of the DataWindow at runtime.

1 Select Edit>Select>Select All from the menu bar.

or
Press CTRL+A.
All of the controls in the DataWindow object are selected in the Design
view.

2 Position the mouse pointer over one of the selected objects.

Drag the object to the right about one inch.
All of the selected objects move together.

3 Click in a blank area in the Design view.

You clear the object selection.

4 Click the Customer ID header above the Header band.

Hold down the CTRL key and click the id column.
Drag the id column to the left about one-half inch.
The column and its header move together.

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Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object

5 Click the Center button in the StyleBar.

Click in a blank area in the Design view.
After centering the column header text and the column data, you clear the
object selection.

6 Click the First Name header.

Hold down the CTRL key and click the Last Name and Company Name
headers.
Click the Left button in the StyleBar.
When you have finished, the Design view should look something like this:

7 Select File>Close from the menu bar.

A message box asks if you want to save your changes.

8 Click Yes.
PowerBuilder saves the DataWindow object and closes the DataWindow
painter.

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 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Create a second DataWindow object

Where you are
Create and preview a new DataWindow object
Save the DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object
> Create a second DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

When you built the first DataWindow object, you used Quick Select to specify
the table and columns. This let you retrieve all the customers without having to
use the Select painter.
To build the second DataWindow object, you use the Select painter. You need
to define a retrieval argument and WHERE criteria so you can pass an
argument to the DataWindow object during execution. In this case, you will
pass the customer ID.
Now you:
• Select the data source and style
• Select the table and columns
• Define a retrieval argument
• Specify a WHERE clause
• View the DataWindow in the DataWindow painter
• Save the DataWindow object

169
Create a second DataWindow object

Select the data source and style

Now you select a data source and define how the data is to be presented.

1 Click the New button in the PowerBar.

The New dialog box appears.

2 Click the DataWindow tab if it is not already selected.

Select Freeform from the list of presentation styles and click OK.

3 Select SQL Select as the data source.

Select the Retrieve On Preview if it is not already selected.
Click Next.
Since the data source is SQL Select, you go to the Select painter and the
Select Tables dialog box displays.
Selecting the Retrieve On Preview checkbox allows you to view the data
returned by a query in the development environment, but you need to
provide initial values for any retrieval arguments that you specify.

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 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Select the table and columns

Now you select the table and the columns from that table to use in the
DataWindow object.

1 Select customer in the list of tables and click Open.

The Select painter displays the customer table and its columns.

Alternative method
If you double-click the customer table instead of selecting it and clicking
Open, the Select Tables dialog box remains open. In this case, you must
click Cancel to continue.

2 Right-click the header area of the Customer table in the Table Layout
view.
Select Select All from the popup menu.
The column names appear in the Selection List area above the table in the
Table Layout view.
The column order in the Selection List reflects the order in which columns
are selected. Since you selected all the columns at once, the order
displayed is the original order of the columns in the database. You change
the column presentation order later.

171
Create a second DataWindow object

You can also see the order of selection in the Syntax view. Display the
Syntax view by clicking the Syntax tab at the bottom of a stack of tabbed
panes. The Syntax view displays the generated Select statement.

172
 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Define a retrieval argument

Now you define a retrieval argument.

1 Select Design>Retrieval Arguments from the menu bar.

The Specify Retrieval Arguments dialog box displays.

2 Type cust_id in the Name box.

The default data type is Number, which is what you want.

About retrieval argument names

You can choose any name you want for the retrieval argument; it is just a
placeholder for the value you pass during execution. Nonetheless, it is a
good idea to make the name meaningful.

3 Click OK.
The retrieval argument is defined.

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Create a second DataWindow object

Specify a WHERE clause

Now you specify a WHERE clause using the retrieval argument to retrieve a
specific customer.

1 Click the Where tab in the stack.

The Where view displays.

2 Click in the box below Column in the Where view.

A down arrow displays, and the box becomes a dropdown listbox.

3 Click the down arrow.

Select "customer"."id".
Your selection displays immediately below the Column heading. An equal
sign (=) appears in the Operator box. This is correct, so do not change it.

4 Click the box below Value in the Where view.

Type :cust_id.

5 Click the Syntax tab in the stack.

The Syntax view displays the modified SELECT statement.

6 Scroll down until you see the generated WHERE clause.

You have now created a complete SQL SELECT statement that retrieves
data from several columns in the customer table where the id column is
equal to an argument that will be supplied during execution.

174
 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

View the DataWindow in the DataWindow painter

Now you view the DataWindow in the DataWindow painter using the Design
and the Preview views.

1 Click the Return button in the PainterBar.

or
Select File>Return to DataWindow Painter from the menu bar.
The DataWindow wizard asks you to select the borders and colors for the
new DataWindow object.

2 Select Raised from the Border dropdown listbox for columns.

Click Next.
You add raised borders to the columns, but not to the labels in the
DataWindow object. The DataWindow wizard summarizes your
selections.

3 Click Finish.
Because you selected the Retrieve On Preview checkbox and because the
Preview view is part of the default layout scheme for the DataWindow
painter, the Specify Retrieval Arguments dialog box appears.
This dialog box prompts you for an argument value. When you put this
DataWindow object into the tutorial application, you write a script that
passes the required argument to the DataWindow object automatically.

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Create a second DataWindow object

4 Type a customer ID (such as 101, 102, or 103) in the Value field.

Click OK.
The DataWindow painter opens. The Design view displays the new
DataWindow object.

Changing font sizes

If you cannot see all letters in a label, press CTRL+A to select all the items
in the DataWindow, then select a smaller font size in the StyleBar.

The DataWindow Preview view retrieves the requested customer data.

176
 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Retrieving other records

If you want to preview the record for another customer, you can right-click
inside the DataWindow Preview view, select Retrieve from the popup
menu, then specify a different customer ID in the Specify Retrieval
Arguments dialog box.

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Create a second DataWindow object

Save the DataWindow object

Now you name the DataWindow object and save it. You could wait to save it
until you leave the painter, but it is good practice to save your work frequently.

1 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

The Save DataWindow dialog box displays.

2 Make sure pbtutor.pbl is selected in the Application Libraries box.

Type d_customer in the DataWindows box.
Earlier you saved a DataWindow object as d_custlist.

3 (Optional) Type the following comments in the Comments box.

This DataWindow retrieves all columns for the
Customer table. It is useful as a detail DataWindow.

4 Click OK.
You return to the DataWindow painter.

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 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow

object
Where you are
Create and preview a new DataWindow object
Save the DataWindow object
Make cosmetic changes to the first DataWindow object
Create a second DataWindow object
> Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

Now you modify the DataWindow object. You:

• Rearrange the columns and text
• Align the labels and columns
• Display the arrow for a dropdown DataWindow edit style

Columns on freeform DataWindows

Data fields on freeform DataWindow objects are still called columns, even
though they are shown in a nontabular display.

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Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

Rearrange the columns

Now you rearrange the columns in the new DataWindow object. You can
maximize the Design view for greater ease in manipulating the columns and
their labels.

1 Click the Address: label in the Design view.

Hold the CTRL key and click the address column.
The two items are selected.

2 Keep the CTRL key pressed and click the following column labels and
column controls:
Label Column
City: city
State: state
Zip Code: zip

3 Release the CTRL key.

Position the cursor on one of the selected objects and drag it to the
top-right corner of the DataWindow object.
The objects move together.

4 Use the CTRL+click technique to move the following label and column
controls to the location indicated:

Label Move with column Move under

Company Name: company_name Last Name:
Phone Number: phone Company Name:

If necessary, scroll down until you can see all the columns in the
DataWindow.

180
 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

5 Drag the Detail band up below the last column label.

You remove any extra space in the detail area.
Some of the fields may overlap others. You fix this in the next exercise.
The DataWindow should now look like this in the Design view:

The DataWindow Preview view looks like this:

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Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

Align the labels and columns

Now you align the labels and columns on the new DataWindow.

1 Select the Zip Code: label in the Design view.

Move the Zip Code: label as close as possible to the company_name
column.
A narrow space should separate the left edge of the label box from the right
edge of the column box.

2 While the Zip Code: label is still selected, use the CTRL+click technique
to select the Address:, City:, and State: labels.

3 Select Format>Align Objects from the menu bar.

A cascading menu of align options displays.

4 Select the first option (Align left edges).

PowerBuilder aligns the left edges of the selected objects with the left edge
of the first item you selected (the Zip Code: label).

Selecting an alignment tool from the PainterBar

You can access a dropdown list of alignment tools by clicking the Align
button on PainterBar2.

5 Move the zip column so that it is next to the Zip Code: label.
Align the address, city, and state columns with the zip column, just as
you aligned the column labels.

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 Lesson 7 Building DataWindow Objects

Display the arrow for a dropdown DataWindow edit style

The column for the customer state of residence has a DropdownDataWindow
edit style. This is an extended attribute associated with the State column in the
EAS Demo DB database. The (dropdown) DataWindow with which the
column is associated has a list of states and their two-letter postal codes.
You can make the state selection list visible at all times in your application or
you can display an arrow at all times to indicate that a selection list is available.
Now you change the property for the state column to show the arrow at all
times.

1 Click the state column in the Design view.

The Properties view displays properties of the column.

2 Click the Edit tab in the Properties view.

Notice the Style Type selection is DropDownDW.

3 Select the Always Show Arrow checkbox.

Make sure the state column in the Design view is wide enough to
display two characters plus the arrow symbol.
An arrow appears next to the state column in the Design and Preview
views.

4 Click the Save button in PainterBar1.

Click the Close button in PainterBar1.

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Make cosmetic changes to the second DataWindow object

184
LE S S O N 8 Attaching the DataWindow
Objects

After you create and save a DataWindow object, you can use it in a
window. You have already created the d_custlist and the d_customer
DataWindow objects. Now you associate each of these DataWindow
objects with a DataWindow control in the w_customers window.
In this lesson you:
• Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control
• Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control
• Run the application
• Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window
• Run the completed application

How long does it take?

About 15 minutes.

185
Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control

Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow

control
Where you are
> Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control
Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control
Run the application
Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window
Run the completed application

Now you attach the DataWindow object to a DataWindow control in the

w_customers window.

1 Expand the pbtutor.pbl branch in the System Tree.

2 Right-click w_customers and select Edit from the popup menu.

or
Double-click w_customers in the System Tree.
The Window painter displays the w_customers window.

3 Right-click the dw_master DataWindow control in the Layout view.

Select Properties from the popup menu.
Click the ellipsis button next to the DataObject box in the Properties
view.
The Select Object dialog box displays.

186
 Lesson 8 Attaching the DataWindow Objects

4 Select d_custlist in the DataWindows listbox and click OK.

PowerBuilder associates the d_custlist DataWindow object with the
dw_master DataWindow control.
The Layout view now shows the d_custlist DataWindow headings inside
the dw_master control, but you do not see any data yet. The DataWindow
does not execute its SELECT statement until you run the application.

Adding DataWindow objects to the window using drag and drop

In this tutorial, you use a custom DataWindow control that has built-in error
handling. If you want to use the standard DataWindow control, you do not need
to add the control to the window and then attach a DataWindow object to it as
you did in this lesson. You can simply select the DataWindow object you want
from the System Tree and drag it onto the window in the Layout view.
PowerBuilder creates the DataWindow control for you.

187
Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control

Attach the DataWindow object to the detail

DataWindow control
Where you are
Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control
> Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control
Run the application
Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window
Run the completed application

Now you attach a DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control. The
Window painter should still be open for the w_customers window.

1 Select the dw_detail control in the Layout view.

Click the ellipsis button next to the DataObject box in the Properties
view.
Select d_customer in the Select Object dialog box and click OK.
PowerBuilder associates the d_customer DataWindow object with the
dw_detail DataWindow control. The Window painter workspace now
shows the d_customer DataWindow object inside the dw_detail control.

2 In the Layout view, make the dw_detail control larger so that you can
see all of the columns you added to the DataWindow object.
If you need to, you can also enlarge the window to make more room. If you
make the dw_detail control wider, you may also want to make the
dw_master control the same width.

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 Lesson 8 Attaching the DataWindow Objects

Run the application

Where you are
Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control
Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control
> Run the application
Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window
Run the completed application

Now you run the application again to test the insert, update, and delete
capabilities of the second DataWindow.

1 Click the Run button in the PowerBar.

PowerBuilder prompts you to save your changes.

2 Click Yes.
The application begins running, and the login window displays.

3 Type dba in the User ID box.

Type sql in the Password box and click OK.
The database connection is established, and the MDI frame for the
application displays.

4 Select File>Report>Maintain Customers from the menu bar.

The Customer window displays.

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Run the application

The top DataWindow control (dw_master) shows all of the rows retrieved
from the Customer table. The hand pointer shows which row is selected.
The bottom DataWindow control (dw_detail) shows further information
about the selected customer.

5 Click the Insert button in the toolbar.

or
Select Edit>Insert from the menu bar.
This clears (resets) the dw_detail DataWindow and adds a new row to the
DataWindow. The cursor is in the Customer ID box in the dw_detail
control.

6 Add a new customer row by entering information in the boxes in the

detail DataWindow.

Typing information for a new customer

The Customer ID number must be unique. To avoid duplicate numbers,
use a four-digit number for your new database entry, or scroll down the list
of customers in the master DataWindow and select an ID number that does
not appear in the list.
The phone number and zip code use edit masks to display the information
you type. You must enter numbers only for these data fields.To specify the
state in which the customer resides, you must click the arrow next to the
state column and select an entry from the dropdown listbox.
The database allows null values only for the company name field. You
must enter values for all other fields before clicking the Update button for
a new customer.

7 Click the Update button in the toolbar.

or
Select Edit>Update from the menu bar.
This sends the new customer data to the database and displays a
confirmation message, as coded in the script for the ue_update event.
The new customer does not yet display in the master DataWindow. (You
could add code to include this feature). However, if you open another
instance of the w_customers sheet, the new customer data is visible in both
the master and detail DataWindow controls.

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 Lesson 8 Attaching the DataWindow Objects

8 Click OK in the message box.

Click a customer in the master DataWindow.
That customer data displays in the lower DataWindow.

9 Change the customer address in the detail DataWindow.

10 Click the Update button in the toolbar.

or
Select Edit>Update from the menu bar.
This sends the revised customer data to the database and displays another
confirmation message.

11 Click OK in the message box.

Select another customer in the master DataWindow.
That customer data displays in the detail DataWindow.

12 Click the Delete button in the toolbar.

or
Select Edit>Delete from the menu bar.
The customer is deleted from the DataWindow immediately but is not
deleted from the database unless you select the Update option on the Edit
menu. In this particular situation, the Update operation may fail, because
rows in other tables in the EAS Demo DB database may refer to the row
that you are trying to delete.
You should be able to delete any row that you have added to the database.

13 Select File>Exit from the menu bar.

The application terminates and you return to the Window painter.

14 Close the Window painter.

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Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window

Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window

Where you are
Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control
Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control
Run the application
> Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window
Run the completed application

Now you add two DataWindow objects to the w_products window. These
DataWindow objects are provided for you in the tutor_pb.pbl library.

1 Right-click w_products in the System Tree and select Edit from the
popup menu.
or
Double-click w_products in the System Tree.
The Window painter displays the w_products window.

2 Select the dw_master DataWindow control in the Control List view.

Click the ellipsis button next to the DataObject box in the Properties
view.
PowerBuilder displays the Select Object dialog box.

3 Select tutor_pb.pbl in the Application Libraries box.

Select d_prodlist in the DataWindows box and click OK.
The Data Object box in the Properties view of the Window painter now
displays d_prodlist.

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 Lesson 8 Attaching the DataWindow Objects

PowerBuilder associates the d_prodlist DataWindow object with the

dw_master DataWindow control in the w_products window. You see the
headings for the DataWindow object in the Layout view. You may need to
resize the control and/or the window.

4 Click the dw_detail DataWindow control in the Control List view.

Click the ellipsis button next to the DataObject box in the Properties
view.
The Select Object dialog box displays.

5 Select tutor_pb.pbl in the Application Libraries box.

Select d_product in the DataWindows listbox and click OK.
You return to the Window painter.
PowerBuilder associates the d_product DataWindow object with the
dw_detail DataWindow control. The Layout view now shows the
d_product DataWindow object inside the dw_detail control. The
d_product DataWindow object has seven columns labeled Product ID,
Product Name, Product Description, Size, Color, Quantity, and Unit Price.
If necessary, in the Layout view, make the dw_detail control larger so that
you can see all of the columns in the DataWindow object. You can also
enlarge the window to make more room.

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Run the completed application

Run the completed application

Where you are
Attach a DataWindow object to the master DataWindow control
Attach the DataWindow object to the detail DataWindow control
Run the application
Attach DataWindow objects to the Product window
> Run the completed application

Now you run the application again to test the Product window.
At this point the Product window should have all of the capabilities of the
Customer window. Like the Customer window, the Product window functions
as a master/detail window, providing support for retrieval, insert, update, and
delete operations against the database.

1 Click the Run button in the PowerBar.

PowerBuilder prompts you to save your changes.

2 Click Yes.
The application begins running, and the login window displays.

3 Type dba in the User ID box.

Type sql in the Password box and click OK.
The database connection is established, and the MDI frame for the
application displays.

4 Select File>Report>Maintain Products from the menu bar.

The Product window displays. The top DataWindow control shows all of
the rows retrieved from the Product table.

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 Lesson 8 Attaching the DataWindow Objects

The bottom DataWindow control shows information about the product

selection in the top DataWindow control.

5 Select Edit>Insert from the menu bar.

This clears the dw_detail DataWindow and allows you to add a new row
to the DataWindow. The cursor is in the Product ID box in the dw_detail
control.

6 Add a new product row by entering information in the boxes in the

lower DataWindow.
Use the TAB key to move from box to box.

7 Select Edit>Update from the menu bar.

This sends the new product data to the database and displays a
confirmation message, as coded in the script for the ue_update event.
The new product does not display yet in the top DataWindow, but if you
open another product sheet, the new information displays. If you want, you
can add code to the Clicked event of the update button to automatically
refresh the data in the master DataWindow control.

8 Click OK in the message box.

Click a product in the master DataWindow.
That product data displays in the detail DataWindow.

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Run the completed application

9 Change the product’s unit price.

Select Edit>Update from the menu bar.
This sends the revised product data to the database and displays another
confirmation message.

10 Click OK in the message box.

Select another product in the master DataWindow.
That product’s data displays in the detail DataWindow.

11 Select Edit>Delete from the menu bar.

The product is deleted from the DataWindow immediately but is not
deleted from the database until you select the Update option on the Edit
menu.

12 Select File>Exit from the menu bar.

The application closes and you return to the Window painter.

13 Close the Window painter.

196
LE S S O N 9 Running the Debugger

Sometimes your application does not behave the way you think it will.
Perhaps a variable is not being assigned the value you expect, or a script
does not do what you want it to. In these situations, you can closely
examine your application by running it in debug mode.
In debug mode, you can set breakpoints (stops) in scripts and functions,
step through the code line by line, and display the contents of variables to
locate logic errors and mistakes that result in errors during execution.
When you run your application in debug mode, PowerBuilder suspends
execution just before it hits a line containing a breakpoint. You can then
look at and change the values of variables.
In this lesson you:
• Add breakpoints in application scripts
• Run in debug mode
• Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint

How long does it take?

About 15 minutes.

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Add breakpoints in application scripts

Add breakpoints in application scripts

Where you are
> Add breakpoints in application scripts
Run in debug mode
Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint

Now you open the Debugger and add breakpoints to examine the behavior of
the login and Customer windows. When PowerBuilder runs the application in
debug mode, it stops just before executing a line containing a breakpoint.
When you insert breakpoints in a script, you should select lines that contain
executable statements. If you try to set a breakpoint in variable-declaration
lines, comment lines, or blank lines, PowerBuilder sets the breakpoint at the
next executable line.

1 Click the Debug button in the PowerBar.

PowerBuilder opens the Debugger. There are three tabbed-pane stacks in
the default view layout scheme. The Source view is visible in a single pane
at the top left of the Debug window.

If the Debug window looks different

If you have opened the Debug window before and opened, moved, or
closed any views, your display may look different. To restore the default
view layout scheme, select View>Layouts>Default from the menu bar.

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 Lesson 9 Running the Debugger

The source code for the application Open event displays in the Source
view at top left. If it does not display, expand the Application node in the
Source Browser view’s tree view and double-click the Open event under
the pbtutor application.

2 In the Source view, double-click the line containing the following

assignment statement:
this.ToolBarSheetTitle = "MDI Application Toolbar"
A red symbol displays at the start of the line to show that a breakpoint has
been set on the statement.

3 Expand the following node in the Source Browser view:

Windows>w_welcome>cb_ok
The Source Browser view lists only events which have been coded. The
only event for the login window OK button is the Clicked event.

4 Double-click the Clicked event for the cb_ok button in the Source
Browser view.
The code for the Clicked event displays in the Source view.

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Add breakpoints in application scripts

5 Double-click the following line:

gnv_connect = CREATE &
n_pbtutor_connectservice
A breakpoint symbol displays at the start of the line.

6 Double-click w_master_detail_ancestor in the Source Browser view.

Double-click dw_master and then rowfocuschanged.
PowerBuilder displays the script for the RowFocusChanged event of the
dw_master DataWindow control in the Source view.

7 Double-click this line:

IF dw_detail.Retrieve(ll_itemnum) = -1 THEN
A breakpoint symbol displays at the start of the line.

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 Lesson 9 Running the Debugger

8 Select the Breakpoints tab in the lower-right stack.

You should see the breakpoints you set in the Breakpoints view. To
complete this lesson, you need to have these breakpoints set correctly.

If you have additional breakpoints

You can clear any excess breakpoints using the popup menu in the
Breakpoints view.

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Run in debug mode

Run in debug mode

Where you are
Add breakpoints in application scripts
> Run in debug mode
Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint

Now you run the application in debug mode. You step through the code line by
line.

About the Step buttons

You can use either Step In or Step Over to step through an application one
statement at a time. They have the same result except when the next statement
contains a call to a function.
Use Step Over to execute the function as a single statement.
Use Step In if you want to step into a function and examine the effects of each
statement in the function. If you have stepped into a function, you can use Step
Out to execute the rest of the function as a single step. You return to the next
statement in the script that called the function.

1 Click the Start button in PainterBar1.

or
Select Debug>Start from the menu bar.
The application starts and runs until it hits a breakpoint (in this case, the
call to the assignment statement for the toolbar title for sheet windows).
You return to the Debug window, with the line containing the breakpoint
displayed. The yellow arrow cursor means that this line contains the next
statement to be executed.

2 Click the Global tab in the lower-left stack.

The Global Variables view displays.

202
 Lesson 9 Running the Debugger

3 Double-click transaction sqlca.

Find the dbms property.
The DBMS property has a String data type. Notice that this property does
not yet have a value associated with it (because the Debugger interrupted
execution before the ProfileString function executed).

4 To execute the next statement, click the Step In button in PainterBar1.

or
Select Debug>Step In from the menu bar.
The application starts execution of the Open event for the MDI frame
window.

5 Use Step In or Step Over to step through the code until you reach this
statement in the script for the frame window Open event:
open(w_welcome)
After PowerBuilder finishes executing this statement, the login window
displays and the Debug window is minimized.
The Open event for the frame window also has a posted call to the
ue_postopen function (that you stepped through without examining). This
in turn calls functions of the sheet manager. These functions are processed
at the end of the script for the Open event (after the login window
displays).

203
Run in debug mode

6 Click Step Over until the login window displays and the Debugger is
minimized.
Type dba in the User ID box of the login window.
Type sql in the Password box and click OK.
You return to the Debug window. The yellow arrow in the Source view
points to the next executable statement, the CREATE statement for the
connection service object. This is the first executable line in the script for
the Clicked event of the cb_ok command button.

7 Select the Call Stack tab in the lower-right stack.

The yellow arrow in the Call Stack view indicates the current location in
the call stack. If you double-click another line in the stack, the Source and
Variables views change to display the context of that line and a green
arrow indicates the line in the Source view. If you then single-click another
line in the stack, a green arrow displays in the Call Stack view to indicate
the line for which context is displayed. When you continue to step through
the code, the Source and Variables views return to the current context.

8 Click the Step In button.

The Debugger takes you to the script for the Constructor event of the
connection service object.

9 Click the Step Out button.

Click the Global tab in the lower-left stack.
Look again at the Transaction object properties.
You step out of the Constructor event in a single step and return to the
script for the OK button Clicked event. Now the DBMS property has a
value, but the UserID, DBPass, and DBParm properties do not.

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 Lesson 9 Running the Debugger

The values were assigned during execution of the Constructor event of the
connection service object after the of_GetConnectionInfo function
returned information from the INI file, but because you commented out the
lines in the code for the UserID, DBPass, and DBParm properties, these
values were not retrieved.

10 Click on the Local tab in the lower-left stack.

The local variables for the Clicked script have not yet been assigned
values.

11 Use the Step In button to step through the three assignment

statements for the local variables.
As you step through each statement, you can check that the values
assigned to the local variables are what you expected.

205
Run in debug mode

12 Click again on the Global tab in the lower-left stack and expand the
Transaction object.
Use the Step In button to step through the three lines that instantiate
the Transaction object (SQLCA) with user-entry values.
As you step through each statement, you can check that the values you
entered in the login window are being assigned to the Transaction object.
You are still not connected to the database until the connection service
object of_Connect function is executed.

13 Click the Continue button in PainterBar1.

The Continue button resumes execution until the next breakpoint. The
database connection is established, the login window closes, and the MDI
frame for your application displays. The application is waiting for user
input.

14 Select File>Report>Maintain Customers from the menu bar.

The application continues until it reaches the line in the
RowFocusChanged event that contains the next breakpoint you added.
The RowFocusChanged event for a DataWindow occurs before the
DataWindow is displayed. For this reason, execution stops before the
Customer window is opened.

206
 Lesson 9 Running the Debugger

Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint

Where you are
Add breakpoints in application scripts
Run in debug mode
> Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint

Next you set a watch on a variable whose value changes when the user selects
a row in the Customer window. You then change one of the simple breakpoints
you have set into a conditional breakpoint that is triggered only when a variable
has a specific value.

1 Click the Watch tab in the lower-right stack.

Click the Local tab in the lower-left stack.
Select the ll_itemnum variable in the Local view and drag it to the
Watch view.
The ll_itemnum variable is set to 101, the ID of the first customer
retrieved. Displaying it in the Watch view makes it easier to observe when
its value changes. You can also drag Global, Instance, and Parent variables
to the Watch view so that you can easily keep track of several variables of
different types.

2 Click the Continue button.

The application resumes execution. The Customer window displays and
shows the list of customers retrieved from the database. The detail
DataWindow shows information about customer 101.

3 Select a different row in the master DataWindow of the Customer

window.
You return to the Debug window. The new value of ll_itemnum displays
in both the Local Variables view and the Watch view.

4 Click the Breakpoints tab in the lower-right stack.

Double-click the rowfocuschanged breakpoint.
The Edit Breakpoints dialog box opens with the breakpoint in the
RowFocusChanged event selected.

207
Set a watch and a conditional breakpoint

5 Type the following line in the Condition textbox and click OK:
ll_itemnum = 107

The breakpoint in the RowFocusChanged event script is now a conditional

breakpoint. PowerBuilder suspends execution only when it reaches this
statement and the value of ll_itemnum is 107.

6 Click OK to close the dialog box.

Click the Continue button.
The application resumes execution. Now you can select different rows in
the Customer window, and the Debug window opens at the breakpoint
only if you select the customer whose ID is 107.
If you select customer 107, click the Continue button again to return to the
application.

7 Select File>Exit from the application’s menu bar.

The application terminates and you return to the Debug window.

8 Select File>Close from the menu bar.

You return to the PowerBuilder development environment.

208
LE S S O N 1 0 Preparing the Application for
Deployment

In this lesson you create an executable version of the application for

distribution to users. Users can run this executable version of the
application just as they can any other application.
You:
• Create the Project object
• Create the executable file
• Create a shortcut
• Test the executable file

How long does it take?

About 10 minutes.

209
Create the Project object

Create the Project object

Where you are
> Create the Project object
Create the executable file
Create a shortcut
Test the executable file

Now you create the PBTUTOR Project object. You can then use the Project
object to create the executable file for the application.
About machine code If you are running PowerBuilder Enterprise, you can
choose between Pcode (pseudocode) and machine code as the compile method
for your project executable file.
When you deploy an application to users, you may want to take advantage of
the execution speed of machine code for some computations, such as loops,
floating point or integer arithmetic, and function calls. While you are
developing the application, you usually use Pcode because it is faster to
generate.
About dynamic libraries You can also create dynamic libraries for your
application. Dynamic libraries can be used to store the objects in the
application. By using dynamic libraries, you can break the application into
smaller units that are easier to manage and also reduce the size of the
executable file.
For small applications like the one that you are working on now, you do not
need to use dynamic libraries.

1 Click the New button in the PowerBar.

Click the Project tab in the New dialog box.

2 Select the Application Wizard icon and click OK.

Using the Project painter

If you clicked the Application icon on the Project page instead of the
Application Wizard icon, you open the Project painter. You can make the
same selections in the Project painter that you make with the wizard, but
the wizard prompts you for this information.

210
 Lesson 10 Preparing the Application for Deployment

3 Click Next.
The Specify Destination Library page displays.

4 Select pbtutor.pbl in the Application Libraries listbox if it is not already

selected.
Click Next until the Specify Build Options page displays.
The wizard will generate a project with the following default selections:
Wizard property Default value
Project name p_pbtutor_exe
Executable filename pbtutor.exe
Optional resource file none

5 Select Incremental Build for the Rebuild Option.

Click Next until the Specify Version Information page displays.
The wizard will generate a project with the following default selections:
Wizard property Default value
Generate machine code No
Build dynamic libraries No

6 If you want to, enter your own version information on the Specify
Version Information page.
If you do not change the information on this page, the defaults display in
Windows Explorer when you look at the properties of the executable.

211
Create the Project object

7 Click Next.
Review the information on the Ready to Create Application page.
Click the Finish button.
PowerBuilder creates a Project object for your application and displays it
in the Project painter workspace.

After a project is defined, you can easily create an executable version of

the application. Using a project saves time when you are working on an
application that includes dynamic libraries that you expect to rebuild
often. Selecting incremental build means that if you make a few changes,
you can rebuild your project quickly, rebuilding only files that have
changed or files that depend on files that have changed.

212
 Lesson 10 Preparing the Application for Deployment

Create the executable file

Where you are
Create the Project object
> Create the executable file
Create a shortcut
Test the executable file

Now you create the executable file for your application. The executable file
you generate contains definitions for all the objects in the application. For the
tutorial application, this includes the bitmap file used in the login window,
since you did not include a separate resource file with your project.
You can create the executable in the Project painter, but usually, once you have
defined the project, you do not need to open the painter again.
Workspaces and targets in the System Tree have Incremental Build, Full Build,
and Deploy items on their popup menus that enable you to build and deploy
some or all of the projects in a target or in the whole workspace. Incremental
Build and Full Build compile your code. Deploy compiles the code and, for
applications like the one you built in this tutorial, creates an executable file and
optional dynamic libraries. For other projects, such as server component
projects, Deploy also deploys the component and supporting files to the server.
In this lesson you look at the property sheets where build and deploy options
are specified and then create the executable from the PowerBar.

1 Close the Project painter.

Click Yes if prompted to save changes.

2 Right-click the pbtutor target in the System Tree.

Select Properties and select the Deploy tab.
This page shows all the projects in this target (currently only one). If you
have more than one project in the target, you can change the order in which
they are executed and select which projects you want to build.

213
Create the executable file

3 Leaving p_pbtutor_exe checked, click the Cancel button.

Right-click MyWorkspace in the System Tree.
Select Properties and select the Deploy Preview tab.
The Deploy Preview page shows all the targets in your workspace and the
projects in each that have been selected for deployment, in the order in
which they are to be deployed. You cannot change anything on this page—
you use it to check that you have set up deployment options for your
workspace the way you want to. All the projects shown on this page are
deployed when you click the Deploy button in the PowerBar.
This workspace has only one target and only one project, so you can use
the Deploy button to create the executable.

4 Click the Cancel button to close the property sheet.

Click the Deploy button in the PowerBar.
The process of creating the executable file may take a few moments.
While PowerBuilder is working, you can look at the Output window at the
bottom of the screen to see what PowerBuilder is doing.
If you wanted to stop the deployment process, you could click the Stop
button in the PowerBar. When deployment is complete, the Output
window displays: Finished Deploy of workspace MyWorkspace.

214
 Lesson 10 Preparing the Application for Deployment

Create a shortcut
Where you are
Create the Project object
Create the executable file
> Create a shortcut
Test the executable file

Now you create a shortcut for the executable file. The icon serves as a shortcut
to open the executable file. You can add the shortcut directly to the desktop or
to the program group of your choosing.

1 Minimize PowerBuilder.
PowerBuilder is minimized to an icon on the taskbar.

2 Right-click on a blank area of the desktop.

Select New>Shortcut from the popup menu.
The Create Shortcut dialog box displays.

3 Enter the full path to the EXE file in the Command Line box.
For example, if you accepted the default installation folder, type:
C:\Program Files\Sybase\PowerBuilder 8.0\Tutorial
\pbtutor.exe
You can also click the Browse button and locate pbtutor.exe.

4 Click Next.

5 Type SportsWear, Inc. in the Select A Name For The Shortcut box.

6 Click Finish.
An icon and name display on the desktop.
Now you must modify a property of the shortcut so that you can run the
application. You can also change the icon.

215
Create a shortcut

7 Right-click the SportsWear, Inc. icon on the desktop.

Select Properties in the popup menu.
The properties sheet for the desktop shortcut displays.

8 Select the Shortcut tab.

Type the path to the PowerBuilder shared modules in the Start In box.
Click OK.

About the location of the shared modules

When you install PowerBuilder, the installation process puts the DLLs in
a shared directory. The default location is:
C:\Program Files\Sybase\Shared\PowerBuilder.
If you want the user to be able to run the application by double-clicking
the executable file, you must include the shared directory location in the
system environment path.

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 Lesson 10 Preparing the Application for Deployment

Test the executable file

Where you are
Create the Project object
Create the executable file
Create a shortcut
> Test the executable file

Now you test the new executable file.

1 Make sure the pbtutor.ini file is in the same directory as the pbtutor.exe
executable file.

2 Double-click the icon for the tutorial application.

The application begins running.

3 Test the application.

Notice the changes you made to the customer information.

4 When you have finished testing the application, select File>Exit from
the menu bar.

217
What to do next

What to do next
Congratulations. You have completed the first two parts of the tutorial. Now
you know the basics of application development with PowerBuilder.
If you are a PowerBuilder Enterprise developer, you can continue to the Web
targets lessons.
PowerBuilder books to The Preface to this book includes a guide to the PowerBuilder documentation.
use next To further your education, you should continue with these books:
User’s Guide
Building Internet And Enterprise Applications for PowerBuilder
Application Techniques
DataWindow Programmer’s Guide
Installing the Online All the PowerBuilder books are available in the Online Books and on the
Books Sybase Web site at www.sybase.com.
For information on how to install the Online Books, see the Installation Guide.

218
PART 3 Building a Web
Application

This part is a tutorial that shows you how to get started

using Web targets. It provides step-by-step instructions for
creating a simple Web application.
LE S S O N 11 Creating Web pages

Using PowerBuilder Web targets, you can develop a Web site in a

workspace that stores Web pages, scripts, multimedia, images, and links
to data from various sources.
In this lesson you:
• Create a PowerDynamo Web site
• Create and modify a basic Web page
• Add page navigation
• Create a login page with validation and redirection
• Designate a start page
• Deploy and run the Web site

How long does it take?

About 40 minutes.

221
Before you begin this tutorial

Before you begin this tutorial

What must be Part 3 of the tutorial requires that the following be available on your local
installed machine:
• Jaguar CTS 3.6.1 or later
• PowerDynamo 3.5.2
• Internet Explorer 5.5 or later
Getting the files you Part 3 of the tutorial requires you to use several files created in Part 2.
need for the tutorial
If you recently completed Part 2 of the tutorial The files you need should
already be available. Before you begin, make sure you have the following files
in your Tutorial directory: myworkspace.pbw, pbtutor.pbt, pbtutor.pbl,
tshirtw.jpg, tutor_pb.pbl, and Tutorial.ico.
If you are completing only Part 3 of the tutorial The files you need are in
the Solutions directory. Before you begin, copy myworkspace.pbw,
pbtutor.pbt, and pbtutor.pbl into your Tutorial directory.

222
 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Create a PowerDynamo Web site

Where you are
> Create a PowerDynamo Web site
Create and modify a basic Web page
Add page navigation
Create a login page with validation and redirection
Designate a start page
Deploy and run the Web site

A PowerDynamo Web site is a database repository where you can create, store,
manage and access HTML documents and data. PowerDynamo lets you embed
instructions into a Web page. It processes these instructions when an HTML or
Web client views or interacts with the page. PowerDynamo provides an
application server that links to your database and your Web server, and a
Personal Web server that lets you work off-line with dynamic Web content.
When you deploy to PowerDynamo, the deployment configuration processes
the HTML pages to make them compatible with the format used by the
application server. It updates links in HTML elements to reflect the actual
deployment file structure. This processing includes:
• Mapping the Web target objects used in your server scripts to objects and
methods (object models) on the application server
• Replacing the delimiters in the HTML editor for server scripts (<% and
%>) with the correct delimiters for the specified application server

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Create a PowerDynamo Web site

1 In PowerBuilder, select File>Open Workspace and navigate to the

Tutorial folder.
Select MyWorkspace.pbw and click Open.
If you recently completed the first tutorial, this workspace may already be
open. If you did not, and you cannot find MyWorkspace.pbw, make sure
you follow the instructions in "Setting up for the tutorial" on page 24.

2 Click the New button in the PowerBar.

Click the Target tab in the New dialog box and select Dynamo Web Site.
Click OK.
The introductory page of the Dynamo Web Site wizard displays.

3 Click Next.
The Select Target Location and Folders wizard page displays. The default
name for the Web target is Target1.

4 Type Customer.pbt in place of Target1.pbt.

5 Click Next until the Specify HTTP Server Information page displays.
You accept the default settings for the following items:
Wizard Option Default
URL Prefix Mapping /Customer
ODBC Data Source Name Customer
New Local Database Filename Customer.db
User ID and Password dba, ***
Load PowerDynamo Help Files and No
Samples
Deployment Configuration Name and CustomerDeployConfiguration1
Description Deployment Configuration

6 Type localhost for the HTTP Server Name in the Specify HTTP Server
Information page.
Accept the default port: 80.
Specifying localhost means that the Web site you create is located on your
local machine.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

7 Click Next until the Ready to Create Dynamo Web Site page displays.
You accept the default settings for the following items:
Wizard option Default
Object Model Default Object Model
Enable Debugging No Debugging
Deploy What Deploy All or Nothing
Rebuild Incremental
Copy Folder Program Files\Sybase\PowerBuilder 8.0\Tutorial
\Customer\CustomerDeployConfiguration1

By accepting the default Web Target object model, you can write server-
side logic that can be deployed to several server platforms from a single
source. The deployment engine converts the source to the appropriate
syntax for these target platforms.

8 Review your selections on the Ready to Create Dynamo Web Site

page.
Click Finish to accept the selections.
The wizard creates the Customer target, a directory structure that stores
your files, a PowerDynamo Web site that uses an Adaptive Server
Anywhere database, and a deployment configuration. If you expand
MyWorkspace in the System Tree, you can see Customer, your new Web
target, listed under it.

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Create and modify a basic Web page

Create and modify a basic Web page

Where you are
Create a PowerDynamo Web site
> Create and modify a basic Web page
Add page navigation
Create a login page with validation and redirection
Designate a start page
Deploy and run the Web site

In this lesson you create an introductory Web page and modify the look and feel
of the page. Not all functionality is added at this time. The purpose is to
demonstrate how easy it is to create a working Web site.
• Create a 4GL introductory Web page
• Change type face
• Add a graphic
• Add absolute positioning to a graphic

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Create a 4GL introductory Web page

In this lesson you create a Welcome.htm page. This page provides access to
other pages you create in this tutorial. You use the 4GL Web Page wizard to
create the Welcome page. 4GL capabilities make it easy to develop pages with
dynamic user-driven content.
4GL Web pages are enhanced Web pages that incorporate extensions to the
Web Target object model to produce template (source) files for dynamic Web
pages (where part of the Web page content changes without changing the Web
page). 4GL Web pages rely on the object model to handle data transfer, HTML
generation, and JavaScript generation for server scripts.

1 Right-click on the Customer target icon and select New.

Click the Web tab in the New dialog box.

Five wizards are available to create Web pages: Quick Web Page, Web
Page, 4GL Web Page, Web DataWindow Page, and Frameset Page. In this
tutorial, you use the Web Page, 4GL Web Page, and Web DataWindow
Page wizards.

Review the Target Name

Targets created by the Target wizards are added to the Target listbox at the
bottom of the New dialog box. The Customer target you created displays.

2 Double-click the 4GL Web Page icon.

3 Click Next.
Type the Title Welcome in the Title textbox and press TAB.
The filename in the File Name textbox defaults to Welcome.htm.

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Create and modify a basic Web page

4 Click Next until the Specify Background Characteristics page

displays.
Specify yellow as the background color.

5 Click Next until the Define Page Parameters page displays, accepting
the wizard defaults.
Type ID for the Parameter Name and leave the Default value empty.
Click Next.

6 Select the Skip EAServer Components checkbox.

You add EAServer information in the next lesson.

7 Click Next.
Click Finish.
The wizard creates the new Web page and the page opens in Page view.
The filename is Welcome.htm.

8 In Page view, select the default text Put your data here.
Type:
Welcome to Sportswear Inc.

9 Select File>Save from the menu bar to save the changes.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Change type face

It is easy to change the look of a Web page in the HTML editor.

1 Place the cursor at the end of the text and press ENTER.
Place the cursor in the text Welcome to Sportswear Inc.
Right-click and select Paragraph Properties from the dropdown listbox.
Click the Inline Styles tab.

2 Select Inline and click the Edit button.

Click the Font tab.

3 Scroll through the Available Fonts list.

Select the Comic Sans MS font.
Click the arrow button to move Comic Sans MS to the Selected Fonts.

4 In Font Size click the Specific radio button.

Type 20 and select pt (point size) from the box next to the Specific
radio button.

5 Select Red from the Color Selection dropdown listbox.

6 Click the Background tab.

Click the Relative radio button.
Select center from the dropdown listbox under Horizontal and Vertical.
Select Blue from the dropdown listbox next to Background Color.

7 Click OK twice.
Your type face changes are applied to the text.

8 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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Create and modify a basic Web page

Add a graphic
Next you add an image file to the Welcome page.

1 Right-click on the Customer target in the System Tree.

Select New Folder from the popup menu.

2 Type Graphics for the folder name and press ENTER.

3 Right-click on the Graphics folder and select Import Files.

Select All Files from the Files of Type dropdown listbox.

4 Navigate to the Tutorial folder.

Select Image Files for the file type.
Select tshirtw.jpg and click Open.
The image file is copied to the Graphics folder.

5 Click in the Welcome.htm page.

Place the cursor in the paragraph below the Welcome title.
Press ENTER to add more space below the title.

6 Place the cursor again in the paragraph below the Welcome title.
Select Insert >Image from the menu bar.

7 Click the browse button (...) next to the Image Location textbox.

8 Open the Graphics folder on the Target page of the Choose URL dialog
box.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

9 Select the filename tshirtw.jpg from the folder.

10 Click OK in the Choose URL dialog box, and again in the Image
Properties dialog box.
The white T-shirt (tshirtw.jpg) image displays on the Welcome page.

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Create and modify a basic Web page

Add absolute positioning to a graphic

Now you fix the image at a specific location on your page. Absolute
positioning lets you fix where the graphic displays on the page regardless of
screen size.

1 Right-click on the T-shirt graphic and select Position>Use Absolute

Positioning from the dropdown listbox.

2 Drag the graphic below the heading, centering it under the blue bar.

3 Click the Preview tab to view what the page looks like when deployed.

4 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Add page navigation

Where you are
Create a PowerDynamo Web site
Create and modify a basic Web page
> Add page navigation
Create a login page with validation and redirection
Designate a start page
Deploy and run the Web site

In this lesson you add a new Web page for displaying product information. You
also add a hyperlink to the Welcome page to access this new page. Lastly you
add a button to the new page that eventually navigates to a Web page in which
you can add new product information. Additional features are added to this
Web page in a later lesson.
• Create a product information Web page
• Add a hyperlink
• Add a button

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Add page navigation

Create a product information Web page

Now you create a Web page for viewing and adding product information. You
access the new Web page from the Welcome page. This new page could be
created without the 4GL wizard, but using a 4GL Web page embeds server-side
scripting capabilities and makes it easier to access database information.

1 Right-click the Customer target in the System Tree.

Select New from the popup menu.

2 Click the 4GL Web Page icon and click OK.

The About the 4GL Web Page Wizard page displays.

3 Click Next.
Type the Title Product in the Title textbox and press TAB.
The filename in the File Name textbox defaults to Product.htm.

4 Click Next until the Define Page Parameters page displays (accept the
wizard defaults).
Type ID for the Parameter Name and leave the Default Value empty.
Click Next.

5 Select the Skip EAServer Components checkbox.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

6 Click Next.
Review the summary of page properties and click Finish.
The Product.htm page displays in Page view.

7 Highlight the default text Put your data here.

Type the words Product Information.
Press ENTER.

8 Select File>Save to save these changes.

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Add page navigation

Add a hyperlink
Next you add a hyperlink in the Welcome page to access the Product Web page.

1 Display the Welcome page (Welcome.htm).

Place the cursor in the paragraph below Welcome to Sportswear Inc..

2 Select Format>Hyperlink from the menu bar.

The Hyperlink Properties dialog box displays.

3 Type View Product Information in the Text of the Hyperlink textbox.

Click the browse (...) button next to the Destination textbox.
The Choose URL dialog box opens and displays the Web pages already
created in the Customer target.

4 Select Product.htm and click OK.

5 Click OK again to add the hyperlink to the Web page.

The Welcome page displays an underlined View Product Information
hyperlink.

6 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

7 Close the Welcome page.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Add a button
Next you add a button to the Product page. Buttons are a typical navigation tool
on Web pages. Later in the tutorial, you add navigation logic to this button.

1 Display the Product page (Product.htm).

Place the cursor in the paragraph under the heading Product
Information.

2 Select Insert>Form Field>Push Button from the menu bar.

The Button Properties dialog box displays.

3 Select the Button Type Button from the dropdown list.

Type cb_addproduct in the Name textbox.
Type Add New Product in the Label textbox.

4 Click OK.
The button displays on the Product.htm page.

You will connect this button to a Web page in the next lesson.

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Add page navigation

5 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

6 Close the Product page.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Create a login page with validation and redirection

Where you are
Create a PowerDynamo Web site
Create and modify a basic Web page
Add page navigation
> Create a login page with validation and redirection
Designate a start page
Deploy and run the Web site

Now you add a Login Web page (Login.htm) with 4GL capabilities. The login
page is a simple design. For the purposes of this tutorial, a server-side
validation script determines if the username and password are the same. This
is determined with validation logic. In production applications you want to use
more sophisticated validation logic.
Once the login information has passed validation, you add server redirection to
move the user to the Welcome page.
The username and password are saved as session variables that are valid for the
entire Web session.
In this lesson you:
• Create a basic login page
• Add session variables
• Add single line text controls
• Add password validation
• Add server redirection

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Create a login page with validation and redirection

Create a basic login page

First you create a login page using the 4GL wizard.

1 With the Customer target selected, select File>New from the menu bar.
Click the Web tab.

2 Click the 4GL Web Page icon.

Click OK.
The About the 4GL Web Page Wizard page displays.

3 Click Next.
Type the Title Login in the Title textbox and press TAB.
The filename in the File Name textbox defaults to Login.htm.

4 Click Next until the Define Page Parameters page displays (accept the
wizard defaults).

5 Type ID for the Parameter Name and leave the Default Value empty.
Click Next.

6 Select the Skip EAServer Components checkbox.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

7 Click Next.
Review the summary of page properties and click Finish.
The Login.htm page displays in Page view.

8 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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Create a login page with validation and redirection

Add session variables

A session variable can keep track of user login information and other data that
you want available to all the pages in your Web application during a user’s
browser session.

1 In Page view, highlight the default text Put your data here.
Replace this highlighted text with the following:
Log in, please:

2 Press ENTER.
On a new line, type the following text, pressing ENTER after each line.
Name
Password

3 Right-click the Login.htm page and select Page Properties from the
popup menu.
Click the Variables tab.

4 Click under Variable Name, click again, and type user for the new
variable name.

5 Tab to the Life Time column and select session from the dropdown
listbox.
Tab to the Client Access column and select Read/Write from the
dropdown listbox.

6 Click under user in the Variable Name column, click again, and type
pswd for the new variable name.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

7 Tab to the Life Time column and select session from the dropdown
listbox.
Tab to the Client Access column and select Read/Write from the
dropdown listbox.

8 Click OK.
Two session variables for the user login information are now defined.

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Create a login page with validation and redirection

Add single line text controls

Text controls are specialized text fields that can be manipulated by server
scripts. The client cannot change the value of this text. It is available only on
4GL Web pages.

1 On the Login.htm page, place the cursor in the paragraph after the
word Name and type two spaces.
Select Insert>Form Field>Single Line Text from the menu bar.
The Text Control Properties dialog box displays.

2 Type sle_user in the Name textbox and make sure the Server Side
Scriptable checkbox is selected.

3 Click the Bind tab.

Select Session Variable from the Component name dropdown listbox.
Select user from the Property name dropdown listbox.
Click OK.
A textbox is inserted after the text Name.

4 In the Page view, place the cursor in the paragraph after the word
Password and type two spaces.
Select Insert>Form Field>Single Line Text.

5 Type sle_pswd in the Name textbox.

Select the Password checkbox.
Make sure the Server Side Scriptable checkbox is selected.
Selecting the Password checkbox causes the user-entered password to
display as asterisks. You cannot add this ability after the text box is added
to the Web page.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

6 Click the Bind tab.

Select <Session Variable> from the Component Name dropdown
listbox.
Select pswd from the Property name dropdown listbox.
Click OK.
A textbox is inserted after the text Password.

7 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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Create a login page with validation and redirection

Add password validation

Validation can be done using client-side or server-side scripting. In this
exercise, you use a server-side script to determine whether the user-entered
username is the same as the user-entered password. You add code in the next
lesson to display the Welcome page after login is complete. If the username and
password are not the same, an error message displays, asking the user to try
again.

1 Place the cursor on the page in the paragraph below the Password
textbox and press ENTER.
Select Insert>Form Field>Push Button from the menu bar.
The Button Properties dialog box displays.

2 Select the Button Type Button from the dropdown listbox.

Type cb_login in the Name textbox.
Type Login in the Label textbox.

On a 4GL Web page, a submit button type and a standard button type
(button) work in the same way; both have client-side onclick events and
server-side Server Action events.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

3 Click OK.
The new Login button displays under the Password textbox.

4 In the Script editor at the bottom of Page view, select cb_login in the
first dropdown listbox.

5 In the center dropdown listbox, scroll to the bottom of the list and
select ServerAction().
Server-side events display in blue text.

6 Type the following in the Script editor:

if (sle_user.value == sle_pswd.value){
user = sle_user.value;
pswd = sle_pswd.value;

This script tests to see whether the username and password are the same.
It assigns the client-entered values for username and password to the
session variables.

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Create a login page with validation and redirection

7 Press ENTER.
Type the following comment line below the script just entered:
//Add Redirection here
You add a redirection call in the next lesson of the tutorial.

8 Press ENTER twice.

Type the else statement as shown below to add the error message:
} else {
psPage.Alert("User name and Password are invalid.
Please try again");
}

9 Click the Save button in the PainterBar.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Add server redirection

Most 4GL Web pages navigate to other pages by server redirection. Server
redirection is the most flexible way to navigate from one page to another.
Server redirection is used when a parameter value passed to another page relies
on user input, or when you want to validate user input. Now you alter your 4GL
Login page to include a server script that specifies the target (Welcome) page
and validates the user-input values of the Login page.

1 In the Script editor at the bottom of the Login.htm page, place the
cursor after the comment line //Add redirection here.
Right-click and select Insert Redirect from the popup menu.
The Redirect Properties dialog box displays.

2 Click the browse button (...) next to the Destination textbox.

Select Welcome.htm from the Contents of Customer tree view.

3 Click OK twice.
The Script editor inserts a block of code. The ability to modify or remove
this block of code using the Edit Redirect or Delete Redirect commands is
available in the popup menu.

4 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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Designate a start page

Designate a start page

Where you are
Create a PowerDynamo Web site
Create and modify a basic Web page
Add page navigation
Create a login page with validation and redirection
> Designate a start page
Deploy and run the Web site

Now you select a start page from which you can test and run your Web site
directly from PowerBuilder.

1 In the System Tree, right-click Customer.

Select Properties from the popup menu.
The Properties of Target Customer dialog box displays.

2 Click the Run/Debug tab and click the browse button (...) next to the
Start page textbox.

3 In the Target page of the Choose URL dialog box, select Login.htm and
click OK.

4 Click the Database tab in the Properties Target Customer dialog box.

5 Select the EAS Demo DB V4 checkbox in the Profile Name list.

Click OK.
The customer database created with the Dynamo Web Site wizard contains
metadata for the Web. Use the EAS Demo database, EAS Demo DB V4,
as your application database.

Setting up your database profile

The EAS Demo DB V4 is a database profile that is available when you
install PowerBuilder. For more information, see Lesson 3, Look at the
EAS Demo DB database.

The Customer target is now ready to deploy.

6 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

Deploy and run the Web site

Where you are
Create a PowerDynamo Web site
Create and modify a basic Web page
Add page navigation
Create a login page with validation and redirection
Designate a start page
> Deploy and run the Web site

Now you deploy the Web site.

1 In the System Tree, right-click the Customer target.

Select Deploy from the popup menu.
Deployment is done when the Output view displays Finished Deploy of
Target Customer.

2 Click the Windows Start menu and then select

Programs>Sybase>PowerDynamo 3.5>Personal Web Server.
Your PowerDynamo Personal Web Server starts. The Personal Web Server
icon displays on the Windows taskbar.

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Deploy and run the Web site

3 Select Run>Select and Run from the menu bar.

Select Customer in the Select a Target dialog box.
Click OK.
Your default browser opens. The URL address box contains the file path
for your Login.htm Web page. Your login page displays.

4 Type Hello in the Name textbox and Good-bye in the Password textbox.
Click the Login button.
An error message displays since the username and password are not the
same.

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 Lesson 11 Creating Web pages

5 Click OK.
Type Hello in both the Name and Password textboxes.
Click the Login button.
Now the Welcome page displays.

6 Click the View Product Information hyperlink.

The Product Information Web page (Product.htm) displays.

In the next lesson, you add a Web DataWindow to the Product Information
page.

7 Close the Browser.

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Deploy and run the Web site

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LE S S O N 1 2 Using Web DataWindows

Web DataWindows provide an interface between a data source and a client

browser, displaying a result set from the data source on a Web page.
In this lesson you:
• Set up an EAServer connection profile
• Build a Web DataWindow Container
• Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
• Enable a new product information button
• Add a button to update the database
• Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
• Add the ability to retrieve product information
• Test the Web page
• Add a new product to the database
• Run the Web application

How long does it take?

About 40 minutes.

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Before you begin this lesson

Before you begin this lesson

To prevent problems during this Web DataWindow lesson, make sure that the
Sybase\Jaguar CTS 3.5\Html\Classes folder is listed in your system PATH
environment variable.
If you are using JDK 1.1 (the default) You should also make sure that:
• The Sybase\Shared\Sun\Jdk118\Bin directory is listed in the system PATH
environment variable.
• Sybase\Shared\Sun\Jdk118\Lib\Classes.zip is in the system CLASSPATH
environment variable.
If you are using JDK 1.2 or later You should also make sure that:
• The Sybase\Shared\Sun\Jdknnn\JRE\Bin\Classic directory is listed in the
system PATH environment variable, where nnn represents the version of
the JDK you are using.
• PowerDynamo is using the correct version of the Java VM.
To check, open Sybase Central and expand the Utilities and Configuration
folders under PowerDynamo 3.5. Double-click Default Java Settings in
the left pane and Java VM in the right pane, and select Sun Java VM 1.2
from the dropdown listbox.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Set up an EAServer connection profile

Where you are
> Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

Now you set up a connection profile to EAServer. This tutorial assumes that
you are using EAServer on your local machine.

1 From the Windows Start menu, select Programs>Sybase>Jaguar

CTS>Jaguar Server to start EAServer.
A DOS window displays as the server starts. You can minimize this
window when it displays the message Accepting Connections.

2 From the PowerBuilder menu bar, select Tools>EAServer Profile.

The following screen displays.

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Set up an EAServer connection profile

3 Click Add.
The Edit EAServer Profile dialog box opens.

4 Enter the following information.

Profile Property Type this value
Profile Name local
Server Name localhost
Port Number 9000
Login jagadmin
Password leave blank

5 Click Test when complete.

A Connection Successful message displays.

6 Click OK twice and click Done.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Build a Web DataWindow Container

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
> Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

A Web DataWindow container gathers all the supporting files and properties
that your page needs into a single area installed on the server.
The Web DataWindow Container wizard creates a custom EAServer
component that implements the HTMLGenerator80 interface and packages all
the DataWindow objects together with database connection information.
In this lesson you build a Web DataWindow container using the Web
DataWindow Container wizard, and you deploy the component directly to the
server for use by your Web application.

1 Select File>New from the menu bar.

The New dialog box displays.

2 Click the Project tab.

Click the Web DW Container Wizard.
Click OK.
Click Next.

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Build a Web DataWindow Container

3 Select pbtutor.pbl file in the Application libraries list.

4 Click Next.
The Specify Project Object window displays. Here you create a name for
the project.
Accept the default project name.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

5 Click Next.
Select the EAS Demo DB V4 from the Database Profiles list.

6 Click Next until the final wizard page displays, accepting the defaults
as listed:
Wizard Options Default Value
Choose EAServer Profile local
Specify EAServer Container and pbtutor_component
Package Name pbtutor_package
Specify Instance Pooling Options Supported
Specify Other Component Options None
Specify Dynamic Library Options pbtutor.pbd

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Build a Web DataWindow Container

7 Click Finish.
The p_pbtutor_webdw project displays in the Project painter.

8 Select Design>Deploy Project from the menu bar.

This deploys the Web DataWindow Container in the pbtutor target to the
EAServer on your local machine.

9 Select File>Close from the menu bar to close the project.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
> Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

In this lesson you use the Web DataWindow Container you just created when
you create a new Web page, Addproduct.htm.

1 Right-click the Customer target in the System Tree.

Select New.

2 Click the Web tab in the New dialog box.

Double-click the Web DataWindow Page icon.
Click Next.
The Specify New HTML File page displays.

3 Type Addproduct in the Title textbox.

Click Next.
Addproduct.htm is now the name of your Web page file.

4 Select the local EAServer profile.

Click Next.
The Choose Web DW Component Type page displays.

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Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container

5 Select the Web DW Container radio button and click Next.

6 Expand the items below the local server.

Under pbtutor_package, select the pbtutor_component.

7 Click Next.
The Choose DataWindow Object page displays.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

8 Select d_product.

9 Click Next.
Click Finish to accept your selections.
The Addproduct.htm Web page displays in Page view.

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Enable a new product information button

Enable a new product information button

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
> Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

So far the addproduct.htm page contains a Web DataWindow. Now you add
text, link to the database, enable users to add product information to the
database, and link to the product.htm page where users can view the
information they have added.

1 Right-click on the addproduct.htm page and select Page Properties

from the popup menu.
Click the box next to Enable 4GL Web Server Side Event Model and click
OK.
The page is now 4GL enabled. This allows you to code server-side events
and to bind variables and components to controls on your Web page.

2 Place the cursor to the left of the DataWindow (in the lower left corner)
and press ENTER.
Insert the following text in the paragraph above the Web DataWindow:
Click here to add new product information
Under this text you will add a new button which will display a blank row
in the DataWindow.

3 Press ENTER after the text.

Select Insert>Form Field>Push Button from the menu bar.
The Button Properties page displays.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

4 Select Button from the Button Type dropdown listbox.

Type cb_addproduct in the Button Name textbox.
Type Add New Product Information in the Label textbox.

5 Click OK.
Select cb_addproduct from the first dropdown listbox in the Script
editor.
or
Click the Add New Product Information button in page view to have the
Script editor display cb_addproduct in the first dropdown listbox.

6 Select ServerAction() from the center dropdown listbox.

Add the following script:
dw_1.InsertRow(0);

When the end user clicks the Add New Product Information button on the
Web page, the Web DataWindow displays with empty textboxes for user
input.

7 Place the cursor after the paragraph icon at the right end of the Add
New Product button.
Press ENTER.
Type the following text on one line:
Add a new product. Enter information into all the
textboxes and click Update Database.

267
Enable a new product information button

8 Right-click on the Web DataWindow.

Select Sybase Web DataWindow DTC Properties from the dropdown
listbox.

9 Click the Control tab.

Check the Override box next to the Weight panel.
Check all the items in the Weight panel.
The HTML page generated will include JavaScript code that supports all
the client-side features checked.

Size of the generated page

Each feature selected generates JavaScript code for the Web page. When
building a Web page, check only the features you need; this limits the size
of the page.

10 Click the Override checkbox for Rows Per Page field.

Type 1 in the Rows Per Page box.

This limits the amount of product information displayed to one record.

11 Click the Retrieval tab.

Clear the Automatic Retrieval option.

12 Click OK.
Click the Save button in the PainterBar.

268
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Add a button to update the database

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
> Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

After you add product information, you must update the database, so now you
add a button for updating the database. You also add a link to the product
information so that you can view it.

1 Place the cursor in the paragraph at the bottom right of the Web
DataWindow and press ENTER.
Select Insert>Form Field>Push Button from the menu bar.
The Button Properties page displays.

2 Select Button from the Button Type dropdown listbox.

Type cb_update in the Name textbox.
Type Update Database in the Label textbox.

269
Add a button to update the database

3 Click OK.
Press ENTER.

4 Select cb_update in the first dropdown listbox of the Script editor.

Select ServerAction() from the center dropdown listbox.

5 In the Script editor window, type:

dw_1.Update();

Pressing the Update Database button from the Web page adds the
information entered by the end user to the database.

6 Place the cursor in the paragraph under the Update Database button
and select Format>Hyperlink.

7 Type Product Information in the Text of the Hyperlink textbox.

Click the browse (...) button next to the Destination textbox.
The window opens to display the target list of Web pages already created.

8 Select the Product Information page (Product.htm).

270
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

9 Click OK twice to add the hyperlink to the Web page.

Product Information appears on the Addproduct.htm page as an underlined
hyperlink.

10 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

271
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page

Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
> Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

Now you add a DataWindow to an existing Web page. You clear the automatic
retrieval checkbox for this DataWindow. This prevents automatic insertion into
your page of the script that accesses the Web DataWindow.
You then link a specific DataWindow retrieval argument to a parameter on the
Web page and retrieve the DataWindow programmatically.

1 Open the product.htm file.

2 Place the cursor at the end of the Product Information paragraph.

Press ENTER.
Select Insert>Form Field> DataWindow from the menu bar.
The Sybase Web DataWindow DTC Properties dialog box displays.

3 Select the Library radio button on the DataWindow page.

272
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

4 Click the browse button (...) next to the DataWindow Library textbox.
Double-click tutor_pb.pbl.
Select the Generate Absolute Path in Script checkbox.
Select d_product from the DataWindow dropdown listbox.

Generate absolute path is used here for the purposes of the tutorial only. In
a production environment, you should use the actual file location.

5 Click the Connection tab.

Select EAS Demo DB V4 from the dropdown listbox.

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Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page

6 Click the Retrieval tab.

Clear the Automatic Retrieval option.

Later you will write a script to retrieve product data using a button clicked
event.

7 Click OK.
Now you add a link from this page to the new product page.

8 Select the cb_addproduct button in the first dropdown listbox in the

Script editor.
Select ServerAction() from the second dropdown listbox.

9 Right-click inside the Script editor.

Select Insert Redirect from the dropdown listbox.

10 Click the browse (...) button next to the Destination textbox.

Select Addproduct.htm from the Contents of Customer listbox.

11 Click OK twice.

12 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

274
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Add the ability to retrieve product information

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
> Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

Now you add a retrieve function to the product.htm page. It will allow you to
request the product ID for any product in the database and display the product
information on the page.

1 Open product.htm in Page view if it is not already open.

Place the cursor at the end of the paragraph above the Web
DataWindow.
Press ENTER.

2 Select Table>Table Wizard from the menu bar.

Type 1 in the Number of Rows. Click Next.
Type 2 in the Number of Columns. Click Finish and OK.
A table displays on the Web page.

3 Highlight the word Cell in the first column and type Display Product
Information by Product ID.

4 Highlight the word Cell in the second column.

Select Insert >Form Field >Single Line Text.

275
Add the ability to retrieve product information

5 Click OK.
Place the cursor after the table.
Press the ENTER key once to move to the next line.
Select Insert>Form Field>Push Button from the menu bar.
The Button Properties page displays.

6 Select Button Type Button.

Type cb_get in the Name textbox.
Type Product by ID in the Label textbox.

7 Click OK.
Select cb_get in the first dropdown listbox of the Script editor.
Select ServerAction() from the center dropdown listbox.

8 Add the following code to the script window:

dw_1.Reset();
dw_1.Retrieve(sle_1.value);

9 Select File>Save from the menu bar.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Test the Web page

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
> Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

Before you test your Web application, it is useful to first test the
Addproduct.htm Web page to see if you can add a product. To do this, you
specify that the start page for the Customer target is Addproduct.htm, and then
you deploy and run the Customer target.

1 In the System Tree, right-click Customer.

Select Properties from the popup menu.
The Properties of Target Customer dialog box displays.

2 Click the Run/Debug tab and click the browse (...) button.
Click the Target tab in the Choose URL dialog box.

3 Select Addproduct.htm from the Contents of Customer listbox and

click OK twice.

4 Check to see that your Personal Web Server and the local EAServer
are running.

5 In the System Tree, right-click Customer.

Select Deploy from the popup menu.
The Output window opens and displays informational messages, ending
with Finished Deploy of target customer.

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Test the Web page

6 Return to the System Tree, and again right-click Customer.

Select Run from the popup menu.
Your default browser opens. The URL address box contains the file path
for the Addproduct.htm Web page.

Next you add new product information using this Web page.

278
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Add a new product to the database

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
> Add a new product to the database
Run the Web application

Next you add new product information and update the database with the new
information.

1 Click the Add New Product Information button on the Addproduct.htm

page.
The Web page is reloaded and an empty Web DataWindow row displays.

279
Add a new product to the database

2 Type the following information in the Web DataWindow:

Textbox Value
Product ID 9999
Product Name Shirt
Product Description Denim shirt
Size Large
Color Blue (select from dropdown list)
Quantity 6
Unit Price 27.95

3 Click the Update Database button.

This information is now in the database. You review the information next.

4 Click the Product Information hyperlink.

The product.htm page displays.

5 Type 9999 in the Display Product information by Product ID textbox.

Click the Product by ID button.
The product.htm Web page is reloaded with the product information you
entered in the previous exercise.

280
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

Run the Web application

Where you are
Set up an EAServer connection profile
Build a Web DataWindow Container
Create a Web page with a Web DataWindow Container
Enable a new product information button
Add a button to update the database
Add a DataWindow to an existing Web page
Add the ability to retrieve product information
Test the Web page
Add a new product to the database
> Run the Web application

You have completed the development of your Web application. Now you
change the start page back to the Login.htm page, the redeploy, run, and test the
Web application.

1 In the System Tree, right-click Customer.

Select Properties from the popup menu.
The Properties of Target Customer dialog box displays.

2 Click the Run/Debug tab and click the browse (...) button.
Click the Target tab in the Choose URL dialog box.

3 Select Login.htm from the Contents of Customer listbox and click OK

twice.

4 Check to see that your Personal Web Server and the local EAServer
are running.

5 In the System Tree, right-click Customer.

Select Deploy from the popup menu.
When the Output window displays the Finished Deploy of target customer
message, you run the application.

281
Run the Web application

6 Click the Run button in the PowerBar.

Your default browser displays the Login.htm page.

7 Type your first name in both the Name and Password textboxes.
Click the Login button.
The Welcome page displays.

282
 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

8 Click the View Product Information hyperlink.

The Product Information Web page (Product.htm) displays.

9 Click the Add New Product button.

The Addproduct.htm page displays.

283
Run the Web application

10 Click the Add New Product Information button.

The Web DataWindow displays with an empty row.

11 Type the following information in the Web DataWindow:

Textbox Value
Product ID 4321
Product Name Tee Shirt
Product Description Cotton tee shirt
Size Small
Color White (select from dropdown list)
Quantity 100
Unit Price 15.95

12 Click the Update Database button.

13 Click the Product Information hyperlink.

The product.htm page displays.

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 Lesson 12 Using Web DataWindows

14 Type 4321 in the Display Product information by Product ID textbox.

Click the Product by ID button.
The product.htm Web page is reloaded with the product information you
just entered.

15 Close the Browser.

285
What to do next

What to do next
Congratulations. You have completed Part 3 of the tutorial. Now you know the
basics of working with Web targets in PowerBuilder.
Web target books to The Preface to this book includes a guide to the PowerBuilder documentation.
use next To further your education in Web targets and Web DataWindows, you should
continue with these books:
Working with Web Targets
Web Targets Reference
DataWindow Programmer’s Guide
DataWindow Reference
Installing the Online All the PowerBuilder books are available in the Online Books and on the
Books Sybase Web site at www.sybase.com.
For information on how to install the Online Books, see the Installation Guide.
Looking at the Web To see examples of PowerBuilder 8 code, including a Web target sample, you
target sample should look at the examples that are available on the Sybase Web site at
www.sybase.com/pb8examples.

286
Index

A columns on DataWindow objects

aligning 182
aligning columns in DataWindow objects 182
rearranging 180
ampersand (&)
comments
menu item accelerator key 145
DataWindow 166, 178
ancestor
menu 150
scripts 132
Script view 87
windows 123
window 69
Application object
COMMIT statement 137
definition 12
connection service manager 102
icon 39, 41
Constructor event, user object 106
Open event 50
context Help, adding 82
applications
controls
building 209
CommandButton 79
debugging 197
deleting 72
definition 12
duplicating 74
distributed 5
Picture 72
internet 5
specifying properties for 75, 78, 80
MDI 20, 21
StaticText 74
running 43, 257
Creating Web pages 221
AutoScript
setting up shortcuts for 116
using 117, 135
D
data source
B Quick Select 162
SQL Select 170
background color, window 67
database connectivity
breakpoints 198
about 6, 92
Button, adding 269
Transaction object 105
Database painter, using 98
database profiles 92
C databases
connecting to 6
class user objects 18 connecting to at execution time 105
Clicked event extended attributes 101
CommandButton control 117, 119 retrieving, presenting, and manipulating data 14
menu item 155 table definitions in 98
Clip window 7 update 279, 281
Close event, Application object 120 DataWindow controls 124

287
Index

DataWindow data expressions 139 edit style, dropdown DataWindow 183

DataWindow objects events
about 161 about 5
aligning columns 182 Clicked 115, 155
attaching to DataWindow controls 186, 188, 192 Close 120
creating 162, 170 Constructor 106
data source 162, 170 DBError 132
display order 163 RowFocusChanged 138
enhancing 179 triggering from menu scripts 155
overview 14 executable file
presentation style 162, 170 application icon 39, 41
rearranging columns 180 generating machine code 210
retrieval arguments 173 regenerating objects 213
saving 166, 178 extended attributes 101, 183
selecting columns with Quick Select 163
WHERE clause 174
DataWindow painter
bands 162 F
retrieval argument 173 floating
WHERE clause 174 toolbars 61
DBError event 132, 136 views 55
DBParm parameter 111 footer band in DataWindow objects 162
debugging format
about 197 button 237
adding breakpoints 198 graphic 232
running in debug mode 202 type face 239
setting a watch 207 frame window 86
stepping through code 202 Freeform presentation style
declaring global variables 107 columns 179
default to 3D window option 71 DataWindow definition 170
DeleteRow function 137 functions
deleting controls 72 about 5
detail band in DataWindow objects 162 DeleteRow 137
docking views 55 GetActiveSheet 155
dropdown DataWindow edit style 183 global 17
dropdown menus InsertRow 137
adding items 144 object-level 17
description 16 ProfileString 107
Reset 137
Retrieve 135
SetFocus 135, 137
E SetRowFocusIndicator 135
EAS Demo DB Database SetTransObject 139
connecting to 91 Update 137
setting up 24
EAServer 257

288
 Index

G M
GetActiveSheet function 155 machine code 210
global main window, size 41
functions 17 manager
structures 17 connection service 102
variables 107 MDI applications 20, 21
graphics 230 menu bars, description 16
menu items
adding scripts for 155
defining 144
H description 16
HALT statement 119 Menu painter, using 144
header band in DataWindow objects 162, 164 menus
Help about 16
context messages 82 adding scripts for 155
Microhelp 152 and toolbars 146, 153
creating 149
inheriting 149
menu items 144
I saving 150
icons, application 39 MicroHelp 152
Information
add 266
inheritance
and menus 149 O
and object-oriented programming 5 object orientation 5
and user objects 124 object-level
and windows 123 functions 17
initialization files structures 17
odbc.ini 92 Open event
pb.ini 98 frame window 86
pbtutor.ini 107 sheet window 138
InsertRow function 137 Output window 7

L P
libraries PainterBar
about 18 adding controls from 70
dynamic 210 popup menus 61
rebuild objects in 141 using 8
search path for application 126 painters 8
Parent (PowerScript pronoun) 112
Parent (pronoun) 113
PBL see PowerBuilder Library (PBL)
Pcode (pseudocode) 210

289
Index

popup menus Paste Special commands 115

about 61 prototype area 136
PainterBar 61 using comments 87
PowerBar 8 scripts
PowerBuilder Library (PBL) 18 about 5
PowerDynamo Web site 223 compiling 89
PowerScript 5 displaying ancestor scripts 132
PowerTips 9 error window 89
presentation styles for user events 134
DataWindow object 162, 170 setting up shortcuts for AutoScript 116
Freeform 170 using AutoScript 117, 135
Tabular 162 scrollbars, vertical 130
Profile String function 107 Select painter
Project wizards 210 about 171
pronouns, PowerScript tab area 172
Parent 112, 113 SELECT statement 172
This 139 SetFocus function 135, 137
SetRowFocusIndicator function 135
SetTransObject function 139
setup for tutorial 24
Q sheet windows
queries 17 menus 150
Quick Select size, main window 41
sort criteria 164 SQL painter 170
using 162 SQL Select 170
SQL statements
COMMIT 137
ROLLBACK 137
R SELECT 172
retrieval arguments SQL syntax, in Select painter 172
creating 173 SQLCA (SQL Communications Area) 105, 139
WHERE clause 174 structures 17
Retrieve function StyleBar 9
about 135 summary band in DataWindow objects 162
specifying an argument for 140 System Tree 7
Retrive data from database 275
right mouse button, and popup menus 61
ROLLBACK statement 137
RowFocusChanged event 138 T
tab order 81
Tabular presentation style 162
targets 7
S This (PowerScript pronoun) 139
Script view To-Do List 102
description 82
error window 89

290
 Index

toolbars views
runtime application 153 docking 55
showing text 60 floating 55
Transaction object 105, 139 manipulating 52
tutorial pinning 54
files 24 saving layout schemes 57
initialization file 107 stacks 56
setup 24 visual user objects 18

U W
Update function 137 Web DataWindow 272
user events Web DataWindow Container 259
adding scripts for 134 Web page
defining 134 deploy 277
triggering from menu scripts 155 graphic 230
user objects with DataWindow 263
about 18 Web pages, introduction 221
using 124 Web targets, about 7
WHERE clause 174
Window painter, deleting a control 72
window size 41
V windows
validation 246 about 13
variables ancestor 123
global 107 CommandButton controls on 79
gnv_connect 108 creating 66
instance 107 DataWindow controls on 124
lm_menu 157 deleting a control 72
naming conventions 108 opening in a script 85
validation 246 Picture controls on 72
vertical scrollbars 130 previewing 83
view, types of response 66
Design (DataWindow painter) 162 saving 66
HTML Preview (DataWindow painter) 165 StaticText controls on 74
Layout 67 tab order in 81
Object Details (Database painter) 100 wizards
Object Layout (Database painter) 100 4GL 240
Objects (Database painter) 98 Connection Object 102
Preview (DataWindow painter) 165 DataWindow 162
Properties 67 Project 210
Script 82 Web page 227, 263
Syntax (Select painter) 172 workspaces 7
Table Layout (Select painter) 171
WYSIWYG (Menu painter) 144

291