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Friday, December 21, 2012

ISUG Name Change

** Hot News **

 ISUG Changes its Name!


   At the ISUG Annual General Meeting on December 11th, the membership approved changing the legal name from the "International Sybase User Group" to the "Independent SAP Technical User Group".

  The new name will be officially effective once all the necessary legal paperwork has been filed, but you will begin to see changes on their website over the next two weeks as the staff and board of directors move as quickly as possible to implement this change.  Online they will be known as ISUG-Tech – which keeps the history of ISUG as well as emphasizing their technical nature.

  The new ISUG entity's mission will remain the same but changing the "Sybase" with "SAP" will align the group with all things SAP (including Sybase products) and cater to the needs of their members, the technical community.

  For more information on this name and focus change, please visit the ISUG website (click here).

Regards ... Chris

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Appeon Mobile - MDI


** Appeon Mobile Beta 1.0 News **

Appeon Mobile Stays True to MDI


    The Multiple Document Interface is alive and well on the iPad thanks to Appeon Mobile's implementation of true PowerBuilder "feature for feature" support! The MDI interface became a standard from the onset of MS-Windows 3.1 and began its life in the PowerBuilder realm since version 2.0. The business community embraced the interface as it has a natural support for allowing users to compare similar pieces of information side by side, track multiple units of open work and arrange / locate these work units to suite the processing needs & flow.

Example of Cascade arrangement request.

    When Sybase was building their WebForms feature support for PowerBuilder, they had the option to implement the MDI interface GUI standard. In fact, I saw a working version in the early days of PB 11.0 Alpha that implemented the MDI interface. However, between the Alpha release and the official Beta - Sybase dropped MDI support and went with the multi-tabpage GUI look and feel. During the Beta for PB 11.0 many testers complained about the lack of MDI support. Since PB 11.0's production release, even many business users I have spoken to have rejected the Webform's feature set because of the lack of MDI support in the web browser. Again, for the main reason of not being able to see two similar data entity's side-by-side.

Example of a "Tile Horizontal" request.

    In the PocketBuilder (PK) days on Windows Mobile O/S, the MDI look & feel was not supported by the native operating system - thus PK did not support MDI for that reason. However, I was able to emulate the MDI feature set in my STD Foundation Class framework. The framework was used in many PK applications and the feedback I received on having the MDI features enabled in their PK applications was very positive!

Appeon Mobile extends the "Window" menu pull-down list of active sheets!

  The Appeon Mobile system displays the active open sheet window's title text from the "System Icon" of the Appeon Mobile operating shell. The Window list displays the MDI Frame window title first and then each open sheet (child MDI window) in successive order as they were opened. This implementation allows the iOS application user to navigate to any active sheet in any order. The application user may also close or bring background MDI child windows to the foreground from this feature as well.

Example of MDI Toolbar handling in Appeon Mobile

   Any MDI application may utilize a toolbar on the MDI Frame window and also another toolbar on any active MDI Child window as well. A native MS-Windows MDI application will always display the MDI frame and active Child toolbars in sequence. The Appeon Mobile implementation displays a partial representation of the first toolbar on the right side of the main application title (like a preview) and then displays the full toolbar contents when the user taps on the toolbar ">;" activation symbol. As the iOS application user changes the active MDI Child window, the Appeon Mobile changes the lower toolbar icons to suite just like its genuine MS-Window's counter-part.

Example of a "Tile Vertical" request.
Example of drop-down Menu support in Appeon Mobile

  Besides the full support for tiling the MDI child windows horizontally, vertically or cascaded - Appeon Mobile supports full drop(pull) down menu support from the Menu Icon on the Appeon Mobile application. The menu that drops follows proper MDI rules in that the MDI Frame's menu drops when the "Menu" icon is tapped if only the MDI frame is present. If an MDI Child is open, the Menu Icon displays the MDI Child's menu when tapped and this changes as each open MDI Child window is re-activated.
Example of a dialog's Control Menu implementation in Appeon Mobile


   Each MDI Child or even Response / Pop-Up window shows a Control Menu on each MDI Child's top right-hand side. Tapping this area allows the Appeon Mobile application to present the standard Minimize, Maximize or Close options that real MDI appications on MS-Windows have always supported. The same feature set is fully supported by the Appeon Mobile application and even allows the iOS user to "Restore" the MDI Child windows size when is a Minimized or Maximized state.

  Like Appeon Mobile, Appeon Web implements the full MDI feature set inside your Web Browser - eclipsing in my opinion - the native PB Webform application just in the MDI support alone. Appeon Web though takes your PB application's web experience far beyond what the Webform's features support for a true proper business user experince. Its so refreshing to see that Appeon Coporation is also taking this attention to detail approach in their iOS application design and support as well.

  Well done Appeon!

Note: you can always implement the multi-tabpage look and feel in your Appeon Mobile or Appeon Web application as well. The Appeon product is nice in that it does not force the PowerBuilder developer to a particular user interface pattern. Instead, it allows the PB developer to design the web or mobile applciation to suite their business user's needs!

Regards ... Chris




Friday, December 14, 2012

PowerBuilder Mobile

Appeon Mobile Beta 1.0

First 48 Hours

December 14, 2012

     Well, its been a real "adrenaline rush" for me participating in the original Appeon Mobile Alpha and now first official Appeon Mobile Beta 1.0 for approximately only 48 hours now. Its amazing to see how far Appeon has come in just a few weeks between the Alpha release that I first saw in November to what I see now in Beta 1.0! I am so excited, that I thought I would share with you some of my experiences - since I have been actually able to build example applications, deploy existing PB applications and even better yet, get my Software Tool & Die Foundation Class library and its associated applications deployed and running on a real iPad!



      First of all though, while the PB application do work well ... its would be advantageous to consider some of these best pratices when building or refactoring a PB applciation for the mbile space. here are some thoughts on the subject:

Fingers vs. Mouse

iOS-based devices mainly use the human finger for input; desktop computers mainly use a mouse for input. Designing a user interface for interaction with the finger is very different than designing for mouse.

    First of all, you would need to design larger UI controls for a finger than you would for a mouse pointer in the desktop environment. For example, iOS recommends the comfortable minimum size of a tappable target is 44 x 44 points, which is approximately 128 x 128 PBUs.

    Secondly, a mouse can have a hover state, so tool tips and other roll-over effects can be used in the desktop application. Besides that, a mouse can have a right mouse button, so right-click popup menu can be easily supported. However, these design elements are less natural on an iOS application.

Virtual keyboard vs. real keyboard

A desktop application can take advantage of a real keyboard to help people type fast and correctly, and enable shortcut key functionalities, while an iOS application mainly uses a virtual keyboard which takes up the precious screen space, and is typo-prone, therefore, you should avoid using the virtual keyboard whenever possible, and try to design the user interface for selection rather than for typing, for example, use a ListBox, TrackBar, or spin control to replace a text field.



Screen Size

Compared to desktop applications, iOS applications are running on a more compact screen, therefore, their window size must be smaller, while the UI controls must be large enough to be easily tapped. This means that only the primary functionalities can be displayed at the screen at a time, the secondary functionalities should be hidden. This requires you to carefully design the application structure, the user interface, and the window navigation, especially for smartphones such as iPhone.

Orientation Change

Device orientation can change in iOS mobile device and people often expect to use their iOS-based devices in any orientation, therefore, you will need to consider how to support orientation change when you design the application.

Memory management

Memory is more tightly constrained for iOS-based device than it is for desktop computers. Besides that, iOS does not support garbage collection. Therefore, whenever possible, you should release objects directly rather than auto release them.

Font

Fonts used in the iOS application and the PB application are not exactly the same. You can choose from the fonts that commonly exist in both the iOS application and the PB application, such as Arial (recommended font), Courier New, Euphemia, Georgia, Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Times New Roman, etc. Arial is the most recommended font, because it looks very similar to the iOS default font Helvetica. If you choose a font that is available in the PB application but not available in the iOS application, the font will also be mapped to Helvetica automatically at runtime. For the mapping rules, please see Control font.

Colour

The RGB color used in the PB application will be displayed as the exact same RGB color in the iOS application at run-time. But the system colors may not, because the Windows system colors (such as ButtonFace) are different from the iOS system colors. If you have used or intend to use the system colors in the application, you may notice there are minor differences.





   For more information on designing proper iOS applciations, please read the Apple Design Guide's "iOS Human Design Guidelines"


  For those who would like to join the Appeon Mobile beta program, please follow this link for more information on this great oppoertunity!

  If you are in the Appeon Mobile beta program and would like to try my STD Foundation Class library for building exceptional GUI and high-performance / low-foot print applications for Appeon Mobile - please check out the SourceForge home (tip: select "All Files" and then navigate to the Appeon Mobile section).


Regards ... Chris


 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Appeon Mobile - Beta 1.0

** Hot News **

Appeon Mobile Beta 1.0 Has Been Officially Launched!


   Appeon Corporation is excited to announce that Appeon Mobile Beta 1.0 has been officially launched. If you want to test Appeon Mobile Beta, please sign up by following this link (click here). Once you’re confirmed as participant in Appeon Mobile Beta program, Appeon will assign an account to you for downloading the product.

Regards ... Chris
PS: I was on the Alpha ... you really need to try this "kool" new software!   :-)

Monday, November 26, 2012

PBTV - December 2012

** Hot News **

December 2012 Webinars on PowerBuilderTV



Tuesday, November 27, 2012
at 9:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CET (Paris)

Gantt Chart Planner — Consuming .NET Assemblies in PowerBuilder .NET
Construction companies need an overview of their planning and work in progress. HBBSoft, a PowerBuilder .NET application, aims to achieve this purpose using Gantt and scheduling. The application is able to communicate with the Microsoft Exchange Calendar using Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) to plan employees’ tasks immediately into the Outlook calendar. This presentation covers several techniques used in the HBBSoft application:
• .NET user authentication.
• Consuming Exchange Web Services to sync with Exchange Calendar.
• Custom Expression Blend toolbar.
• Integration of third-party Gantt and schedule controls.
Presenter: Dimitri Joosten
Register

Thursday, November 29, 2012
at 9:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CET (Paris)

Building Customizable Applications using CRAFT
Create a business application in just a few days or change the business logic immediately after a customer request. This session presents CRAFT, a software platform for building customizable and complex business applications. CRAFT does not require expert programming skills — knowledge of SQL is sufficient — and its visual tools allow developers to build applications rapidly, even without a single line of code. Applications can be customized easily during implementation at a customer site. The CRAFT software platform:
• Leverages the full power of DataWindow technology for creating user interfaces and reports.
• Enables software developers to create and manage application business objects definition, their representation (using DataWindow forms visual designer), and their business logic (if needed) using embedded high-level object-oriented language.
• Program language syntax is very similar to PowerScript® language (with some extensions) —  PowerBuilder developers will have minimal learning time.
• Supports the most well-known SQL databases (Oracle, Microsoft SQL, MySQL, InterBase, Firebird, PostgreSQL), and can be used as a prototyping tool, as a report generator, and as a tool for business analysis.
Presenter: Dmitry Golubev
Register

Tuesday, Decembre 4, 2012
at 9:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CET (Paris)

Implementing Datawindow Usability Improvements with Minimal Disruption
This presentation covers techniques to create and implement a 'datawindow enhancement service' within an existing PowerBuilder application with the goal of providing improved functionality while keeping disruption to application users to a minimum. It is similar to the session presented at the 2012 PowerBuilder Developers Conference held in October in conjunction with SAP TechEd. Focus for this session will be on the creation of the service object, implementing example functionality enhancements with existing datawindows, and ideas for further expansion of the service.
Presenter: Matt Balent
Register

Wednesday, Decembre 5, 2012
at 9:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CET (Paris)

Using .NET Assemblies with PowerBuilder
This presentation covers techniques to create and implement a 'datawindow enhancement service' within an existing PowerBuilder application with the goal of providing improved functionality while keeping disruption to application users to a minimum. It is similar to the session presented at the 2012 PowerBuilder Developers Conference held in October in conjunction with SAP TechEd. Focus for this session will be on the creation of the service object, implementing example functionality enhancements with existing datawindows, and ideas for further expansion of the service.
Presenter: Bruce Armstrong
Register

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!


Regards ... Chris


Friday, November 23, 2012

ISUG - Annual General Meeting

** Hot News **

ISUG - 2012 Annual General Meeting


The International Sybase User Group will be holding their annual general meeting on on Tuesday, December 11th at 3pm EST (8pm UTC). The meeting will be available via a live webcast and is open to all ISUG members!

The meeting will consist of a presentation covering the last 12 months along with the plans for the next 1-2 years. The board also plans to bring at least one motion requiring a vote of the members.

You can register for this meeting at my.isug.com.  All members are invited to attend, although Associate level members will not be permitted to vote on any pending action(s) required by the membership.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

ISUG Wants You!

** Hot News **

WANTED


  I just wanted to mention that ISUG (International Sybase User Group) is always looking for people who would like to write an article for their "Technical Journal" magazine. If you have used SAP products (NetWeaver, PB, Hanna, EAServer, ASE, ect) in a unique way, interfaced your application to some interesting 3rd party system, built an advanced GUI interface, developed an application solution to a unique business need, etc and want to share your experience - then you might like to give writing a try!

  For more information on the ISUG Technical Journal and writing endevours for ISUG, please follow this link ... click here!  




Regards ... Chris 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Product Roadmaps 2012

** Hot News **


  Recently in the fall of 2012, SAP held various webinars outlining their road-maps for Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE), PowerDesigner (PD) and PowerBuilder (PB). SAP recorded these webcasts and have now made them available for the general public viewing, as follows:

Road-map Webcasts ....

ASE

PowerBuilder 

PowerDesigner


Enjoy ... Chris


Friday, November 2, 2012

PB TV - November, 2012

** Hot News **

November 2012 webinars on PowerBuilderTV

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!


Thursday November 8th 2012

at 9:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CET (Paris)

Appeon Mobile - Live Demo! : Take your PowerBuilder applications mobile.
Want to use PowerBuilder to build apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, and other mobile devices? This presentation shows you how to leverage PowerBuilder to rapidly build native mobile applications that will run on virtually any device or OS. Learn about:
• Mobile SDK integration.
• Offline data access.
• Application provisioning and distribution.
Get answers to all your pressing technical questions, have a chance to register for the beta program, and learn about the product roadmap in this informative session.
Presenter: Armeen Mazda
Register


Tuesday, November 13, 2012
at 9:00 AM PST (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CET (Paris)


VHG-Tools Platform — PowerBuilder .NET, Expression Blend, Web, and Cloud
The VHG-Tools platform is an application environment based on the former Capital Architect program. The platform is developed in PowerBuilder .NET and is used to present several tools anywhere, any time. Capital Architect, now called Capital Simulator, is one of the tools integrated within this new platform. Last year, a session illustrated the implementation of the controls developed in Expression Blend within PowerBuilder .NET, and showed how the application was mobilized on several platform-independent devices. This session shows the continued evolution of style, speed, mobility, and platform independency and covers several techniques:
• Multithreading.
• Custom-styling DataWindows with PowerBuilder .NET using WPF “styles.”
• Customizing Expression Blend buttons.
• The integration of third-party control “amcharts.”
• SMS service (a plain and simple solution).
• .NET active directory user authentication.
• Browser integration.
• Web integration using Cloud Portal.
Presenter : Dmitri Joosten
Register

On-demand webinars on PowerBuilderTV:
  Modernize the look of your PowerBuilder Applications
  How to take your PowerBuilder applications mobile with Appeon Mobile
  How to develop Multithreaded applications with PowerBuilder
  Allow end-users to modify applications themselves with Customization Studio
  How to make your application multilingual with Enable 5.0

Regards ... Chris

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Advanzado PowerBuilder para Profesionales


** Noticias Calientes **

   eLearnIt Systems, Inc. se currrently trabajando en una versión en español de su curso eTraining muy exitoso PowerBuilder "Advanzado PowerBuilder para Profesionales". El nuevo curso debe estar listo para lanzar a finales de este año. Para obtener una vista previa de la versión en español, por favor, siga este enlace

   Para comentarios y sugerencias o más onformation en el curso de español, por favor póngase en contacto con eLearnIt presidente Yakove Werde en yakov yakov@yakovwerde.com.

Saludos ... Chris


 

Saturday, October 20, 2012

PowerBuilder Goes NHL

 ** Hot News **


     At the last Ottawa Sybase User Group (OSUG) meeting we had a surprise guest presenter arranged by OSUG president Chris Pollach. This also included a demonstration of a special PowerBuilder application that was written to – you might not believe this – run and emulate any standard NHL Hockey Scoreboard. Yes, you read that correctly, interface to a very complicated score board hardware system. Obviously, this is not your average PowerBuilder application but one that long time PB enthusiast Chris Pollach likes to show case as Chris has always maintained that “you can build any type of Windows application using PowerBuilder”! To that end, Chris has proven that aspect over and over again with applications like multi-media players, Application / DB Server Monitors, SQL Extraction & Analysis utilities, DataWindow Changer, Code Commenter, MS-Agent, O/S System Resource Introspection, and many more bizarre applications that most people would not at first consider PowerBuilder for.

This system is another excellent example of what Roland Smith of TopWiz Software likes to say “Anything is possible given enough time, money and Mountain Dew”! In this case, we have Mr Jeff Courtice of CourByte Consulting Group Inc who pushed the outside envelope of what typical applications PowerBuilder developers might build. Jeff, a long time PB consultant in Canada’s National Capital area who has worked on elite PowerBuilder applications like Elections Canada System that runs all federal elections right across Canada - decided that he wanted to take a break from these high-end business systems and build something that he wanted PowerBuilder to solve. In his case, after being involved with minor hockey due to his son’s participation in the sport and Jeff’s frustration with dealing with the various scoring systems decided to “build a better mouse trap” in the form of more intelligent scoreboard application software!

A few years ago Jeff decided to start an application that would emulate a hockey scoreboard as he found in real life; as these systems can be quite varied, hard to learn for the novice, poorly documented as their operation and offer no proper training along with their products. To this end, Jeff built a PB application that would visually display the various popular scoreboards including their control panels. Then the application would guide the user through the mechanics of how that scoreboard worked and allowed the student to actually score a virtual game and see how the scoreboard would react to the various inputs. In a few months, Jeff had a basic emulation working of a typical scoreboard. With this early success, Jeff decided to continue his endeavour adding more scoreboard types and better simulations. Then, another revelation occurred to Jeff ... why not build his own scoreboard and challenge the actual manufactures of the current hardware! To this end, Jeff decided to build a new product called Time-Keeper Professional or TKP for short. Thus Timekeeper-PRO ( TKP) was born and is a software program developed in Powerbuilder 11.5 and SQL Anywhere 11 to run on a standalone computer in the timekeeper/scorekeeper’s booth in hockey games.  It will perform the role of expert timekeeper/scorekeeper where none exists.  Timekeeper-PRO was designed from the ground up to be a simple to use tool that would automatically make any timekeeper/scorekeeper an expert without having to know the myriad rules of hockey as they apply to off-ice officiating. Many seasoned PN developers do not realize that simple RS232 serial port communication can be accomplished in PB by using the FileOpen, FileRead and FileWrite built-in commands. You can actually open any PC’s COM port via the FileOpen command and then read and write data streams to any device listening on the port. Typical devices could be cash registers, RFID programmers, security systems and oh, of course – hockey scoreboards.

Anyone who has ever been involved in timekeeping and score-keeping in a hockey game when the game gets intense and there are many penalties being tracked concurrently knows that the job can get extremely difficult and pressure packed.  Timekeeper-PRO’s approach was to simplify the timekeeper/scorekeeper’s life is straightforward.  Simply enter data corresponding what the on-ice referees say and the software will do the rest without any knowledge of the rules.  Among many other features, TKP will automatically track offsetting penalties and will automatically determine such things as when an extra player is required to sit for another player’s penalty.  TKP will automatically generate the game-sheet thereby eliminating the need to hand scribe the information during the game.  TKP clearly displays time remaining for penalties that are not displayed on the scoreboard – ie – off setting penalties and it will automatically adjust them when necessary as goals are scored.  TKP also has an integrated communications component responsible for distributing near real-time game statistics to registered email recipients and to league websites.

Over the course of the TKP development process a separate initiative was undertaken to design and build a fully functioning and complete electronic scoreboard to be controlled by TKP.  This was undertaken as joint venture between the Ontario Centre of Excellence (OCE), Algonquin College and Courbyte Consulting Group.  As part of the College’s Electronics Technologist program, four electrical engineering students were tasked with the job of designing and building the scoreboard.  They were successful in their task and were awarded first place amongst all Ontario colleges participating in the OCE program.  In addition to building a full sized scoreboard (12’x5’ and 300 lbs), a mini-scoreboard was also designed and built to use as a proof of concept and also as a sales tool for displaying at trade shows where space is expensive and most often at a premium.

Timekeeper-PRO has now been extensively tested at the junior hockey level where the frequent need for tracking multiple penalties and goals is prevalent.  Timekeepers that have assisted in the testing of this revolutionary new product have been amazed at the power of the product and often are heard to say “that it’s about time a product like this was developed to make timekeeping and score keeping a less onerous task”. Jeff has now decided that not only does he have a product that can easily control any major commercial scoreboard system – he now has actual scoreboard hardware that he estimates could be built at a fraction of the price many commercial systems are priced at today. To this end, Jeff is now talking to potential electronic manufactures that might be interested in taking on his design.

The latest version of TKP has even grown the functionality further by allowing the application to post the current hockey game statistics to the internet where Jeff has another PB application that can display the current game vitals on his website, email parents who cannot attend that their son or daughter has scored a goal and even print out official game reports that can be sent into the various hockey leagues. Jeff also has a “ton” more ideas for this unique PowerBuilder application for sure and OSUG members were exceptionally impressed with his system. Even SAP Sybase Technical Evangelist John Strano in attendance at the last OSUG meeting was also suitably impressed over Jeff’s scoreboard application.

For more information on the TKP application, have a look at the YouTube video of the actual TKP application in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNleZ2gqUdM. To experience the actual TKP training emulator application, have a look at this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPUboSNegSI
Also, feel free to drop Jeff an email as well for more information on TKP (http://www.timekeeperpro.ca) or to just cheer him on in this unique endeavour!



Regards ... Chris


Thursday, October 18, 2012

PB Micro-Website

** Hot News **

PowerBuilder Micro Website


  SAP have now created a new "micro" website dedicated to the PowerBuilder MS-Windows development tool. The web site contains blogs by SAP MVP's, features overview, success stories, user experiences, webcast recordings, white papers, tutorials, sample applications and code segments, and related partner products. A good focus on the PB IDE and its ecosystem.

You can experience the micro-website for PB yourself ... just click here!

Regards .. Chris

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

SAP Road Maps

** Hot News **

     SAP recently held three webinars that focused on the various product directions from its takeover of Sybase. The webinars reflected the revised product road-maps for: PowerDesigner, ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise) and PowerBuilder. These webinars were presented in late September through early October 2012 by Jason Lovinger - VP, SAP Database & Technology - and the associated product manager.

    The webinars were recorded and are now available (thanks to Donald Brizendine - Director SAP) for  those who missed the event, as follows:


  • ASE (*)




* - Not yet released, please stay tuned to this blog as to when the actual ASE webinar link is available.

Regards ... Chris

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

PB Song

The PowerBuilder Song

by Chris Pollach

(sing to "Let it Be" (The Beatles))


  When I find my application in tons of trouble,
  Friends and colleagues come to me,
  Speaking words of wisdom:
  "Write it in PB!"

  As the deadline fast approaches,
  And defects are all I can see,
  Somewhere, someone whispers:
  "Write it in PB!"

  Write it in PB, write it in PB,
  Write it in PB, oh, write it in PB.
  ALGOL is so dead and buried,
  Write it in PB!

  I used to write a lot of COBOL,
  For character devices it worked flawlessly.
  Try using it for Windows graphics:
  Write it in PB!

  If you've just spent nearly 30 hours
  Debugging some .NET assembly,
  Soon you will be glad to:
  Write it in PB!

  Write it in PB, write it in PB,
  Write it in PB, oh, write it in PB.
  Only wimps use BASIC:
  Write it in PB!

  Write it in PB, write it in PB,
  Write it in PB, oh, write it in PB.
  DELPHI won't quite cut it.
  Write it in PB!

   {  Guitar Solo   } 

  Write it in PB, write it in PB,
  Write it in PB, oh, write it in PB.
  Don't even mention JAVA:
  Write it in PB!

  And when the screen is getting fuzzy,
  And the editor is really bugging me.
  I'm sick of binary ones and zeros,
  Write it in PB!

  Thousands of people use TCP/IP
  IPV6 is the one for me.
  I hate the word PROCEDURE:
  Write it in PB!

  Write it in PB, write it in PB,
  Write it in PB, oh, write it in PB.
  PL-1 is so 1980's:
  Write it in PB!

  Write it in PB, write it in PB,
  Write it in PB, oh, write it in PB.
  Supercharge it with APPEON:
  Write it in P....B....!


enjoy ... Chris 

   (I bet you can't stop singing this one and emailing your PowerBuilder  friends a copy!)

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

PBTV

** Hot News **

 Upcoming webinars on PowerBuilderTV


Starting next week PBTV have Bruce Armstrong, followed by a PowerBuilder Developer's conference recap in November!

Don't forget to check out the archive of past webinars!

Wednesday Oct 3rd 2012
at 9:00 AM PDT (Los Angeles) - 18h00 CEST (Paris)

Best practices for managing exceptions and errors in PowerBuilder
In this webinar we will look at best practices for error handling in DataWindows, in PowerScript, and how to find errors in nonvisual objects such as datastores and custom user objects. We will show examples and frequent cases where errors occur as well as exceptions and how to handle them properly.
Presenter: Bruce Armstrong
Register

October and November


Stay tuned for a PowerBuilder Developer's Conference recap
If you arnt able to make to SAP Sybase's PB Developer's Conference in Las Vegas (registration is still open), then stay tuned to PBTV in November to find out what you missed!


  Also, check out the following "on demand" webinars ...on PowerBuilderTV:
  Modernize the look of your PowerBuilder Applications
  How to take your PowerBuilder applications mobile with Appeon Mobile
  How to develop Multithreaded applications with PowerBuilder
  Allow end-users to modify applications themselves with Customization Studio
  How to make your application multilingual with Enable 5.0


Regards ... Chris 

Friday, September 14, 2012

PowerBulder Coaching Team

** Hot News **


    ISUG are pleased to announce the launch of a PowerBuilder Coaching initiative starting on October 1st (originally September 24th)! ISUG have formed a team of experts in PowerBuilder that will be presenting content to user group leaders in order for those leaders to present back to their own group!  These sessions will not be open to the general membership but will be open to delegates of user groups around the world.  Those people will in turn present the content back to their own user groups.  PowerBuilder will be the first product covered in this initiative and others will follow shortly.

    Unlike regular sessions, the coaching sessions will go beyond the basic presentation, and will delve into set up (e.g., a demo presentation doesn't just occur; it needs to be set up first), presentation details, Q&A so the user group leaders can fully understand what is being presented, and post presentation materials.Some of ISUG's coaches already hold the role of user group leader in their own locale, and they will be sharing presentations that they have given so that other user group leaders can benefit from them as well.

    If you'd like to join the ISUG coaching team, please contact ISUG's Executive Director Mike Harrold directly.  If you think ISUG is cool and makes you want to start a user group in your area, you can contact Mike about that too!

For more information on the program, click here.

Regards ... Chris

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Hana

** Hot News **

     It's been a year since SAP AG released it's HANA in-memory database platform, and to mark the occasion the company said it is now close to 600 customers world wide. HANA competes with Oracle Corp's Exalytics, which was released in February of this year. Both move data to be processed into RAM instead of reading it off of disks, providing performance gains.

    To read a detailed article on this amazing new technology, please click here!

Regards ... Chris


SAP TechEd - PBDC

** Hot News **

PowerBuilder Developers Conference - Breakout Sessions

October 15-19, 2012, Las Vegas, Venetian Hotel

   SAP has finally released a lust of the presentation sessions that will be appearing at the PBDC sub-conferenece within the main SAP TechEd Conference. Here is a list of of the major presentation titles that we will be seeing at the conference:

  • Using .NET Assemblies with SAP Sybase PowerBuilder
  • SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Techniques and Experiences in Industry — Manufacturing Execution Systems
  • Creation and Consumption of Web Services with SAP Sybase PowerBuilder
  • Techniques for Storing User-Created DataWindows and Graphics in the Database
  • Developing Enterprise Applications for the Film and TV Industry with SAP Sybase PowerBuilder
  • Migrating Classic SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Applications to the Web Using Appeon
  • Using InfoMaker as Part of an Enterprise Reporting System
  • Modernize Your Application Security
  • Modernize the Look of Your SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Applications
  • A New Approach to Making Changes in SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Applications
  • Take Your SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Apps to the Web, and More
  • A New Approach to Making Changes in SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Applications
  • Using SAP Sybase PowerBuilder to Deploy Dynamic Visual Content in the Digital Signage World
  • SAP Sybase SQL Anywhere Tips and Techniques
  • Real-World Case: Integrating SAP Sybase PowerBuilder .NET 12.5.1 CVUOs into the Lawson ERP (M3) Global Implementation
  • CRAFT — A Software Platform for Building Customizable Applications
  • VHG-Tools Platform — SAP Sybase PowerBuilder .NET, Expression Blend, Web, and Cloud
  • How to Migrate 7000 Objects in 180 PBLs from SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Classic to SAP Sybase PowerBuilder .NET
  • Appeon Mobile — Cross-OS Mobile Apps with SAP Sybase PowerBuilder
  • Gantt Chart Planner — Consuming .NET Assemblies in SAP Sybase PowerBuilder .NET
  • Creating and Consuming Web Services Based on SQL Queries in SAP Sybase PowerBuilder
  • XML and Web Services with SAP Sybase PowerBuilder and the Database
  • SAP Business One and SAP Sybase PowerBuilder — Now They Speak!
  • Extend SAP Sybase PowerBuilder to Use Virtual Channels with Microsoft Terminal Services and Citrix
  • Features for a DataWindow-Based Reporting System
  • Coding Tips to Bite Bugs Before They Bite You
  • How to Use SAP Sybase PowerBuilder .NET to Architect Powerful Mobile Apps for Mobile Workers
  • Gradients, Not Glitz — Methods to Modernize SAP Sybase PowerBuilder User Experiences
  • Point-of-Sale Application in the Cloud with Appeon
  • Stored Procedure and Update DataWindows in SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Classic and SAP Sybase PowerBuilder .NET
  • Building a Snap-In Application Framework Using Dynamic SAP Sybase PowerBuilder Assemblies

   For more information on these presentations, please download the PBDC overview content by clicking here. To register for the PBDC conference itself, please click here!

Regards ... Chris


Wednesday, September 5, 2012

New SAP RoadMaps

** Hot News **
 

  Webinar Series on Roadmaps for PowerBuilder, PowerDesigner, and ASE


    SAP are very pleased to announce a new webinar series designed to provide you the latest information on the roadmaps for PowerBuilder, PowerDesigner, and ASE. Each webinar will focus on a single solution.

    These webinars are being made available through SAP's Partner Enablement infrastructure but are available to everyone. I have attached the link to register for the PowerBuilder session to this post, and the registration links for the other sessions are included in the text of the invitation below. Please note that you will need to create a password as you register for this session. We look forward to your participation in these webinars!

   Please register to attend the upcoming webinar series focused on technical enablement for the SAP Real Time Data Platform portfolio of products. These 60 minute sessions are best suited for consultants, developers, pre-sales and other technical specialists, and each will be focused on one of three products; SAP Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE), SAP Sybase PowerDesigner and SAP Sybase PowerBuilder.

In order to register for a given product webinar, select  any of the links below and complete the registration form.When you have registered once, the system can automatically carry forward your personal information to the next registration.

September 20 - SAP Sybase PowerDesigner  

September 27 - SAP Sybase PowerBuilder  

October 4 - SAP Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE)  

    With the combined portfolio of SAP and Sybase, SAP has become a major force in the Database & Technology market and is rapidly growing its customer base. Understanding the role of each solution within the overall SAP vision for this market is essential for making the right decision for your IT landscape, and ensuring you have the technical skills needed for the future.
   Join these sessions to understand where and how to incorporate these products into your future IT plans. Gain confidence in the future viability for applications that currently use these products, and how you can and should use them with other SAP solutions and legacy Sybase solutions.

Agenda
• Overview of SAP’s Real Time Data Platform
• The role of the product within the SAP Real Time Data Platform
• Technical discussion of the product roadmap, highlighting future enhancements
• Recommended next steps for exploring and developing product skills
• Q&A



Regards ... Chris

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

New PB Developer Centre

** Hot News **
SAP PowerBuilder Developer Centre 


 
  This is the phase 1 (or "pre-launch") version of the new SAP PowerBuilder Development Centre. For now, the PB Development Centre will give PB developers a first point of reference for anything related to PowerBuilder. SAP in the meantime are working on migrating all the content and material from Sybase's website to SCN to achieve a seamless learning and download experience. Please bear with SAP until then and excuse the additional registration or contact information forms that you will have to fill-in to access certain pieces. The final version of the PowerBuilder Developer Center will include all the SCN content features (blogs, discussions, etc.) that you know from SAP's other developer center spaces.

  Please be patient for a little while longer and you will be able to  hear about great stories from your PB developer peers or make the SAP experts sweat with tricky questions. 




Stay tuned for more Developer Center updates!




Regards ... Chris

Thursday, July 26, 2012

PowerBuilder Videos

** Hot News **
Free PowerBuilder Tutorials on YouTube!

   SAP / Sybase's PowerBuilder Technical Evangelist John Strano has created a new YouTube area called SAPPowerBuilder where John has played a key role in defining and building content for this new "how to" series of PowerBuilder video education series vignettes!


   The new YouTube area already boasts various videos like ...

  • How to use DataWindow expressions to dynamically manipulate DataWindow property values at run-time
  • How to have multiple DataWindows share a single set of data buffers", "An overview of the three child DataWindow utilizations; Composite DataWindows, Nested Reports and DropDownDataWindows (DDDWs)
  • A demonstration and discussion of Data Intelligence in DataWindow technology within PowerBuilder
  • How to create your first DataWindow Object.
   If you are new to the PowerBuilder world or an experienced PB developer that wants to refresh your knowledge or learn about features that have changed in recent PowerBuilder releases - this free video area might just be the ticket! John also plans to release more videos soon - so make sure that you revisit the area often to see what's new.

   For more information or to watch the videos - please follow this link to SAPPowerBuilder!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bio: John Strano is a Sybase Technology Evangelist and a charter member of TeamSybase. He has been using PowerBuilder since 1991 and has authored articles for multiple industry periodicals. John has presented Sybase tools on an international basis since 1997. Over the last 15 years John has developed a variety of PowerBuilder applications from single-user scaling up to enterprise-class, web-based projects.


Regards ... Chris

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Advanced PowerBuilder

** Hot News **

Advanced PowerBuilder for Professionals - Part I
(available in August 2012 through ISUG)

     eLearnIT LLC, global independent provider of SAP Sybase PowerBuilder developer eTraining, Seminars and Workshops, in cooperation with the International Sybase User Group (ISUG), a trade association representing more than eight thousand members in more than sixty countries around the globe, is pleased to announce the general availability of its Advanced PowerBuilder for Professionals eTraining series.

   The Advanced PowerBuilder for Professionals, Part 1 course picks up where eLearnIT’s PowerBuilder Essentials course left off, going beyond the core concepts introduced in the earlier course. It provides ten, in-depth topics, that span the full breadth and scope of the PowerBuilder Classic platform. Each topic contains in-depth audio and text descriptions and video presentations accompanied by supporting hands-on lab exercises.
The new course topics are:
  1. Custom Class User Objects: Future-proofing your logic for maintainability, reuse and portability
  2. User Objects: Building reusable and dynamic GUI and framework code elements
  3. Object Orientation: Coding for reuse, efficiency and maintainability
  4. Error and Exceptions: Writing robust handlers using built-in platform APIs
  5. MDI Presentation Style: Enhancing the user experience through effective, consistent user interfaces
  6. Stored Procedure DataWindow Objects: Accessing and updating the database in a secure, high performance way
  7. DataWindow Buffer Access APIs: Acquiring an arsenal of tools for interacting with client-side data sets
  8. DataWindow Object Expression Language: Creating dynamic, informative and responsive data presentations
  9. Dynamic DataWindow Expression API: Adding runtime modifiable behaviors to DataWindow presentations
  10. Child DataWindow Objects: Achieving enhanced DataWindow data entry and providing effective data presentations

   For more information on this great new course, please follow this link to the ISUG website.


Regards ... Chris

PowerBuilder Virtual User Group

** Hot News **

North American - PowerBuilder Virtual User Group

    Come join ISUG on Tuesday July 31, 2012 for the next meeting of the North American PowerBuilder Virtual User Group.  This month, PowerBuilder Guru Yakov Werde will be answering your questions in our "Ask the Expert" session.  You will be able to submit your question(s) when you register and Yakov will try to answer as many as he can in the time permitted.


   Please note that this meeting is for ISUG members only. Non-members must join ISUG before registering. Associate Members will be assessed a $30 fee to attend the session, but will also be upgraded to Basic Membership as part of their registration unless a different membership option is selected during the registration process. There is no charge to attend for existing Basic, Green and Gold members.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Your Computer!
When:  Tuesday, July 31st, Noon-1pm EDT.
To Register: click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Speaker:  Yakov Werde, a 25 year IT industry veteran, is a member of TeamSybase and a Sybase MVP. Yakov is a recognized consultant, author, speaker and trainer who has been designing and delivering PowerBuilder, .NET, EaServer, Web App Development, and Java training for over 15 years to corporate, military and government developers. Prior to discovering his aptitude as an educator, Yakov worked as an architect, project manager, application coder in the trenches of application software developmentand managing partner of eLearnIT LLC (www.elearnitonline.com), specializes in PowerBuilder .NET migration.  He also authors and delivers workshops and web based eLearning tutorials to guide professional developers toward PowerBuilder Classic and .NET mastery. Follow Yakov on Twitter as @eLearnPB

Regards ... Chris

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

SQL Power Tools

** Hot News **

New ISUG Partner!

Cheyenne, Wyoming – Sql Power Tools (SPT), the industry leader in Zero Impact database monitoring, today announced the release of: 

Stealth Bottleneck (wait type) and End-user Experience Database Monitor 

PRESS RELEASE May 17, 2012:
Stealth Bottleneck (wait type) and End-user Experience Database Monitor:
TheServer Bottleneck and End-user Experience Database Monitor performs agentless monitoring of wait types, wait times, I/O bottlenecks, end-user response time, SQL performance, performance counters, blocking and SQL jobs. The wait types (600+ that a database server posts) causing SQL statements and stored procedures to not complete on a timely basis due to resource contention or being queued due to a lack of available resources are monitored. Wait type wait times are tracked by SQL statement, stored procedure, wait type, database and the end-user client. Reducing SQL wait time -> reduces end-user response time -> improves server throughput. In most cases this can eliminate an expensive and unnecessary hardware upgrade. In two mouse clicks the resource that SQL is waiting on can be viewed.

Zero Impact Sql Capture Agent (free):
Each Server Bottleneck and End-user Experience Database Monitor license includes a free Zero Impact Sql Capture Agent license. It non-intrusively sniffs the SQL packet flow. 100% of the SQL activity is captured with the complete SQL text, bind parameters and end-user response time. It has a low 1% overhead and does not connect to the monitored server. It is similar to a ZERO impact SQL profiler or trace facility. In 24 hours it can pinpoint every poor performing SQL request with 100% accuracy. Agent usage is optional, install the agent at any time. It allows any form of production server change to be precisely measured since the end-user response time before and after a change can be accurately measured. For example hardware upgrades, configuration changes, index changes, SQL code changes, implementation of new software releases, etc.

For more information, follow this link: SQL Power Tools

Regards ... Chris
 

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Classic or DotNet

** Hot News **
PowerBuilder Survey

      Come vote on the current PowerBuilder survey as to whether you like the Classic or .NET version of PowerBuilder best. However, I must say ... currently, PB Classic is "running away" with most of the votes!


Check out Prashant's survey on LinkedIn - Vote here!

Regards ... Chris

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Foundation Classes

** Hot News **
Foundation Classes for PowerBuilder

(for PowerBuilder (Classic and .Net), EAServer & Appeon)


   Software Tool & Die Inc (STD) is very pleased to announce that they have just released an updated version of their Foundation Class library for both PowerBuilder and Appeon. The latest version contains the following updates and has been tested with Appeon 6.5.1 using PB 11.5.1, 12.1 and 12.5.1 official MR (maintenance) releases including PB's "Classic" and .NET versions! Testing inside of PB also included WebForm, Winform, Win32 and Smart Client deployments.

   The FC's are *free* and can be downloaded (along with an Order Entry sample application) from the SourceForge website: 


The changes to the FC's are as follows .....

Release 12.5.1 Changes ... June  11, 2012)
1) Migrated and fully unit tested the framework from PB 12.1 to 12.5.1.

Release 12.1.0 Changes ... May 22, 2012)
1)    Added new INI parameters to control DW buffer Debugging and Memory tracking
2)    Added new code the VS_DC_MASTER user object to allow data buffer introspection
3)    Added new KEY event to the VS_DC_MASTER user object to support Ctrl+Shift+F1 information screen.
4)    Added new WN_INFO_MASTER window to display run time application diagnostics.
5)    Modified the ns_APPL_CONTROLLER_MASTER to support DW buffer introspection and run time information.
6)    Added new KEY event to the WN_MASTER window object to support Ctrl+Shift+F1 information screen.

Release 12.1.0 Changes ... April 10, 2011)
1)    Changed SA database version check to work with SA12.0 as the default.
2)    Extended the "Timing" object base ancestor "ns_timing_master" to
    a) Allow an object to register itself as the Timing object's parent
    b) Fire any event of the parent objects choosing on the timer interval
3)    Added a new global function "fn_encrypt_simple" that supports basic encryption (all written in PowerScript).
4)    Added a new global function ""fn_decrypt_simple that supports basic decryption (all written in PowerScript).
5)    Revised the "fn_open_sheet_window" global function to allow an arrangement type option parameter.
6)    Revised the "fn_open_sheet_window_withParm" global function to allow an arrangement type option parameter.
7)    Added a new global function "fn_convert_packed_decimal" that supports the handling of IBM DB/2 numeric data.
8)    Added a new global function "fn_copy_transaction" that allows a new Transaction Object to be created from an active one!
9)    Added a new global function "fn_dbms_get_sysdate" that allows you to get the System date of the DBMS server.
10)    Added a new global function "fn_lookup_display_value" that gets you the displayed value from any DDDW.
11)    Added a new global function "fn_print_screen" that allows you to print any current dialog.
12)    Added a new global function "fn_remove_spaces" that allows you to remove ALL spaces from any String variable.
13)    Added a new global function "fn_validate_phone_no" that allows you validate any standard phone number.
14)    The global function "nc_crypto" was renamed to "nc_crypto_master" to be inline with FC's naming conventions
15)    A new Object "nc_cypher_master" was created that taps into the C++ Cypher and De-cypher features
16)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to check for NULL Context values from the OS.
17)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to only log the details of all errors.
    a) user now receives a simple alert with the option to continue.
    b) user no longer sees the actual error (unless the open the log in the Log Viewer).
17)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to only log the details of all errors.
18)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to support Processor Affinity.
    a) a New setting Àffinity= setting to the INI file support
    b) New method sets the CPU affinity if the new parameter in the INI file is > 0
19)    The DataWindow control base ancestor "vs_dc_master" was changed to disable moving the control when the Title bar is present.
    Note1: For some reason, this does not work in Winforms.
    Note2: The title bar is not supported in WPF.
20)     The StaticText extension object "vs_st_transparent_master" was changed to support the PB 12.x implementation of
    a transparent background colour.
21)    A new Window ancestor was added (wn_animated_save_master) that supports the new Animated Save feature!
22)    The "wn_master" base ancestor window was changed to implement the Animated Save feature.
    a) New "of_animation_required" method was added to the Base window class (wn_master) to support Animated saves.
23)    The "wn_master" base ancestor class was changed to change the way duplicate instantiated dialog's were discovered.
    a) This fixes a problem where the Win32 applications tool-bars and sheet would seem to "bounce" in the MDI frame.
    b) Corrects a Winform application where the lower tool-bars would disappear all together until a close/open.
24)    The "wn_master" base ancestor was changed to allow any Window to have a Min or Max size.
25)    The "wn_controller_master" base ancestor was changed to support a "Close All" open sheet/child window option.
26)    The base ancestor menu "mu_master" was changed to implement a new Close All menu under the "Window" pull-down menu item.
27)    The "vs_dc_list_master" DW Control extension ancestor was changed to implement a sortation icon on the heading
    a) uses a triangle drawn on to the heading text.
    b) Triangle direction show the sortation order
    c) If the heading text will interfere with the triangle, it is shifted over slightly.
    d) The shifted heading text is restored upon moving to a new column.
28)    Changed the "wn_popup_master" to centre itself to the current controller window.
    a) Allows better GUI
    b) Supports dual monitors better
29)    Changed the "wn_main_master" to centre itself to the current controller window.
    a) Allows better GUI interface
    b) Better supports a dual monitor PC
    c) Ignores this behaviour of the Controller is an MDI type window
30)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to capture the WebForm (IIs) Session ID
    a) New *private* session ID instance variable added (is_session_id)
    b) Session ID is written to the Application's LOG file at start-up
    c) A new "of_Get_Session_Id" method was added to expose the private variable to the application
31)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to capture the WebForm (IIs) Browser signature!
    a) New *private* instance variable added (is_browser)
    b) The Browser signature written to the Application's LOG file at start-up
    c) A new "of_get_browser" method was added to expose the current Browser's signature at any time.
32)    The Application Controller object "nc_app_controller_master" was changed to verify that the WebForm browser.
    a) If the Browser is not IE an error message appears in any browser.
    b) The application will stop on any Web browser other than IE.
33)     A new global function "fn_build_number" was added to automatically track application builds.
    a) A new INI file was added to support this functionality (STD_FC.ini).
    b) Note: currently code commented out as this crashes the PB 11.5.1 and higher IDE
        Problem reported to Sybase Engineering.
34)    The Order Entry application was changed to
    a) Use the new FlashWindow feature of Response dialogs to alert users visually (Login Dialog)
    b) The Login dialog uses the new simple encryption to save the last good password to the Application's INI file.
    c) The Employee dialog was changed to demonstrate the new fixed DW Control when a title bar is active.
    d) The Employee, Customer and Product list dialogs were changed to demonstrate the new Sort Icon.
35)    Changed SA database version check to work with SA11.0.1.2044
36)     Updated the core Message DataWindow with new message ID's
37)    Updated the French and Spanish message DW objects for new message transactions.
38)    Extended ancestor "vs_st_transparent_master" changed to support native transparency in PBNative mode.

Regards ... Chris
President: STD Inc.