Oracle Power Objects Version 1.02 for Microsoft Windows _____________________________________ Release Notes 7/28/95 This document describes new features, documentation errata due to last minute product changes, and known problems in this release. For the latest information on future versions of Power Objects, visit our web page (http:\\www.oracle.com). In addition to the trial version available on our web page, there are two editions of Power Objects. The standalone edition includes the Blaze local database and access to Personal Oracle 7 on Windows. The Client/Server Edition includes access to a variety of servers, including any version of Oracle 7 and SQL Server version 4.2. To purchase a full license version of Power Objects, or to upgrade to the Client/Server Edition, please call (800) 633-0586 in the US, or contact your local Oracle sales office. To see a self-running demo of Power Objects under Windows, run ORAPLAY.EXE and select demo OPODEMO.DEM. Supported Environments Power Objects for Windows version 1.0 is supported under the following systems: Microsoft Windows 3.1 Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Power Objects for Windows version 1.0 may run under the following environments, but they are NOT SUPPORTED: WIN-OS/2 Microsoft Windows NT Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft Windows running under Soft PC on a PowerMac Microsoft Windows running on a PowerMac 6100 DOS emulation board Microsoft Windows version 3.0 and earlier PCs running Microsoft Windows with write-caching enabled Network drive on any file server; i.e. Power Objects Designer and Runtime are not supported for installations on a network drive off a file server. You should install Power Objects on your local hard drive. Power Objects version 1.0 Standalone Edition is supported with the following databases: 1. Blaze database (included as part of Power Objects) 2. Personal Oracle 7 for Windows 3.1 - Power Objects for Windows versions only. To connect to Personal Oracle 7 for Windows 3.1, no additional software is required beyond Power Objects for Windows and Personal Oracle 7 for Windows 3.1. Power Objects version 1.0 Client/Server Edition is supported with the following databases: 1. Blaze database (included as part of Power Objects) 2. Oracle7 Server version 7.x 3. Microsoft SQL Server 4.2 4. Sybase SQL Server 4.2 5. Personal Oracle 7 for Windows 3.1 - Power Objects for Windows version only. All other databases and database versions are NOT SUPPORTED. There is no support for ODBC connections in this version of Power Objects. Power Objects for Windows Client/Server Edition requirements and limitations: 1. For connections to Oracle7 servers from a Windows client, you also need Oracle SQL*Net. The following SQL*Net products are supported: SQL*Net 1.1.8 for Windows (TCP/IP, SPX/IPX, or Named Pipes) or higher SQL*Net 2.1 for Windows or higher, including a protocol adapter. You must also have the Required Support Files 7.1 for Windows, which are included with both Personal Oracle 7 for Windows 3.1 and all current SQL*Net drivers for Windows. 2. For connections to SQL Server servers from a Windows client, you also need one of the following: Microsoft SQL Server 4.21 Client for Windows 3.1 or Sybase Open Client/C for PC/MS Windows V10.01 Windows Installation Notes When installing under Windows with low memory conditions, the Power Objects installer may run very slowly. You should exit other applications and try running the installer again. If you choose to reinstall Power Objects on Windows and you ask the installer not to remove the existing Program Manager group, you will have duplicate items in the Power Objects Program Manager group after installation. You may get Error 301 and/or Error 105 when running SETUP.EXE. This usually happens when the setup program is run several times in succession. The error is caused by some DLLs not unloading properly during successive runs of the setup program. If you get this error, exit out of Windows, restart Windows and rerun the setup program again. On the Windows installer, the Custom Install option may not accurately display the amount of disk space required for the install. It may happen if you click on other options first (e.g. Minimum install) before choosing Custom install. You can get the accurate amount required by (1) clicking on ‘Custom’, (2) clicking on ‘Files’, (4) deselecting all components, and (4) re-selecting the components you wish to install. The Windows installer will copy over OLE2 DLLs after first checking to see if you already have another version of those same DLLs. If you do have another version, it will ask you if you wish to overwrite the DLLs. If the versions of the OLE2 DLLs are the same, it will still copy over the DLLs. In any case, it will not make any backup copies of these files. If you wish to preserve the original DLLs, make a backup copy before running the setup program. Documentation Errata: Only the Client/Server Edition provides license to use Power Objects to access any Oracle 7 server. The Standalone Edition license includes access to Personal Oracle 7 for Windows 3.1 only, from only the Windows version of Power Objects. Windows specific issues: 1. You cannot run the Power Objects Designer at the same time as either the Power Objects Runtime or a Power Objects-generated standalone executable. When trying to launch the runtime application or a standalone executable, you will set a SES-4000 error. 2. The Dell ATI video driver and possibly other video drivers under Windows for Workgroups do not correctly convert Power Objects bitmaps into displayable form in color mode 'Thousands of Colors'. 3. You should not use a Blaze database under Windows with write-caching enabled. To determine if your PC has write caching enabled, from a DOS prompt enter ‘SMARTDRV’. 4. If you are trying to create a session object and ‘Oracle’ is not on the list of database types, then either: (a) the ORACLE71.POD file is not in the Power Objects directory, or (b) the Windows Required Support Files 7.1.x have not been installed. For case (a), rerun SETUP.EXE and reinstall the Power Objects. For case (b), run the Oracle Installer, install the Required Support Files 7.1.x, exit and rerun Windows, and run Power Objects again. What's New in Version 1.0 1. New product icons. 2. You can now call external procedures from the Macintosh version of Power Objects. For more information, refer to the section in the on-line help titled External Procedures on Macintosh. 3. SQL Server connectivity is provided in the Client/Server edition of Power Objects. 4. You can now rename application and session objects. The name does not have to match the associated file name. Names must be valid Basic identifiers. 5. The Drop User command is now supported on Blaze databases 6. To remove unused user-defined properties and methods from the user properties window, you should open and save the application and all sessions and libraries, then open and save all forms, reports, and classes in the applications and libraries that you previously opened and saved. Blaze Database Engine Notes The Blaze database engine included in Power Objects is designed to recover from system failures automatically. However, it is good practice to make frequent backups of your database files. You should not use a Blaze database under Windows with write-caching enabled. To determine if your PC has write caching enabled, from a DOS prompt enter ‘SMARTDRV’. Blaze databases created in previous versions of Power Objects will not support the creation of new indexed tables. You can upgrade your database easily by creating a new database, selecting all tables, views, and sequences in the existing database, and dragging them to a session connected to the new database. When generating standalone executables, make sure the database connection information is properly specified and any Blaze database file distributed with the application is in the right location. Power Objects does not always display an error message when a standalone executable cannot access a Blaze database from a session set to connect on demand. Avoid direct updates to SYS schema objects in Blaze databases; deleting or renaming any of these objects will result in irreparable data loss. The following SQL functions, operators, and commands are not supported for Blaze databases in this version: ALTER USER CHARTOWROID COMMENT CONVERT CREATE SCHEMA DROP Clause DUMP HEXTORAW INSTRB INTERSET MINUS NEW_TIME RAWTOHEX ROUND ROWIDTOCHAR SUBSTRB TO_MULTI_BYTE TO_SINGLE_BYTE TRUNC UID UNION UNION ALL USERENV VSIZE Other limitations in this version of Blaze: Blaze databases don’t support compound primary keys. Joins between non-indexed columns may be very slow. Columns of type RAW are not supported in Blaze. In the Table Editor window, saving a Blaze table without specifying valid types for each column results in a hang. An invalid date in an insert statement on a Blaze table can result in a GPF. You cannot create an index of more than one column on a Blaze table. Using the table browser on a Blaze table, you will get problems trying to insert a number that is more than 5 digits. Use a form to do such inserts/updates. OCX Support Notes While many OCXes run properly under Power Objects, some have problems drawing correctly and occasionally some will cause the system to crash. OCXes shipped with Microsoft’s CDK function properly under Power Objects. If you have trouble registering an OCX, try loading it from another tool such as the CDK. This may cause the OCX to function properly under Power Objects. SQL Server Support Notes For best results, forms run against SQL Server sessions should have their RowFetchMode property set to 'fetch all immediately', especially in forms using master/detail or Popup lists. In general, if you get an error using Power Objects to access a SQL Server database, a second attempt may resolve the problem. Known limitations: SQL Server views are read-only from Power Objects. Tables dropped on sessions connected to SQL Server databases cannot contain LONG columns. LONG data must be added from an application form. QBF is only supported with char and varchar columns in SQL Server databases. Tables containing a single column are not supported from Power Objects. General Power Objects suggestions and limitations: You cannot specify tables with compound primary keys from the Power Objects Table Editor. Applications containing forms with a large number of subclasses can take a long time to compile and load. EXEC SQL UPDATE with no value after the equal sign may cause a GPF. Enlarging repeaters in a class can cause a GPF when opening a subclass. Make sure the subclass is open and the form containing it is large enough first. Opening a view that is too complicated for the view definer to understand now opens the view in a read-only table definer window. Such views can not be edited graphically or copied to other sessions; they can, however, be used in drag/drop operations. Power Objects now automatically shifts object names specified in implicitly-executed SQL statements such as table and column names to upper case on sessions connected to Oracle 7 databases. This does not apply to EXEC SQL or SQLLookUp statements. You should in general use caution when using mixed-case strings for DDL commands against any database from Power Objects. Copy/paste table or view definitions between Table Editor windows connected to different database types can result in erroneous type mapping. Reset the affected column types manually after pasting. QBF only works using dates from years beginning 19xx. Power Objects doesn’t provide session support for tables owned by others with granted privileges, except through synonyms. Public synonyms will NOT be shown in the database session window. In the debugger, breakpoints on statements containing NEW are ignored. Check boxes may not work properly in QBF mode. Report detail sections too large to fit on a page may appear blank when printed. Sessions with large numbers of objects (>100) will cause Power Objects to repaint session windows very slowly. Views (in any type of database) with condition fields and OR constraints can be created but cannot be reopened for editing. Summary help information that you specify in the HelpText property of an application object is currently not displayed in the status area during run time.