by James E. Powell
With its code name of Delphi, Borland's new development tool promises to have the impact of the company's revolutionary product, Turbo Pascal. Borland hasn't announced a firm shipment date for this product, but I had the opportunity to test a beta version.
Delphi combines the best features of the Turbo Pascal for Windows language with a top-notch graphical development environment that resembles--then goes beyond--Visual Basic. Delphi comes in two editions. Delphi Professional is similar in scope to Visual Basic, Professional Edition. It's appropriate for creating applications to access local databases such as dBASE or Paradox. Delphi Enterprise is targeted to corporate developers who build enterprisewide client/server applications.
The Delphi development screen has three sections. The tabbed Object Inspector gives you access to the properties (height, width, color and so on) of objects you place on a form. Object Inspector's other tab provides the list of events for which you can write code, such as OnClick, OnDragOver and OnMouseUp. In the forms window, when you select an object, Delphi displays its properties or events. You can double-click on an object to open the source-code window to write code for the object's click event. When you add an object to a form you can press F11 to see the corresponding code, and, because development is "two way,'' you can change the code (the name of the object, for example) and Delphi will change the appropriate values in the properties dialog box.
The toolbar has buttons for the standard functions (open, save, copy), as well as the Component Palette, a tabbed section for adding objects to your form. You can add dialog boxes, buttons, scroll boxes, a media player, file dialog boxes and database fields. Delphi supports Visual Basic custom controls, so you can use your favorite custom control library's objects, too. You can create your own components by customizing existing ones using inheritance.
There's a hierarchical object browser that details inheritances, a project manager for viewing the code units and forms in your project, an image editor for creating bitmaps, icons and cursors, and a menu designer.
The program even has Experts to relieve you of the drudgery of creating forms. For example, a Database Expert can help you build a simple (single-database) form or a master/detail form. There is also a set of interactive tutors, which was still under construction in the beta, with topics on writing event handlers and setting component properties.
Delphi Enterprise provides drivers for Oracle, Sybase, Informix and Borland's own InterBase. There's a local InterBase Server (an ANSI 92-compatible SQL engine) for off-line development. Borland also includes its ReportSmith Client/Server edition for database reports and queries, for everything from mailing labels to crosstab reports. There's a Desktop Database feature, too, which lets you create and edit tables without writing code.
Delphi also lets you access DLLs written in C and C++, or you can use Delphi to create your own DLLs.
There's an integrated GUI debugger with which you can set watch variables and breakpoints. The customizable editor uses Brief-style commands; has search/replace forward and backward; unlimited undo, macro recording and playback; and color syntax highlighting. The Turbo Debugger from Borland's C++ compiler is also available if you want to see the underlying assembly code and register values.
Delphi uses a native code compiler, so there are no runtime interpreter DLLs to be distributed with your application. Even in the beta, the compiler was fast. (Borland claims it can compile more than 120,000 lines per minute.) Along with an automatic "make'' program, Delphi compiles only what has changed, so you can go from development to test in very little time.
All this application development power comes at a price. Delphi is more difficult to learn than Visual Basic, despite a very good printed tutorial. Still, for the power, flexibility and programming power you get, it's well worth the learning curve climb.
Info File
Borland Delphi
Price: Not available at press time
In Brief: Borland's new graphical development tool comes in desktop and client/server versions.
Borland International
800-891-2223, 408-431-1000
by: James E. Powell
Beware the ides of March or just add it to your application with Calendar Widgets. The product includes 16- and 32-bit OLE controls (OCX versions) and 16-bit VBX controls that you use to make your applications more timely by adding a pop-up calendar or a custom control for user-entered appointments.
The YearView control displays one year at a time, starting at any month. MonthView lets you display up to three consecutive months, vertically or horizontally. You can begin on any day of the week, and disable holidays and weekends. Add a Today's Date button to jump to the current date, and VCR-style buttons to flip through months and years.
The DateCombo control is used for data-entry forms. You can display combinations of the day of the week and month, day and year. A drop-down calendar provides all the features of the MonthView control. You change the month, day and year areas of the input field using spin buttons, the plus and minus keys, or the up- and down-arrow keys.
The DayView control lets you create an area where the application user can add appointments to a daily schedule. You set the color and fill pattern for durations, the alarm picture and time intervals.
Data can be bound to any valid data source, such as a VB data control. Calendar Widgets supports dates from 1/1/100 to 12/31/9999, so your application can stand the test of time.
--Info File--
Calendar Widgets 1.0
Price: $139
Disk Space: 3MB
System Resources: NA
RAM: 4MB
Sheridan Software Systems
516-753-0985, fax 516-753-3661
by: Paul E. Schindler
You don't write commercial programs, so you don't need a tool for writing install programs, right? Software pros can use Installigence, but it isn't just for them.
If you need to send people compressed binary files to be loaded onto their computer, you'll probably spend a half hour writing instructions that could be either too complex or insultingly simple. In the time it takes you to write instructions in English, you can use Installigence to create an install program.
I had never written an install program before until I recently turned to Installigence. After loading the program and reading the online documentation, it took me 10 minutes to write my first install program and two minutes to compile it with Installigence's built-in compiler. The program was a mere 125KB. And I wrote it in about the same time it would've taken me to write a text-only instruction set.
Installigence is 99 percent point-and-click and drag-and-drop. It has menus and radio buttons for every contingency, but with its intelligent defaults you won't have to make many choices. The program needs more examples, however, because the easiest way to write an install program is to modify a provided sample to suit your needs.You have to learn new concepts like sources, destinations and components, and you may have to play with the operation sequence to get the install to look the way you want. But the program doesn't lack sophistication. Your install program can check the recipient's machine configuration to make sure its memory, display colors and CPU power are adequate.
If you can write a Word or Excel macro, you can write a slick-looking install program with Installigence.
--Info File--
Installigence
Price: $295
Disk Space: 2MB
System Resources: 10%RAM: 500KB
Instance
800-494-0550, 206-836-0111
by: Ben Myers
Version 7.0 of Symantec's C++ represents the state of the art in C++ development tools. Its compact physical packaging, sans printed manuals, gives no hint of this product's breadth.
All the documentation is online, complete with a search engine and indexes. You can order printed manuals separately.
Symantec C++ lets you develop software for a wide range of platforms: 16-bit Windows, Windows 95, Windows NT, the 32-bit Win32s subset of Windows NT, OS/2, conventional DOS memory and extended memory using a royalty-free DOS extender. It complies with the current ANSI draft C++ specification, including exceptions and templates, meets the ANSI C specification, and supports assembly language statements embedded inside C source code modules. You can edit, compile and test DOS or Windows programs directly inside the C++ Integrated Development and Debugging Environment (IDDE). To debug a Windows NT or an OS/2 program, you must install Symantec C++ on a computer running that operating system.
The IDDE has a single menu bar with tabs and icons. Its windows displays change depending on the activity selected: Edit, Browse, Debug, Low-Level or Output.
When you define a project--the collection of related source files that make up a program--the IDDE invokes its parser, a type of precompiler that examines every line of source in each module and keeps track of what's needed to navigate through the program code. A project window lists all the source modules used, including those in Symantec's runtime library. Double-click on a module name and the editor window displays the source code. The class editor depends on the parser for its usefulness. If you make significant changes to a program, you can have the IDDE update its parsed program information.
Edit provides tools for modifying source code, and compiling and linking it. The Output activity displays the messages produced by the IDDE's compiler, linker and parser tasks. Compiling and linking are separate applications, so you can edit source code or do something else while your program is being built.
The Browse activity starts a class editor that lets you view all the functions and data elements that make up every class your program uses. A class editor makes it easier to find the details of a function within a class, especially when classes are built upon one another.
You can inspect and modify data and objects, set execution breakpoints and data watchpoints, and view the current chain of function calls with Debug. While debugging, you can step into or over a function, run the program until it encounters a breakpoint or next function, or animate the program.
Low-Level debugging is reserved for the rare instances when you need to look at program execution at the assembly language level. It lets you examine the memory, registers and computer instructions at the lowest level.
You use Symantec's Resource Studio to edit the resources used by GUI applications. It pops up when you double-click on a resource file shown in the project window.
Symantec C++ includes the Windows software development kits (3.1, 95 and NT). It also provides SDKs for the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) libraries versions 2.5 and 3.0, OLE 2.0, Windows Sockets, Windows Multimedia and ODBC.
The documentation addresses migration from Microsoft and Borland C/C++. Symantec C++ 7.0 does not support a few functions from these environments.
If you're on a network, you can install NetBuild, which distributes the compile and link steps of a project build across several networked computers.
The Symantec C++ IDDE made short work of porting several Microsoft and Borland C++ programs. Symantec C++ is a strong contender for the hearts and minds of C++ developers.
-- Info File --
Symantec C++ 7.0
Price: $199; upgrade from 6.0, $99; printed documentation, $69 to $199
In Brief: Symantec C++ 7.0 is a complete kit of C++ development tools.
Disk Space: 85MB (including documentation, 150MB)
System Resources: 25%RAM: 16MB
Symantec Corp.
800-441-7234, 503-334-6054
by: James E. Powell
I've always been a fan of Visual Basic. With Visual Basic--and its excellent documentation--I was able to build my first Windows application in less than an hour. There are major enhancements in Visual Basic 4.0, such as the ability to build 32-bit applications that support long filenames and the use of virtually the same source code to create a 16- or 32-bit application. But some of VB4's smaller changes are notable, too, like the new continuation character that lets code span lines.
There are actually three versions of VB4. The Standard Edition, which builds only 32-bit applications, includes OLE Automation and is designed for the casual user. A Professional Edition features a programmatic data-access layer for fine-tuning the Microsoft Access Jet database engine, Crystal Reports, additional bitmaps and metafiles and the Help compiler. The Enterprise Edition, which I tested in beta, adds support for team development.
With its support for both 16- and 32-bit applications, VB4 prompts you when you try to convert a 16-bit application that uses VBX files to replace them with their equivalent 32-bit OCX versions, assuming they're available. (Most vendors I surveyed said they expected to upgrade their products with OCXs.)
The open, integrated development environment (IDE) makes it easy to add third-party tools to your editing toolkit. The code editor now lets you control the display of code, comments, keywords and identifiers. Context-sensitive help is available, and the Debug window combines stepping through code and displaying watch variables in a single window. You can also now code as one long source code file, rather than individual pieces.
The new Add-In menu and Add-In Manager allow third parties to add menu items or modify VB4 programs (for adding forms, controls or code, for example). VB4 includes an integrated SourceSafe source-code management tool that exploits this technique by attaching itself via a new menu option. SourceSafe lets you add projects, check files in and out with security and audit trails, share files between projects, view comments about earlier versions, and so on. SourceSafe can also synchronize your make file and the project's modules.
VB4 still supports the Access Jet engine. The engine has been upgraded for improved performance, cascading updates and deletes, programmatic access to referential integrity and, according to Microsoft, faster transaction processing on remote servers. There are also four new data-aware controls--a data-bound grid, list box, combo box and OLE container control--that can be bound to the Jet engine or the Remote Data Control (for SQL databases). VB4 also offers programmatic security access for accessing and modifying user and group permissions; use of multiple workspaces (for multiple connections to the same database using different permissions, for example); and database replication, which lets two users work with their own copies of a database.
There are 10 new controls in VB4, including tabbed screens, a tabbed dialog box, status bar, slider, Image List, List View, Tree View, Rich Text box, a progress bar and System Information. The last feature can be used to respond to Plug and Play events such as a screen resolution change.
VB4's language itself has changed only slightly to conform with Visual Basic for Applications, used by other Microsoft products. You can now have a With statement that performs a series of actions on an object without repeating the object's name. The new For Each statement repeats a group of statements for each element in an array, and you don't have to specify the number of elements. There's also support for if ... end if structures for conditional compilation (to execute code specific to 16- or 32-bit environments). Killdoc, a new printer method, cancels print jobs.
N-tier client/server support--which is part technology and part philosophy--is a key feature of the Enterprise Edition. Distributed client/server computing is typically a two-tier model, with the client storing the application code and the server controlling the data. VB4 introduces a third layer, called a Services model, that stores "business services"; these can be thought of as business rules. You can swap out these rules, which can be stored as components, without upsetting the client and server layers. For example, the business services layer could be used to store an airline's price policies. To adjust pricing, you can change the rules in the middle layer; thus, you can avoid updating clients or servers.
VB4 supports this new layer with the ability to create your own OLE controls, which can contain custom properties and methods. The controls function as either out-of-process OLE servers (which contain exposed methods and properties for use by other OLE-enabled applications) or in-process OLE servers (implemented as a DLL; they can run in the same process as the client). You can create the controls as .DLLs or as .EXEs that expose objects with methods and properties, but not directly as OCXs (you still need a C compiler for that).
Crystal Reports, VB4's report-writing control, has been upgraded to 32-bit, though it still lacks some of the functionality of the product's standalone version. Improvements include a Fine Tuner, which lets you modify the report while previewing the completed document. Report Templates lets you use an existing report as a template, and reports can be exported to a variety of formats, including .RTF, Word, WordPerfect, 1-2-3 and Excel, or sent as a MAPI mail message. There's support for OLE as a client, so you can drag charts and images into your work. Cross Tab reports are also new, with control of pivot row and column headings.
VB4's profiler examines code coverage and optimization. Code coverage checks whether a line of code has been executed during a test. Execution speed has also been addressed with VB4's new code optimization feature. It determines which lines of code are most frequently executed, so you can fine-tune them.
Other new features include support for resource files so you can "internationalize" an application quickly. There's a lock control on the toolbar that prevents you from inadvertently moving a control on a form when you really mean to double-click it and enter code. Using Ctrl+Shift and the arrow keys, you can nudge a control or change its size by a single grid unit. VB4 includes automatic versioning of executables and lets you store .EXE header information, too.
On the whole, this product's got the goods. Its ability to create 16- and 32-bit applications from the same code is a big plus. Even the changes to the editing environment and the Debug window, along with new controls and Jet engine improvements, are reason enough to upgrade. As third-party tools and controls arrive, VB4 will become one of the best development environments on the market.
---Info File---
Visual Basic 4.0, Enterprise Edition
Price: $999, upgrade, $499; Professional Edition, $499, upgrade, $99; Standard Edition, $99,upgrade $49
In Brief: Upgraded with 32-bit support, VB4's little changes may be most appreciated.
Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080
by: Rich Castagna
Patience is a virtue that does not go unrewarded. DBASE application developers waited a long time for the Windows version of dBASE that finally appeared last August. The wait was worth it for those reluctant DOS jockeys. But with the introduction of the new dBASE version, Borland shows that it has the knack for good timing after all.
Version 5.0 successfully straddled the fence that divides the end-user and application developer camps. Visual dBASE 5.5 builds on both ends, with new features to please both data dabblers and application pros. Whether you like to point and click your way to a finished app or find comfort in code, this version tosses a few more tools into dBASE's already capacious kit.
Visual dBASE 5.5's new or improved Experts help make short shrift of otherwise laborious tasks.
At a project's start, you get help from the new Table Expert. When you create a new table, this Expert provides a list of samples. As you select one of the generic samples, the table's fields are displayed, and you can scroll through the field list and choose the ones you want. There were 23 sample tables in the beta I tested. All can be modified, and you can add your own to the list. It's possible to mix and match, too, selecting fields from as many tables as desired. I created a basic PIM by selecting fields from three of Voyager's tables without having to create any fields from scratch.
You save your table in either dBASE or Paradox file formats. After saving, you can continue to tweak the table layout, or just run it and start adding records. Voyager displays the table structure in a grid that shows field number, name, type, length, decimal places and index fields. You can drag around and rearrange fields, and double-click on any field to change its properties.
The improved Form Expert is now customizable and offers a simple step-@step procedure to get to a finished form. You select one or more tables or queries on which the form is based, choose the fields to place on the form and pick a layout style. If you have more fields than can fit on a single screen, the new multipage feature will accommodate the overflow by creating tabbed sections or enabling vertical scrolling.
Another new Form Expert feature lets you associate specific controls with certain field types. For example, you can choose spin boxes for numeric and date fields or check boxes for logical fields. Also, the fonts and colors set for your form can be saved as reusable schemes that appear in a drop-down list.
The Report Expert is brand new. It works much like the Form Expert, with the same basic steps. What's most appealing is that it's now possible to cobble together a report without launching dBASE's report generator, Crystal Reports. This makes it easy to design simple or ad hoc reports, and to prototype more complex efforts before doing the heavy-duty work.
Like the other Experts, the new Label Expert uses sparse dialogs that require only a couple of clicks. This Expert's biggest time-saver is Quick Address. Click on this button and dBASE does most of the work for you--and does it intelligently. It picks up table fields that are likely to be included on a label and arranges them appropriately. It even puts the city, state and zip code fields on the same line with proper punctuation.
Version 5.5 adds some goodies for more advanced users, too. Perhaps the most useful is the new compiler. You can turn your efforts into executables without having to mess with a lot of complicated compile and link syntax. You can add some professional flair to your .EXE files by adding a custom program icon or opening splash screen. But you can keep it simple, too, and just compile a form, for example, to create a quick, distributable application. (You do have to include a file, DBWC.EXE, with your executable.)
There are dozens of other improvements in dBASE 5.5, most of which are more evolutionary than revolutionary. After a year of exploring dBASE 5.0's nooks and crannies, you should be ready for version 5.5's timely arrival.
--InfoFile--
Visual dBASE 5.5
Price: $350
In Brief: The newest version of dBASE adds ease-of-use features for both end users and application development professionals.
Borland International
800-233-2444, 408-461-9000