DataFlex 2021 - 20.0 (Released April, 2022)

Introducing DataFlex 2021

DataFlex 2021 is the beginning of a new era for DataFlex! Even though the main goal is to allow your applications to take advantage of both 64-bit and full Unicode support, there are revolutionary additions and improvements in all areas of the product.

Unicode and 64-Bit

DataFlex 2021 is 64-bit capable and fully Unicode, unlocking the power of 64-bit environments and supporting multiple languages in a single application. We recommend that you review the information in these sections:

...and then follow the step-by-step recommendations in Working with DataFlex 2021.

Note that Unicode support is available for all types of DataFlex Web Applications, including ASP Classic.

 

Web Framework

In addition to the multi-national support provided through the Unicode capabilities of DataFlex 2021, you can create mobile and web applications that are more secure, with enhanced user interaction that is more easily customizable, responsive and dynamically configurable through these exciting additions and refinements in the Web Application Framework:

Special Note: Use The DataFlex Styler to easily customize the themes used in your Web Applications. Read more about Styling Web Applications.

 

Connectivity

The new connectivity capabilities are at the heart of providing robust Unicode support in your applications. DataFlex 2021 contains re-engineered SQL drivers for Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2, MySQL and other back-ends supported through ODBC.

DataFlex 2021 also includes a 64-bit version of the PSQL (Btrieve) driver. This driver does not add any Unicode support and runs through the same compatibility layer as the Embedded Database driver. We continue to investigate the feasibility of adding Unicode support to the PSQL driver.

When working with various SQL back-ends, its important to understand how each one deals with Unicode. The Working with DataFlex 2021 section covers Microsoft SQL Server in detail, but we've created a series of guides for other SQL environments:

As you convert your data and experiment with Unicode in your chosen SQL environment, pay attention to these important concepts:

The updated drivers also reduce the default memory used in Web Applications. See "Memory Use in DataFlex Web Applications".

There are also many additional enhancements and fixes that create a more seamless SQL environment:

 

WebApp Server

DataFlex 2021 includes improvements to how web applications are managed that are not specific to the Unicode and 64-bit capabilities that are the main thrust of the new release.

 

Development Environment

Studio Dark Theme

We've added a Dark Theme to the DataFlex Studio!

You can try the new theme by selecting the Dark Theme option from the Configure Studio... option on the Tools menu.

Note that the Studio allows you to hot-switch between the Dark Them and the standard theme, but we recommend you restart the Studio after changing between themes.

Compiler Warning System

The Compiler Warning System in the DataFlex 2021 Studio is more flexible and contains new warnings for the declaration and use of ambiguous functions. All warning categories can now be turned on and off with the CompilerLevelWarning command, which allows you to focus on the various categories one at a time, or in groups. This is especially useful when you want to focus on specific goals, like Unicode compatibility or cleaning up the use of ambiguous functions, in your applications.

General Improvements

 

Examples

 

See Also

DataFlex 2021 Update Release Notes

DataFlex 2021 Final Release Notes

DataFlex 2021 RC1 Release Notes

DataFlex 2021 Beta 3 Releqse Notes

DataFlex 2021 Beta 2 / Beta 1 Release Notes

DataFlex 2021 Alpha 2 Release Notes