If you've not tried any of the pre-release builds because you wanted released, fully supported software, now is your time to get involved and we encourage you to give the new release a test with your applications.
Here is a quick guide to get you started with DataFlex.
New revisions can be installed (and removed) side by side with any existing revision of DataFlex.
If you haven't seen it yet, the Quick Start and Tutorials section has been completely overhauled (some parts completely rewritten) to be up-to-date with the latest Studio.
Some of the material covered in the Tutorials is remedial by design, but reading through it and actually performing the steps will introduce even seasoned developers to the way the new Studio "flows", where and how to perform various operations, etc. The tutorials will walk you through a lot of concepts and illustrated the way the Studio is best used.
Run the Studio and load the Order Entry, Skinning or Specialized Components example. For the most part the Studio should look pretty much like it always did. Here are some of the new features to look for.
New Grid Classes: All of the examples have been updated to use the new grid classes. We have added a new Grid project to the Specialized Components workspace. The new project has views that demonstrate using both the simple and data aware grids. You can see how grids are created, how data is loaded into the grid, how grids are modified (editing, adding, deleting, etc.) and how the data is then processed. We use variations of the order entry view to demonstrate two styles for header / detail grids. The sample also demonstrates other capabilities of these grids such as the ability to create a data-aware grid where the data is loaded statically. There are also a number of prompt lists that use the new grids.
Table Explorer: By default Table Explorer shares a pane with Code-Explorer. Select the Table Explorer page and check it out. Make sure you open the Property Panel. As you navigate to various parts of Table Explorer, notice that attributes are displayed in the Property Panel.
Table Editor: Double click on a table node in Table Explorer and a Table Editor view will be created for that table. You can use this to maintain your tables. If you want, try creating a new table. Once again notice the connection of the Table Editor and the Property Panel.
Data Dictionary Modeler: Find a data dictionary in Table Explorer and open it in modeling mode (double click on the Data Dictionary node or use the context menu). Don’t forget to look at the source code. Take a look at the source code (no markers).
Events: If you’ve got an open data dictionary, take a look at the events page in the Property Panel. You will see a list of events for this Data Dictionary. Try selecting an existing event. Try creating a new event. Note that event modeling can be used with all classes and objects.
Quick-Info: Open the source code for a Data Dictionary any hover your mouse over a table name or a column names. You will see a pop up info-tip with information about the table and column. Just like all quick-info, this information that is available in all of your source code.
After you've tried out the Studio on our examples try it out with one of your own workspaces. When you select an existing workspace created with an earlier release of DataFlex, the Studio will detect that the workspace is developed in a previous revision and offer to migrate the workspace for you. When you do this, make sure you choose to make a copy of the existing workspace.
Migrating Workspaces to DataFlex 2017
Make sure you send us your feedback.
For information and discussion, use the DataFlex Forum:
http://www.dataaccess.com/forums
To check for the latest downloads, use the DataFlex FTP area:
ftp://ftp.dataaccess.com/pub/products/DataFlex/Software
What's New in DataFlex 2017 - 19.0