Pocket PowerBuilder

1. Pocket PowerBuilder

2. Ian ThainPocket PowerBuilder EvangelistPTOG Evangelist Team, Sybase Inc.ian.thain@sybase.com

3. Agenda • Introduction • Unwired Enterprise • Why PPB ? • Enterprise Mobile Applications • PPB Overview • PPB vs. PB • MobiLink • Developing An Application • Migrating • Demonstrations

4. Introduction • Over the last 11 years we have seen PowerBuilder grow and develop into the tool it is today. Originally for Client Server, then incorporating Component Development & RAD Thin Client Development. • Also over the last 11 years we have seen increasing developments in DataWindow technology that has seen it appear (or not) as a non-visual DataStore, Java DataWindow and HTML DataWindow • DataWindows EVERYWHERE? Well nearly!

5. Introduction • "Don't think big…Think Small!!" • Pocket PowerBuilder is now coming to aid corporate development of Pocket PC applications, brining all the benefits • RAD 4 GL and even the DataWindow technology. • So we really can now say, DataWindows EVERYWHERE!!!!

6. Unwired Enterprise • Liquidity + Mobility = Unwired Enterprise • Liquidity - Free flowing information with economic value • Mobility - Freedom to work anytime, anywhere

7. Why PPB ? • Pocket PCs are becoming more popular and are produced by many manufactures such as • HPTM, • DellTM, • ToshibaTM • Pocket PC market leader HP - iPAQ • Many companies are starting to realize the competitive advantage that occasionally connected Pocket PCs can provide in today’s business climate.

8. Why PPB ? • Pocket PCs are not as powerful or as feature rich as notebook computers or Tablet PCs but are a fully enabled computer operating within a mobile context • But their small size is proving popular with road warriors looking to reduce the equipment they take with them while traveling • Pocket PCs are also allowing organizations to provide automation in areas where computers wouldn’t fit • Thus saving money by reducing data entry requirements and eliminating data entry errors.

9. Why PPB ? • While there are some development tools available for creating Pocket PC applications, no tool seems to combine the features of ease-of-use with power and flexibility quite like Pocket PowerBuilder. • With Pocket PowerBuilder and Adaptive Server Anywhere for CETM, developers will be able to quickly and easily create powerful Pocket PC applications for a variety of uses. • Ideal for Mobile Smart Client development

10. Why PPB ? • Mobile Smart Client • Application where client side business logic is executed on device • Persistent data storage on the device • Application can be executed at any time, even without a wireless connection • Integration to the enterprise is typically provided via synchronization • Client application communicates data to the back end via a synchronization server

11. Enterprise Mobile Applications • Identifying a candidate for a mobile application • For existing systems… • Not replace but extend • What advantage or +ve impact? • User needs • Current inefficiencies Not just a Port or conversion !

12. Enterprise Mobile Applications • Identifying common functionality Existing System Mobile Sysytem Common functionality • Greatest common denominators of functionality • Some functionality may not be practical for mobile users

13. Enterprise Mobile Applications • Key areas for a mobile application • Usability (including intuitiveness, efficiency, ease of use & reliability) • Innovation (including New Functionality) – maybe from using mobile technologies • BPI (including extending existing systems) – it should fit well into existing business processes • ROI – As always a return on investment is a major factor

14. Enterprise Mobile Applications • Potential Systems for Mobile Applications • Data Collection • Inventory Management • Customer Relationship Management • Event Tracking • Sales Force Automation • Healthcare • Field Force Automation • Sales Force Automation • Mobile Healthcare

15. Pocket PowerBuilder Overview • Productive 4GL IDE • Supports complete development cycle • Rich component set • Visual development with minimal coding • Currently based on the PB8 code line • DataWindow control • Single component providing sophisticated data representation • Built in SQL for selects, updates, inserts and deletes Current GA v 1.5

16. Pocket PowerBuilder Overview • BTW • SalesDB Tutorial

17. Pocket PowerBuilder Overview • DataWindow Control • Advanced control for displaying and manipulating data • Available in many formats • Freeform • Graph • Grid • Group • Tabular • Reuse existing DataWindows with little effort

18. Pocket PowerBuilder Overview • PowerScript • Powerful OO language • Inheritance • Polymorphism • Overloading & Overriding • Event driven • Based on Basic/Pascal • User Events • User Functions • User Objects • Visual • Non Visual

19. Pocket PowerBuilder Overview • Tight Integration with SQL Anywhere Studio • Easily develop mobile “smart client” applications with ASA • Forte’ is the occasionally connected database application (necessary for wireless use) • Integration with MobiLink for data synchronization • Other Database Drivers After 1.5 GA

20. Pocket PowerBuilder Overview • Rich Set of components • Command Button, • Picture Button, • CheckBox, • Radio Button, • Static Text, • List View, • Tree View, • List Box, • DropDown List Box, • Edit Mask, • Single Line Edit, • MultiLine Edit, • Progress Bar, • Scroll Bars, • Line, Oval, Rectangle, Tabs, and many, many more! • Plus the ability to create new components!

21. PPB vs. PB • Unsupported Functions within • OLE, • DDE, • CORBA, • Profiling, • Printing, • Rich Text and a few more. • Unsupported Events contain • help(), • closequery(), • anything to do with remote (example remoteexec()), hotlinkalarm() and toolbarmoved().

22. PPB vs. PB • Unsupported Features • MDI applications, • EAServer CORBA connections, • Web and JSP targets, • and Automation server. NO PFC !

23. PPB vs. PB • Unsupported DataWindow types • Composite • Crosstab • Label • N-Up • OLE2.0 • RichText

24. PPB vs. PB • Environment variables • In both products, the enumerated types for the Environment object returned by a GetEnvironment call include the OSType and CPUType. • Pocket PowerBuilder has additional values for the GetEnvironment OSType and CPUType. • For a Pocket PC platform, the value returned for the GetEnvironment OSType is "WindowsCE!" and the value returned for the CPUType is "ARM!". • ORCA Script • Both PB & Pocket PowerBuilder ship with ORCA Script as of v1.5

25. PPB vs. PB • System functions for SIP • Pocket PowerBuilder has system functions to control the display of the Soft Input Panel (SIP) on a Windows CE device or emulator • FunctionDescription • SetSIPPreferredStateDisplays or hides the SIP used on the Pocket PC or emulator • SetSIPTypeSpecifies the SIP panel type (keyboard or character recognizer) used by the application on a Pocket PC or emulator

26. New Controls With PDA Things like Rich Ink control…

27. New Controls With PDA Things like DatePicker control…

28. New Controls With PDA Things like Notification Bubble…

29. New Controls • Other Native controls • HP 5400 & 5500 Series Biometric Fingerprint Scanner • Symbol Barcode Scanner

30. Different Functionality • Upper-Right Corner Window Controls • Changed for PDA Standards. ok Close the window, or the entire application X Smart-Minimize, to minimize the window or entire application.

31. Windowor Application Close

32. Window Title

33. Menu At Bottom

34. SIP Keyboard

35. Different Functionality • Window Concepts are Different • NO MDI • “main!” and “response!” Windows Only • No Mouse • Seldom Use “drag and drop” • Seldom Use “mouse move” • Left & Right Click events mapped to“tap” & “tap-hold” gestures

36. Different Functionality • Menu Concepts are Different • Space Limitations • Width is 6 items MAX • Some Event Differences • Top level items don’t get a “menu event” • Sub-Menus DO… • Toolbar is a separate object • In PB toolbar is a MDI Menu property • In PPB Toolbar has a separate object ‘painter’ • Can be at top or bottom

37. Different Functionality • Synchronization • Pocket PowerBuilder also surpasses PowerBuilder with the introduction of a MobiLink wizard • Generates PowerScript code (NVO’s) & Windows for within your application, to interact with a MobiLink Server. • PPB VM • pkvm15u.dll has a footprint of 3.8MB !

38. Different Functionality • Adaptive Server Anywhere mobile database • Uses full data storage capabilities of Adaptive Server Anywhere on Windows CE client • Database access via ODBC • MobiLink data synchronization • MobiLink bi-directional data synchronization used to integrate with other enterprise databases (Sybase ASE and ASA, Oracle, MS SQL Server, IBM DB2) • New component to manage synchronization properties & maintenance of synchronization

39. Different Functionality • Integration with POOM • Pocket Outlook Object Model • POOM is the key to the Pocket Outlook object managers repository • This repository is the object store for the Pocket PC contact manager, appointment manager & task manager. • So with the POOM object & Pocket PowerBuilder we can now enquire, access, create, update & delete contacts, appointments and tasks programmatically from within Pocket PowerBuilder applications in a very 4GL way.

40. Different Functionality • Today Item • In PPB, the custom Today item and its parameters are part of the Application object, and you can use the Application painter to set Today item properties. • The Today Item means several things from being a way of displaying data from a Pocket PowerBuilder Application onto the Display screen, to being a glorified shortcut to a Pocket PowerBuilder application, as well and even a combination of the two.

41. Different Functionality • Today Item • Two types of applications are needed for Today Items, they are the Display Application & the Run Application. • If you have both a Display Application and a Run Application that each will have its own instance of the Pocket PowerBuilder VM loaded as the Today Screen has its own memory space and no communication can take place.

42. Developing an Application • Design & Develop with the Pocket PowerBuilder IDE on a PC. • Test on the PC with the • Pocket PowerBuilder IDE, • Pocket PC emulator (especially if you’re not the lucky developer with a Pocket PC device) • Pocket PC device itself. • Deploy to the Pocket PC device via ActiveSync for final testing, user acceptance etc. • Distributed finally as CAB files

43. Application Deployment • Pocket PowerBuilder applications can be run on the mobile device in two ways: • 1) Using the ‘stub’ application that is installed into the Pocket PC start menu as Pocket PowerBuilder 1.0 • 2) By clicking directly on the application .exe (which is put into the ..\windows directory by default) • Deployment Platforms • ARM based Pocket PC devices • This covers all devices coming out with Pocket PC 2002 & Windows Mobile 2003 operating systems • MIPS, SH3 chipsets are not supported as device manufacturers have all but stopped making these devices

44. Application Deployment • With Pocket PC Development… Distribution! • Achieved by the Pocket PowerBuilder interface to Microsoft's CABWIZ, in the project painter. • This enables the automatic creation of your .EXE & .PKD's into distributable .CAB files. • The CAB generation process also generates an .INI file for creating a setup.exe. • This uses the OpenSource EZSetup • The distributable Pocket PowerBuilder files (VM etc) are installed with the IDE and can be distributed separately from your application.

45. ASA ML PPB Application Architecture SOAP (Web Services) Device Enterprise App Server Pocket PowerBuilder Virtual Machine Sample Application) TCP/IP HTTP HTTPS ActiveSync (wired or wireless) Consolidated Database (Sybase/Oracle/ Microsoft/IBM) MobiLink

46. Demonstrations • Basic Pocket PowerBuilder App • Use the wizard to generate an application • Build a DataWindow Object • Place objects on the window • Code PowerScript • Deploy • Run

47. Migrating PowerBuilder Applications • Basics • PPB provides a wizard to import an existing PB application into the PPB environment. • Objects developed in PPB can be exported for import into PB. • Migration from PB to PB is very easy • Make sure your PB code conforms to PPB before opening it in the PPB IDE, as it may not open! • Don't worry too much as those nice guys in engineering have given up a facility to change & compile source codein PPB

48. Migrating PowerBuilder Applications

49. Migrating PowerBuilder Applications • File Extensions that differ • File type PB extension PPB extension • Workspace PBW PKW • Target PBT PKT • Library PBL PKL • Dynamic library PBD PKD • Resource file PBR PKR • The file name for the Pocket PowerBuilder initialization file is PKU.INI. The U stands for Unicode. • PowerBuilder supports ANSI character sets. • Pocket PowerBuilder primarily supports Unicode, although it does allow you to import and export files with ANSI character sets

50. Migrating PowerBuilder Applications • From PPB to PB • PPB provides a wizard to export an existing PPB application into the PB environment.