Re: Is SQL*FORMS maintainable

In article <93174.114001ADMN8653_at_RyeVm.Ryerson.Ca> you write:
|> Hi ...
|>
|> We are thinking of converting from a traditional IBM mainframe
|> environment to a unix based environment. We are looking at ORACLE and
|> it's suite of products to replace our database and COBOL code. Having
|> looked at SQL*FORMS, I am concerned that a large complex application would
|> be very hard to maintain. The reasoning (very open to critisism) being
|> that since alot of code is generated and other code is in triggers and
|> procedures, the programmer never gets to see the program as a whole
|> entity. It would seem to me that after a program is written it would
|> be very hard for any programmer who hadn't written it to easily maintain
|> it. Is this true ??? If not why not ??? Please email me with any
|> comments. Thanks alot in advance.
|>
Having developed applications for a number of years using versions 2, 2.3 and 3 of forms, and having had to maintain large number of complex forms, my answer is yes.

Your concern about the programmer not seeing the whole thing applies to other development environments. The same is true, for example, of C where pieces defining the application may come from header files, other c files, libraries and so on. Also part of the application is outside any application, be it database, device, whatever. If any one of those pieces change than the whole program/application may no longer work properly.

You do need a bit of a shift in thinking in moving towards the forms event driven model. Personally, I like that model and I have found it relatively easy to make changes to triggers and so on without impacting or risking the integrity of the whole form's code. But, then others, I'm sure, will have different views.

Like all development environments, it is important to define and enforce coding and commenting standards to try and minimise the challenge facing the maintenance programmer.

Alternatively, you could generate all your forms using CASE*Generator, but then I would say that ...

Regards

	Simon Stow
	Product Manager
	CASE Worldwide Marketing
	Oracle UK, Chertsey