Re: Forms 4.5 and PowerBuilder Co-existing?

Dave Heissner wrote:
>
> Beth,
>
> You would have few problems integrating apps which were built in 'Open'
> tools (VB, Delphi, PB etc..). These have standard ways to run other
> programs and/or call Windows DLLs. As far as I know Forms was not
> constructed to be a Windows application first...just try calling a dll in
> Forms/Developer2000 somthing so simple has been made into a nightmare by
> Oracles approach. Forms/Dev2000 primary focus is to provide quick access
> to Oracle (oracle only), be cross platform and use a repository based /
> CASE architecture. My point is integrating this type of tool with others
> is difficult since it has a completly differnt focus and does not provide
> strong windows support...good luck.
>
> Dave H.
>
> >"Beth J. Katcher" <katcher_at_a1.tch.harvard.edu> wrote:
> >I was wondering if any of you have experience in combining applications developed in
> >Oracle's Forms 4.5 and PowerBuilder. We are an Oracle shop moving slowly towards
> >client/server. We have a few PowerBuilder applications out there, and a lot of
> >VT-based SQL*Forms 3.0 applications. The question is where to go next. The
> >simplest way to migrate the VT apps to Client/Server is to move to Forms 4.5. So
> >once we've got all our apps running on the PC users will start demanding better
> >integration. Specifically, once a patient is selected in one application, users
> >should be able to call any number of other applications to see different parts of
> >the patient record, passing the patient id from one app to the next so it is
> >transparent to the user.
> >
> >Does anyone have experience in integrating applications written in the two different
> >tools? Given the numbers of apps in Forms vs. PB, it might make sense to just use
> >Forms, but the PB folks don't want to do that. And we have too many forms in 3.0 to
> >re-write them all in PB.
> >
> >TIA,
> >Beth
> >With all due respect, this is bogus information.

Developer/2000, its Forms 4.5 piece in especially, integrates with Windows and other Windows environments as easily as any other Windows tool. In comparison to Forms 4.0, Forms 4.5 fully leverages all Windows features and makes it easy to call external Windows DLL's.

Perhaps the previous poster is referring to the process of declaring external Windows functions as tedious in Developer/2000. He has obviously not discovered the "Foreign Function Assistant" app that does all the work for him! :-)

It would be very easy both to have PB apps invoke Forms 4.5 apps, passing context info if required, as well as Forms 4.5 apps doing the same for PB or VB or Delphi or any other kinds of Windows Apps.

Steve Muench
Oracle Corp. Received on Sat Dec 02 1995 - 00:00:00 CET