Re: Converting version 2.3 forms to version 4.5
Date: 1996/07/08
Message-ID: <4rpoqs$qmm_at_inet-nntp-gw-1.us.oracle.com>#1/1
In <4riubn$uar_at_inferno.mpx.com.au> pedwards_at_mpx.com.au (Phill Edwards) writes:
} 1. What is the upgrade path to v4.5? If it is via v3 do you have to
} convert the triggers to v3 style before going on to v4.5?
You can convert directly from Forms 2.3 to Forms 4.5 using the Forms 4.5 Generator. Triggers are not converted: they remain as Step-style triggers. Forms 4.5 has a Step Trigger editor, so you can continue to maintain your forms once they've been converted.
A number of third-party companies (Kumaran comes to mind) will do trigger conversion: or you can do it yourself, manually.
} 2. Can v4.5 forms run in character mode and if so what is it like? We
} do not want to add or modify *any* functionality but do want to get
} onto a supported platform which is going to continue.
Forms 4.5 can absolutely run in in character mode on a UNIX or VMS platform. Character mode will continue to be supported for the forseeable future. There's no character mode for Windows or Apple platforms, and no character mode *designer* on any platform.
What's charmode 4.5 like? It looks an awful lot like Forms 3.0 to the users.
Rule of thumb: converting from Forms 2.3 or Forms 3.0 to Forms 4.0 or Forms 4.5 is *easy*; converting from a character-mode environment to a GUI environment is *hard*.
If all you want to do is move your existing forms from 2.3 to 4.5, without adding GUI functionality, you shouldn't run into too much trouble.
If you're trying to move from a character mode environment to a bitmapped environment, I have three pieces of advice:
(1) Seriously consider paying someone to do the conversion for you
(2) Hire consultants experienced in the process
(3) If you do it yourself, count on it taking longer and being far
more painful than you imagined.
} 3. Is it possible to run v4.5 in host mode; ie not client server but
} dumb terminal. If not how do you ensure that *all* users have the
} latest version of the forms executables on their pc's, even when those
} users may be in different countries?
Not clear what you mean by this, as you refer to the display device as a 'dumb terminal' in one sentence, and as a 'PC' in the next.
If you aren't running client/server, then your Forms executables are running (in character mode) on your UNIX/VMS host, and you're displaying them using a terminal emulator running on the PC, or on an actual "dumb terminal". In this scenario, all the software (Forms executables and runfiles) is located on the server, and you never have to upgrade any software anywhere else at any time.
The other possiblility is to use X-Windows terminals (or an X-Window emulator) as the display device. This will let you run a bitmapped display on the user's terminal, but still let you keep control of the software versioning in the hands of the system administrators.
The only time you have to worry about version control is if you're running in client/server mode: with Forms executables and .fmx files loaded onto User's PCs. Doing this would involve doing a charmode to bitmap conversion first: you probably don't have to worry about this for a while.
HTH.
Paul Zola Technical Specialist World-Wide Technical Support
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Disclaimer: Opinions and statements are mine, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oracle Corporation.Received on Mon Jul 08 1996 - 00:00:00 CEST