Creating and Using Forms and Controls

The primary advantage of accessing .NET objects from ABL is to build a .NET user interface (UI) for your application using the OpenEdge GUI for .NET. In addition to the general ABL support for accessing and managing .NET classes (see Accessing and Managing .NET Classes from ABL), OpenEdge supports the GUI for .NET with a custom set of .NET classes and interfaces that allow the .NET forms of the GUI for .NET to work more naturally together in the same ABL session with ABL windows of the traditional OpenEdge GUI. This set of OpenEdge .NET classes also provides support for binding data from OpenEdge data sources to .NET controls. In addition, the Visual Designer of Progress Developer Studio for OpenEdge provides built-in support for a set .NET controls that you can use as components to design GUI for .NET user interfaces. These design components include a basic set of Microsoft .NET UI Controls and a more advanced set of OpenEdge Ultra Controls for .NET from Infragistics. You can also add third-party controls to enhance the installed design palette of the Visual Designer.

This chapter provides an introduction to the OpenEdge .NET classes and interfaces, the featured OpenEdge Ultra Controls, and how to use them to start building an OpenEdge GUI for .NET for your ABL application. For more information on binding OpenEdge data to .NET controls, see BindingABL Data to .NET Controls For more information on using .NET forms from the GUI for .NET with ABL windows from the traditional OpenEdge GUI, see Using.NET Forms with ABL Windows