Serialization is a way of saving a class-based object so the object can be recreated later or in a different context. The serialization process stores the values of an object's instance data members, properties, temp-tables, and ProDataSets. Deserialization is the process of then recreating the object using those stored values.
You can take advantage of the serialization/deserialization process for several use cases. For example, you can :
pass an object between an AppServer and a remote ABL client
save the objects that make up the context of an AppServer session, so that context is available no matter which agent happens to handle subsequent requests from the client
save the objects that make up the context of an ABL client so that a given task can be resumed at a later time.
In the case of passing objects between an AppServer and ABL client, the AVM handles the actual serialization/deserialization process, but for the other cases, you must manage the process, using the built-in file stream classes and the serialization/deserializaton classes.
pass an object between an AppServer and a remote ABL client
