Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Application Server:
Developing AppServer Applications

Preface

This Preface contains the following sections:

Purpose
Audience
Organization
Using this manual
Typographical conventions
Examples of syntax descriptions
Example procedures
OpenEdge messages

Purpose

This manual provides comprehensive information on a range of topics associated with developing application services with the AppServer™ and the applications that use them. These topics include: how an AppServer and client interact, specific Progress® 4GL programming information to build distributed applications using the AppServer, sample code used in AppServer applications, a discussion of issues related to designing and implementing distributed applications, and debugging AppServer applications. These topics also include information that pertains to using different types of clients with the AppServer, including 4GL clients, Open Clients, and Web service clients when the AppServer is used to implement a Progress 4GL Web service. Some topics document AppServer features also available for use with the OpenEdge® Adapter for SonicMQ BrokerConnect (SonicMQ BrokerConnect) as noted. For more information on the OpenEdge Adapter for SonicMQ, see OpenEdge Development: Messaging and ESB .

Audience

This book is designed as a guide for anyone wanting to understand and use the AppServerto build distributed applications. However, application programmers will find the information in this guide most helpful to understand how to program and maintain the 4GL for an AppServer application. Fro more information on how to implement an AppServer solution as a new or existing OpenEdge customer, see the "Using this manual" section.

Organization

Chapter 1 "AppServer and Client Interaction"

Describes the basic operating modes and configuration options that you can use to define an AppServerand the interactions that a client can have with it.

Chapter 2 "Programming the AppServer"

Describes how to program the AppServer, including both application procedures and the types of procedures that you can define to set up and manage the AppServer session context for your application procedures. It also describes how to manage context, including transactions, for the different AppServeroperating modes and handle error information that you pass to client applications. Code examples illustrate specific programming points.

Chapter 3 "Programming Progress 4GL Client Applications"

Describes how to program a client application, with emphasis on 4GL clients. It explains how to connect to and disconnect from an AppServer, run and manage remote procedures, and handle error information returned form the AppServer. Code examples illustrate specific programming points.

Chapter 4 "Design and Implementation Considerations"

Identifies and describes various issues related to the design and implementation of the AppServer. This chapter highlights specific performance, deployment, and security issues, and introduces some programming techniques to help you write AppServer procedures.

Chapter 5 "Debugging"

Describes two enhancements to the Application Debugger that support debugging distributed applications and explains how to use the AppServer log file to troubleshoot your application.

Appendix A, "Connecting to AppServers Using a URL"

Describes how to use a URL to connect to an AppServer (or SonicMQ BrokerConnect). For an AppServer, this applies to 4GL clients and Open Clients. For the SonicMQ BrokerConnect, this applies only to 4GL clients.

Using this manual

This section briefly describes how you might implement an AppServer solution as a new or existing OpenEdge customer.

If you are installing OpenEdge for the first time, you must devise an overall plan to suit your distributed computing needs. This way, from the start, the AppServer can play a central role in helping to fulfill your performance, deployment and security goals.

If you are already using the Progress 4GL, you can implement AppServers with all the same databases that a Progressclient can access. You can partition your application and encapsulate the business rules for your application using the same basic 4GL. However, adopting this new approach might require some analysis and redesign of our existing applications if they are currently configured for standalone or client-server operation.

For information on AppServer architecture and how it functions in the context of the OpenEdge Application Server architecture, see OpenEdge Getting Started: Application and Integration Services . For information on configuring and managing an AppServer installation, see OpenEdge Application Server: Administration .

For information on AppServer and client modes of operation, see Chapter 1, " AppServer and Client Interaction." For more information on how to structure an application to take advantage of AppServer features, see Chapter 4, " Design and Implementation Considerations."

Typographical conventions

This manual uses the following typographical conventions:

Convention	Description
Bold	Bold typeface indicates commands or characters the user types, provides emphasis, or the names of user interface elements.
Italic	Italic typeface indicates the title of a document, or signifies new terms.
SMALL, BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS	Small, bold capital letters indicate OpenEdge® key functions and generic keyboard keys; for example, GET and CTRL.
KEY1+KEY2	A plus sign between key names indicates a simultaneous key sequence: you press and hold down the first key while pressing the second key. For example, CTRL+X.
KEY1 KEY2	A space between key names indicates a sequential key sequence: you press and release the first key, then press another key. For example, ESCAPE H.
Syntax:
Fixed width	A fixed-width font is used in syntax statements, code examples, system output, and filenames.
Fixed-width italics	Fixed-width italics indicate variables in syntax statements.
Fixed-width bold	Fixed-width bold indicates variables with special emphasis.
UPPERCASE fixed width	Uppercase words are Progress® 4GL language keywords. Although these are always shown in uppercase, you can type them in either uppercase or lowercase in a procedure.
	This icon (three arrows) introduces a multi-step procedure.
	This icon (one arrow) introduces a single-step procedure.
Period (.) or colon (:)	All statements except DO, FOR, FUNCTION, PROCEDURE, and REPEAT end with a period. DO, FOR, FUNCTION, PROCEDURE, and REPEAT statements can end with either a period or a colon.
[ ]	Large brackets indicate the items within them are optional.
[ ]	Small brackets are part of the Progress 4GL language.
{ }	Large braces indicate the items within them are required. They are used to simplify complex syntax diagrams.
{ }	Small braces are part of the Progress 4GL language. For example, a called external procedure must use braces when referencing arguments passed by a calling procedure.
|	A vertical bar indicates a choice.
...	Ellipses indicate repetition: you can choose one or more of the preceding items.

Examples of syntax descriptions

In this example, ACCUM is a keyword, and aggregate and expression are variables:

Syntax

ACCUM aggregate expression

FOR is one of the statements that can end with either a period or a colon, as in this example:

FOR EACH Customer:   DISPLAY Name. END.

In this example, STREAM stream, UNLESS-HIDDEN, and NO-ERROR are optional:

Syntax

DISPLAY [ STREAM stream ] [ UNLESS-HIDDEN ] [ NO-ERROR ]

In this example, the outer (small) brackets are part of the language, and the inner (large) brackets denote an optional item:

Syntax

INITIAL [ constant [ , constant ] ]

A called external procedure must use braces when referencing compile-time arguments passed by a calling procedure, as shown in this example:

Syntax

{ &argument-name }

In this example, EACH, FIRST, and LAST are optional, but you can choose only one of them:

Syntax

PRESELECT [ EACH | FIRST | LAST ] record-phrase

In this example, you must include two expressions, and optionally you can include more. Multiple expressions are separated by commas:

Syntax

MAXIMUM ( expression , expression [ , expression ] ... )

In this example, you must specify MESSAGE and at least one expression or SKIP [ (n) ], and any number of additional expression or SKIP [ ( n ) ] is allowed:

Syntax

MESSAGE { expression | SKIP [ ( n ) ] } ...

In this example, you must specify {include-file, then optionally any number of argument or &argument-name = "argument-value", and then terminate with }:

Syntax

{ include-file     [ argument | &argument-name = "argument-value" ] ... }

Long syntax descriptions split across lines

Some syntax descriptions are too long to fit on one line. When syntax descriptions are split across multiple lines, groups of optional and groups of required items are kept together in the required order.

In this example, WITH is followed by six optional items:

Syntax

WITH [ ACCUM max-length ] [ expression DOWN ]   [ CENTERED ] [ n COLUMNS ] [ SIDE-LABELS ]   [ STREAM-IO ]

Complex syntax descriptions with both required and optional elements

Some syntax descriptions are too complex to distinguish required and optional elements by bracketing only the optional elements. For such syntax, the descriptions include both braces (for required elements) and brackets (for optional elements).

In this example, ASSIGN requires either one or more field entries or one record. Options available with field or record are grouped with braces and brackets:

Syntax

ASSIGN   { [ FRAME frame ] { field [ = expression ] }             [ WHEN expression ] } ...        | { record [ EXCEPT field ... ] }

Example procedures

This manual provides numerous example procedures that illustrate syntax and concepts. You can access the example files and details for installing the examples from the following locations:

The Documentation and Samples CD that you received with your product.
The Progress Documentation Web site:

http://www.progress.com/products/documentation

OpenEdge messages

OpenEdge displays several types of messages to inform you of routine and unusual occurrences:

Execution messages inform you of errors encountered while OpenEdge is running a procedure; for example, if OpenEdge cannot find a record with a specified index field value.
Compile messages inform you of errors found while OpenEdge is reading and analyzing a procedure before running it; for example, if a procedure references a table name that is not defined in the database.
Startup messages inform you of unusual conditions detected while OpenEdge is getting ready to execute; for example, if you entered an invalid startup parameter.

After displaying a message, OpenEdge proceeds in one of several ways:

Continues execution, subject to the error-processing actions that you specify or that are assumed as part of the procedure. This is the most common action taken after execution messages.
Returns to the Progress Procedure Editor, so you can correct an error in a procedure. This is the usual action taken after compiler messages.
Halts processing of a procedure and returns immediately to the Progress Procedure Editor. This does not happen often.
Terminates the current session.

OpenEdge messages end with a message number in parentheses. In this example, the message number is 200:

** Unknown table name table. (200)

If you encounter an error that terminates OpenEdge, note the message number before restarting.

Obtaining more information about OpenEdge messages

In Windows platforms, use OpenEdge online help to obtain more information about OpenEdge messages. Many OpenEdge tools include the following Help menu options to provide information about messages:

Choose Help Recent Messages to display detailed descriptions of the most recent OpenEdge message and all other messages returned in the current session.
Choose Help Messages and then type the message number to display a description of a specific OpenEdge message.
In the Progress Procedure Editor, press the HELP key or F1.

On UNIX platforms, use the Progress pro command to start a single-user mode character OpenEdge client session and view a brief description of a message by providing its number.

To use the pro command to obtain a message description by message number:

Start the Progress Procedure Editor:

install-dir/dlc/bin/pro

Press F3 to access the menu bar, then choose Help Messages.
Type the message number and press ENTER. Details about that message number appear.
Press F4 to close the message, press F3 to access the Progress Procedure Editor menu, and choose File Exit.