Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Progress 4GL Handbook

Conclusion to the book

This book has introduced you to the essentials of the Progress 4GL. Its purpose is to give you the skills you need to start to build successful business applications using the OpenEdge platform. Even in a book of this scope, it is not possible to discuss all the elements of the Progress 4GL. Language statements that support interfaces to other programming environments, such as socket support, support for generating and consuming XML documents, and others, are left to other documentation. Also, language statements used in constructing Progress-based reports and statements directly in support of the database and AppServer are discussed elsewhere. In addition, the many new features of OpenEdge Release 10 are covered in other documentation.

In any case, the language statements alone are never sufficient to build a complex enterprise application. It’s very important that you adopt an overall architecture for your application to give you the consistency and flexibility you need to complete your application and to maintain and extend it in a fast-changing world. OpenEdge provides components, such as Progress SmartObjects, to give you a basis for creating powerful and sophisticated applications quickly. Other OpenEdge 10 documentation also provides guidelines and principles for an overall application architecture. Whether you use OpenEdge-provided components or develop your own framework, you should plan the structure of your application carefully before you begin writing large numbers of Progress 4GL procedures. A thorough up-front design will save you tremendous effort in the long run and give you a basis for an application that will ensure your success long into the future.