External procedures, internal procedures, and functions
An understanding of Progress 4GL procedure types is basic to an understanding of ADM super procedures. The ADM uses two Progress 4GL procedure types: external procedures and internal procedures. In addition, it uses 4GL functions. Internal procedures and functions are collectively referred to as methods:
External procedures are procedure files that typically have a .w or .p extension. External procedures can become persistent procedures at run time. A persistent procedure is a run-time instance of an external procedure that stays in memory until it is explicitly deleted. SmartObjects are implemented as run-time instances of external procedures.
Internal procedures are contained by external procedures. An internal procedure is a named entry point that can be executed by its containing external procedure or by other external procedures. Internal procedures represent actions that a SmartObject can perform.
Functions also are contained by external procedures. A function, like an internal procedure, can be executed by its containing external procedure or by other external procedures. Functions also represent actions a SmartObject can perform.
Figure 1–3 illustrates the relationship among external procedures, internal procedures, and functions.
For more information on procedure types, see OpenEdge Development: Progress 4GL Handbook .