Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Open Client Introduction and Programming

Example

An OpenEdge developer at company ABCPets designs and develops an inventory system for pet shops, using the AppBuilder (.w files). These source files are in the directory c:\ABCPets\Source\Inventory. The files are compiled, and the r-code files are placed in c:\ABCPets\Bin\Inventory. ABCPets wants to package this functionality for Java clients. You run ProxyGen and supply the following information:

AppObject Name — Inventory
Propath Components — c:\ABCPets\Bin
Enable Unknowns for Parameter and Return Values — checked
Procedures — Inventory\InvAdd.r
Persistent Procedures — Inventory\p-Cust.r, with internal procedures:
AddInventory(), which takes two INTEGER parameters
ValidateInventory()
UpdateInternals(), which is defined in Inventory\p-Cust.r as PRIVATE

You customize the method definition for AddInventory() to disable the use of objects for passing the 4GL Unknown value (?) in either parameter. You also explicitly exclude ValidateInventory(). Note that the internal procedure UpdateInternals() is defined with the PRIVATE keyword and does not appear in ProxyGen as a procedure to include or customize.

When you choose the Generate button, you supply the following information:

AppService — com.ABCPets.Inventory
Package — com.ABCPets
Output Dir — c:\Proxies

Proxy generation places the Java proxy (the .class files) into c:\Proxies\com\ABCPets, and creates the activity log as c:\Proxies\Inventory.log. The generated Java files include:

Inventory.java
Inventory.class
InventoryImpl.class
pCust.java (note the removal of the dash)
pCust.class
pCustImpl.class

You then change p-Cust.w but do not change the signature of AddInventory() (AddInventory(INTEGER, INTEGER)). You add new internal procedures to the persistent procedure p-Cust.w. These changes only require you to run ProxyGen to regenerate the proxy as long as you want them included. New non-PRIVATE internal procedures are added as methods automatically, with default definitions. To exclude them, you must run ProxyGen and customize the persistent procedure definition. Also, any changes in or the removal of ValidateInventory() do not cause validation errors because it is excluded from the proxy definition and is not validated.

You decide to run Batch ProxyGen as part of a regular build cycle, so any similar changes in the 4GL are picked up automatically.

Later in the development cycle, you add a new procedure file for inventory, called Orders.w. This procedure file is saved in c:\ABCPets\Source\Inventory, and the r-code file is placed in c:\ABCPets\Bin\Inventory. You then run ProxyGen before the scheduled build and add this procedure file to the Inventory AppObject.

You make another change to the AddInventory() procedure, which now takes a third parameter (CHARACTER). Because this is a new parameter, it automatically gets the default (AppObject) setting to enable access to 4GL Unknown value (?). If you want to disable access to the 4GL Unknown value (?) by eliminating support for using objects as parameters and instead using equivalent intrinsic types (where available in the language), you must run ProxyGen before the scheduled build and update the customizations for this procedure.