Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Progress Dynamics Basic Development

Standard code structure

The Progress Dynamics framework provides building blocks that help you identify where application-specific logic should go and how to manage it. For example, on the user interface (UI) side of the application, when you identify common ways you need to extend or override the default UI behavior, the framework provides efficient mechanisms to implement these customizations.

The framework also provides standard events and hooks and guidelines on using them. Progress Dynamics guidelines tell you where and how to:

Create code to enable and disable fields and other UI objects when specific events occur.
Make special requests of the AppServer.
Add custom logic to the UI to respond to user actions.

On the server side of the application, where the bulk of the actual business logic resides, the framework provides several forms that logic can take. The forms are structured so you can understand where to put different parts of the business logic so it:

Reliably executes at the appropriate times.
Interacts properly with the client side of the application whether the data from the client is valid or not, and whether operations on the server side succeed or fail.

The framework is as flexible as possible and should not restrict you from creating distinctive applications to satisfy your particular needs. On the user interface side, dynamic layouts support a wide variety of object combinations in a window and relationships between application windows. Dynamic layouts also support standard features such as resizeability and access to common useful functions like data filtering and data export. With the Toolbar and Menu Designer, you can create the overall visual organization you need for the actions that tie your application’s parts together.

Your application can freely incorporate custom-built static (procedural) objects on the client side to give the exact look and behavior you need. You can easily combine static objects in your application with fully dynamic screens built out of Repository data. You can create dynamic toolbars and menus for procedural windows. Both dynamic and static windows can contain a mix of dynamic and procedural objects, providing a maximum of flexibility while taking advantage of the data-driven nature of the Progress Dynamics Repository wherever possible.

Another way these standard code structures aid you is through the Progress Dynamics managers. The managers, and other components that support many standard services, are independent procedures with their own APIs. You can customize the Security Manager, Session Manager, Configuration Manager, Connection Manager, and other such components. You can specialize each manager’s services, as needed within an application, by adding calls to the API or by overriding or extending the 4GL source code itself.