Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Getting Started:
WebSpeed Essentials

Starting the AppBuilder

You can start the AppBuilder from the Start menu, typically by choosing: Start All Programs OpenEdge AppBuilder. The main window of the AppBuilder opens, as shown in Figure 3–1.

Figure 3–1: AppBuilder main window

In addition, you can start the AppBuilder from the Application Development Environment (ADE) Desktop and any tool that has a Tools menu, like the Data Dictionary or the Procedure Editor. You can also start the AppBuilder directly from an operating system command shell.

For more information about starting the AppBuilder and about the AppBuilder main window, see OpenEdge Development: AppBuilder .

Connecting to a database server

You must connect AppBuilder to a database server before you can begin to develop WebSpeed applications. The database must be either the same database that is connected to the WebSpeed broker, or it must have the same schema.

To connect to a database server that is running:

From the AppBuilder main window, choose Tools Database Connections.
Choose Connect.
Choose Options>>.
Select the Multiple Users check box.
Type the pathname of the database in the Physical Name text field.
Choose OK.

For more detailed information about starting database servers, see the OpenEdge Getting Started: Installation and Configuration .

Specifying a default browser

You must specify a default browser in order to run and test your WebSpeed applications.

To specify a default browser:

Select Options Preferences from the AppBuilder main window.
Select the WebSpeed tab.
Specify the pathname of the browser that you intend to use during development.

For example, C:\Program Files\Netscape\Communicator\Program\netscape.exe and C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe are typical pathnames for Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer, respectively.

Specifying a WebSpeed broker

Before you can begin to develop WebSpeed applications, you must specify a WebSpeed broker in the AppBuilder. The WebSpeed broker must be connected to the same database that is connected to the AppBuilder (or the database must have the same schema as the database that is connected to the AppBuilder).

The "Running sample applications" section contains an example of starting a WebSpeed broker connected to the sample Sports2000 database.

To specify a WebSpeed broker in the AppBuilder:

Select Options Preferences from the AppBuilder main window.
Select the WebSpeed tab.
Type the URL of the WebSpeed broker in the Broker URL field.

The following code shows the general syntax for specifying a broker URL:

http://host_name[:port]/scripts_dir/messenger/WService=broker

host_name

Specifies the name of the machine that is running the Web server.

port

Specifies the port number of the Web Server. The port number is optional if the Web Server uses the default port number, which is 80. For example, if a Web Server’s port number is 88, the initial part of the URL might be specified as http://myhost:88.

scripts_dir

Specifies the Web server scripts directory for a CGI or ISAPI Messenger. Omit this component if you are using an NSAPI Messenger.

messenger

Specifies the messenger name.

For a CGI Messenger, add the filename (or pathname relative to the scripts directory) of your CGI Messenger script (cgiip.exe). For an ISAPI Messenger, add the filename (or pathname relative to the scripts directory) of the DLL (wsisa.dll). For an NSAPI Messenger, add the filename of the DLL (wsnsa.dll).

broker

Specifies the WebSpeed broker name.

Choose the Test button to verify the connection. (Be sure that you specify the path of your default browser’s executable file before testing.)
Choose OK.

Setting the remote/local development mode

The AppBuilder supports a local and a remote development mode.

Use local mode when all of the following conditions are true:

The AppBuilder is running on the same machine as the WebSpeed Transaction Server.
Both the AppBuilder and the WebSpeed Transaction Server have the same working directory.
Both the AppBuilder and the WebSpeed Transaction Server have the same PROPATH settings.

The working directory and PROPATH are set during installation of WebSpeed. For more information, see OpenEdge Getting Started: Installation and Configuration .

Use remote mode when the WebSpeed Transaction Server is on a remote machine, and when either of the following conditions are true:

The WebSpeed Transaction Server and the AppBuilder have different PROPATH settings.
The WebSpeed Transaction Server has a different working directory than the AppBuilder. (In remote mode, files are saved in the WebSpeed Transaction Server’s working directory on the remote machine.)

To change the development mode, click the Development Mode toggle button, which is the last button in the AppBuilder tool bar as shown in Figure 3–2.

Figure 3–2: Development Mode button

Note: If you have network or other problems and cannot access a remote WebSpeed Transaction Server, you can switch to local mode to create and save source files. However, you cannot compile source files that contain embedded SpeedScript unless remote mode is enabled.