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Overview
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We assume that you, like us, are in love with Clipper 5. that's why you
are using FiveWin
CA-Clipper makes it very easy for us to create complex applications in very
short order.
Version 5 of CA-Clipper, has offered us a lot of new possibilities,
maybe the most important of all is the ability to apply Object
Oriented Programming Techniques (you need a library like our Objects.lib to
use this feature, but you are in luck because FiveWin come with our
OBJECTS.LIB built right in!)
Microsoft Windows is all the rage. People want Windows applications
and, they want them now. As of this writing, Computer Associates has not
provided us with a Windows version of Clipper.
CA-Visual Objects is due to be released in late 1994. We have no doubt
it will be an extraordinary product when it is released, and we are looking
forward to it. However, it isn't here yet. FiveWin is! You can write
solid Windows applications in Clipper today, using FiveWin.
Our dream was to use our beloved Clipper 5 to write Windows applications
in an easy and comfortable way. Keeping the simplicity and power
we have become so accustomed to. Programming Windows it is really
pretty complicated and it is a task generally allocated to expert C
language programmers. We dreamed of Clipper 5 for Windows Easy,
powerful, familiar, comfortable... and with the creation of FiveWin that
dream has come true.
FiveWin IS Clipper! Clipper 5 working in Windows.
Of course we had to rebuild all the init process of Clipper to get it
working at Windows at all. We also had to rewrite Clipper's memory
management system. Now, it is Windows who controls the memory. VMM
problems are over. Now you have all the memory of your computer
available for Clipper, under Windows memory management.
The second part of the project was to develop an easy to use programming
system for Windows. One which used the familiar xBase commands and syntax
we are accustomed to. That syntax is really what separates us from
other programming languages, like C. As we thought, the perfect
combination is: Clipper, OOPS, and xBase syntax
We have really had fun building FiveWin. OOPS has allowed us to do
many marvelous things. Though there is still a lot of things we would
like to do.
If you haven't been programming using OOPS yet, don't wait any longer.
Get our Objects library with its manual and examples so you can learn
and understand the internal workings of FiveWin and Object Oriented
Programming in General. This is where the software development world is
going. Don't miss the boat!
In the coming months we will develop new features for FiveWin and we
will collect all the utilities and tools FiveWin users care to contribute.
We will keep you informed of the new releases we develop and make them
available to you via our Distributors and BBS systems. Send any FiveWin
extensions you create and that you want us to include with FiveWin to one
of the BBS systems or Via CIS Email, and will be happy to include them for
others to learn from. We encourage our users to share ideas, information
and code to help us become better software developers.
Go ahead! give it a spin. Let Windows, Clipper 5 and FiveWin do their
magic.
Antonio Linares and Francisco Pulp.n
February, 1994
FiveWin architecture
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FiveWin architecture is based on four complementary levels:
- xBase Commands. <- Highest productivity.
- Classes and Objects. <- Reusability benefits.
- Functions. <- Modularity benefits.
- Windows API. <- Highest low level control.
Start off at the xBase level to quickly produce applications.
Descend to a lower level when you need to get more control. Be aware
that going to a lower level -Windows API by example- it will
highly decrease your productivity, but increase your overall control.
FiveWin 1.5's most important features:
* xBase command syntax to easily produce powerful Microsoft Windows
applications. No need to know the Windows API to quickly develop
professional and powerful applications.
* Real Windows EXE production. No carry-always-DLLs. No royalties for
producing and distributing EXEs.
* Full Object Orientation: FiveWin includes our OBJECTS engine to
produce new Clipper compatible Classes, and FiveWin already offers
over 40 new Classes. You may create your own classes, even inheriting,
from FiveWin. The OBJECTS engine may also be used to create new Clipper
Classes for your DOS applications.
* Full open architecture: We provide full CLASS source code and many, many
examples of how you can enhance FiveWin to use any Windows feature you
may need.
* Standard Windows resources support: RC, RES and DLLs. We recommend
Borland's Resource Workshop editor to easily and quickly do Visual
programming with FiveWin. Data Driven Programming. Change the interface
without changing the code. What a concept!
* Support for Microsoft's new 3D look and Borland Style Dialog Boxes too.
* 256 color bitmaps and, dynamically load bitmaps from disk!
* Multimedia support: Sound (WAV files) and Video (AVI files).
* DLL support: at run-time (with xBase syntax) and at link-time.
* DDE support with xBase syntax.
* MDI support using xBase syntax.
* Get that Professional look with Button bars, Message Bars, and enhanced
windows brushes.
* New enhanced TWBrowse class with 3D look, and bitmap support!
Browses may be used as controls in Dialog Boxes. Include as
many of them as you need, at the same time.
* Use Standard Windows Dialog Boxes (Common Dialogs). Support for all
kinds of Windows controls with an easy xBase syntax.
* Non Modal execution supported: You may have several Dialog Boxes
executing at the same time!
* Clipper's VMM has been completely replaced. Now we only use standard Windows
memory management services. FiveWin runs Clipper faster in Windows than in
DOS. All your computer's memory is available to your program.
* FiveWin has been chosen as "COOL TOOL OF THE MONTH" by the very
Popular American Clipper technical magazine Reference(Clipper).
January issue.
New features coming soon:
* New RDD to use Microsoft ODBC standard database extensions !
* Visual Basic VBX controls support!
* FivePro 2.0 an MS DOS library will be included with FiveWin. 100% syntax
compatible with FiveWin! One set of source code --> two different
platforms! Resizable, Iconizable Windows. Non modal execution support!
Mouse, TMR, CUA look and controls. Highly productive and easy
to use. Really hot!
Don't miss the newest xBase technologies! Open your mind to the software
of the future, now!
The easy and difficult get complemented,
The long and short born one from the other,
The high and tall get close,
The sound and tone harmony together,
Before and after reciprocally exist,
Tao Te King
Lao Tse
See Also:
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