PROGRESS® Version 8 is a component-based application development environment that harnesses object-oriented technologies to enable users to maximize productivity and business benefits. Using the new PROGRESS SmartObject(TM) technology and Application Component Environment (ACE), developers can quickly build sophisticated, reusable components and effectively assemble them into enterprise-level applications that are scalable, portable and reconfigurable across heterogeneous client/server and host-based environments. PROGRESS Version 8 harnesses object technology to deliver high productivity and lower development and maintenance costs.
The PROGRESS Application Development Environment (ADE) enables developers to rapidly build enterprise client/server applications that can be deployed with Oracle, Sybase, DB2/400, NT SQL Server and PROGRESS databases.
The initial release of PROGRESS Version 8 is focused on the ADE. The PROGRESS Version 8 RDBMS will be released in early 1996.
Version 8 includes these major features:
Version 8 includes enhancements to:
PROGRESS SmartObjects are robust, reusable application components that form the basis for the significant productivity benefits of PROGRESS Version 8. Developers can quickly and easily build their own PROGRESS SmartObjects or customize the comprehensive set of SmartObjects included within the ADE. The set of eight PROGRESS SmartObjects, including SmartView, SmartBrowse, SmartQuery, SmartFrame, SmartWindow, SmartDialog, SmartPanel and SmartFolder, represents the visual, interactive and data management functions most commonly required for today's transaction-based client/server applications. The bundled PROGRESS SmartObjects were designed by analyzing and determining the common functionality of applications from a wide variety of industries represented by a number of applications from Progress Software's Application Partners and IS customers.
Developers can tailor existing PROGRESS SmartObjects to suit specific business needs or create their own PROGRESS SmartObjects by utilizing the complete set of development tools provided within the PROGRESS ADE. With either method, developers need not learn and master traditional low-level Object-Oriented programming languages like C++ and SmallTalk.
The Application Component Environment is a framework for using the PROGRESS 4GL and graphical tools to rapidly build reusable components for assembly into robust business applications. PROGRESS ACE includes specific development standards that form the foundation for PROGRESS SmartObjects. Rapid development is further enhanced through the availability of wizards, cue cards, help dialogs and advisors that, step-by-step, prompt developers through fabrication and assembly of PROGRESS SmartObjects within the PROGRESS User Interface Builder. The ACE technology then simultaneously generates the message links between objects and the transaction processing and data management code that complete the application. In short, the ACE gives developers a prescribed path to create and deliver powerful component-based applications.
Enhancements to the PROGRESS ADE provide developers with access to VBX components that can be included in Windows applications. Full graphical tool support is provided, allowing rapid assembly of applications containing VBXs. The PROGRESS ADE includes an OLE container and offers a starter set of VBXs from the Crescent Division of Progress Software, including a spin button, enhanced combo box, and event timer.
PROGRESS Enterprise ProVISION, a new product offering with Version 8, adds team development and configuration management support to the PROGRESS ADE. Enterprise ProVISION incorporates StarBase Corporation's Roundtable(TM) Total Software Management System(TM) that enables development organizations to maximize productivity and control the costs of engineering and maintaining large, complex, component-based client/server applications in a large team environment.
PROGRESS Version 8 also includes a published Application Programming Interface (API) which enables development teams to use other third-party Software Configuration Management (SCM) products.
The PROGRESS User Interface Builder (UIB) is the visual tool that provides a graphical environment for building applications that support code reusability and, as a result, increase developer productivity and lower maintenance costs. Enhancements to the Version 8 UIB increase productivity by providing a strategy for customizing the behavior of the UIB. UIB APIs and Extended Features are documented entry points into the UIB for adding custom extensions, object coding practices and business processes.
The Report Builder is a graphical report writer for creating presentation-quality reports, designing a variety of report formats and user templates, addressing cross database reporting needs enabling the integration of reports into 4GL applications, and producing portable report logic. Version 8 enhancements increase flexibility for accessing data. With Report Builder, PCs can run large reports on alternate servers while simultaneously performing other tasks.
PROGRESS Translation Manager has been completely re-written in PROGRESS Version 8 to support global application development and deployment. The new Translation Manager products are targeted for general availability this December. Specific product features and pricing will be announced at that time.
PROGRESS RESULTS Version 2 is a graphical, end-user data access and reporting tool that enables transparent access to heterogeneous data. It allows end-users with little or no programming experience to satisfy their own ad hoc data retrieval and reporting requirements. Since end-users run their own queries and reports, developers can focus on delivering the core business applications.
RESULTS employs a simple model for defining queries and reports. By making choices from menus, users can browse through a database, update the data and compile that information with other data, manipulate it mathematically, and generate custom reports. RESULTS shields users from complex data relationships, runs in either graphical or character environments, and can be integrated into PROGRESS-based applications.