DataWindow objects for the Web ActiveX
The DataWindow Web control for ActiveX requires either of
these:
- A DataWindow object stored in a PBL
- A PSR that was saved with data
Properties for the Web ActiveX identify the DataWindow object
that you want to display in the control.
This section describes considerations for:
- Defining
DataWindow objects - Building libraries
- Identifying the DataWindow object or PSR by setting
Web page properties
What the DataWindow object can include
You define DataWindow objects in PowerBuilder. The Web ActiveX
supports all DataWindow presentation styles except RichText.
You can use all edit styles, including DropDownDataWindow.
Properties can have conditional expressions (written in PowerScript)
and computed fields can use any of the functions available to a
standard DataWindow.
In the Web page, you can include scripts (written in JScript
or other ECMAScript-compatible scripting languages) to manipulate
DataWindow presentation and data.
Managing DataWindow objects in PowerBuilder libraries
Types of libraries
The Web ActiveX can use DataWindow objects that are stored
in PBLs or PBDs.
When to use a PBD
The Web browser downloads the library specified for the Web
ActiveX and stores it in a temporary cache. If you do not want your
DataWindow object source code to be available to the user (who could
copy it from the cache), convert a PBL to
a PBD before deploying it.
Because the library will be downloaded, you should make it
as small as possible—another good reason to convert a PBL to a PBD.
PowerBuilder version PBLs must be migrated
to Version 10 or later.
Grouping DataWindow objects into libraries
A PBL or PBD is downloaded
in its entirety from the Web server; therefore, you should make
sure your library includes only those objects needed on your Web
pages. You can group DataWindow objects that are used on different
Web pages in a single library; however, you should avoid forcing
users to download objects used on pages they will not view.When
choosing how to group DataWindow objects into libraries, make the
set of objects in the library correspond to the typical set of pages
the user will view. Although a single download saves a lot of communications
overhead, it is worthwhile for users only if they view the pages
that use the objects.
Using other resources in the DataWindow object
A DataWindow object can use external resources such as bitmaps
or cursors. You can use a resource file when you build a PBD to
include these resources in the library. You can also store these
resources on the Web server. A relative path in the DataWindow object
can point to the file’s location on the Web server. The
browser retrieves the resource as needed.
A DataWindow object can use other DataWindow objects, such
as drop-down DataWindows. Make sure these objects are included in
the downloaded library.
Specifying a DataWindow object for the control
To identify the DataWindow object you want to display in the
control, you specify values for two properties:
- SourceFileName
- DataWindowObject
You enter their values on the General page of the Sybase DataWindow
Web Control Properties dialog box.
About SourceFileName
The value for SourceFileName is the name of the library that
contains the DataWindow object for the control. It can be a URL
or a file path. These examples illustrate some typical variations:
- Absolute
URL:1http://www.domain.com/dwlibraries/financedws.pbd - Relative URLs:
1financedws.pbd1dwlibraries/financedws.pbd
- Absolute file path (can be useful while developing
pages):1d:/web project/dwlibraries/financedws.pbd
In the Web ActiveX property sheet, when you use the Browse
button to look for the library, you browse the file system, not
URLs. After the full path is inserted in the field, you probably
should edit it so that it is valid when your Web pages are deployed.
Web targets If you are working in a PowerBuilder Web target, it is a good idea
to include both the library and the Web page in the workspace. If
you do, SourceFileName can be a relative path that is valid in both
your design and deployment environments.
Changing SourceFileName during execution You can change the value of SourceFileName in a script. If
you do, you also have to specify a value for DataWindowObject that
is valid in the new library. You must also call SetTransObject again
if you are using a separate transaction object.
About DataWindowObject
The value for DataWindowObject is the name of a DataWindow
object that is in the library specified in SourceFileName.
If the library is accessible in the development environment
(for example, it is part of the PowerBuilder workspace and you specify
a relative URL), then the property sheet displays a drop-down list
of the DataWindow objects contained in the library.
Displaying Powersoft reports To display a PSR file instead of a DataWindow object, specify
its URL as the value for the DataWindowObject and leave the SourceFileName
blank.