Developing pages

With 4GL functionality enabled, you can rely on an event-driven
infrastructure to handle many of the details of coding server scripts
for your Web pages. As with other Web target files, you edit 4GL
Web pages in the HTML editor and write scripts in one of the script
editors. The integrated Script editor provides additional support
for some of the features available in 4GL pages.

You can create new 4GL pages or you can modify existing pages
to enable 4GL processing after you add the pages to your Web target.
If you change a non-4GL page to 4GL mode, you must manually
remove any existing FORM tags in Source view. Each 4GL Web page
is represented as a single form. You cannot use nested FORM tags
on these pages.

Creating a new 4GL Web page

You create new 4GL Web pages using the 4GL Web/JSP
Page wizard. If you want to change an existing page to 4GL mode,
you can enable 4GL mode by selecting a check box in the Page Properties
dialog box for the page.

The 4GL
Web/JSP Page wizard prompts you for basic design information, options
for error reporting, page parameters, and EAServer components
that you want to use on the page. If you are unsure about values
to enter for a particular wizard field, you can leave the field
blank or accept the field default, then add or change the information
later in the Page Properties dialog box.

The 4GL
Web/JSP Page wizard also includes a page with selections
for the specialized error reporting capabilities available to 4GL
pages:

To create a new 4GL Web page:

1. From a Web target select File>New
   from the menu bar.

   or

   Right-click a target or target folder in Workspace view
   and select New from the pop-up menu.

2. Click the Web tab in the New dialog box.

   Make sure the Web target to which you want to add a
   4GL Web page is selected in the Target drop-down list box.

3. Click the 4GL Web/JSP Page wizard icon
   to start the wizard, then click Next.

4. On the Specify New HTML File page of the 4GL Web/JSP
   Page wizard, enter the title and file name for the page you want
   to create.

   If you selected a PowerDynamo or ASP target, the file name
   extension is HTM. If you selected a JSP target, the file name extension
   is JSP.

5. Provide design information for your Web page in
   subsequent wizard pages.

6. Specify options for error reporting and click
   Next.

7. Specify any page parameters that will provide
   input values for the page and click Next.

   You can add page parameters at a later time from the Page
   Properties dialog box for your page.

8. Select an EAServer profile, making sure the
   EAServer you select is running. Click Next to list the available
   components on this server.
   or
   
   Select
   the Skip EAServer Components check box if you want to select components
   at a later time. Click Next and skip the next step in this procedure.

   

   This wizard page lists EAServer profiles already configured
   in your development environment.

   Make sure your EAServer is running If you click Next without selecting the Skip EAServer Components
   check box, the wizard attempts to connect to the server that is
   selected in the Choose EAServer Profile dialog box.

9. Select the EAServer components you want your 4GL
   Web page to access, and click Next.

   

10. On the last wizard page, review the summary of
    page properties, and click Finish.

Enabling 4GL mode in an existing page

You
change an existing page in your Web target to 4GL mode by opening
the page in the HTML editor and selecting a check box in the Page
Properties dialog box. Some of the pages of the Page Properties
dialog box are available only to Web pages for which you select
the 4GL mode. After you select the 4GL mode check box, you can add
other 4GL properties to the page and access the server-side event
model in the integrated Script editor.

Post-conversion manipulation If you change an existing page to 4GL mode, you must manually
remove any existing FORM tags and you must make sure that each control
on the page has a unique name. If you want to take advantage of
4GL functionality with a control you added before changing the page
to 4GL mode, you must select the Server Side Scriptable check box
on the control property sheet (or add the PSSERVERSCRIPTABLE attribute
for the corresponding INPUT or OBJECT tag in Source view).

To enable 4GL mode in an existing page:

1. Open the page in the HTML editor.

2. Right-click in the page, then select Page Properties
   from the pop-up menu.

3. On the Page tab of the Page Properties dialog
   box, select the Enable 4GL Web Server Side Event Model check box.

   When you select the check box, the 4GL property pages of the
   Page Properties dialog box are enabled.

4. (Optional) Specify properties for the 4GL Web
   page on the newly enabled pages of the Page Properties dialog box.

Adding content to 4GL Web pages

After
you open a new Web page in the HTML editor, you are ready to start developing
the page contents. The Page tab page of System Tree displays information
about any objects and controls that you add to your page.

When you develop a page, you typically add content in a prescribed
order. For example, you define parameters and variables as a first
step, in order to access those values from objects or scripts as
you build the page. The following procedure shows the steps you
will most likely follow to develop 4GL Web pages.

To develop a 4GL Web page:

1. Add page parameters, page variables, and
   session variables.

   See “Using parameters and variables”.

2. Add access to properties of EAServer components.

   See “Accessing EAServer components”.

3. Insert form controls, and then bind these controls
   to parameters, variables, or EAServer component properties already
   accessible on your page.

   See “Adding controls”.

4. Set up page navigation.

   See “Setting up page navigation”.

5. Write scripts for the events on your page.

   See “Writing server scripts”.

Subscribe

Login

Notify of

new follow-up comments new replies to my comments

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

Label

{} [+]

Name*

Email*

Website

0 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments