Using the Existing Application target wizard
Source control in early PowerBuilder
versions
Because workspaces and targets were not available in
PowerBuilder prior to version 8, you must use the Existing
Application wizard to create targets for applications that you built
with PowerBuilder 7 or earlier PowerBuilder versions. A source
control project in PowerBuilder 7 (or earlier PowerBuilder versions)
was associated with a single application.
Beginning with PowerBuilder 8, source control is associated
with a workspace that can have multiple targets and
applications.
If you keep a copy of your old version of PowerBuilder, you
can check out your application object and all other objects from
source control to a work PBL. By checking out the objects in the
older version of PowerBuilder, you make sure that no one else makes
changes to the objects before you migrate them to the current
version of PowerBuilder.
Deciding on a directory
hierarchy
You should decide on a directory hierarchy before you migrate.
PowerBuilder 7 and earlier versions required you to keep all
source-controlled files in a single directory. Beginning with
PowerBuilder 8, you can create subdirectories to contain each PBL in
your library list. Although this is not required, it is useful in
that it keeps objects from different PBLs separated in source
control subprojects.
You must also decide whether to add a new target to an
existing PowerBuilder workspace or to a new workspace that you
create specifically for the target. You can then use the Existing
Application target wizard to create a new target from the local
copies of your registered PBLs (making sure to select all the
supporting PBLs for your application on the Set Library Search Path
page of the wizard). When you run the wizard, PowerBuilder prompts
you to migrate the PBLs you select.
After you have run the wizard and migrated all the
source-controlled PBLs, you can define the source control connection
profile for the workspace to point to the old source control project
if you want to maintain it, or to a new source control project if
you do not. You can then check in or add the migrated objects to
source control and delete the work PBL containing the older versions
of the objects. You do not need a separate work PBL in PowerBuilder
9 or later.
To migrate a source control project using the Existing
Application wizard
-
From your old version of PowerBuilder, check out your
objects to a work PBL. -
Decide on a new file hierarchy for the libraries in your
application library list.You can keep all the libraries in the same directory if
you want, but it can be advantageous to create separate
subdirectories for each library in the list. If you plan to
share libraries among different targets, you should structure
the directories so that the common libraries are in the local
root path of every target that uses them. -
Create a new workspace in the new version of PowerBuilder,
or open an existing workspace in the new version of
PowerBuilder. -
Create a new target using the Existing Application
wizard. -
In the wizard, point to the PBL with an Application object
and add all the helper PBLs to the library search path.PowerBuilder prompts you to migrate the PBLs.
-
Click Yes to migrate each library in the path.
-
Create a source connection profile for the workspace that
points to the old source control project or to a new
project. -
Check in the migrated objects to source control if you are
using the old source control project, or add the migrated
objects to source control if you are using a new source control
project. -
Delete the work PBL whenever you want.