Power Builder Training

Power Builder
Training
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Session 1
Introduction To Powerbuilder
Powerbuilder is a 4GL client/server enterprise
development tool.
Its strongest strength is
Database connectivity
Object Orientation Implementation.
In its initial releases, PowerBuilder was just used as a
client --talking to
the Database Server directly.
Powerbuilder applications can be deployed as client, as
a middle tier
application or both.
PowerBuilder supports SQL and stored procedures
using the Data
Window control
andbyembedded/dynamic
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Satyam Computers Services Ltd.SQL and
Powerbuilder Features
The following major features are supported by

Powerbuilder .
Object-Orientation Implementation
SQL Support
Data Window
Database Connectivity
Embedded/ Dynamic SQL
Remote Procedure Calls
ODBC Drivers
Version Control Interfaces
Powerbuilder Family of Products
InfoMaker
Infomaker is a
subset of
PowerBuilder , used
by end for
generating reports.
PowerDesign
er
PowerDesigner
supports multi-user
database designing .
The following are some

important products from
Powersoft.
Infomaker
PowerDesigner
Adaptive Server
Anywhere
Adaptive
Server
Anywhere
ASA is full-featured
transaction
processing SQL
Database
Management
System.
Summary
What we have learnt from the

Session1 ?
Definition Of PowerBuilder
Idea about the PowerBuilder
features
Overview of various tools
/products that
could be used in the Real World
Session 2
PowerBuilder
Environment
In this session we will learn about

PowerBuilder
environment -- such as toolbars, toolbar customization,
opening painters, etc..
After this session you will be able to:
Create an icon for PowerBuilder under Windows NT/95.
Start and stop PowerBuilder.
Dock toolbars. Customize toolbars. Invoke a painter
automatically after starting PowerBuilder.
How To Use PowerBuilder help system.
Prerequisites
Should have PowerBuilder (Desktop/

Professional/ Enterprise version)
installed on your computer.
Starting PowerBuilder
Double-click -'PowerBuilder x.x For Intel 32 icon .

Powerbuilder Interface
On starting the PowerBuilder opens the last application worked

on.
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PowerPanel
While developing you create/test objects using painters.

Each painter has an icon associated with it.
Selecting 'File/PowerPanel' from the menu for seeing the
desctriptive text and shortcut for each icon.
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Services Ltd.
Overview Of The Painters

Application Painter Application object is the entry point to any PowerBuilder application
Window Painter In any application, Window is the main interface between a user and a
application.
Menu Painter A menu is a list of options or commands. Example your browser's menu.
Data Window object allows you to retrieve data from a database or other source for display .
A data window object consists of the following:
Data Source Definition : That is the data from where to bring i.e. database ,table, column etc.
Presentation Definition: Presentation style of the retrieved data from the database .
User Object allows you to reuse the code .It is nothing but a collection of one or more
Powerbuilder/Non PowerBuilder objects. Non PB Object includes objects from VB, Dlls ,OCX
and so on

A Query Painter allows you to build SQL SELECT
statements which can be saved as query objects
in the PowerBuilder library.
The function painter allows you to build
function objects that define a series of
frequently executed commands.
The Structure Painter allows you to create
structure objects. A structure is nothing but a set
of related variables (which may have different
data types) grouped under a single name.
Objects you create in PowerBuilder painters
(application, windows, menus, functions, queries,
structures, user objects and DataWindow objects)
are stored in an operating system file with ".pbl"
extension (pronounced as pible).

Database Painter allows you to create database
objects--such as table, view, index, stored procedure,
trigger, etc. without knowing the actual DDL syntax.
Project Painter allows you to create PowerBuilder
Dynamic Linked Libraries (PBDs), executables.
Need to define what libraries need to be included
in the project for the first time.
A Run icon allows you to execute the application
you are currently working on.
A Debug painter allows you to view the execution

of the current application step-by-step and
simplifies the discovery of bugs.
Toolbars
What is a toolbar?
Answer: A toolbar is nothing but a collection of icons
associated with actions.
All the icons as shown in the picture below the

menu, are part of the toolbar called Powerbar.
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Ltd.
Types Of Toolbars
PowerBuilder comes with three
toolbars:
Powerbar
Painterbar
Stylebar
Powerbar
Powerbar is similar to PowerPanel in
terms of functionality and contains
all options available in PowerPanel.
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Computers Services Ltd.
Painterbar
Unlike Powerbar where the toolbar

icons are static, Painterbar toolbar
icons are dynamic.
Stylebar
Stylebar allows you to change the
text style - such as text's font, font
size, justification, etc.

Customizing Toolbar
The power of a PowerBuilder
toolbar is in its
flexibility. It
helps in adding or removing icons.
Script Editor
Script editor allows you to write

scripts for object events, functions
To start script editor for an object,
invoke the right mouse popup menu
by clicking the right mouse button
on an object and select Script .

SUMMARY
In this session we have learnt about the
following
Ovetrview of the following Powerpanel
o Powerbar
o Painterbar
o Stylebar.
How to customize the Painterbars ?
How to access Script Editor ?
PowerBuilder Environment - Exercises
Make Powerbar to float.

Display the toolbar text.
Hide the Powerbar and then show it.
Session 3

Target Points of This Session

Previous session familiarized you with the
PowerBuilder environment.
This session onwards, you will be learning
about various painters ( to create objects ),
PowerScript ( to manipulate them ) and
finally build a complete project.
After this session you will be able to:
Create a PowerBuilder Library.
Create a PowerBuilder Application Object.
Defining the specifications of 'Product
Management System', which you would be
developing in the 'PowerBuilder Online Courses'.
Creating Library
To create a library need to invoke
the library painter by clicking on
icon.
To create a library, select
Library/Create from the menu or
click on icon.
Creating an Application Object

Application object is the entry point
of an application.
You need to invoke an application
object painter by clicking on the
icon.
Summary
In this session we have learnt the
following:
How to create a library ?
How to create a application object

Session 4
Window Painter
This session will help you to
understand the following:
Understand what a window is.
Understand about Window Controls and how
they work together.
Paint windows.
Preview/Run/Print the window.
Understand different types of windows.
Introduction to Window
Painter
Irrespective of the application

,without the user interface its not
possible to interact with the
software.
The object that PowerBuilder
provides is called a "Window .The
basic building blocks of the user
interface are designed, maintained
and customized using the Window
Painter.
Creating a Window
Select the New button in the 'Select Window dialog
box.
Once the window is opened it will look

like:
Window Painter

Window Controls
The major window controls are :
SingleLineEdit
MultiLineEdit
Editmask
CommandButton
Picturebutton
ListBox etc.
Properties Of The Controls

Some of the major
properties of the
controls are :
Visible
Enabled
Focus
Rectangle, etc
Visisble
Helps the end

users to see the
control.
Enabled
This property is not

checked by default.
If this property is
not set, nothing
will happen when
the user clicks on
this control.
Focus Rectangle
Visible
Single Line Edit Control
This control is used to input data

from the
End Users .
Other Important Controls
MultiLineEdit
DropDownPictureListBox
Picture EditMask
ListView
DataWindow Control
CommandButton
TreeView
UserObject
PictureButton
CheckBox
ListBox
RadioButton
Vertical Scrollbar
DropDownListBox GroupBox
Horizontal Scrollbar Tab Control Line Rectangle RoundRectangle Oval Graph
etc..
Session 5

DataWindow controls
DataWindow technology is implemented in two
parts:
A DataWindow object The DataWindow object
defines the data source and presentation style for
the data.
A DataWindow control or component The control
or component is a container for the DataWindow
object in the application.
You write code that calls methods of the container
to manipulate the DataWindow object.

Function of Data Window

Controls
The DataWindow was originally

invented for use in PowerBuilder to
provide
Powerful data retrieval, manipulation,
and update capabilities for client/server
applications.
PowerBuilder DataWindow A
PowerBuilder control for use in
client/server and distributed
PowerBuilder applications.
Presentation styles
A presentation style defines a typical style of report and handles how rows are
grouped on the page. You can customize the way the data is displayed in each
presentation style.
Important Presentation Styles include:
Tabular Data columns across the page and headers above each column. Several
rows are viewable at once.
Freeform Data columns going down the page with labels next to each
column. One row displayed at a time.
Grid Row-and-column format like a spreadsheet with grid Label Several labels
per page with one row for each label. Used for mailing and other labels.
Composite Several DataWindow objects grouped into a single presentation. Not
supported by the Web DataWindow
Graph Graphical presentation of data. Not supported by the Web
DataWindow
Crosstab Data summary in a row-and-column format.
RichText Paragraphs of text with embedded data columns. Not supported by
the Web DataWindow or the Sybase DataWindow Web control for ActiveX.
Data Sources
The data source specifies the following:
DataWindow comes from
What data items are displayed.
Data can come from :
tables in a database, or
You can import data from a file or specify the data in code.
For databases, the Data specification is saved in a SQL statement.
In all cases, the DataWindow Object saves the names of the data items
to display, as well as their data types.

Types Of Data Sources

The following Data Sources are available:
Quick Select : The data is coming from one or more tables in a

SQL database. The tables must be related through a foreign key.
SQL Select :You want more control over the select statement
that is generated for the data source. You can specify
grouping,computed columns, and so on
Query:The data has already been selected and the SQL
statement is saved in a query object that you have defined in
the Querypainter. When you define the DataWindow object, the
queryobject is incorporated into the DataWindow and does not
need to be present when you run the application.
Stored Procedure The data is defined in a database stored
procedure.
External The data is not stored in a database, but is imported
from a file (such as a tab-separated or dBASE file) or
populated from code.

Use Of Data Window Object

Using a DataWindow involves two
main steps:
Use the DataWindow painter to create or edit
a DataWindow object. In the painter, you
define the data source, presentation style, and
all other properties of the object, such as
display formats, validation rules, sorting and
filtering criteria, and graphs.
2 In your development environment, put a
DataWindow control in a window, visual user
object, or form or a DataWindow container in a
Webpage and associate a DataWindow object
with the control or container.
Data Window Object Architecture

The basic architectures are:
Client/server A program running on a client workstation

accesses a
database running on a server. The user interface and business
logic reside together on the client computer.
Distributed application The user interface on the client

computer calls components on a middle-tier server, which execute
business logic and access the database server.
Web application A client Web browser sends requests for HTML

or JSP documents to a Web server. The Web server passes control
to a page or application server, where server-side scripts can
access components on a transaction server that can connect to
databases on a database server.

PowerBuilder DataWindow control

The PowerBuilder DataWindow control
Is a container for DataWindow objects in a
PowerBuilder application.
You can use it in a window to present an
interactive display of data. The user can view
and change data and send changes to the
database

Data Store Objects

In addition to the DataWindow control, the
DataStore object has the following functionalities.
It provides a nonvisual container for server applications
and other situations where on-screen viewing is not
necessary.

Other Functionalities
Of Data-Window Control
The DataWindow supports the following:

It supports data retrieval with retrieval arguments
and data update.
You can use edit styles, display formats, and
validation rules for consistent data entry and
display.
The DataWindow provides many methods
Used for manipulating the DataWindow, including
Modify for changing DataWindow object
properties.

Programming Usage
You write scripts in the Window or User Object
painter to connect to the database, retrieve data,
process user input, and update data.
In PowerBuilder, you can take advantage of object
inheritance by defining a user object inherited
from a DataWindow control and adding your own
custom functionality. You can reuse the
customized DataWindow control throughout your
applications.

Libraries and applications

You store DataWindow objects in
PowerBuilder libraries (PBLs) during
development.
When you build your application, you
can include the DataWindow objects
in the application executable or in
PowerBuilder dynamic libraries
(PBDs).

Putting a DataWindow object into a

DataWindow control
To use the DataWindow object in an application, you add a

DataWindow
control to a window or form, then associate that control
with the DataWindow object, as illustrated in Figure 2-1:
Naming Convention
The DataWindow object naming standards should
follow the following guidelines:
To avoid confusion, you should use different prefixes for
DataWindow objects and DataWindow controls.
The prefix d_ is commonly used for DataWindow objects.
For example, if the name of the DataWindow control is
dw_customer, you might want to name the
corresponding DataWindow object d_customer.

Dynamical Changes Of Data Window

In addition to specifying the DataWindow object in
the Window painter, you can switch the object that
displays in the control during execution by changing
the value of the DataObject property in code.
For example: to display the DataWindow object
d_emp_hist from the library emp.pbl in the
DataWindow control dw_emp, you can follow the
following Programming Guidelines:
dw_emp.DataObject = "d_emp_hist :
The DataWindow object d_emp_hist was created in the
DataWindow painter and stored in a library on the
application search path. The control dw_emp is contained
in the window and is saved as part of the window
definition.
Accessing the database

Before you can display data in a DataWindow
control, you must get the data stored in the data
source into that control. The most common way to
get the data is to access a database.
An application goes through several steps in
accessing a database:
Set the appropriate values for the transaction
object.
Connect to the database.
Set the transaction object for the DataWindow
control.
Retrieve and update data.
Disconnect from the database.
Database Connectivity Mechanism

Setting the transaction object for the DataWindow
control
There are two ways to handle database
connections and transactions for the
DataWindow control.
You can use:
Internal transaction management
A separate transaction object
The above two methods provide different levels

of control
over database transactions.

Mechanism Of Internal Transaction Object

When the DataWindow control uses internal
transaction management, it handles connecting,
disconnecting, commits, and rollbacks. It
automatically performs connects and disconnects
as needed; any errors that occur cause an
automatic rollback.
Whenever the DataWindow needs to access the
database (such as when a Retrieve or Update
method is executed), the DataWindow issues an
internal CONNECT statement, does the
appropriate data access, then issues an internal
DISCONNECT.
Limitations of
Internal Transaction Object
When not to use it?

Do not use internal transaction management when:
Your application requires the best possible performance
Internal transaction management is slow and uses
considerable system resources because it must connect
and disconnect for every database access.
You want control over when a transaction is committed or

rolled back. Because internal transaction management
must disconnect after a database access, any changes are
always committed immediately.

How To Use Internal Transaction Object
To use internal transaction management, you

specify connection values for a transaction object,
which could be the automatically instantiated
SQLCA.
Call the SetTrans method, which copies the
values from a specified transaction object to the
DataWindow control's internal transaction object.
SQLCA.DBMS = ProfileString("myapp.ini", &
"database", "DBMS", " ")
... // Set more connection parameters
dw_employee.SetTrans(SQLCA)
dw_employee.Retrieve( )

SetTransObject
The SetTransObject method associates

A transaction object with the DataWindow control.
PowerBuilder has a default transaction object
called SQLCA that is automatically instantiated.
You can set its connection properties, connect,
and assign it to the DataWindow control.
// Set connection parameters in the transaction object
SQLCA.DBMS = ...
SQLCA.database = ...
CONNECT USING SQLCA;
dw_emp.SetTransObject(SQLCA)
dw_emp.Retrieve( )

User Transaction Object

Instead of or in addition to using the predefined SQLCA
transaction object, you can define your own transaction
object in a script.
This is necessary if your application needs to connect to
more than one database at the same time.
The following statement uses SetTransObject to associate
dw_customer with a programmer-created transaction
object (trans_customer):
transaction trans_customer
trans_customer = CREATE transaction
// Set connection parameters in the transaction object
trans_customer.DBMS = ...
trans_customer.database = ...
CONNECT USING trans_customer;
dw_customer.SetTransObject(trans_customer)
dw_customer.Retrieve( )
Retrieving and updating

data
You call the following two methods to access a

database through a DataWindow control:
Retrieve
Update
After you have set the transaction object for your

DataWindow control, you can use the Retrieve
method to retrieve data from the database into
that control:
dw_emp.Retrieve( )
Omitting retrieval arguments If your DataWindow object
takes retrieval arguments but you do not pass them in the
Retrieve method, the DataWindow control prompts the user for
them when Retrieve is called.
Retrieval Arguments
Retrieval arguments qualify the SELECT
statement associated with the DataWindow
object, reducing the rows retrieved according to
some criteria.
For example, in the following SELECT statement,
Salary is a retrieval argument defined in the
DataWindow painter:
SELECT Name, emp.sal FROM Employee
WHERE emp.sal > :Salary
When you call the Retrieve method, you supply a
value for Salary. In PowerBuilder, the code looks
like this:
dw_emp.Retrieve( 50000 )
Updating data
After users have made changes to data in a
DataWindow control, you can use the Update
method to save those changes in the database.
In PowerBuilder, the code looks like this:
dw_emp.Update()
Update sends to the database all inserts,
changes, and deletions made in the DataWindow
control since the last Update method.

Example
The following example gives an idea about
Updates:
// Connect to the database specified in the
// transaction object EmpSQL

CONNECT USING EmpSQL;
// Set EmpSQL as the transaction object for dw_emp
dw_emp.SetTransObject(EmpSQL)
// Retrieve data from the database specified in
// EmpSQL into dw_emp
dw_emp.Retrieve()
// Make changes to the data...
...
// Update the database
IF dw_emp.Update() > 0 THEN
COMMIT USING EmpSQL;
ELSE
ROLLBACK USING EmpSQL;
END IF
// Disconnect from the database
DISCONNECT USING EmpSQL;

Datawindow buffers
The Data Window Controls maintains
the following Buffers.
Primary: Data that has not been
deleted or filtered out (that is, the
rows that are
viewable)
Filter : Data that was filtered out
Delete : Data that was deleted by the
user or through code
How Edit Control Is Working In This Scenario?

As the user moves around the DataWindow
control, the DataWindow places an edit control
over the current cell (row and column):

What Is Text ?
The contents of the edit control are
called text. Text is data that has not
yet been accepted by the
DataWindow control.
Data entered in the edit control is not
in a DataWindow buffer yet; it is
simply text in the edit control.

What Is Item?
When the user changes the contents of the edit
control and presses ENTER or leaves the cell (by
tabbing, using the mouse, or pressing UP ARROW
or DOWNARROW), the DataWindow processes the
data and either accepts or rejects it
It depends on whether it meets the requirements
specified for the column.
If the data is accepted, the text is moved to the
current row and column in the DataWindow
Primary buffer. The data in the Primary buffer for
a particular column is referred to as an item.

How text is processed

in the edit control
When the data in a column in a DataWindow has been changed and

the column loses focus (for example, because the user tabs to the
next column), the following sequence of events occurs:
The DataWindow control converts the text into the correct datatype
for the column. For example, if the user is in a numeric column, the
DataWindow control converts the string that was entered into a
number. If the data cannot be converted, the ItemError event is
triggered.
If the data converts successfully to the correct type, the
DataWindow control applies any validation rule used by the column.
If the data fails validation, the ItemError event is triggered.
If the data passes validation, then the ItemChanged event is
triggered. If you set an action/return code of 1 in the ItemChanged event, the
DataWindow control rejects the data and does not allow the focus to change. In
this case, the ItemError event is triggered.
If the ItemChanged event accepts the data, the ItemFocusChanged event is

triggered next and the data is stored as an item in a buffer.

How Text Is Processed In Edit

Controls?

Action/Return Codes
You can affect the outcome of events
by specifying numeric values in the
events program code.
For example, step 3 above describes
how you can force data to be
rejected with a code of 1 in the
ItemChanged event.
To specify action/return codes:
PowerBuilder DataWindow Use a RETURN
statement
Accessing the text in the edit control

The following methods allow you to access
the text in the edit control:
GetTextObtains the text in the edit

control
SetTextSets the text in the edit control
In addition to these methods, the following

events provide access to the text in The
edit control:
EditChanged
ItemChanged
ItemError
Sample Code In Item Changed Event
This is the PowerBuilder version of

the code for The Itemchanged Event:
int a, age
age = Integer(sle_age.text)
a = Integer(data)
// Set the return code to 1 in the ItemChanged
// event to tell PowerBuilder to reject the data
// and not change the focus.
IF a < age THEN RETURN 1

ItemError event
The ItemError event is triggered if there is
a problem with the data. By default, it
rejects the data value and displays a
message box. You can write code for the
ItemError event to do some other processing.
For example, you can set a code to accept the
data value, or reject the data value but allow
focus to change.

Accessing the Items in a DataWindow

You can access data values in a DataWindow by using
methods or DataWindow data expressions. Both methods
allow you to access data in any buffer and to get original
or current values.
There are several methods for manipulating data in a
DataWindow control.
These methods obtain the data in a specified row and
column in a specified buffer Like for example :
GetItemDate,
GetItemDateTime,
GetItemDecimal,
GetItemNumber,
GetItemString,
GetItemTime
Examples Of Get Functions

For example, the following statement, using
PowerBuilder syntax, picks the value from the
empname column of the first row to the variable
ls_Name:
ls_Name = dw_1.GetItemString
(1,"empname")

SETITEM
This PowerBuilder statement sets the
value of the empname column in the
first row to the string Waters:
dw_1.SetItem(1, "empname", "Waters")

Expressions In PowerBuilder
Expressions in PowerBuilder The Object property
of the DataWindow control lets you specify
expressions that refer directly to the data of the
DataWindow object in the control.
Example Of Code:
dw_1.Object.jobtitle[3] = "Programmer
The next statement sets the value of the first

column in the first row in the DataWindow to
Smith:
dw_1.Object.Data[1,1] = "Smith"

Other Data-Window Methods

There are many more methods you can use to perform activities in
DataWindow controls.
AcceptText: Applies the contents of the edit control to the current item in the
DataWindow control.
DeleteRow: Removes the specified row from the DataWindow control, placing
it in the Delete buffer.It does not delete the
delete the row from the database.
Filter: Displays rows in the DataWindow control based on the current filter.
GetRow: Returns the current row number
InsertRow: Inserts a new row
Reset :Clears all rows in the DataWindow control
Retrieve: Retrieves rows from the database
RowsCopy, RowsMove :Copies or moves rows from one DataWindow
control to another ScrollToRow Scrolls to the specified row
SelectRow :Highlights a specified row
ShareData : Shares data among different DataWindow controls.
Update: Sends to the database all inserts, changes, and deletions that have
been made in the DataWindowcontrol
Properties Of Data Window Object

DataWindow object properties store the information
that controls the behavior of a DataWindow object.
You can access the properties of a DataWindow
object by using the Describe and Modify methods or
DataWindow property expressions.
DescribeReports the values of properties of a
DataWindow object and controls within the
DataWindow object
ModifyModifies a DataWindow object by
specifying a list of
instructions that change the DataWindow object's
definition
Examples of Describe and Modified

Describe-Examples: The following
statements assign the value of the Border
property for the empname column to a string
variable:
string ls_border
ls_border= Describe("empname.Border")
Modify-Examplesdw_1.: The following

statement changes the value of the Border
property for the empname column to 1:
dw_emp.Modify("empname.Border=1")

Object Property use

Use the Object property and dot
notation. For example:
integer li_border
li_border
=Integer(dw_1.Object.empname.Border)
dw_1.Object.empname.Border = 1

Retrieve And Update

Error
Return codes for the Retrieve and Update methods
Retrieve
Retrieve>=1 Retrieval succeeded; returns the number of rows
retrieved.
Retrieve =-1 Retrieval failed; DBError event triggered
Retrieve = 0 No data retrieved
Update
Update =1 Update succeeded.
Update = -1 Update failed; DBError event triggered.
Egs: IF dw_emp.Update() > 0 THEN
COMMIT USING EmpSQL;
ELSE
ROLLBACK USING EmpSQL;
END IF
DBError Event
The DataWindow control triggers its
DBError event whenever there is an error
following a retrieval or update; that is, if
the Retrieve or Update methods return 1.
For example:
if you try to insert a row that does not
have values for allcolumns that have been
defined as not allowing NULL, the DBMS
rejects the row and the DBError event is
triggered.
DBERROR MESSAGE
By default, the DataWindow control
displays a message box describing
the error message from the DBMS, as
shown here:

How DWControl Updates The Database
There are four DataWindow item

statuses, two of which apply only to
rows:
New!
NewModified!
NotModified!
DataModified!

How The Row Statuses Are Set

When data is retrieved : When data is retrieved into a DataWindow,
all row and columns initially have a status of NotModified!.
After data has changed in a column in a particular row,
either because the user changed the data or the data was changed
programmatically, such as through
the SetItem method, the column status for that column changes to
DataModified!.
Once the status for any column in a retrieved row changes to
DataModified!, the row status also changes to DataModified!.
When rows are inserted :When a row is inserted into a DataWindow,
it initially has a row status of New!, and all columns in that row initially have a
column status of NotModified!. After data has changed in a column in the
row,either because the user changed the data or the data was changed
programmatically, such as through the SetItem method, the column status
changes to DataModified!. Once the status for any column in the inserted row
changes to DataModified!, the row status changes to NewModified!.
When a DataWindow column has a default value, the columns status does
not change to DataModified! until the user makes at least one actual
change to a column in that row.
Row Status After Insert And Update

Row Stataus
Sql Statement
NewModified!
DataModified!
INSERT
UPDATE
A column is included in an UPDATE statement only if the

following two conditions are met:
The column is on the updatable column list maintained by
the DataWindow
object.
For rows in the Delete buffer The DataWindow control
generates SQL
DELETE statements for any rows that were moved into the
Delete buffer using the DeleteRow method. (But if a row has a
row status of New! or
NewModified! before DeleteRow is called, no DELETE statement
is issued for
that row.)
Programatically changing the row or column

status
You might need to change the status

of a row or column programmatically.
Typically, you do this to prevent the
default behavior from taking place.
You use the SetItemStatus method to
programmatically change a
DataWindow's row or column status
information.
Effects of changing from one row status to

another
Original Status
New!
New! NewModified ! Yes
DataModified ! Yes
NotModified! No
NewModified!
New! No
NewModified!
DataModified! Yes!
NotModified! New!
DataModified!
New! NewModified!
NewModified! Yes
DataModified!
NotModified! Yes
NotModified!
New! Yes
NewModified! Yes
DataModified! Yes
NotModified! All rights reserved by Satyam
Dynamically Changing
DataWindow Objects
DataWindow objects and all entities in

them (such as columns, text,graphs, and
pictures) each have a set of properties.
You can look at and change the values of
these properties during execution using
DataWindowmethods or property
expressions.
You can also create DataWindow
objects during execution.
Modifying a DataWindow
object
With some DataWindow properties, you
can assign a value through an
expression that the DataWindow
evaluates during execution, instead of
havingto assign a value directly.
For example, the following statement
displays a salary in red if it is less than
$12,000, and in black otherwise:
dw_1.Modify("salary.Color &= '0
~t if(salary <12000,255,0)' ")
Specifying the DataWindow object syntax

There are several ways to specify or generate the
syntax required for the Create method. Not all the
techniques are available in all environments.
Use the SyntaxFromSQL method of the transaction object
SyntaxFromSQL: You are likely to use SyntaxFromSQL to

create the syntax for most dynamic DataWindow
objects. If you use SyntaxFromSQL, all you have to do is
provide the SELECT statement and the presentation
style.In PowerBuilder, SyntaxFromSQL is a method of the
transaction object. The transaction object must be
connected when you call the method.
sqlca.autocommit=TRUE
sqlca.syntaxfromsql (sqlstmt, presentation, err)
sqlca.autocommit=FALSE
Using a custom DataStore object

To use a DataStore, you first need to create an
instance of the DataStore object in a script and
assign the DataWindow object to the
DataStore. Then, if the DataStore is intended
to retrieve data, you need to set the
transaction object for the DataStore.
datastore lds_datastore
lds_datastore = CREATE datastore
lds_datastore.DataObject = "d_cust_list"
lds_datastore.SetTransObject (SQLCA)
lds_datastore.Retrieve()
/* Perform some processing on the data... */
Common methods in DataStore objects
DeleteRow : Deletes the specified row from the DataStore.

Filter : Filters rows in the DataStore based on the current filter criteria.
InsertRow : Inserts a new row.
Print : Sends the contents of the DataStore to the current printer.
Reset :Clears all rows in the DataStore.
Retrieve :Retrieves rows from the database.
RowsCopy : Copies rows from one DataStore to another DataStore or
DataWindow control.
RowsMove :Moves rows from one DataStore to another DataStore or
DataWindow control.
ShareData : Shares data among different DataStores or DataWindow
controls.
See Sharing information on page 86.
Sort : Sorts the rows of the DataStore based on the current sort criteria.
Update :Sends to the database all inserts, changes, and deletions that have
been made since the last Update.

SESSION 6

Window Painter
There are six types of windows available in PowerBuilder. They are all created in the
same way, but each has a specific task for which it is used. You don't have to specify
the window type before you create the window. The default window type is "Main".
Main Window A Main Window is a stand-alone window, which

acts independent of all others. This type of window can be
minimized, maximized and resized; they can also overlap and be
overlapped by other windows. They are usually used:
In single window applications,
As sheets in MDI (Multiple Document Interface) applications. (We will
explain about MDI concepts & programming in the coming sessions.
Popup Window A Popup Window is typically opened from

another window, which is then said to be the popup window's
parent window. The popup window is dependent on its parent
window, but it can also be displayed without opening it from the
parent window. If you do not open the popup window from
another window, it will behave like a main window. Parent window
will not overlap a popup window, but if a parent is minimized
popup window will be hidden.
Window Types
Response WindowA Response Window is the PowerBuilder's
equivalent of a Windows dialog box; it is used to accept
response from the user, to display warnings and so on. A
response window demands action from the user and once
active remains active until the user answers.
Child WindowAs in Popup window, a Child Window can only
be opened from another window, its parent. Even though you
specify the window type as "child", it will behave like a main
window, when opened directly, i.e. not opened from another
window. "Directly" means from an application object, from a
menu option and so on.
MDI Frame Window A MDI Frame Window allows you to open
multiple windows as sheets inside it.
MDI Frame with MicroHelpThis window is exactly like an MDI
Frame, except that it has an additional feature of a status bar
at the bottom of the window.
Menu Painter
PowerBuilder offers the ability to add your
custom menus to the application. In this
session you will learn about creating
menus, while retaining control over what
the user can and can't do. You will be
learning various techniques to create
menus, which you will be using in the
'Product Management System' and you will
also be looking at some of the other
options available in the Menu Painter.
Types of Menus
You can create three different types
of menus in PowerBuilder:
DropDown menus
Cascading menus
Popup menus

DropDown Menus
DropDown menus are displayed when you select
an option from a menu bar that is on the topside
of a window.
The available options are grouped into logical
collections and the group names are displayed
horizontally on the menu bar.
The following picture illustrates a typical
DropDown menu.

Cascading Menus
A Cascading menu can display more menu
options than a DropDown menu.
In simple terms, if a menu option has a sub menu,
it is called a Cascading Menu.
The following pictures gives an idea about the
Cascading Menu.

Popup Menus
A Popup menu is displayed in response to a
specific event.
Unlike DropDown menus a Popup menu is not
displayed at a fixed place, but it pops up at the
current mouse position.
The following picture gives an idea about Popup
menu.

Creating A Menu
Invoke the New dialog box by selecting File >
New menu option and double-click on the Menu
icon located in Object tab page .
The following picture will provide a guideline to
you:

Properties Of menu
Some of the properties of the menu control
are:
Name
Microhelp
Accelerator Key etc
Name : PowerBuilder automatically assigns the name.
Microhelp: When using MDI windows, you can specify
the help text that is to be displayed on the status bar by
typing in the MicroHelp property.
Accelefrator Key : An accelerator key is the underlined
letter in the text of a menu item or a window object. User
can access the menu items or objects using the keyboard
instead of the mouse by pressing the specified key along
with the Alt key.
Database Painter
PowerBuilder can talk to different
data sources, i.e.
Relational Databases, such as Sybase
SQL Server, Oracle, Informix, Microsoft
SQL Server, DB2, Adaptive Server
Anywhere (Watcom), etc.
Databases such as FoxPro tables.
Other sources such as Text Files, Excel
Spreadsheets, etc.
Invoking the Database

Painter
To invoke a database painter, click the database
icon on the Powerbar.

If the database is not running, PowerBuilder
automatically starts the database engine and
connects to it.

Creating units Table

To create a new table, select Tables
located under ODBC > Product folder
and select New Table from the popup
menu or click on the icon. This
invokes the Create Table dialog box:

Column Attributes
Each column in a table has a range of attributes, such as column
name, datatype, width, decimals, etc.
The following properties can be illustrated as below:
Name: This is the name that you use to refer to a column and it can
contain any alphanumeric characters, spaces and the underscore character.
Datatypes: This attribute defines the type of data that will be stored in the
column. For a database based upon the Adaptive Server Anywhere engine,
there are 14+ possible data types.
Width This defines the width, or the maximum number of characters a
column can contain. It is a good idea to limit the width of each column, so
as to limit the amount of memory assigned to data storage. This use of
memory can be wasteful if large amounts are allocated to store small
amounts of data.
Null Option This is a Yes/No option, which is used to determine whether or
not a column should accept a NULL value. A NULL is an empty undefined
value that shouldn't be confused with a zero-length string. The meaning of
NULL is "unknown value".
Extended Attributes
What are extended attributes? They
define:
How data should be displayed.
How to accept data from the user.
What validations are to be done while
accepting the data.
The headings and labels for the column,
etc
The display and edit styles of the data
stored in the tables.
The following points illustrates the extended attributes with a

description of their usage:
Format: Used to alter the format of the data when it is displayed.
Edit: Used to specify an edit mask for a column. An edit mask allows
you to define a template to format the data in a pre-defined manner.
Valid This can be used to specify a validation rule for the data;
something like, all numbers must be less than 31.
Justify :You can specify left, right or center justified text.
Height Used to specify the height of the box that displays the data.
Width Used to specify the width of the box that displays the data.
Header Specifies a header for the column that is different from the
field name. It is used in Tabular and similar presentation style
DataWindows.
Initial You can specify a default value for the column. An example
would be to insert today's date if the user left the field blank.
Label You can specify a label for the column that is different from the
column name. It is used in Freeform and similar presentation style
windows.
Comment In this attribute, you can add comments for the column.
Defining Primary Keys

A Primary Key is used to uniquely identify each
row in a table. When you apply a primary key to a
column in a table, you are forcing each entry in
that column to be unique.
It is not mandatory to define a primary key for
every table, but if you don't, you won't be allowed
to enter data into the table from the data
manipulation screen in the Database Painter.

Defining Foreign Keys
A Foreign Key defines the relationship between two tables.

We just defined a primary key unit for the units table.
To define a foreign key, either (You can do the following only
after you create product_master table which is explained at
the end of this session in the exercises section):
Click with the right-mouse button on the product_master table
in the Objects Layout sheet and select New > Foreign Key
popup menu option.
Expand Tables > product_master > Foreign Key and select
'New Foreign Key' popup menu option.

Creating Indexes
Indexes are used to speed up data selection from
a table by restricting the number of rows that
have to be searched.
For example, if you had a table of contacts with a
gender field and assuming you had equal number
of male and female contacts, then indexing this
field would half the number of records that need
to be searched by a query.

Data Manipulation
To view the data that is stored in a table or to even alter/manipulate it, invoke popup menu on the
table title and select Edit Data > Appropriate Format option or click on one of the preview icons from
the Painterbar.
Importing Data At the moment PowerBuilder supports importing data from two file formats, namely
tab delimited text and the .DBF format. However, it is likely that in future releases more file formats
will be supported.
Exporting Data We've seen how to import data from a tab delimited text file. It may occur to you
that it would be useful to export data to some other format. To allow this PowerBuilder provides you
with tools to support several popular file formats.
Sorting Data When you are in the data manipulation pane, you can display the data in any sorted
order by selecting Rows > Sort... menu option.
Filtering DataIf you have a large table with a million rows and want to see only rows that belong to a
specific country, what you do? You put a WHERE clause in the SELECT statement to select only those
rows that you want to see.
Displaying Rows Description
While sorting, filtering, deleting and modifying data in the "Output (product) Units", you may find it
useful to see the summary of the things done to the rows. You can see it by selecting 'Rows >
Described...' menu option.
Print Previewing, Zooming & Printing the Data
You can print or preview the current display using the standard File menu options of 'Print...' and 'Print
Preview'. In Print Preview mode, you can turn on the Print Preview Rulers to let you adjust the margins
and using the 'Print Preview Zoom...' feature you can alter the magnification.

PowerBuilder Attributes and System Tables
The following table lists all the PowerBuilder

system tables that store the PowerBuilder
extended attributes information.
PBCATTBL Contains the font information for the text,
labels, headers and so on.
PBCATCOL Contains details of the extended
attributes for each column in each table in the
database.
PBCATFMT Contains definitions of the available
formats.
PBCATVLD Contains definitions of the validation
rules.
PBCATEDT Contains definitions of the edit styles.
The following picture illustrates the

PowerBuilder system table columns and
primary keys.

Commenting Code
You can comment the SQL code in any one
of the following styles.
Double Slash Method: '//' without
quotations make everything after that in
that line is considered as a comment. If you
place it in the middle of a line, everything
after that will be treated as comments.
//The following select everything from
units table.
Select * from units;
Viewing Stored
Procedure Syntax
To view a stored procedure syntax:

Expand the 'Procedures &Functions'
folder
Click on the procedure name you want
to see the syntax
Invoke popup menu
Select Properties menu option.

Executing a Stored Procedure
To view a stored procedure syntax:

Expand the 'Procedures & Functions'
folder
Click on the procedure name you want
to see the syntax
Invoke popup menu
Select Edit >
OneOfThePresentationStyle menu
option.

Database Profiles
Everything that was created is stored in
the product database. While creating a
database, there are few things that
happen behind the scenes.
PowerBuilder creates the database 'product'
using the appropriate database tool.
Creates an ODBC entry for product
Creates a database profile 'product' for the
product database.
Connects to the product database using the
database profile 'product'.
Connection Options
Profile Name is the name given to a
profile and is used whenever you
want to connect to the database.
PowerBuilder creates a section with
this name in the pb.ini file.


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Power Builder

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Powerbuilder is a 4GL client/server enterprise

The following major features are supported by

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Powerbuilder Family of Products

The following are some

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What we have learnt from the

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In this session we will learn about

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Should have PowerBuilder (Desktop/

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Double-click -'PowerBuilder x.x For Intel 32 icon .

On starting the PowerBuilder opens the last application worked

While developing you create/test objects using painters.

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Overview Of The Painters

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Overview Of The Painters

Overview Of The Painters

A Debug painter allows you to view the execution

All the icons as shown in the picture below the

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Unlike Powerbar where the toolbar

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Script editor allows you to write

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PowerBuilder Environment - Exercises

Make Powerbar to float.

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Target Points of This Session

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Creating an Application Object

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Irrespective of the application

Select the New button in the 'Select Window dialog

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Once the window is opened it will look

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Properties Of The Controls

Helps the end

This property is not

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Single Line Edit Control

This control is used to input data

Other Important Controls

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Function of Data Window

The DataWindow was originally

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