PowerBuilder 11: .NET Web Forms
Dave Fish
Engineering Evangelist - Sybase, Inc.
dfish@sybase.com
http://www.sybase.com/products/development/powerbuilder/webcasts
PowerBuilder 11
Overview
.NET Assemblies .NET Windows Forms
(presented Nov. 20, 2007)
(presented Nov. 13, 2007) And Interoperability
Jim O’Neil Jim O’Neil Dec. 4, 2007
Systems Consultant Systems Consultant
Jim O’Neil
Systems Consultant
Web Service
DataWindow
PowerBuilder 11
.NET Web Forms
.NET Deployment
Feb. 5, 2008 Web Casts Dec. 11, 2007
Dave Avera Dave Fish
Staff Software Engineer .NET Web Services .NET Smart Client
Engineering Evangelist
And Assemblies
Jan. 15, 2008
Jan. 29, 2008
John Strano
Dave Fish Technology Evangelist
Engineering Evangelist
Agenda
• PowerBuilder roadmap
• Web Forms overview
• Deploying Web Form applications
• New Web Form Features in 11.1
• Q&A
PowerBuilder Roadmap
• Version 11 released in June 2007
• 11.1 Maintenance Release in November 2007
• Delivers on third-phase of PowerBuilder’s .NET initiative
2008 2008 2009
PowerBuilder 11.2 PowerBuilder 11.5 PowerBuilder 12
• AJAX support for Web • Core .NET • .NET in IDE
Forms Applications enhancements • WPF support at
• EAServer .NET Client • Native DataWindow design and run-time
Support updates • Fully managed code
• Miscellaneous fixes • Updated database DataWindow
support • Powerscript
• Miscellaneous fixes Language
Enhancements
Multiple Power
Language Application
Platform And
Independence Connectivity
Support Performance
Web Forms Overview
10
Web Forms applications have many advantages over traditional
client-server and Windows Forms applications:
• Web Forms applications:
– do not require client-side installation
– are easy to upgrade
– have no distribution costs
– offer broad-based user access
• Any user with a Web browser and an online connection can
run Web Forms applications
PowerBuilder .NET Web Form Application Architecture
PowerBuilder application
DB
drivers
PB App Database
PowerBuilder ASP .Net 2.0 application
DB
drivers
Web ASP .NET 2.0
ASP.NET Database
Browser App
Web Server
PowerBuilder .NET Web Form Deployment
.NET Modules
deploy CSC And
PowerScript C#
Associated
Source translation ASP .NET
Files
save/build PB2CS
Unsupported PowerBuilder System Library
Syntax errors For .NET
features
(managed code)
DataWindow Engine
PBDs Database Interfaces
(DataWindow objects, (unmanaged code)
Pipelines, Queries)
Supported Features
• Most PowerScript language features
– All data types
– Function invocation (dynamic, post, trigger)
– Event handling
– Embedded SQL
• Most visual and non-visual controls
• File operations: File Manager
• Sending e-mail (via SMTP not MAPI): Mail Manager
• DataWindow printing: Print Manager
• New Web Form Only Properties and Functions
Unsupported Features
• Some system classes such as
– Profile-related classes (but application tracing is available via web config)
– Trace-related classes (but database SQL tracing is available via web config)
• Some system functions such as
– DDE-related functions
– Clipboard-related functions
• Some controls, properties, and events such as
– OLEControl / OLECustomControl (partial support)
– InkPicture / InkEdit
– Drag-and-drop events
– EditLabels of TreeView
See the Deploying Applications and Components to .NET manual for a complete list of supported and
unsupported features
Deploying Web Form Applications
10
Developing Web Form Applications
• New Web Form
wizard quickly creates
requisite project and target
– New application
– Existing application leveraging
same code base
New Project Painter for Web Form Deployment
Web Form Deployment
• Application Deployed to IIS Directory (inetpub\wwwroot)
ASP .NET Directory
Application Virtual Directory
A PowerBuilder Application Deployed to the Web
Web Forms Demonstration
10
New Features in 11.1
10
Enhanced Web Form Controls
Enhanced Web Controls
• Improved menu, toolbar, DatePicker, and MonthCalendar
controls are available in 11.1
• If your application uses the TreeView Control (not TreeView
DataWindow) then you must still install and configure the IE
Web Controls
• IE Web Controls are used by default in 11.1
– In 11.2 the RadControls will become the default
Set the PBWebControlSource property to RAD
Enhanced Menu and Toolbar Controls
IE Web Controls
RadControls
Enhanced DatePicker and MonthCalendar Controls
IE Web Controls
RadControls
Web service client support in Web
Forms
Web service client support in Web Forms
• Worked in PowerBuilder 11.0, but
was not fully QA’d
• You must import the
pbwsclient110.pbx extension into
your .pbl (you can’t add the .pbd
to your library list)
• Other PBNI Extensions (PBDOM,
EJB Client, etc.) are not
supported in .NET Targets
Additional Resources
Want to Learn More?
• Moving to PowerBuilder 11 Education Class
– http://www.sybase.com/detail?id=1052601
Or
– http://www.sybase.com/education
• PowerBuilder Videos
– http://www.sybase.com/products/development/powerbuilder/videos
Or
– http://www.sybase.com/powerbuilder
Q&A