Book description
In this IBM Redbooks publication, we describe how Informix customers can upgrade their 4GL application development environment to the Rational Software Development platform, and, more specifically, transition to the Rational Enterprise Generation Language (EGL).
EGL provides just the right balance of simplicity and flexibility, and enables application developers to focus on solving business problems rather than expending time and energy on technology.
For example, Informix 4GL developers who are unfamiliar with Java can use EGL to quickly build data-driven Web applications and business logic. They can then write and debug their applications in EGL, and the Java code will be generated for them. So they can then build dynamic Web applications without having to learn the Java language. This provides significant advantages, enabling clients to minimize application development time and resource requirements.
We give you an overview of EGL, its concepts and operations, and walk you through a step-by-step tutorial to develop an simple Web application. Included is an overview of the 4GL to EGL migration process and a sample application migration. You will be alerted to potential migration issues, and given the information to resolve them.
We also include guidance for working with special database behavior and requirements, JasperReports, and a number of advanced EGL topics for developing robust and individualized applications.
Table of contents
- Notices
- Preface
-
Part 1: Introduction and overview
- Chapter 1: Introduction
-
Chapter 2: IBM Informix 4GL
- History of IBM Informix 4GL
- IBM Informix 4GL source code review (1/4)
- IBM Informix 4GL source code review (2/4)
- IBM Informix 4GL source code review (3/4)
-
IBM Informix 4GL source code review (4/4)
- 4GL form files
- 4GL program types
- 4GL data entry screen form program
- Thematic review of 4GL screen form program
- Code review: 4GL data entry screen form program
- Code review: lessons learned
- 4GL report program
- Thematic review of the 4GL report program
- Code review: 4GL report program
- Code review: lessons learned
- Chapter 3: Rational Software Development Platform
- Chapter 4: Installing and configuring RAD
-
Chapter 5: Redbook 4GL reference application
- The Stores demo database
- The 4GL forms in reference application
- The 4GL modules in a reference application (1/6)
- The 4GL modules in a reference application (2/6)
- The 4GL modules in a reference application (3/6)
- The 4GL modules in a reference application (4/6)
- The 4GL modules in a reference application (5/6)
- The 4GL modules in a reference application (6/6)
- Remaining reference application files
-
Part 2: EGL basics and a simple EGL Web application
- Chapter 6: Introduction to IBM EGL
-
Chapter 7: EGL language concepts
- Prerequisites for this chapter
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (1/7)
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (2/7)
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (3/7)
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (4/7)
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (5/7)
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (6/7)
- Setup to run the code in this chapter (7/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (1/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (2/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (3/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (4/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (5/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (6/7)
- Sample EGL character based data entry screen (7/7)
- Chapter 8: The EGL build environment
-
Chapter 9: Simple Web application setup
- Prerequisites
- How this chapter is organized
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (1/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (2/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (3/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (4/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (5/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (6/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (7/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (8/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (9/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (10/12)
- Setup tasks: Part 1 (11/12)
-
Setup tasks: Part 1 (12/12)
- Launching Rational SDP
- Default workspace
- Dismissing the Welcome screen
- Rational SDP main screen
- Instructing Rational SDP about our role
- Creating an IBM EGL Web Project
- Configuring application server: adding our EGL Web Project
- Setting the path to Informix JDBC client libraries on the application server
- Adding an authentication alias to the application server
- Adding a data source to the application server
- Checkpoint
- Setup tasks part 2 (1/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (2/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (3/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (4/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (5/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (6/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (7/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (8/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (9/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (10/11)
- Setup tasks part 2 (11/11)
- Final checkpoint
- Alternate means to create JDBC data source (1/3)
- Alternate means to create JDBC data source (2/3)
- Alternate means to create JDBC data source (3/3)
-
Chapter 10: Simple Web application
- Prerequisites
- Demonstration of a simple business application
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (1/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (2/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (3/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (4/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (5/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (6/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (7/9)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (8/9)
-
Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 1 (9/9)
- New Faces JSP file
- Specifying a page template
- Working static Faces JSP page
- Working with properties
- Viewing a served page
- Viewing a served page with other Web browsers
- Managing the embedded Mozilla Web browser
- Preparing to alter a page from static to dynamic content
- Creating Page Data variables
- Placing Page Data variables on the page
- Accessing the associated Page Handler
- Running the page with dynamic content
- Alternate or preferred syntax for the solution
- Adding a Link from list page to detail page
- Specifying parameters for data aware hyperlink
- Serving the list page with Links
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 2 (1/5)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 2 (2/5)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 2 (3/5)
- Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 2 (4/5)
-
Creating the Simple Web application: JSP page 2 (5/5)
- Allowing a writable page
- Enhancing the Model portion of our existing code
- Detailed code review of Model portion
- Modifying Page Handler of UpdateCustomer.jsp
- Detailed code review of Controller portion
- Associating a visual page control with a Page Handler function
- Testing and final results
- Final modifications
- Checkpoint
-
Part 3: Informix 4GL to EGL conversion
- Chapter 11: The 4GL to EGL conversion process
- Chapter 12: Converting the redbook sample 4GL application to EGL
-
Chapter 13: Special conversion topics
- The EGL Console User Interface (1/3)
- The EGL Console User Interface (2/3)
- The EGL Console User Interface (3/3)
- Converting 4GL reports to JasperReports (1/6)
- Converting 4GL reports to JasperReports (2/6)
- Converting 4GL reports to JasperReports (3/6)
- Converting 4GL reports to JasperReports (4/6)
- Converting 4GL reports to JasperReports (5/6)
- Converting 4GL reports to JasperReports (6/6)
- C function integration with EGL (1/3)
- C function integration with EGL (2/3)
- C function integration with EGL (3/3)
- 4GL shared library conversion
-
Chapter 14: How to deploy an EGL Batch or CUI application
- A simple EGL batch application (1/2)
- A simple EGL batch application (2/2)
- How to deploy a stand-alone EGL application (1/4)
- How to deploy a stand-alone EGL application (2/4)
- How to deploy a stand-alone EGL application (3/4)
- How to deploy a stand-alone EGL application (4/4)
- Special EGL deployment topics (1/2)
- Special EGL deployment topics (2/2)
- Chapter 15: EGL and IDS database server
-
Chapter 16: EGL and JasperReports
- How JasperReports integrates with EGL
- The EGL/JasperReports report creation process
- How to create an EGL report with JasperReports (1/5)
- How to create an EGL report with JasperReports (2/5)
- How to create an EGL report with JasperReports (3/5)
- How to create an EGL report with JasperReports (4/5)
- How to create an EGL report with JasperReports (5/5)
- EGL report handler (callback functions) (1/3)
- EGL report handler (callback functions) (2/3)
- EGL report handler (callback functions) (3/3)
- Chapter 17: Changing database server in the EGL application
-
Part 4: From character based to Web / advanced EGL
-
Chapter 18: Web enhancements to the Example_01 application
- Enhancing the migrated application (1/2)
- Enhancing the migrated application (2/2)
- General principles of application reuse and reengineering
- Migrated artifacts
- The project phases: a high level view
- Development infrastructure and design
- Application modeling: a lower level view (1/6)
- Application modeling: a lower level view (2/6)
- Application modeling: a lower level view (3/6)
- Application modeling: a lower level view (4/6)
- Application modeling: a lower level view (5/6)
-
Application modeling: a lower level view (6/6)
- Object and database modeling
- EGL DataItems: extending application semantics
- Creating new EGL DataItems
- EGL DataTables: static in-memory tables
- EGL records and data access functions
- EGL SQL record definition: best practice
- EGL SQL statement add/add into: read operations
- Forward engineering considerations
- Iterative development
- Page Modeling
- Adding custom graphics to your project (and Web pages)
- Creating or modifying template pages
- Modify an existing .HTPL file
- Add a new .JTPL template page
- Create the Web site model
- Iterative development (1/14)
- Iterative development (2/14)
- Iterative development (3/14)
- Iterative development (4/14)
- Iterative development (5/14)
- Iterative development (6/14)
- Iterative development (7/14)
- Iterative development (8/14)
- Iterative development (9/14)
- Iterative development (10/14)
- Iterative development (11/14)
- Iterative development (12/14)
- Iterative development (13/14)
-
Iterative development (14/14)
- Create the index page
- Create the customer search page
- Customer orders page
- Analyzing data requirements (iteratively)
- Order update page
- EGL, JSF, and ClientSide JavaScript validation code
- Setting cursor focus initially on page load into the browser
- Date validation (order_date) Client/Side JavaScript
- Checking the database for a customer_num value
- JSF data validations
- Populating a ComboBox from a database
- EGL DataItem validations
- Client/Side JavaScript validations
- Complex edits
- Simulate an after field edit
- Session variables and “last chance” bail-outs
- Adding a JavaScript confirm prompt
- Add a hidden field to a form
- What is left to be done?
- Chapter summary
- Chapter 19: How to enhance the converted 4GL application
- Chapter 20: How to deploy an EGL Web application
- Chapter 21: Additional EGL features
-
Appendix A: 4GL/EGL syntax comparison
- Data types (1/6)
- Data types (2/6)
- Data types (3/6)
- Data types (4/6)
- Data types (5/6)
-
Data types (6/6)
- Special data casting
- Definition and declaration statements
- Storage manipulation statements
- Program flow control statements
- Compiler directives
- 4GL Forms to EGL Console User Interface
- 4GL report execution statements
- 4GL report driver statements
- Built-in 4GL functions, variables, and constants
- Built-in and external SQL functions and procedures
- Operators
- SQL cursor manipulation statements
- SQL data definition statements
- SQL data manipulation statements
- SQL dynamic management statements
- SQL query optimization statements
- SQL data access statements
- SQL data integrity statements
- SQL stored procedure statements
- SQL client/server connection statements
- SQL optical subsystems statements
- Environment variables
- Appendix B: EGL functions for database developers
- Appendix C: EGL and Cloudscape
- Appendix D: Additional material
- Glossary (1/2)
- Glossary (2/2)
- Abbreviations and acronyms
- Related publications
- Index (1/3)
- Index (2/3)
- Index (3/3)
- Back cover
-
Chapter 18: Web enhancements to the Example_01 application
Product information
- Title: Transitioning: Informix 4GL to Enterprise Generation Language (EGL)
- Author(s):
- Release date: July 2005
- Publisher(s): IBM Redbooks
- ISBN: None
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