HP 3000 Manuals HP 3000 Manuals
Chapter 14 Application Generation and Testing Application Generation The following components of HP ALLBASE/4GL applications must be generated before they can be executed: * Record layouts. * Data screens and windows. * Processes. * Functions. * Decision tables. * Calculated items. * Reports. * SQL select lists. * SQL logic blocks. * Messages. Generating application components converts your input to executable run-time code. In the generation process, HP ALLBASE/4GL converts the application component to an executable form, and resolves references to other application components. To generate components of an application, select the Generate option on the developer main menu. This selection displays the application generation menu. Selections on this menu allow you to generate some or all components of an application. You can also generate application components by pressing the Generate function key that appears on some HP ALLBASE/4GL developer screens. Messages and calculated items are generated automatically when you press the Commit Data function key on the appropriate dictionary screens. The generation process uses an external program. HP ALLBASE/4GL calls this program automatically when you generate an application component. Screen ImageMenu Selections This screen allows you to generate specific application components, or the entire application. Highlight the component type that you wish to generate, and then activate the highlighted item by pressing Return or pressing the Activate Item function key. Catalog Display. This selection displays the catalog display screen, allowing you to display the names of existing application components. Refer to chapter 13 for details. Function Keys f1 Printing Cancels the current screen and displays the catalog printing screen. f2 Copying Cancels the current screen and displays the catalog copying screen. f3 Deleting Cancels the current screen and displays the catalog deletions screen. f4 Catalog Display Cancels the current screen and displays the catalog display screen. Additional Information The selections on this screen allow you to generate groups of components in an application. Typically, you would use this screen to generate a group of application components after you have made a change to a component such as a field specification or a record layout, and you want to make the change effective throughout the application. To generate an individual component, use the Generate function key on the appropriate item screen. The generation process does not start until you activate the highlighted item on the menu. Once generation starts, HP ALLBASE/4GL displays a series of progress messages indicating the status of the generation process. If any errors are detected during generation, the generate program displays a warning message, and generation pauses until you press Return. The generation process restarts after about 20 seconds if the system does not receive any input. Any changes you make to an application component that requires generation will not be effective until you generate the component. The following application components don't need to be generated: * Menus. * Field specifications. * Validation ranges. * Validation tables. * File definitions. * Work area definitions. * Variables. * Numeric and alphanumeric constants. * Scratch-pad field name declarations. * Function key sets. * Help screens. * Application titles. Changes to any of the above components except field specifications are automatically effective throughout the application.
NOTE If you make a change to a dictionary field specification or a record layout, you must generate all other application components that use the field specification or record layout before the change becomes effective.
During generation, HP ALLBASE/4GL checks references to some other application components and displays error messages if the referenced components don't exist. However, HP ALLBASE/4GL does not check references to the following items: * Data screens and windows. * Menus. * Processes. * Functions. * Decision tables. * Reports. * SQL select lists. * SQL logic blocks. * Messages. * Help screens. * Function keys sets. As a result, HP ALLBASE/4GL may successfully generate an application, and then display error messages at run-time if the application contains references to any of these items that have not been defined. SQL Component Generation. For some commands in SQL logic blocks, HP ALLBASE/4GL creates stored sections in the database environment. These sections are stored in a module in the database environment. The module has the name owner_group.name where owner_group is the SQL owner group defined on the application definition screen in the administrator, and name is the name of the application or version. When you select the All option or the SQL Logic Blocks option on this screen, HP ALLBASE/4GL issues a DROP MODULE command, and then rebuilds the database module with the newly generated SQL sections. HP ALLBASE/4GL also builds a file containing the definition of the database module and the definitions of all SQL tables required by the application. The name of this file is the name of the application or version. The file is created in the account and group specified by the current value of the variable HP4DBMPATH. If HP4DBMPATH is not defined, HP ALLBASE/4GL does not create the database module file. HP ALLBASE/4GL uses the variable HP4DBMSIZE to determine the file limit for the database module file. HP ALLBASE/4GL uses a default limit of 4095 records if HP4DBMSIZE is not defined. Generate Error Log File. HP ALLBASE/4GL logs all error messages initiated during generation to a temporary file in the temporary domain of your log-on group and account. The formal file designator for this file is HP4GNERR. If desired, you can use a file equation to direct the generate log to a permanent disk file or a suitable printer.
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